Betas, widgets, & mobile tools
Betas:
- Current betas
- Beta graduates
- Beta graveyard - discontinued beta tools and services
Widgets - bookmarklets, browser extensions, & more
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About widgets and web tools
The widgets and web tools listed below are handy for academic use. The MIT Libraries haven't developed and don't support these tools, but we hope that you find them useful. If you have any suggestions for other widgets to add to this page, contact us!
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Web browser bookmarklets
What's a bookmarklet?
A bookmarklet is a piece of Javascript that's embedded in a web browser bookmark and can be used as a shortcut to perform a wide variety of complex tasks (via Accessible Web Design). It sounds complicated, but it's not!
Try these bookmarklets to make the complex task of accessing journals from off-campus seem simple:
- Inserting the Proxy String with a Bookmarklet - access journals from off-campus easily
- Inserting the Proxy String and make TinyURL with a browser button - save or send the URL of results from a research database reliably
- Inserting the Proxy String with a Bookmarklet on iPhones - add an iPhone bookmarklet to access journals from off campus easily
Browser Extensions & Toolbars for Library Research
The following are some web browser extensions, toolbars, or features that are useful for library research. If you don't have it yet, you can download the Firefox and Google Chrome web browsers for free.
Try these add-ons that are supported by the MIT Libraries:
- LibX - MIT edition - embed links to library collections in Amazon, Google, and more
- Zotero - collect, manage, and cite your research sources
Smart keywords are an easy way to search web sites from the location bar of Firefox. With smart keywords, you can type "imdb alfred hitchcock" in your location bar and be taken directly to the result in the Internet Movie Database.
Using Firefox, you can set up smart keywords to work with our Vera database and our Barton catalog. See Firefox smart keywords explained, for instructions. These are great if you are someone who wants to avoid extra mouse clicks.
BookBurro is designed to help find the lowest prices at online bookstores. It can also be used to search library catalogs according to your preferences. When it senses your are looking at a page that contains a book (such as Amazon), it will overlay a small panel which when opened lists prices at online bookstores and whether the book is available at your library. Set your preferences in BookBurro to include "Worldcat", with the zip code of 02139, and that will enable links to MIT Libraries Barton catalog via WorldCat.
Search engines in the Firefox toolbar
A few popular search engines are installed by default in the search bar in the upper-right corner of Firefox. There are many more you can add, using the list of additional search engines. You may also create your own sets of favorite sites to search, using Rollyo, and add your saved Rollyo sets as a search in the Firefox toolbar. You can also search for journals in Vera with the Firefox search bar, to help you find online journals owned by MIT.
General web tools
Tools to try:
- Dropbox - sync and share your files online, access them from any computer or mobile device
- Evernote - keep notes and access them from your computer or mobile device
- Instapaper - save web pages to read later on your computer or mobile device
Have suggestions? Let us know!
Citation management tools
See our guides on citation management tools:
- EndNote
- RefWorks
- Zotero
- Mendeley
- Other useful citation management tools - Papers and more
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