At today's Tech Talk meeting, I'll talk about widgets. I've put the main points of the presentation into the OHSU Library wiki as well as in this blog post. In addition to the what and how of widgets, I hope you'll think about the implications for libraries. Yahoo widgets to search a catalog are nice, but I think there are larger implications here. Users expect customization in all their online tools, but libraries have been slow to provide it. Yes, there's MyLibrary, but consider for a moment what widget-like customization could look like. A library could provide a list of modules (e.g. document delivery, database search, FAQs, news headlines). The user could choose modules of interest and assemble them into a fully-customized interface to library services. Ideally these modules would be compatible with other campus resources (e.g. intranet, employee information system, student information system, research portal), so that library services could integrate smoothly with other systems needed by the user. Even cooler -- the modules could integrate with third-party services outside the library and university (MySpace, Facebook, Google personalized home page, etc.). Hey, I can dream, can't I? In the meantime, here's what we can do now:
While users have been able to customize content within various services (e.g. Yahoo) for awhile, customization is being taken to a new level with modules and widgets. Now we can customize our desktops or create a customized home page by assembling various small programs and tools into a unique combination of functions and information to meet our needs. These tools are created using lightweight code and, often, APIs that allow them to interact with other programs or web sites.
Types of Modules and Widgets
- Accessory widgets - self-contained programs that don't require internet access or an additional program. Examples: clocks, timers
- Application widgets - associated with some other application. Examples: iTunes controllers, media players
- Information widgets - interact with data from the internet. Examples: stock quotes, news headlines, internet radio tuners, Flickr photo tools, satellite radio tuners, weather information.
Platforms
- Yahoo Widgets - http://widgets.yahoo.com. Require Yahoo Widget Engine.
- Google Desktop Gadgets - http://desktop.google.com/plugins/. Require Google Desktop. Can be docked to Sidebar or roam free on your desktop.
- Apple Dashboard Widgets - http://www.apple.com/downloads/dashboard/. Requires Dashboard, which debuted in OS X Tiger.
- Modules for Google personalized home page. Requires Google account. Then go to http://www.google.com/ig and add content.
Creating Widgets and Modules (especially in libraries)
These tools don't appear to be too difficult to create. Some libraries have created Yahoo or Apple widgets for searching their catalogs, and CISTI has created a Yahoo widget for ordering documents and checking the status of orders.
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