Tools and Software

We know that using the right tool for the job is important - that's why we've made it easy for you to find those tools. Here you'll find a collection of applications from around the internet, focused on making your research easier, faster, and maybe even more entertaining.

Firefox: Campus Edition

Get Firefox: Campus Edition

Firefox now offers a special version of firefox for college students. This version includes three pre-packaged add-ins:

Zotero

Get Zotero

Zotero is an easy-to-use yet powerful research tool that helps you gather, organize, and analyze sources (citations, full texts, web pages, images, and other objects), and lets you share the results of your research in a variety of ways. An extension to the popular open-source web browser Firefox, Zotero includes the best parts of older reference manager software (like EndNote)—the ability to store author, title, and publication fields and to export that information as formatted references—and the best parts of modern software and web applications (like iTunes and del.icio.us), such as the ability to interact, tag, and search in advanced ways.

-Zotero.org

Here's just a taste of what Zotero can do for you and your research:

LibX: Florida State University Edition

Click here to install LibX FSU Version 1.1

Please note: This extension works with the Firefox browser only.

 libx firefox extension

LibX Florida State University Edition is a Firefox extension that provides direct access to University Library resources. It features:

 Toolbar & right-click context menu: Search FSUCat directly from the LibX toolbar or using the right-click context menu.

libx right-click menu

Support for off-campus access via EZProxy: Using the University Library's EZProxy, you may reload a page through the proxy, or follow a link via the proxy, making it appear as though you are coming from an on-campus computer.
   
Quick full text access to journal articles: LibX can use Google Scholar to search for articles and direct the user to the electronic copy subscribed to by the University Library. Select a citation, then drag-and-drop it onto the Scholar button on the toolbar. You can use this feature even from inside a PDF file, which makes retrieving papers referenced in a PDF file a snap.

 Support for embedded cues: LibX places cues fsu seal libx icon in web pages you visit if the University Library has resources related to that page. Whenever you see the FSU "seal" icon, click on the link to look at what the University Library has to offer. For instance, pages at Google Scholar will show the seal when the University Libraries purchase access to electronic journals found in the Google Scholar Database. The link in the seal will take you to the copy that is available for your use as a member of the FSU community.

 google scholar libx example

Installation:

Click here to install LibX FSU Version 1.1

If Firefox displays a message "To protect your computer, Firefox prevented this site... from installing software on your computer.", press the button labelled "Edit Options..." and click "Allow" add www.lib.fsu.edu to the list of websites from which extensions may be installed. Then click "Ok" and visit the "Install" link again.

This extension works with Firefox only. It does not work with other browsers such as Internet Explorer or Safari. It works with Firefox versions 1.0, 1.5, and 1.5.0.x on Windows, Linux, and Macintosh OS-X.

Copyright:

LibX is distributed under the Mozilla Public License. The copyright is held jointly by Annette Bailey and Virginia Tech.

For more information about LibX, visit the LibX Homepage. LibX is available for customization by other libraries.