Subject: Free Pint No.73 - Geology, Document Delivery and eCommerce Free Pint "Helping 32,000 people use the Web for their work" http://www.freepint.co.uk/ ISSN 1460-7239 19th October 2000 No.73 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = IN THIS ISSUE EDITORIAL MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Caryn Wesner-Early FREE PINT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery TIPS AND TECHNIQUES "Geology On The Web" By John Elliot BOOKSHELF "The E-Commerce Question And Answer Book" Reviewed by Rachel Newcombe FEATURE ARTICLE "European Document Delivery Suppliers and Resources On The World Wide Web" By Anke Baumgartner PORTAL, EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES CONTACT INFORMATION ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/191000.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Is finding the information you need turning out to be a bit of a bind? GET UNTANGLED at Online Information 2000 and find a wealth of information sources for all industry sectors as well as solutions for information management, retrieval and dissemination. REGISTER TODAY for free, fast track entry into this essential event http://www.online-information.co.uk/ol00/index.asp > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [li731] >>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<< Free Pint is a community of business professionals who use the Web for their work. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks packed with tips on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet. Signing up at provides free access to the substantial archive of articles, book reviews, industry news and events, with answers to your research questions and networking at the "Free Pint Bar" and "Student Bar". This newsletter is best read when printed out and viewed in a Courier font. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EDITORIAL It's happened a third time. I've once again been asked whether I consider myself to be contravening the Trade Descriptions Act by calling my company "Free Pint" when in fact we supply no such liquid refreshment. In an attempt to dispel disappointment, and stave off a visit from our local trading standards authority, we're taking every opportunity to meet with Free Pinters around the country (and around the world next year) to furnish our members with a real free pint. We're in Oxford next Thursday if you can join us for the evening, and there's only 17 days to go before we jump into the Free Pint Bus and head to Loughborough, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester and Aberystwyth for the Roadshow. The first tipple is courtesy of Factiva and you can find out more at . If you'd like to help organise an event in your part of the world then do get in touch. Free pints were also flowing after my presentations this week at the Association of UK Media Librarians conference in Leicester and the Special Libraries Association's Global 2000 conference in Brighton. Tired I may be, thirsty I am not. Seriously though, this is a very exciting time for the information industry as technology, unification and renaming of associations, and increased awareness of the importance and value of 'information' present us with tremendous opportunities to lead the revolution and set the standards. Today's cosmopolitan issue of Free Pint aims once again to further these opportunities with wide ranging topics, from Geology resources to Document Delivery, eCommerce to Knowledge Management. If you'd like to react to something herein then we invite you to join us at the Free Pint Bar and to forward this issue to your colleagues and friends. Finally, I would urge you to support newcomers to the information industry by checking out the Student Bar which is already seeing postings about work placements and project help for students on information courses. Please note however that neither of our Bars contain any real beverages and so we have once again fallen foul of trade descriptions. Must dash, there's an official at the door. Cheers William William Hann BSc MIInfSc Founder and Managing Editor, Free Pint e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Free Pint is a trademark of Free Pint Limited http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Keeping abreast of latest technology trends can be a nightmare. As new and emerging technologies appear weekly, how can you find out what opportunities they may bring for your industry? More importantly, how can you find out who is using key software, systems and communications solutions? If you're in consultancy or research you need to source accurate information. Why not check out http://www.vnunet.com for news and reviews and http://www.datasite.co.uk for details of trends emerging from 13,500 end-user sites in the UK and Eire. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [li732] >>> MONTHLY ADVERTISER UPDATE <<< Sign up for the monthly update of rates, special offers and forthcoming topics http://www.freepint.co.uk/advert.