Cite it right!

I found this quite difficult not least because I am unable to download programmes onto my computer at work. However our IT Officer was to hand and was very helpful (this is just in case he is reading my blog!). I do not think that Zotero is as user friendly as some of the other programmes we have been using. It took me a little while to come to grips with its idiosyncrasies - it did not help that I am not able to download FlashPlayer and watch the video . I therefore found Isla's document (Medical School Library documentation) very helpful. The down side is that the programme seems to slow down Firefox, thus it takes longer to load.

Once mastered, I can see that the programme will be very useful to researchers. The tags seem particularly good as they allow the quick retrieval of similar items. I also like the fact that you can create citations quickly and easily - I wish that this had been available when I first began my research. In a personal capacity I will find this programme useful, how many of our students will be as keen is difficult to predict. On a basic level we already provide our students with digital course readings that are organised in folders and I supply the citations. I shall however try and raise the awareness of Zotero to both our lecturing staff and postgraduate students and place it on our intranet's library pages. It will be interesting to try and gauge the uptake at the end of the year.