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Resources and News for Information Professionals
ResourceShelf is Compiled & Edited By Gary Price, MLIS Librarian Director of Online Information Resources, Ask.com Editor and Compiler, The ResourceShelf Editor and Compiler, DocuTicker
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Monday, February 28, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Census--United Kingdom--Digitization Projects Source: JISC Interview: Putting 150 years of census back on the map "We find out more in an interview with Matthew Woollard and Jenny Ball, Project Director and Project Manager respectively of the Online Historical Population Reports Project. Matthew and Jenny explain how data, much of it previously hidden away in books and microforms at institutions and departments around the UK, is being brought to life through funding provided by JISC's multi-million pound CSR2 Digitisation Programme." -- Libraries and Librarians Source: CILIP The March Issue of CILIP's Library + Information Update is Now Online Articles Include: + Recovering from disaster -- the loss of Edinburgh's AI Library + Phil Bradley's Internet Q & A + Foundation degrees: FE and HE working together + Peer review: learning from critical friends -- Libraries and Librarians Source: Council on Library and Information Resources The March/April Edition of CLIR Issues is Now Online Articles Include: + New Partnerships for Digital Preservation by Abby Smith + CLIR Seeks Input on New Strategic Plan by Nancy Davenport
Conferences Live "Blog" Coverage from the NFAIS Conference on the InfoToday Blog NFAIS = National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing Services
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Women--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Census A Collection of Facts About Women in the United States Lots of statistics to help celebrate Women's History Month. -- Elections--Australia Source: Parliamentary Library, Parliament of Australia Just Released, Federal election results 1949-2004 4.5 MB; PDF; 81 pages. -- Vehicle Theft--United States Source: National Insurance Crime Bureau Hot Wheels: Now You See Them, Now You Don't "The nation's motor vehicle thieves continue to find the most popular automobiles as their primary targets for feeding the underground need for replacement parts and for export to foreign countries. Hot Wheels, the National Insurance Crime Bureau's companion study to its annual Hot Spots auto theft report, takes a look at the same data reported to the National Crime Information Center and determines the vehicle make, model, and model year most reported stolen in 2003." See: What Are the Top Ten Stolen Vehicles in Your State (interactive map)
Web Search Briefs + Multimedia Search: Blinkx To Make Movie Trailers Keyword Searchable + Northern Light Adds Market Intelligence Centers (via Information Today) Sunday, February 27, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Education--Net Generation Source: EDUCAUSE Educating the Net Generation "The Net Generation has grown up with information technology. The aptitudes, attitudes, expectations, and learning styles of Net Gen students reflect the environment in which they were raised -- one that is decidedly different from that which existed when faculty and administrators were growing up. This collection explores the Net Gen and the implications for institutions in areas such as teaching, service, learning space design, faculty development, and curriculum. Contributions by educators and students are included." E-book; sections downloadable in HTML or PDF, or download entire book in PDF (4.5 MB).