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES from Caryn Wesner-Early * 10 Big Myths About Copyright - a good place to find out about modern copyright practice. * A Brief Intro to Copyright - (companion site to the above) gives more of a primer. It links to US, Canadian, and Australian sites. * When Works Pass Into the Public Domain - a useful table for quick reference (US only). * European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations - provides the "European Copyright User Platform" to cover European copyright issues. * Thinking About Linking - an article about the legal issues of Internet linking (mostly US). Caryn Wesner-Early is a librarian, contracted to the US Patent and Trademark Office Biotechnology and Chemical Library. Her hobbies are reading and cats, and she maintains a personal Web page at . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To submit your top five favourite tipples see the guidelines at or email > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FACTIVA LAUNCHES INFOPRO ALLIANCE PORTAL Take a look at our new portal to support information professionals around the world. The Infopro Alliance Portal provides tools and resources especially for the professional researcher, with links to industry web sites, publications, white papers, case studies and discussion through our link to the Free Pint Bar. Bookmark http://www.factiva.com/infopro > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [fa733] >>> MISSED AN ISSUE OF FREE PINT? <<< The newsletter archive contains all issues and articles by year and topic. You can even have past editions emailed to you. http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/issues.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BAR In Association with Factiva a Dow Jones & Reuters Company Reviewed by Simon Collery http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/191000.htm#bar Free Pint Bar - http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar [Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] As the discussion of knowledge management (KM) rages on, which started less that a month ago (5016), I came across other discussions and articles on the subject while trawling through information industry publications when researching my regular Pub Crawl (5307, 5413). And the same discussion spilt over onto a thread about Free Pint's first Pub Quiz (5252). Rather than seeing Free Pint as a font of knowledge, we see it more as a guide to the knowledge that can be gained using the Web. And in the last couple of weeks we have reviewed or recommended resources on airplanes (5223), ISSN and ISBN numbers (5222, 5416), mergers and acquisitions (5230), books in print (5282), football statistics (5317), the steel industry (5340), free ebooks (5380, 5442) and UK post codes (5423). Similarly, if you want to calculate or estimate anything (5199), complain about anything (5257), find people's biographical details (5351), plot sunrise and sunset times for the future anywhere on earth (5393), gen up on financial and economic terms (5321) or on Nobel laureates of the past ninety nine years (5398), we'll be happy to recommend some resources. And these repositories are rendered more accessible by techies and Webmasters, who get all steamed up about DOS6 (5310), Web monitoring tools (5327), hosting and data centre services (5427), search engines for intranets (5200), paid-for search engine listings (5348), browser control (5362), Web site passwords (5227), payment systems (5311), document conversion (5396) and even Web site sponsorship (5265). The constant search for knowledge is also assisted by some search tools (5211, 5376), but perhaps not so much by others (5336). I have never tested fee-based tools but if you have, why not let us know how you got on (5240)? Alas, some types of quantitative data have proved more recalcitrant. Music album sales figures (5192), the top ten South American News Sites (5204), the numbers of educational institutions in various countries (5277) and information on free daily newspapers (5365) are all sought. Do let us know if you can shed light on these areas. It's easy to forget that ecommerce is a relative latecomer to the online world, but there has been some interest shown at the Bar in emarketplaces (5329), selling law firms (5368) and oil paintings (5408), monitoring health ecommerce (5383), online customer service (5409) and ecommerce optimization (5439). And if you're not already au fait with all this ecommerce stuff, we've got just the site for you (5287). Work and trainingwise, we have had queries about information professionals who wish to become analysts (5191), student careers sites (5213), training organisations (5359), library work (5381), freelance Internet research (5382) and KM skills (5392). There's also an item about disability discrimination in recruitment, if you or anyone you know has been the victim of that (5387). Miscellaneous questions have been raised about court appeal dates (5400), broadband (5314), sports (5341), infrastructure (5374), KM discussion lists (5347), charging for multimedia materials in public libraries (5358), collaborative work on the Internet (5361), grants and tax incentives in the European Union (5436) and the UK power supply market (5438). It would be a tall order for any individual to supply all that, but the combined knowledge of a large community of information people should be well able for it. Free Pint Student Bar - http://www.freepint.co.uk/student [Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in the address ] On the Student Bar there have been items on subjects ranging from the European Court of Justice (1038) to a new book service for students (1040) and from comparisons