You
can download a “GO” (Grolier Online) icon that appears on the desktop of a
computer. But when the desktop screen is gone, so it the icon and the access;
consequently, this is only a partial solution to instant access to information. Electronic Lexicons for Libraries
by Tim
Hillebrand
Abstract
Knowledge is
power. Words are the building blocks of knowledge. Libraries are storehouses of
knowledge, and lexicons are the warehouses of words. However, for knowledge to
be useful, it must be accessible. With the possibility of instant access to
knowledge these days, we should, as never before, have instant access to words
in the form of electronic dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias.
Unfortunately, this is not necessarily the case, for most libraries make access
to words a treasure hunt on their Websites, and electronic lexicons need to be
improved for instant entrée. This article will review the current state of
affairs illustrated with examples, and suggest some solutions.
The Problem
It is axiomatic that
knowledge is power, and knowledge is based on words. It should be a goal,
therefore, for libraries as repositories of knowledge to help people increase
their word power by making the necessary tools readily available. With computers
and all manner of electronic references, why are electronic dictionaries,
thesauri, and encyclopedias not more easily accessible?
My penchant for eBooks is
what brought this question into focus. What attracted me to eBooks more than any
of their manifold virtues was the instant lookup feature, which allows you
merely to tap on a word and the definition pops right up on the screen,
instantly. This realization started an investigation of electronic lexicons for
handheld computers and resulted in an article published in the July 2003 issue
of PocketPC Magazine. In that article, I tended to favor those
programs that were at the closest beck and call, and luckily I found that most
accessible ones were also the ones richest in content. What I began to realize
is that the most useful ones were not just available within eBooks but always
available in all applications. They were the winners, and I am pleased to report
that since my article, some of these dictionary-type products have truckled to
my suggestions.
Desktop Lexicons
Hide Their Content
When I turned my attention
to the desktop environment, I realized that the gallimaufry of electronic word
books were way behind those available for handheld computers in terms of ease of
access. Word processors have limited vocabulary dictionaries and synonym finders
without context that may result in embarrassing usage. Some commercial
dictionaries, such as Merriam Webster, will install an icon on the tool bar of
some common applications in the Microsoft Office Suite. While this may seem a
convenience, it requires tapping on the icon to invoke it, waiting for the
dictionary Website to appear, assuming you are already online, and then copying
and pasting the word into the lookup box on the dictionary. Microsoft Encarta
dictionary is available as an icon in Word and Internet Explorer in Windows XP,
and you don’t have to copy and paste. Just put the cursor on the word and
click on the dictionary icon on the tool bar. This is an improvement to be sure,
but not perfection.
However, the vast majority
of the dictionary products available for your consideration are not this readily
available.
Libraries Bury the
Treasure Too
But, it’s not just the
word books themselves that obscure their contents from potential users; it’s
libraries or inattentive Webmasters. Could it be that Webmasters hate words? Are
they vocabularily challenged? Or is their velleity
masking the gates, allowing only the most persistent to enter? Actually,
some of my best friends are Webmasters, and I would probably even allow my
daughter to marry one.
To illustrate my
point though, let me give you a quick, fun assignment. First go to your own
library’s Website. See how many clicks it takes you to look up the word
“uxorious.” (My wife made me use that word.) If it takes more than two
clicks, you should have a serious talk with your library director, your
webmaster, and if you’re a married male, your shrink. Now, just for fun, go
visit five other library Websites. See which one has buried the lexical bone the
deepest. Do you now believe that you need to be an archaeologist to excavate
through the strata to find the basic building blocks of knowledge locked away in
a tomb deep in the vast abyss of some obfuscating Website? I’m convinced
it’s a game, like a treasure hunt or an easter egg hunt, fun, but
time-consuming.
CD Solutions
Long ago I used to
think CD reference sources were wonderful, and they were, then. But now that it
is possible to be online all the time, CDs are a big bother considering that
they are cumbersome to use, get damaged, and are relatively expensive when they
have to be replaced periodically. Now that most computers are always online,
there really is no reason for CDs because the information is always available
only a few clicks away, often free and updated.