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Hockey--Online Exhibitions Source: Library and Archives Canada Hockey Is Alive and Well at Library and Archives Canada! "Backcheck: A Hockey Retrospective explores the history and development of hockey using English and French language newspaper articles, rare photos and manuscripts, based on material from Library and Archives Canada's collections. The website also contains valuable information for researchers and hockey buffs. There is also a parallel site, Backcheck: Hockey for Kids, geared to a younger audience and featuring curriculum tie-ins and classroom activities with a hockey theme..." -- Best of the ResourceShelf (From 6/2003) Awards--Searchable Databases Source: AMPAS It's A Wonderful Search for Oscar! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Reintroduces Academy Awards Database From the announcement, Search by nominee name; film title; song title; award category or year, alone or in combination. Results can be sorted, displayed and printed in multiple ways...The database had been unavailable while navigational and presentation difficulties in the previous search engine were corrected and improved. "The old database contained only the basic information about nominees and winners," said Academy Executive Administrator Ric Robertson. "So while all the data was correct, it was only searchable by keyword and had limited and often inadequate capabilities for sorting and displaying search results." This complete historical record of the Academy's 75-year-old Awards competition lists some 6,500 people, almost 600 companies and countries and nearly 13,600 nominees (because many of the 6,500 people appear multiple times). Over the years there have been more than 9,000 nominations in 4,000 films...Librarians Libby Wertin and Lucia Schultz were the principal architects of the database's features, with Information Systems Coordinator Vionette Sellars providing the technical coordination with Solus Development, which provided the actual programming. It took Wertin, assisted by Schultz, over two years to gather information from Academy Historian Patrick Stockstill's printed nominations resource books and create a completely restructured database. "Ours is the only site where Academy Awards data is guaranteed to be correct," Wertin said. That guarantee is not to be taken lightly, she added, "taking into account 75 years of changing award rules and the challenge of correctly reflecting the changes in the presentation of the data while still allowing it to be searched comprehensively. See Also: Resources for the 77th Academy Awards (2/27/05) Source: AMPAS 77th Academy Awards Nominations Press Kit Images of nominees, fact sheets and more. 77th Academy Awards Press Kit
Briefly Three New Employment Databases + WorkZoo E-Mail alerts available. Check out the cool job maps. + Indeed.com Search multiple job databases simultaneously. + Feedster Job Search Saturday, February 26, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Publishing Industry--United States--Statistics Source: American Association of Publishers Book Publishing Industry Net Sales Totaled $23.7 Billion in 2004 "Net sales for the entire United States publishing industry are estimated to have increased by 1.3 percent from 2003 to 2004 to a grand total of $23.72 billion, according to figures just released by the Association of American Publishers (AAP). Overall, trade sales rose 1.9 percent, with sales of $5.16 billion. Adult trade hardbound gained 6.3 percent ($2.61 billion), while paperbound sales were also up 2.8 percent ($1.51 billion). Juvenile hardbound sales were down 16.7 percent ($581 million), however, paperbound sales were up 3.8 percent with sales of $465.6 million." Additional sales data (PDF; 177 KB) -- Public Libraries--United States Three Items in this Roundup Source: Quad-City Times Library will not display warning "Bettendorf Public Library Director Faye Clow faced what she called a 'terrible choice' when asked by the Quad-City chapter of the Iowa Civil Liberties Union to put up warning signs near library materials." -- Source: Ft. Bragg Advocate-News Banned from thought: Public libraries protect citizens intellectual freedom "Public libraries play a unique role in the preservation of democracy. They were established to provide an open, non-judgmental institution where individuals can pursue personal interests and gain an understanding of diverse opinions." (via DrWeb) -- Source: Berkeley Daily Planet The Library Defends its Principles: Privacy, Freedom, Access A commentary by Laura Anderson, president of the Berkeley Public Library Board of Trustees. From the commentary, "Public libraries in the United States stand on three principles: The first is patron confidentiality, the idea that every one may use the library in privacy, that everything you read is personal and private. The second is intellectual freedom, the idea that you may read, view and listen broadly: that all ideas should be available to discuss and to learn from, even those which are repugnant to society as a whole. The third principle is equal access to information."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Media Formats/Duplication--Glossary Source: AfterDawn.com Glossary "Do you need to know what exactly do terms like XVCD, Overlay, Dolby Digital, DivX ;-), etc., mean? Simply check out AfterDawn.com's glossary of terms...." Also here: extensive collection of guides and articles. Friday, February 25, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Museums--Digitization Projects Source: Chicago Tribune Old shows never die, they digitize "The Museum of Broadcast Communications [in Chicago] is digitizing its extensive collection of radio and TV programs for visitors and Internet use." -- Special Libraries Association SLA Announces 2005 Award Winners Kudos and congrats to everyone!