of CD-ROM and online versions of information resources (1041) to virtual 3D libraries (1042). And students can join the venerable City Information Group at discounted rates (1044). Simon Collery, Content Developer > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To read a message: - Enter the id number in place of XXXX in the address , for example - For Student Bar postings please use the address - Alternatively, view this summary online with activated hyperlinks at > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Do you have a research question? Could you help other members? It's easy to post a message at the Bar or the Student Bar . Visit daily for "Today's Tipple" - a different Web site reviewed every working day at the Bar. Access the Portal archive of Tipples at . To have the latest Free Pint Bar postings sent to you every other day, send a blank email to . For the Student Bar Digest send an email to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Download your FREE 30-Day Trial of BullsEye Pro, the Ultimate Research Assistant for Professionals. In the June 8th issue of Free Pint, Chris Sherman describes how "BullsEye, a desktop based meta search engine can also access many of the sites included in InvisibleWeb.com." With fine-grained filters and up to the minute trackers, you will control information rather than having it control you. Go to http://info.intelliseek.com/promotions/fp.htm and receive a 20% discount off the price of $249 if you purchase a copy by 12/31/00. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [in734] >>> PURCHASE DISCOUNTED BOOKS VIA THE FREE PINT BOOKSHELF <<< As well as reading over 40 reviews of Internet strategy, searching and marketing books at the Free Pint Bookshelf, you can also easily purchase books from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = TIPS AND TECHNIQUES http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/191000.htm#tips "Geology On The Web" By John Elliot Geology, the study of the Earth, encompasses a huge amount of knowledge and therefore any article like this will be heavily influenced by the writer's field of interest. In my case this is the mining industry, more particularly, mineral exploration and this article is directed more to that aspect of geology and web sites which I have found useful. I sometimes have to access sites from places where connections are slow and where downloading speed becomes important. I am usually seeking text information and slow loading sites with lots of images or PDF pages are a real turn-off. Banner ads which slow downloading are also a nuisance but these can be very easily prevented from loading with the use of WebWasher, a free utility from Siemens: . Geological News --------------- For recent general geological news there are several good sites. The Scripps Institute of Oceanography is one such site; it has a good list of links and also a list of discussion forums. Geology at the MiningCo adopts a magazine style of format and has many topical and interesting articles dealing with current geological news. Web Surfers Bi-Weekly Earth Science Review (WBESR), by Mike Garrison, aims to keep track of recent geological web sites and review them. The site loads quickly and has an excellent list of links. . General Geological Information ------------------------------ A selection of sites dealing with both introductory and more specialised geological information: Berkeley University's Geological Time Machine provides detailed information on the changing face of the Earth through time. A very interesting site dealing with geothermal energy and its uses is produced by the World Bank which has been involved in a number of such energy projects. Links are also provided to other World Bank information: Earth Science Australia: This is one of the best sites I have seen for geological information at the general interest and school level and would absorb any curious child up to about the age of 90. The list of links is international in scope and very extensive. Portals ------- A selection of sites with good portals The University of Leicester: These links are more of an academic nature but there are also some links to economic geology. Belgeol: This site is run by Eric Lemonne in Belgium and has an extensive list of world links. WWW Links for Geologists: The extensive links on this site tend more to academic interests. Geoscience Books: This has a wide list of links to professional and government organisations with a bias to North America. Also, not surprisingly, given the name, it deals in out-of-print geological books but in my view a better search site for that purpose, is Bookfinder: The Bookfinder site is excellent for locating all types of out-of-print books, and not just geological. The Virtual Earth used to be run from Macquarie University, Sydney, but has been closed for some months. A mirror site can still be viewed at Although the information has not been updated for some time there are still very useful links with notes to assist in locating geological information. The Geological Society of Australia has quite a comprehensive list of links to Australian and New Zealand government geological organisations . The Mining Industry ------------------- The following are informative mineral industry sites with good lists of links. Infomine: Has a bias to North America. To make full use