http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/authors/walter-scales/ Recent content in Walter Scales on Ariadne Hugo -- gohugo.io en-gb Sat, 19 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/18/search-engines/ Sat, 19 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/18/search-engines/ In issue 16 of Ariadne Dave Beckett wrote an interesting article on search engines. In that article he refers to lots of examples of UK-based and other searching services, and, albeit with some trepidation in view of the fact that Dave is normally the one doing the reviewing rather than being on the spot himself, I couldn’t resist the temptation of having a look at some of the resources he mentions in his excellent “Where in the World… is that ‘UK’ search engine/directory? http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/17/verity/ Fri, 18 Sep 1998 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/17/verity/ AbstractThe majority of library enquiry systems usually consist of a non-graphical interface linked to a library catalogue (Online Public Access Catalog, or OPAC). Graphics, animation and sound are usually sacrificed to speed up the enquiry process. Some interfaces support the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) and can therefore be accessed on the World Wide Web (Web). Although they allow access using a number of keywords (author, subject, title, etc.), they do not provide any help on how the catalogues are accessed, how to structure or refine a query or how to evaluate the responses. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/14/netskills-corner/ Thu, 19 Mar 1998 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/14/netskills-corner/ Paul Garrud, Issue 8 of Ariadne, looked at how multimedia might be used online in a medical context (patient education), and started from the premise that “ one shouldn’t neglect the presentation and visual impact of educational packages because they engage the user’s motivation, attention and aesthetic sense”. Paul nicely encapsulates in one sentence the difficulties of designing with multimedia in mind. In Issue 12 of Ariadne Brian Kelly discussed how widely some of the newer Web technologies are being used in UK university and HE college home pages. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/12/niss-review/ Wed, 19 Nov 1997 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/12/niss-review/ Do we like it? Yes, I, for one, do. At least, I’m pretty sure I do. I love the NISS logo - very elegant. A bit like the “tick” beloved of all educationalists (or, of course, the Nike “swish” symbol). The new NISS page is much nicer and more modern-looking than the old NISS page, and its pleasingly simple and minimalist look makes it easy for the eye to see the various sections. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/10/netskills-corner/ Fri, 18 Jul 1997 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/10/netskills-corner/ The Symposium, organised by The Networked Learning and Work Research Group at the Department of Information Studies in the University of Sheffield, was held in a very convenient location in Sheffield: lecture rooms, dining and bar facilities and bedrooms were all in one building, Halifax Hall, one of the University’s halls of residence. The grounds were nice, too, complete with squirrels and at least one owl. The programme didn’t differ from the advertised programme, and ran very smoothly and exactly to schedule.