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents E-Commerce--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Census Just Released, Quarterly Retail E-Commerce Sales 4th Quarter 2004 -- Linus Pauling--Online Exhibition Source: Oregon State University Libraries Linus Pauling and the Nature of the Chemical Bond: A Documentary History "Utilizing over 800 scanned documents, photographs, audio clips and video excerpts, this website narrates the incredible achievement of Linus Pauling and others in the discovery of the nature of the chemical bond. Scattered throughout the project are images of a number of very important and extremely rare items, most of which are held within The Valley Library's Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers, and many of which have not been previously displayed. It is expected that this website will serve as a primary reference point for individuals interested in the history of chemical bond." -- Astronomy--Thesaurus Source: Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Australian National University The Astronomy Thesaurus "The main aim in producing this reference work is to try to standardise the terminology in the field of astronomy for the purposes of aiding unambiguous library cataloguing and more precise recall of data from computer databases. The thesaurus is intended for use by astronomy librarians and scientists." Available in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Extensive help available. -- United States Budget--2005 Source: askSam askSam Makes Searchable Version of 2005 U.S. Budget Available Yet another useful tool from askSam. The database along with the askSam reader are free downloads. Search, browse, and analyze the text. Several other databases are also available (free).
Search Briefs (via SEW Blog) + AOL Unveils New Local Search Service + The Networking Effects of the Web + Yahoo! Adds Video Search Tab to Several Local Yahoo! Sites
Briefly + ProQuest Will Digitize Full Run of the British House of Commons Parliamentary Papers from 1801 to 1900 Thursday, February 24, 2005
Resources of the Week By Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor A bit of self-indulgence from your ResourceShelf deputy editor this time around...but I know I'm not the only one whose heart is beating a little bit faster this week because Major League Baseball spring training is underway. So here are a couple of excellent baseball resources for all you fans out there. 1) Baseball--History Source: MLB.com History of the Game: Doubleday to Present Day Every fan knows that the MLB.com site runs deep with rich content; we direct your attention here to the Baseball History section. Resources here include: + Historical statistics: Settle that barroom wager right here, right now. Forms with a variety of options -- radio buttons, dropdown menus -- allow you to extract such information as Historical Player Stats, Historical Leaders (e.g., hitting, pitching), Historical Team Stats, and Earlier Franchises (e.g., defunct teams and leagues). + This Week in Baseball History: Check the bottom half of the page for links to archives for each week of the year. + Individual team histories + Awards and Honors: "A listing of past winners of the various MLB annual awards, including MVP, Cy Young and Rookie of the Year." + Negro Leagues Legacy: "...features on popular players, team histories, photo galleries, multimedia and more." + Milestone Tracker: "...uses a player's season and career production in various statistical categories to project when they will achieve career and historical milestones." + 100 Years of the World Series The navigation menu on the left side of each page contains some hidden treasures. Click the "Rare Feats" link and find out such things as which players have hit for the cycle or pitched a perfect game. Read bios of all the baseball commissioners, from Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis to Allan H. "Bud" Selig. Explore the history of interleague play. -- 2) Baseball--History Source: National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Baseball History You'll find less focus on statistics here and more detailed profiles of historical baseball notables, lists and trivia, and cool photos of archives from the venerable museum. Every time you reload the page, a new photo appears; click on the link provided to learn about it. Also, with each page reload, you get a new "Hall of Fame Quote." And yes, the expected daily feature, This Day in Baseball History. Browse through a wealth of feature articles and columns here, including articles by researchers at the Hall of Fame's Library and Giamatti Research Center. Other interesting things here -- scroll and click -- include an archive of trivia quizzes, Hall of Fame game capsules, Baseball Writers' Association of America Hall of Fame Vote Totals from 1936 through 2004, and a link to highlights of and information about Baseball As America, "the first traveling exhibit featuring artifacts from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum."
