Mozilla Firefox Browser: Must Have Add-ons for Increasing Your Ability to Find Information

In the September 2007 issue of The Library Insider, I explained why the Mozilla Firefox Internet browser is the Internet browser of choice of many of Ball State University Libraries’ personnel. Reasons include tabbed navigation, integrated search features, great performance, and stability of the program. Another reason is because of a broad selection of plug-ins, add-ons, and browser extensions.

Many of FireFox’s add-ons enhance the information finding and research processes by linking users to the valuable information resources provided by libraries based on Web page content. A few of these must-have friendly add-ons are discussed here.
del.icio.us

This is a social bookmark manager. With del.icio.us, important and useful web sites can be bookmarked for use from any Internet computer and can be shared with others working on a research project and other group work. In contrast, bookmarks in FireFox and favorites in Internet Explorer are useful only on the machine where they are saved.
The del.icio.us add-on includes toolbar buttons, its own toolbar, a menu bar entry, and tagging support. Existing bookmarks can be imported to del.icio.us. More information about del.icio.us is available at this URL:
del.icio.us/help/firefox/bookmarks/quicktour.

Ball State University Libraries’ Internet Toolbar

Another very useful Firefox add-on is the University Libraries Internet Toolbar. It was developed by the University Libraries and has been rigorously tested through use on the Libraries’ 350 public access workstations. Access the free download, www.bsu.edu/library/article/0,,42835--,00.html.

The Internet Toolbar provides a library presence throughout the browsing session regardless of the current Web site in the main browser window. Access to the public catalog, CardCat, is integrated in the Internet Toolbar.

Links to key library Web pages, academic databases, research help, and library services are only a click away on the toolbar, no matter what Web site the student or faculty member visits.
Burro

Book Burro is a powerful extension for FireFox that helps the user determine where to find a book title based on information on the Web page. Many academic libraries and online bookstores are registered with the Book Burro service. Open WorldCat is an important library service linked through Book Burro. The Book Burro configuration window allows the user to choose which bookstores, libraries and WorldCat resources are included in the results list.

Book Burro utilizes a book’s International Standard Book Number (ISBN). In a page view that contains an ISBN, the user can highlight the ISBN number, right-click the mouse, then choose the “Book Burro Search” option in the dropdown box that appears. In some installations, Book Burro will automatically detect the ISBN and present the Book Burro pop-up. Book Burro can be used from the University Libraries’ CardCat system.

When an ISBN is highlighted in the CardCat record, the Book Burro box contains a listing of other sources for the book title. Find and download Book Burro from http://bookburro.org/.

LibX
The final add-on I want to mention is the award-winning LibX. It is a FireFox toolbar add-on that was developed at Virginia Tech University Libraries, and it is being used by about 200 libraries. This powerful add-on’s features includes right-click context sensitive menus, OpenURL support, Google Scholar support, xISBN support, and web localization features.

The LibX-embedded search option provides extended access to the local catalog and local library holdings. Learn more about LibX from the article LibX – a FireFox extension for enhanced library access by Annette Baily and Godmar Back, Library High Tech, v. 24, no. 2, September 2006.

Internet browsers are necessary applications that allow a person to research and access academic library collections, resources, and services. Browser add-ons and extensions offer library users specialized tools to enhance and simplify library access.

For more information, contact Bradley D. Faust, Ball State University Libraries’ Assistant Dean for Library Information Technology Services, BFaust@bsu.edu, 765-285-8032.