Digital Literacy

The process of getting started is fairly simple:

1. Download the free app from the app stores.
2. If you are on site, BrowZine might recognize which institution you belong to and log you in. Otherwise select the University of Cincinnati from the list of institutions.
3.  If you are asked to login with your library credentials, enter UC’s username and password.
4. Search for journals by title, subject, or ISSN or browse by subject.
5. If you have found a journal you would like to monitor for articles, click “Add to my Bookshelf."
6. Access to the bookshelf requires that you have a BrowZine account. Sign up for an account or login if you already have one.

Using your bookshelf

1. Once logged in, you will be able to customize your bookshelf.
2. Clicking on the journal on the bookshelf will display a list of current articles. You can also browse issues back to 2005.
3. All unread articles will be marked as "unreviewed" from now on.
4. You can save individual articles to "My Articles" on your BrowZine account. You can create article collections.
5. You can export article citations to EndNote, Mendeley, RefWorks, and Zotero.

Watch the introductory video below.

Current awareness services, including tables of contents, new books, search, and citation alerts,  will help you to stay informed when new information is published in your area of interest. Once you set up an account, the information is pushed at a specified frequency (daily, weekly, monthly) via email or an RSS feed.  You usually need to set up a free account/profile to receive alerts.

Reasons to have alert services:

• Current awareness: learn about recent articles and other publications in your area of interest, including the contents of newly published journals.
• Customized content: control the the amount and regularity of received information.
• Time management: have information automatically delivered to you without rerunning the same search all the time.
• Organization: maintain a personal database in bibliographic management software, like RefWorks.

Summon allows you to get alerts on newly added books to UC Libraries.   

• Enter search terms.
• Limit to published after... (for example, January 1, 2022).
• Under "content type" select "book/e-book."
• Click "Search."
• On the results screen click the RSS icon  (next to "X results sorted by relevance").

Search alerts allow you to be notified when results matching your search criteria are added to the database.

Summon offers RSS feeds for specific searches, without creating a login or an account.

Once you create a search and narrow it to your specifications, use the RSS button  to add it to your feed reader.

Some databases below require that you create a profile or account in order to store your searches. You can then create an email alert or RSS feed so that any new articles that meet your search criteria are sent to you.

Citation alerts will let you know when the article of interest to you has been cited, so that you do not need to continually rerun the same searches. Alerts can only be run by article, not by author.

Web of Science

• Click on "My Citation Alerts." You need to have a Web of Science account to create alerts.
• Search for the article that you would like to create an alert for.
• Click on the title of the record to view the full article.
• Click on "Create Citation Alert." To create an RSS feed for the Alert, click on the XML button.
• Citation alerts expire after one year but can be renewed in the "My Citation Alerts" screen in Web of Science.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a convenient way to keep up with new information, from websites to news services to table of contents of your favorite journals, podcasts, etc.

If a site has an RSS feed, you will see an icon like this:

Keeping current with technology in the workplace is crucial. Here are a few good reasons.

• You want to anticipate, meet, and exceed customers' expectations.
• You need to know the extent of your customer’s technological expertise and stay on pace with them.
• You don't want to miss opportunities to connect and interact with customers.

Generally, you will continue to learn, and learning in the workplace is not limited to technology. While your employers will offer some learning opportunities for you, you will often be setting your own goals and determining ways to acquire new knowledge and skills.

Here are some sources that will help you stay current and learn what you need:

• Blogs, podcasts, and forums
  These are great sources for the most current information.
• Twitter: identify experts and follow them.
• Online tutorials
  • Find out if your employer has a subscription to Lynda.com or a similar library of tutorials.
  • Visit sites of software and product vendors: they often have free online tutorials.

• Professional organizations and associations offer wonderful training and professional development opportunities. Check out their website; there may be free training materials.