Professional Reading Shelf Training Source: ARL New, ARL Special Collections Task Force Issues White Paper on Education and Training -- Special Collections Source: Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries Ten Tips for Getting Close to Rare Materials "Don't be fooled by the quiet look of a special collections library. There's real excitement in tracking down information in old documents.... With a little information and some advance planning, you can be researching with the best of them. Here are ten tips to help you research like a pro at your very first visit." -- Conservation Source: Canadian Conservation Institute New, Guidelines for Dealing with a Mould Infestation in a Heritage Collection
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents London--Portals Source: Prototype/Pilot Version, Your London From Kable's Government Computing, "The UK capital's e-government agency is offering directions to the nearest public toilet, among other features, on its prototype e-services portal. A prototype of London's long awaited e-services portal is soon to be tested with users, according to the capital's e-government agency. The portal, known as Your London, is now accessible in a pilot version but has not yet been publicly unveiled. The pilot site has a section offering advice for business, information for tourists and a "find your nearest" search engine. The system provides a map with directions to the nearest cash machine, police station, hospital and public toilet." -- Federal Judges--United States--Databases Source: Federal Judicial Center Improved, New Wrinkle for Federal Judges Biographical Database "A valuable tool for anyone doing research about the nation's federal judges, past and present, is the Federal Judges Biographical Database. Maintained by the Federal Judicial Center, the database provides information about all judges who have served on the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court, and other life-tenured courts since 1789. One problem had been trying to distinguish between current and past judges. That problem was addressed in a new research question added in February 2005: Users now can [limit?] their query to sitting judges." -- Health Spending--United States--Outlook Source: Health Affairs/Kaiser Family Foundation (via DocuTicker) Just Released, Trends: U.S. Health Spending Projections For 2004-2014 See Also: Briefings/Webcasts about the report are also available
Scholarly Publishing--Citation Reports Source: ISI + Top Ten Most Prolific U.S. Universities (All Fields), 1999-2003 Includes info about the "top" paper from each univeristy. + Top Ten Most-Cited Journals (All Fields), 1994-2004 + Science in Israel, 1999-2003 + U.S. Universities with High Concentrations in Education, 1999-2003 Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf OCLC Source: OCLC Abstracts OCLC Members Council discusses impact of technology on delivery of library services From the article, "'This is an exciting time. I view this as an information renaissance,' [J. Richard] Madaus [Director, College Center for Library Automation] continued. 'I think libraries will have a role to help society understand the differences between data, information, knowledge and wisdom.'" -- Information Management Source: The Age Fortune awaits as duo cut to the paperchase "The paperless workplace might still be a pipedream, but two Melbourne men are striving to make it a reality for the building industry." -- Libraries--Iraq Source: Christian Science Monitor The tale of the Iraqi librarian who saved the books she loves -- The Institute of Museum and Library Services Source: IMLS Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Swears in Eight Members of the National Museum and Library Services Board
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Disaster Maps (via ReliefWeb Map Centre) + Tsunami--Indonesia/Sumatra--U.S. Government Aid--Map Source: U.S. Department of State Indonesia - Sumatra: Common operating picture - economic impact, infrastructure damage, US Government assistance (JPG; 828 KB) -- + Iran--Earthquake Source: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - ReliefWeb Iran: Earthquake - Situation Map (PDF; 636 KB) -- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency--United States Source: DARPA Recently Released Report: Bridging the Gap "Providing an overview of DARPA and its programs, this document also serves as DARPA's strategic plan." 38 pages; PDF -- Children--Vehicles--Lists & Rankings Source: Edmunds.com, Inc. Top 10 Cars for Kids in Car Seats "Several of our editors are parents of young children, so they've had the unique opportunity to try their car seats in all the newest models. Here are 10 cars that they say make for easy car seat installation...."