of this site a paid subscription is required; this varies from 15 US Dollars to 150 US Dollars per month. Exploration Central hosted by David Stein, Queens University, Canada: Loads quickly. Lots of company information and links to metal commodity prices. British Columbia & Yukon Chamber of Mines: A good list of both North American and international sites. Australian Mining & Exploration posts industry news and has a very extensive list of links to Australian exploration and mining companies and companies servicing the Australian mining industry. There is also a good list of links to overseas companies. . YesResources is another Australian group which has good coverage of mining industry news and wide coverage of links within the Australian industry . Detailed mineral commodity prices, including precious metals, are to be found on Bob Johnson's Goldsheet which also has good coverage of international mining news: . Analysis of the trend of precious metal prices, but predominantly gold, can be found at Steven Jon Kaplan's Gold Mining Outlook: This site, which is frequently updated, examines in considerable detail the varying factors influencing the price of gold. There are also a number of good links to other sites concerned with precious metals and investing. Reference --------- Jim Martindale's Reference Desk is by no means restricted to geology but is the most incredible source of out of the way information. Convert ells to metres? Want the gestation period for guinea pigs? Ferry timetables? Meaning of the Universe? It is probably all here! Unfortunately there is at present no search facility and you have to scroll through a large list of contents to find the right category . Climate & Sustainability ------------------------ The mining industry is frequently at the forefront of criticism in the debates on climate change and sustainability and these issues are of great interest to many geologists. The following sites offer challenging views to current doomsayers. John Daly's site on greenhouse warming and why it may be a non-event: Warwick Hughes presents evidence critical of much climate change data and estimates of warming. The Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) run by Fred Singer examines many claims made by environmental groups and suggests they do not stand up to analysis John McCarthy of Stanford University offers a much more optimistic view of sustainability, world population, and economic growth . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - John Elliot is a graduate of the universities of Auckland, New Zealand and Macquarie, Sydney and is based in Bathurst, NSW, Australia from where he works as a contract and consulting geologist in mineral exploration, mainly in silver and gold, throughout Australia. As well as researching exploration data he is active in both regional field work and detailed drilling programmes. He now wonders if there was life before the Internet! His email address is johnell@ozemail.com.au > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * "Geography and Mapping" links and articles in the Free Pint Portal * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Post a message to the author now at the Free Pint Bar * Access the entire archive of Free Pint content > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Quiktrade, the premier ecommerce package http://quiktrade.globalgold.co.uk It's simple, it's quick and you'll be making money in no time! From as little as 35 pounds per month you can build your own international empire! Get ready for business now. Click here to start trading today: http://quiktrade.globalgold.co.uk/ or call us now at Global Gold on +44 (0)1992 303090. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [gg735] >>> FREE PINT FACT <<< The Knowledge Management debate on the Free Pint Bar has broken all records, now being over six and a half thousand words long. With the opening gambit being "Am I the only one who finds the term 'knowledge management' more than a little Orwellian?" the discussion has now matched the length of the last issue of Free Pint. http://www.freepint.co.uk/bar/read.php?i=5016 > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT BOOKSHELF http://www.freepint.co.uk/bookshelf "The E-Commerce Question And Answer Book" Reviewed by Rachel Newcombe E-commerce is a huge concern for businesses, both for those already online and for others considering the possibilities. There is a real need for high quality, informative books on this topic, so does this latest offering really fulfill its aim of providing answers to all the crucial e-commerce questions? The good news is that Anita Rosen's book, dubbed as being "A Survival Guide for Business Managers", offers a practical, clear and commonsense approach to e-commerce. Using an effective question and answer format she sets out to provide help, advice and, most importantly, answers, to the key issues likely to be facing business managers wishing to implement e-commerce. The six chapters cover a range of key issues, from Identifying Your Direction and E-Commerce Technology, to Hosting and Supporting, and a very useful section on Marketing an E-Commerce Site. The book utilizes a rigid structure but this is no way detrimental and serves as an excellent vehicle for allowing readers to either skim over with ease, or read in depth, the sections of their choice. Each