7445_74-78_EDUCATION news.qxd 16/9/08 14:08 Page 78
EDUCATION: NEWS■
UCD Library targets Facebook
widgets or throwing sheep at you.
In existence since early July, the UCD
‘It’s the first Irish library to
library profile on Facebook is a way for
have its own Facebook
social networking-loving students to
connect with their college library and
profile, but don’t expect
interact with it in some useful ways.
Students can check to see if the text-
it to throw sheep at you’
book they want is available by searching
through the online catalogue directly
from Facebook, as well as grabbing a widget showing some snaps in and
widget that keeps them up to date on around the main library on UCD’s
library news alerts. This widget can be Belfield campus.
embedded in their own Facebook profile, Plus, if you feel like asking the librar-
By Marie Boran
as well as on MySpace, LiveJournal and ian any questions, there is always the
personal blogs. chat application available during regular
I was present at the first-ever lecture office hours.
A YEAR ago, University College Dublin held by UCD in Second Life, and while Looking about on Facebook, there are
(UCD) opened a sixth library, but this the move to Facebook may not be any- several US universities, including
new building was purely virtual and where near as innovative as this, it cer- Harvard of course (Facebook founder
existed only in the online 3D world of tainly does have the capacity to reach Zuckerberg founded the site while he
Second Life. many more students and make them was a student there), and one thing I am
This was the first Irish library to do feel more part of a college network. looking forward to seeing from a UCD
so, and yet again UCD is the first to have There are other standard additions Facebook presence is a video section like
its own Facebook profile, but just don’t like the discussion board, which doesn’t Harvard’s, because some great speakers
expect it to be hosting vampire-zombie seem to have been used yet, and a Flickr have passed through its gates.
TCD team trials new low-cost
mobile phone system
By Sorcha Corcoran
had to register for the trials on The Metakall project team secured
www.metakall.com and received ¤400,000 in funding from Enterprise
scratch codes, which could then be Ireland last year for the initial devel-
A PROJECT team based at the converted to call credit. In turn, the opment of the new technology. Now,
department of computer science at call credit can be used to make the centre is looking to partner with
Trinity College Dublin (TCD) has mobile calls using Skype, Fring, SIP handset vendors and manufacturers,
developed new software which it said or any of the widely used internet as well as wireless hotspot operators,
could lead to consumers being able to phone systems. to commercialise the software and
make low-cost mobile phone calls “The possibilities for this new bring the service to market.
from anywhere in the world. technology are huge. For the first “As an alternative to cellular
Codenamed ‘Metakall’, this is the time, users will be able to make low- telephony, Metakall will open up new
first software of its kind in the world, cost calls from any part of the world revenue streams for firms in the
according to TCD. It uses public using a handset or other mobile mobile industry, such as operators of
wireless hotspots and the internet as device, and will be able to seamlessly Wi-Fi hotspots, and will boost the
the network infrastructure. roam from one wireless hotspot area demand for low-cost handsets. With
During a month-long trial, users to another,” said Professor Donal the right support, this service can be
were able to download call credit to O’Mahony, project director of rolled out worldwide over a very
try out the new system. Users first Metakall. short time period,” said O’Mahony.
September 2008 Knowledge Ireland 77
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