Online Resources
Let’s take a look
at some of the most popular online word references available in today’s
market.
Browsers and
Search Engines
Remembering that an
Internet browser, whether it be Netscape, Internet Explorer or some other
flavor, is usually at least one or two clicks away; we have in them a viable
access to references. This usually involves searching for a dictionary and then
choosing one from a list of 9.5 million possibilities. Or, if you know the one
you want, you could navigate right to it or even type in its URL or mark it as a
favorite. Once you’ve pulled up the dictionary, you can either type in the
word, if you still remember it, or paste it in, if you had the foresight to copy
it. This is almost as much bother as walking across the room, finding a
dictionary, pulling it off the
shelf, and looking up the word in a tree book.
Google it
Tip: in the
search-box of Google, you can type “define: [lookup word]” and it will give
you the definition from Princeton’s Word Net database. But that’s still a
few clicks away, and you could have more easily gone to Word Net in the first
place.
Mywebsearch.com
Mywebsearch.com is a
search program that allows you to type in or paste in the word you seek and then
click on various search engines such as Google, Alltheweb, AltaVista, LookSmart,
and Ask Jeeves. The result is the familiar, endless list of dictionaries, albeit
with the page already pointed to the requested term. This product is free, but
the trade off is that paid-for listings come up first on browser search hits.
YourDictionary.com
YourDictionary.com
provides a most comprehensive and authoritative portal for language and
language-related products and services on the Web with more than 1800
dictionaries in more than 250 languages. In excess of 1,500,000 people a month
visit YDC. It’s a lexical supermarket, a WalMart of words, and for a
philologist more fun to visit than Disney World. Maybe it should, in fact, be
renamed “Disney Word.” The good news is that it’s free, no doubt because
it is supported by advertising.
eReference
Houghton Mifflin’s
eReference is a sophisticated search tool software approach that includes the
full version texts of The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English
Language, Fourth Edition, and Roget’s II: The New Thesaurus. If
you’re connected to the Internet, you can get real voice pronunciations and
brilliant color images. It sells for $34.95.
Want to know the meaning of “uxorious” at the same instant you’re reading it on a Web page or in a Microsoft Office application? Houghton Mifflin eReference will find the answer after you’ve simply highlighted the word and clicked on the “A-Z” icon. Want to get a definition of a word, but you’re not sure of the spelling? Start typing your best guess and eReference will generate a list of possible matches. How about then getting a synonym or antonym of “efficacy”? With eReference, you can quickly toggle between the dictionary and thesaurus.
eReference
can be downloaded as a free trial. But be certain you want it before you buy it
because there are no refunds.
|
Get
It Now |
|
Free
Trial (13.3MB) |
|
Free
Trial for OS X (10.2MB) |
Grolier Online
Grolier Online from Scholastic Publishing can
enhance a library collection by making available a multitude of resources for
students or patrons doing research—all in one search operation.
Grolier Online is a portal referencing
information from many sources, both print and electronic. It is an online suite
consisting of seven databases and three of the best-known encyclopedias:
Plus, four more databases can be added to
customize the needs of your library:
Grolier Online can be searched just like the
Web, but there is a difference. Your search leads you to relevant articles from
Grolier Online's encyclopedias, which point you to a rich variety of other
resources, both within Grolier Online and on the World Wide Web.
You
can download a “GO” (Grolier Online) icon that appears on the desktop of a
computer. But when the desktop screen is gone, so it the icon and the access;
consequently, this is only a partial solution to instant access to information.
The
prices for the privilege of installing the service start at $549 and go up to
$1219 for a single school library. Public libraries will pay $929 per branch for
one to five branches and $839 per branch over five. If you want remote access on
top of that, be prepared to come up with another $549 per branch.
Merriam
Webster
Merriam
Webster enters the electronic fray with three options starting with free, and it
escalates from there. For a description of the two paid options ranging from
$14.95 to $39.95 per year, go to http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/collegiate_sub.pl?refr=P_mwol_foot.