question is answered in two formats -- as brief bulleted points and lengthier "Tell Me More" sections -- and is a method that certainly works well. It is clear throughout that Rosen doesn't aim the book purely at technical buffs. Basic questions are considered alongside those of a more technical nature and a comprehensive glossary of terms is included at the end. Despite that, it was still a surprise to find that a book dealing with a complex online issue opened with a question covering "What is the Internet?" -- surely anyone contemplating e- commerce will have managed to work that out for themselves? Whilst the book does provide a great set of answers to pertinent questions, there's often a sense that it could go further and expand in more depth on some topics. The generalized, all-inclusive approach will certainly be of use to those just starting to consider implementing e-commerce. However, it is unlikely to offer much more than an occasional reference guide to business managers who already have some knowledge of the subject; it also seems best aimed at managers of small to medium-sized businesses. Those wanting to learn more about the book will benefit from visiting Rosen's website . She offers visitors the opportunity of browsing the contents of the book, which includes a full list of all the questions covered, and a chance to read the preface and first chapter. Overall the book does manage to achieve what it sets out to do and lives up to its title. If you're in need of a clear, succinct and straightforward approach that actively encourages taking action and helps de-mystify common worries, then "The E-commerce Question and Answer Book" may be just what you've been looking for! > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Rachel Newcombe is a writer and researcher of non-fiction articles for online and print media. She particularly enjoys the field of online work and regularly contributes to a range of websites and ezines including Handbag.com, Ycraze.com, Windowbox.com and Global Writers' Ink. She also co-edits and writes for the monthly Side Salad e- newsletter . > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read about other Internet strategy books on the Free Pint Bookshelf * Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com * Details: ISBN 0814405258 published by Amacom written by Anita Rosen * Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Bookshelf To propose a business-Web-related book for review, send details to . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> MAJOR RESOURCE FOR STUDENTS ON INFORMATION COURSES <<< The Free Pint Student Bar is THE place to get help with dissertations, recruitment and to network with other students and new professionals. There are also details of student discounts and work placements, with useful links to associations and recruitment agencies. http://www.freepint.co.uk/student/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FEATURE ARTICLE http://www.freepint.co.uk/issues/191000.htm#feature "European Document Delivery Suppliers and Resources On The World Wide Web" By Anke Baumgartner Introduction ------------ This article aims to point towards some of the key providers that are currently utilised by our broker service in order to facilitate document delivery to individual end-users within a multi-national company. Document delivery in this context refers to journal articles, journal issues, books, reports or conferences, and dissertations that can either be purchased and/or requested on a loan basis. I have included all kinds of Internet resources for obtaining material and some are more subject-specific than others. More importantly, many of the sites mentioned here do not offer an English version, and therefore, require certain linguistic skills. It is important to stress that the majority of end-users are located on Continental Europe, hence this article concentrates primarily on German, Swiss, Dutch, French and Spanish suppliers on the web. In general, documents are located and purchased in the country where the requestor lives, but of course the selection process is not always quite so simple. This represents not only a more cost-effective approach, but also ensures maximum speed of delivery as far as hardcopy requests are concerned. We also notice that this method allows us to gain credibility and confidence with our European customers. There are numerous vendors on the web and the following list of document suppliers is drawn from what we have developed over the last two years of servicing our corporate clients. All suppliers have three things in common. Firstly, they allow the requestor to purchase online. Secondly, the ordering form accommodates a separate billing and shipping address. Acting as a broker service, we instruct our suppliers to deliver the document in the chosen format directly to the end-user, while the bill is sent to ourselves. Although this might appear to be a simple process, our past experiences have taught us otherwise. To manage and control the flow of document supply across European borders can indeed present a frustrating process! Thirdly, the suppliers listed here continue to perform on a high quality service level (rapid turnaround times, excellent customer service, competitive pricing, etc.). Purchasing articles and requesting inter-library loans ------------------------------------------------------ One of our favourite ordering systems on the web to fulfil requests for clients located in Germany and/or for locating German language material is the SUBITO system. The SUBITO document delivery system allows the user to search the German Library Network which currently consists of over 14 libraries and the number is growing. The system itself contains 4 major databases. The ADI (Aufsatzdienst International) searches for journal articles from 1992 onwards and lists over 7 million articles. The ZDB (Zeitschriftendatenbank) currently contains 990,202 journal titles and is updated on a regular basis. A monograph database allows you to request inter-library loans for books, conference proceedings and dissertations. Finally, the forth database contains a full listing of addresses and phone numbers of German libraries. The great thing about SUBITO is that their prices are very cost- effective even for commercial users such as ourselves. Journal articles can be delivered in various formats: standard or express mail, fax, e-mail format (PDF, TIFF, Postscript), FTP. Once a request is made you will receive a confirmation e-mail that your order has been accepted and a further e-mail once the item has been shipped (a good performance measurement tool). A further excellent German journal article supplier is JASON (Journal Article Sent On Demand) . This is very much the equivalent of Uncover in the US and holds over 40,000 journal titles. This system is supported by JADE where you can search for individual journal articles. For a more specific search for scientific information we consult WEBIS (combining WEB and Library Information System) . WEBIS is a joint project of numerous scientific libraries throughout Germany supported by the German Research Society. You can find all the libraries that participate in the system and their individual special subject collections. The special subject collections are structured into subject oriented ones (e.g. Russian Language and Literature, Economics, Physics) and regional collections (e.g. Africa South of the Sahara). All in all there are 121 special subject collections which can be found in more than 40 libraries all over Germany. In The Netherlands, the DUT (Delft University of Technology Library) is a main supplier for Dutch material. DUT is the Dutch central library for technology, engineering and related sciences. The library maintains an impressive collection of documents: 11,200 current serial titles, 950,500 monographs and conference proceedings as well as 1,059,000 NTIS reports. They can supply documents, either from their own collection or any other Dutch collection providing it is available through the Dutch national catalogue. If the document is available in Delft's own collection they can supply it by E-mail (PDF), airmail or fax. Books, reports and dissertations can be borrowed for a period of up to 4 weeks. For locating further scientific material (especially biomedical) written in Dutch a good source is the Nederlands Instituut voor Wetenschappelijke Informatiediensten . You can download their minicatalogue at . It offers an overview of the most important journals and their holdings. Documents can be supplied via fax, standard or express mail. An interesting aspect of NIWI is its electronic journal database containing links to approximately 170 freely accessible, scientific biomedical electronic journals on the web, most of them full-text. The list is updated every month. Scientific and technical French material can be located at the Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique . Article@INIST allows you to search over 5 million bibliographical references (articles, monographs, reports, congresses, theses). The database gets updated daily. Just in case you ever need to locate that tricky Finnish business document visit the Helsinki School of Economics Library - Center for Economics and Business Information at . The library delivers copies from its own collections and acts as an intermediary for inter-library loan requests. A further interesting feature is Helecon Online where you can retrieve annual reports and www-links of Finnish companies. Monographs: purchase orders --------------------------- An excellent source for general international material is BOL (Bertelsmann Online) - - BOL operates on a global basis and is currently present in 14 countries. In particular, we use the sites in Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France and Spain. Italy will be added soon and in March 2000 BOL entered a joint venture with bokus.com, the leading online bookstore in Northern Europe (Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland). A vendor we use on a regular basis for Dutch and English publications is Boeknet . They offer more than 100,000 titles in the Dutch language including a variety of US publications. There is a useful search option that helps locating Dutch publishers (uitgeverij). The majority of US publications are ordered from the American Book Center in Amsterdam . Although the price for individual books might be a little higher than, say, on Amazon.com, the total purchase cost is still more competitive as the shipping charges are reduced significantly. Moreover, if the book is in stock the delivery time can be as little as 2 days. Furthermore, ABC offers a 10 percent card for regular customers. Amazon.de