Web Search Briefs (via SEW Blog) + Yahoo Increases the Size of Image Database, Adds New Features You're now able to focus your search results using natural language. + A New Version of Copernic's Desktop Search App is Available This free app now even indexes your iTunes material! Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Cataloging MARC Source: IFLA UNIMARC Holdings Format (Final Version) 84 pages; PDF. -- National Archives--United States Source: NARA Official Announcement: Allen Weinstein Becomes Ninth Archivist of the United States -- Health Research Source: ResearchInformation New website gives patients access to medical research "Publishers and US voluntary health organisations have teamed up to provide medical research information to the public. Scheduled for pilot launch in spring 2005, patientINFORM (www.patientinform.org) will provide patients and their caregivers with free access to up-to-date, reliable research about specific diseases, initially cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. The information will be integrated into materials created for patients by the participating health organisations and will link to free full-text research articles and additional selected material on journal websites." -- Web Research Source: LLRX.com Why Google Uncle Sam? A new article by Peggy Garvin, author of The United States Government Internet Manual. -- Presidential Libraries Source: AP Clinton Library to Unveil Policy Records See Also: George H.W. Bush Presidential Records Released (2/18/05)
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Population--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Census Just Released, Foreign-Born Population Tops 34 Million, Census Bureau Estimates "The nation's foreign-born population numbered 34.2 million in 2004, accounting for 12 percent of the total U.S. population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released today. The number of foreign-born is 2.3 percent higher than it was in 2003." See Also: Detailed Tables -- Labor--United States--Databases Source: National Labor Relations Board NLRB Improves Legal Research Capability Of Its Web Site The National Labor Relations Board has enhanced the way in which the public can search for documents posted on its Web site, particularly Advice Memoranda issued by the Office of the General Counsel. Advice Memos are now arranged on the Web site by date of issuance with a year-to-year breakdown going back to the 1960s. Previously, these memos were sorted by the date of their release to the public. Another improvement is a new tool that links a user to the most recent publicly available Advice Memos." Thanks to S.B. for the news tip. -- Health Research Source: National Library of Medicine + MedlinePlus Adds New Features + Updated Training Manuals Available for PubMed, NLM Gateway, and ClinicalTrials.gov Available + New Shorter URL for the NLM Catalog -- Philanthropy--United States--Statistics Source: Foundation Center Just Released, Foundation Giving Trends: An Update on Funding Priorities Summary ||| Report Highlights -- Journalism--Awards Source: Long Island University 2004 George Polk Awards "The George Polk Awards memorialize the CBS correspondent slain covering a civil war in Greece in 1948. They rank among America's most coveted journalism honors. A committee of jurors who are faculty members or alumni of Long Island University select the winners from entries submitted by journalists and news organizations as well as nominations made by a panel of journalists and editors, including a number of former winners." Includes links to award-winning pieces. -- Aquariums--Videos Source: Monterey Bay Aqurium (via URLWire) Monterey Bay Aquarium Online Video Library "The Monterey Bay Aquarium web site video library offers a selection of videos about animals, exhibits and conservation research programs at the aquarium."
The Mobile Researcher! We've mentioned several new search tools for mobile devices, pda's and cell phones in the past few months. Exciting stuff! In just the past 10 days, we've come across stories/news releases about content that an info pro might want to know about about becoming available for these mobile tools. A few examples: + WSJ.com and Outercurve Launch "The Wall Street Journal for Blackberry" + NCBI Bookshelf AHRQ Evidence Report Summaries Available for Handheld Computers + Random House Eyes Mobile Market + California Libraries Launch On-The-Go Service for Download Audio Books ResourceShelf will continue to keep you posted about new content, databases and search tools for the mobile researcher. Of course, Jenny's site is also a place to check for this type of info. Monday, February 21, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Audiobooks Source: NY Times Audiobooks Have Their Henry Higgins "As a researcher at Recorded Books, the audiobook publisher, Paul Topping hunts for precise pronunciations of foreign expressions, medical maladies and obscure geographical and biological names. In his quest, he might consult his scores of reference books, conduct Internet research and telephone anyone from Alaskan librarians to C.I.A. officers to Antigua." -- Wikipedia Source: National Public Radio Audio: Wikipedia's Growth Comes with Concerns From the NPR web site, "Wikipedia is a dynamic, online encyclopedia that allows users to create and edit their own entries. Volunteers then fact-check the entries to ensure accuracy. NPR's Laura Sydell reports that as Wikipedia has grown dramatically in popularity, some have begun to question its accuracy." -- Archives--United Kingdom Source: The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council MLA announces detailed plans to transform England's archives "Building on the recommendations of the Listening to the Past, Speaking to the Future: the report of the Archives Task Force, MLA has been working across government and with the nine regional agencies for museums, libraries, and archives to advocate for archives and has developed a programme of activities to take forward archive development In England." More info here and here.