Merriam
Webster offers two handy applications that can be downloaded for free and will
reside in your browser’s tool bar. Here
is a facsimile of the lookup bar. You can also dowload the lookup button, which
enables you to highlight any word on a browser page, and when you tap the
button, its definition will pop up on the screen. Both of these features are to
be appreciated, not only because they are free but also because they do give
handy access to information. However, they only function in a browser. What we
are seeking is an application that would be available at all times, from all
pages, in all applications. The search goes on.
OneLook
Dictionary
OneLook Dictionary is a sponsored, free service that boasts 6,025,862 words indexed in 957 dictionaries. It can be accessed at www.onelook.com, or by installing an applet on a Webpage, or by bookmarking it as a favorite. However, it is not available in applications other than a browser, which gives it limited accessibility and is, therefore, not the most desirable in our paradigm.
Dictionary.com
The
Dictionary.com site is certainly a valuable reference tool featuring
dictionaries in several languages, thesaurus.com, and other useful tools. Free
software available on the site includes CleverKeys and Dictionary.com toolbar.
CleverKeys gives instant access to definitions at Dictionary.com and synonyms at
Thesaurus.com from almost all Windows and MAC applications. Hey, now this is
beginning to sound interesting. Here’s how it works: Just highlight a word in
any application; hit control-L. The definition will eventually appear in your
Web browser. Or, hit control-M for a menu of other options including a thesaurus
lookup, or a search of the Web, or shop at Amazon.com. At least it doesn’t
take you to WalMart.
This is what the
Dictionary.com toolbar looks like in your browser:
To
gain premium features and eliminate advertisements, it will cost you $19.95 per
year. For the specifics, go to http://dictionary.reference.com/premium/.
LiLi Database
As much as I am a fan
and avid LiLi supporter, I am disappointed at the depths to which it too has
succeeded in burying its limited lexical references, as if the database
architect had set out to design the tomb of an ancient pharaoh to be protected
from grave robbers at all costs over the eons. On the other hand, it is way too
much trouble to log on to LiLi just to look up a definition, and such resources
should be more readily available. Now if LiLi had access to the Oxford English
Dictionary, that might be another matter worth wading for.
Oxford Reference Online
Oxford Reference Online is
available to individuals and institutions, and access to it can be added to a
browser. It enables you to look up words in Oxford Reference Online from
anywhere on the Web by simply downloading the "Add Oxford Reference Online
to your browser" icon (available from the home page) to your Internet
browser toolbar. Then if you're looking at a foreign language Web page, for
example, and don't know what a word means, just highlight the word, click the Search
Oxford button on your browser toolbar, and a new window will open showing
the results of a search for the word in Oxford Reference Online. This is a blue
ribbon feature in my opinion. To find out more, click on your choice of
hyperlinks below:
Licenses
(or should we spell that “licences” because it’s British?) for the Premium
Collection start at $550 per year for a single user and $375 for the Core
Collection. Pricing for concurrent user licenses vary. For pricing options
contact onlinesubscriptions@oup-usa.org
or call 800-334-4249. Idaho
librarians are invited to have a free trial; username and password are both
“idaholibraries” at http://www.oxfordreference.com
.
Oxford English Dictionary
Completely separate from
Oxford Reference Online is the granddaddy of dictionaries, Oxford English
Dictionary, fondly referred to as the OED. First let me offer some statistics if
you haven’t hefted one lately. The print version of the dictionary occupies
more than four feet of shelf space, spans 21,728 pages, and weighs more than 145
pounds. It is also available on CD-ROM and comes with a powerful search engine
to help you sort through the dictionary's 615,000 words and 2.4 million
quotations. Search by word, etymology, date, author, quotation, and more.
All serious lucubrators
trot to these toothsome tomes as the authoritative source for not only meaning,
spelling, and pronunciation, but also for word origin, history, and usage. The
Oxford English Dictionary is more than a reference you consult out of casual
curiosity; it is an essential tool for serious scholars. The tree book version
costs $2750, the CD version $2000 less. The online edition for libraries runs
$720 per year and $550 a year for individuals.