is our number one supplier in Germany and Switzerland. It contains a searchable database of 40,0000 German language titles, but also offers a good number of US publications. Books are delivered to the recipient free of postage charges in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Switzerland our preferred vendors are Booknet CH for both German and English general and business publications. Lesen is also frequently consulted. Several catalogues are available for English, German, French and Italian material. No shipping charges within Switzerland! For specialised computer science literature and software you will find that Net-Point is a valuable source. They also offer currently 40 computer books on-line. Schulthess Juristische Medien AG in Zurich will provide you quickly with any kind of Swiss law publication or any other legal information. A good on-line shop for French publications is . Their database contains a large range of items - mainly French - that can be delivered anywhere in the world. You will also find a useful out-of print search function. Computer science books can be found at Biblimedia . If you're trying to find a Danish book and can not locate it via BOL, try searching at (around 16,000 Danish books). In Spain, we tend to use the following online stores: Iberbook . They will source any book or other type of publication from Spain, Portugal and Latin America. A further source for Spanish material is Submarino (has absolutely nothing to do with submarines) with mirror sites in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. Finally, a good search engine for comparing prices, availability, shipping time and delivery costs of books is DealTime at . You have the option to search for American, English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish books. > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Anke Baumgartner is employed by GCI Information Services, Inc. - a subsidiary of Stanley Associates, Inc. based in the US. She set up and currently manages a virtual business unit in the UK servicing corporate clients in the chemical sector across Europe. Constantly on the lookout for new suppliers and web-related resources, she enjoys researching the Internet and testing new ordering systems. Anke can be contacted at abaumgartner@btinternet.com > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Related Free Pint links: * "Information and Libraries" links & articles in the Free Pint Portal * Respond to this article and chat to the author now at the Bar * Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks * Access the entire archive of Free Pint content > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> SUBMIT YOUR SITE TO THE TOP SEARCH ENGINES - FAST AND FREE <<< http://www.freepint.co.uk/submit/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT PORTAL http://www.freepint.co.uk/portal Here's my regular look at developments on the Free Pint Web site ... Our eCommerce system is working a treat as we near the launch of our pay-per-view company information section. We're currently finishing testing of the "security key" which you will be issued when you want to purchase items and have top level encryption on the secure server. Following my announcement about our new bulk mail system which sends out this newsletter and the Bar Digests, a number of readers have asked us to host their lists and handle distribution of their email newsletters. I am delighted to offer this service since current list hosts seem to be letting clients down in various ways (e.g. bad customer service, expense and unreliability of servers). We know because we've been there too. Plans for the Roadshow continue apace and we are already adding dates to those at the beginning of November when we're visiting Loughborough, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester and Aberystwyth. You'll have seen from my Editorial that we're meeting in Oxford next Thursday evening, and I have had numerous requests for the Roadshow to come to Scotland, Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany and Israel. Discussions about an international Roadshow are going well and it seems likely that we'll be leaving these shores early next year. For full details of the Roadshow, and to sign up for an event, visit . You might not have come across the Press and Awards page at but we do post details of press coverage for Free Pint. For instance, we've been covered in this month's Internet magazine where they say "If you're involved in Web research then you really can't afford to miss this site". The Press page also contains stock press release photos if you're a journalist and can help us with some publicity. It seems that we're finally being reviewed as a destination site ourselves, rather than the press just using us to find other sites to review. William Hann, Managing Editor > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Free Pint Portal gives you access to the full range of Free Pint content by industry and country as well as a large number of selected external resources at . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> HELP US BY RECOMMENDING FREE PINT TO A FRIEND <<< Want to quickly send your colleagues and friends a brief and courteous introduction to Free Pint? We've set up a page just for the purpose. http://www.freepint.co.uk/reco.