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.

Mozilla Firefox: The Internet Browser of Choice by Many Ball State University Libraries’ Personnel

Online searching and content retrieval is vital to modern academic library research, learning, and knowledge discovery. Two major internet browsers provide the primary gateway to the online search services from content providers to accomplish this work. These internet browsers are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (IE) and Mozilla FireFox. Many library staff prefer Mozilla FireFox, now in release 2.0, because it provides them with several powerful features and functions.

A powerful FireFox feature is tabbed navigation and it was enhanced in version 2.0. Many times staff want to have quick access to multiple web sites during the course of their work. Traditionally, this required multiple open browser windows. Tabbed navigation provides a convenient, efficient way to have easy access to multiple web pages.

Through FireFox’s integrated search feature, it is easy to add web search engines and change the default web search option in the Navigation Toolbar. For Example, I choose ZUULA as the default web search engine because it provides results from Google, Yahoo!, MSN, and other search sites. Some of the web search sites pre-loaded in FireFox are Google, Yahoo!, eBay, Answer.com, and Amazon. The Firefox Search Engine Manager simplifies modifying the integrated search bar.

FireFox is also preferred because of its performance and stability. Day in and day out, FireFox responds faster and runs more reliably than other browsers. Waiting on web pages to load can be frustrating, particularly for busy Libraries’ personnel who spend a considerable amount of time using the web. Slow page load delays mean lost productivity.

Another useful Firefox feature is the web feeds (RSS) reader via the FireFox Live Bookmarks function. It provides great control over feed subscriptions, incorporating the reader function directly in the browser. Web feeds are a great tool for keeping up-to-date on library news, program offerings, and other topics.

An additional significant FireFox feature that library personnel comment on is its add-on functionality. Thousands of add-ons, extensions and themes exist to personalize, customize, and configure how FireFox operates on your computer. Many of these add-ons, available at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox, are valuable tools for library researchers.

The Mozilla FireFox browser is available for free download at www.mozilla.com/en-US/products.

The University Libraries include FireFox on all public workstations. The web log usage information reveals the FireFox internet browser is used every bit as often as Microsoft’s IE and other internet browsers.

In my column next month, I plan to write about some of FireFox’s library-friendly extensions, including LibX, del.icio.us, the University Libraries’ toolbar, Book Burro, and others. These internet browser extensions, or add-ons, expand FireFox functionality and usability and are valuable resources for libraries to share with researchers, students, and other learners.