As with Oxford Reference Online, Idaho librarians are invited to have a
free trial; username and password are both “idaholibraries” at http://dictionary.oed.com/entrance.dtl
.
If there were an Academy
Award for dictionaries, the OED would be the Lord of the Rings. But it does tend
to remain aloof in its ivory tower without easy access from all online
applications, which puts it in the worst-dressed category of online references.
The Futility of it
All
Why the indolence you
say? Are you so lethargic that you can’t deal with a few clicks of a mouse? It
is, afterall, far better than physically looking it up in a tree book.
Well, my feeling is
that if it’s possible on a Pocket PC, it ought to be possible on any desktop
or workstation as well. Furthermore, I happen to know from long experience that
it is just too easy to put off looking up a word until it’s out of mind, sort
of like the items on the bottom of a To Do list. But, if you can look up a word
right now, in any application, that’s instant gratification and instant access
to knowledge, and it makes you more powerful.
I can think of at least
three dictionaries that allow a user to accomplish this on a Pocket PC: WordBook,
bDicty, and eDictionary. Of these, only WordBook is also available for the PC
desktop environment, but you still have to copy and paste the look-up word into
it. So, it has sadly lost its attraction on the desktop.
Lest we end here on a
note of hopeless despair in our vision quest for easy access to the power of
words, let me share the solution that I’ve been saving for last.
The Solution
It’s time to become
acquainted with GuruNet, the mentor of the masses, the guide to genius, and the
most valuable player in the word power superbowl, for it fits all the criteria
for the perfect word finder. And it’s far more powerful than a mere word
looker-upper. Stay tuned.
GuruNet is so easy to
use. In any application, not just a Web browser, its power can be invoked by
placing the cursor on a word and tapping the Alt key. Up pops the definition.
You don’t even have to go to all the trouble of highlighting the word. On the
same screen you will have access to a myriad of other resources including a
thesaurus, encyclopedias, and an extensive knowledge base. Or, should you wish
to search the net, a search box is available for that as well.
Continuing with the theme of
instant access to knowledge, there is a little thumbnail that sticks out on the
side of the screen, which is always resident on top of all programs. Simply
click on it and a little drawer slides
out waiting for you to type or paste in any inquiry you wish. Rather
than taking you on a Web search with millions of responses, it will take
you directly to information that supplies the essense of your query, which in
most cases is sufficient. Should you wish to go further, you have the GuruNet
database at your disposal plus the entire Internet.
Rather than continue
extolling the virtues of GuruNet verbally, here is a short, animated
demonstration of exactly how it works: Click HERE.
What does GuruNet
cost? The good news is that it’s free, not just to install and to try, but to
use in a limited version for as long as you wish. You simply will not have
access to all the databases and language translation into twelve languages. For
all the enhanced features to be available, the cost is $39.95 per year, but
multiple user licenses are available at a discount.
Maybe tapping the alt
key with the cursor on a look up word is a simple operation, but it does require
the use of the mouse and the keyboard. I would recommend an easier solution for
future versions. My suggestion is to make GuruNet available as a right click
menu item that would come up when you right click on a word. Even better would
be to bring up the word definition by merely double clicking on it.
As a reward for suffering
through this treatise on thesaurial tactility, you can use this code to receive
a discount should you wish to purchase this program and make it yours.
Denouement
It seems that, at the
moment, handheld computers are more advanced at reference retrieval than
desktops. The lexicons available for libraries do not appear to have ease of
access in mind in their architecture. And to compound the issue, most library
Websites appear to play hide and seek, delighting in how deeply they can bury
the lexical bone.
Because words are the
foundation of knowledge, it would behoove libraries as stewards and dispensers
of knowledge to make the process of looking up words more accessible and
convenient. At this time, there appears to be but a single program that makes
look-ups available from within all applications, and that is GuruNet on which I
hereby confer to Golden Word Award.
Remember, the one
with the most words wins.