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FORTHCOMING EVENTS http://www.freepint.co.uk/events You might just catch the second day of the eRetailing 2000 conference if you are quick, and close to London, UK. But there's plenty of time to get to London for the Annual SCIP European Conference and Exhibit. Close by, in Oxford, Free Pinters will be gathering to hear William Hann on the 26th of this month bringing us up to date on the latest developments at Free Pint and enjoying a real free pint from Factiva. This will be the first leg of the Free Pint Roadshow which will then be visiting Lougborough, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester and Aberystwyth in early November. A bit further away, in Sweden, big names will be getting together for the Internet Marketing Strategy Conference and exhibition. And way over Stateside, the WebNet 2000 World Conference takes place in San Antonio, Texas. Finally, in Oregon, the LITA National Forum meets in Portland to thrash out the Human aspects of Technology. Simon Collery, Content Developer Full details of these and many other forthcoming conferences and exhibitions in the online-information and Internet industries can be found on the Free Pint Events page . > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = >>> SHOW YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO FREE PINT ON YOUR SITE <<< Please add a tiny graphic to your own Web site to show your support for Free Pint. The code is simple and can be copied from: http://www.freepint.co.uk/linktous.htm > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT GOLD The Tips article this time last year was about music sites on the Web. Sites for players, learners, listeners, promoters and bands are plentiful on the Web. The Feature dealt with the pros and cons of digital subscriber lines. * Free Pint No.48, 21st October 1999 "Notes on the Net: A trawl around the Music Sites" and "Unblocking the Web: digital technology and the telephone line" . Selecting and optimising your modem was the subject of the Tips article this time two years ago. The Feature article lists the best consumer health sites along with details of what you can expect to find in each. * Free Pint No.24, 15th October 1998 "How to select and optimise your PC Internet modem" and "A guide to Consumer Health Information on the 'Net" . Simon Collery, Content Developer > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES [Provisional] * Business Information Portals * Film Industry * * Economics Sources * Small Businesses * On Line Auctions * * Railways * Innovation * History * Horseracing * * Radio Industry * Transport * Central & Eastern Europe * If you have a suggestion for an article topic or would like to write for Free Pint then please contact me or sign up for the monthly Author Update on the Web site at . Rex Cooke, Editor > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Many thanks for reading this edition of Free Pint, and if you've enjoyed it then I invite you now to tell someone else about the newsletter. It's our third birthday next time and so we'll be laying on the jelly and ice cream, virtually of course. See you in two weeks! William Hann, Managing Editor william@freepint.co.uk (c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2000 http://www.freepint.co.uk/ > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = CONTACT INFORMATION William Hann BSc MIInfSc, Founder and Managing Editor e: william@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1784 455435 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Rex Cooke FIInfSc FRSA, Editor e: rex@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1342 316027 f: +44 (0)1342 316027 Simon Collery BA, Content Developer e: simon@freepint.co.uk t: +44 (0)1865 434143 f: +44 (0)1784 455436 Address Free Pint Limited, FREEPOST (SEA3901), Staines Middlesex, TW18 3BR, United Kingdom (Please add a stamp if you would like to pay for postage) Web - http://www.freepint.co.uk Advertising - ads@freepint.co.uk Subscriptions - subs@freepint.co.uk Letters & Comments - feedback@freepint.co.uk Authors - http://www.freepint.co.uk/author.htm Latest Issue Autoresponder - auto@freepint.co.uk > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by information professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information on the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, it is published every two weeks by email. To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing, advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at http://www.freepint.co.uk/ or email . Your registered email address is listed at the bottom of this message. Please note: Free Pint is a trademark of, and published by, Free Pint Limited . The publishers will NEVER make the subscriber list available to any other company or organisation. The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. This publication may be freely copied and/or distributed in its entirety. However, individual sections MAY NOT be copied and/or distributed without the prior written agreement of the publishers. Write to Rex Cooke, Editor for more details. Product names used in Free Pint are for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners. Free Pint disclaims any and all rights in those marks. All rights reserved. > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = This edition has been sent to <{EMAIL}>.