Bibliographic Management

What is Bibliographic Management

Bibliographic Management, a service whose digital history began in the 1980's, can also be known as reference or citation management, is the general term for software or programs that organize bibliographic material, into a dynamic list that is saved for future use. Where the information is saved depends on the type of program in use. There are many different bibliographic management services that are either Open Source, Retail, or Web Based and while many have similar functions, there are important differences between each service. Some bibliographic management tools are geared specifically for certain fields or professions and others lack the capabilities necessary to function correctly with certain sources. Bibliographic Managers are programs designed for researchers as a way to easily keep track of and categorize works cited. There are numerous different offerings in the realm of reference management, and they all have slightly different functions. Bibliographic managers aren't simply a place to make lists, and their functions have implications far beyond research papers. None of the applications are without their limitations however, and each user needs to do the proper research in order to find out which service best fits his/her needs. At Evergreen, the bibliographic manager that is recommended currently is Zotero, but through extensive research, I would recommend different Bibliographic Management Solutions at Evergreen

The biggest drawback to bibliographic management is that students have yet to see just how useful it has the potential to be. At Evergreen, Zotero is the main bibliographic manager that is recommended, but research proves a different bibliographic management service might be better suited to students needs. Post 9/11, the USA PATRIOT ACT has impacted the privacy of Americans and those who store information on servers housed in America. The PATRIOT ACT has not only affected physical libraries, but national security and bibliographic management as well. Additionally, bibliographic managers allow readers to understand the accountability of researchers. Teachers or publishers can compare the sources of a student or authors' work to others' sources to ensure there is original material presented.