Bye bye card catalogue or Thing 14: Zotero / Mendeley / CiteULike

I've tried Endnote as the library I'm in runs classes on it. Citeulike was then mentioned in conjunction with these classes. These classes are run for all students but are particularly for post-grads. It's funny but apart from library staff I've never seen any other staff members at it. The meeting point for the class is opposite the desk where I used to work so you see what happens.

It's odd but as a library we don't do any classes on how to reference or how to cite, plagarism or copyright. Undergrads have one class which combines all of these but it's only been introduced this year. Is it a library's place to do classes on citation, on one type but not another? Is Endnote seen as a database or electronic resource?

I've been testing Mendeley for the last while but it's been a little stop start with one thing and another.


I can see the value of using a citation system such as Endnote or Mendeley but I think I need to re-wire my brain. I wrote a previous dissertation by hand and kept note of the various citations by hand as well. That was feasible as it was over a short space of time and the dissertation was 15,000 words only. I say only but by and large it's reasonably small. However I've never returned to that topic and so I don't need to keep the various citations. Now as libraries are what I do I should really keep a better system. It's just a matter of doing it.

It is as if I were changing from a card catalogue to an OPAC.