Library Hacks has blogged about Zotero before, and it continues to develop into an interesting and useful citation management tool. Unlike EndNote or RefWorks (both of which are freely available to Duke users under a campus site license), Zotero is an open source application, freely available to all. Currently it works only as a Firefox plugin, but plans are in the works for Zotero Everywhere which will be browser-independent.
The Libraries are beginning to offer workshops (such as this one for English and Literature graduate students) and will continue to explore ways to support Zotero users. How can we best help you to explore research tools like this one? Give it a try and leave a comment to let you know your thoughts!
Oh my,
Zotero has proven helpful and nightmarish.
There is no real support when a person runs into a snag that they don’t know how to handle. It’s over the top frustrating because what we entrust to zotero is so valuable.
You say you want to help those using Zotero, please provide me with a contact e-mail so that I can dig myself out of this hole.
Thanks,
MC.
hosea3@aol.com
How right you are–as an open source tool, there isn’t one-on-one support provided by Zotero (though perhaps you seen the support pages online here http://www.zotero.org/support/). We feel your pain! We do have a librarian on staff who is available to provide support to Duke students and faculty (contact info is being emailed to MC). Users may also email askref@duke.edu for referrals.
The Zotero forums are very active and responsive – in most cases you’ll have someone – often one of the lead developers – answering your questions/problem within hours of your post – you’ll be hard-pressed to find superior support for many commercial pieces of software – spend some minutes searching – many questions have already been answered multiple times – and then just ask.