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Iraq War--Bibliography Source: Air University Library Conflict Termination in the Iraq War 2003 Internet resources, books, documents, periodicals. -- Gender Statistics--Database Source: World Bank GenderStats "GenderStats is an electronic database of gender statistics and indicators designed with user-friendly, menu-driven features. It offers statistical and other data in modules on several subjects. The data in each module is presented in ready-to-use format. Users have the option of saving the country views in Excel (or another spreadsheet software) to customize them for their own reports.... Data sources for GenderStats include national statistics, United Nations databases, and World Bank-conducted or funded surveys." Choose a country from the dropdown menu and then select the category of data that you want.
Thank You! A Big Thank You to Pandia! From the Entire ResourceShelf Team!!! Today, ResourceShelf was Named the Winner of Pandia's Best Weblog on Searching Award. Sunday, February 20, 2005
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Linguistics--Search Engine Source: Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland The Linguist's Search Engine "...a new linguist-friendly tool that makes it possible to retrieve naturally occurring sentences from the World Wide Web on the basis of lexical content and syntactic structure. Its aim is to help linguists of all stripes in conducting more thoroughly empirical exploration of evidence, with particular attention to variability and the role of context." See: Getting Started Guide
Professional Reading Shelf Open Access Source: EurekaAlert/Georgia Institute of Technology Comparing traditional scientific journals and newer Open Access journals "Rising subscription costs in the 1990s forced university libraries into a 'serials crisis' as they cancelled many academic journals, spawning a movement toward Open Access journals, where authors pay a fee to submit or publish a paper that is available at no cost online. In 2000, the average price of a subscription to a scholarly journal was shown to have more than tripled over the previous 14 years, reflecting the publishing industry's growing consolidation and therefore, less competition. Dr. Mark McCabe, assistant professor in the School of Economics at the Georgia Institute of Technology, studies the economic viability of a new approach to academic publishing called Open Access...McCabe will present findings from his ongoing research on scientific communication with co-author Christopher M. Snyder of George Washington University. Their research compares the traditional business model of scholarly journals in which the "Reader Pays" for a (possibly electronic) subscription with the newer "Author Pays" or "Open Access" publishing model." See Also: Numerous Papers by Dr. McCabe Are Available Here -- Public Libraries--Video Library turns monitoring of videos over to parents
Briefly + Google Adds "Small Pilot Project" to Google Scholar + A Very Brief Introduction to RLG's RedLightGreen Saturday, February 19, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Higher Education--United Kingdom--Databases Source: British Library Newsletter E-theses: opening up research "In partnership with CURL (Consortium of Research Libraries), we are pleased to have secured funding for an 18-month project to create the first stage of an online resource allowing full access to UK PhD theses. Our British Thesis Service currently gives access to more than 170,000 doctoral theses, but they are only collected 'on demand' and researchers have to know that the thesis actually exists before they can order it. Within this project, the British Library has responsibility to provide the technical infrastructure for the service, including a central electronic store and the means for students and researchers to search for and access full text of their selected thesis."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Student Achievement--International Comparisons Source: National Center for Education Statistics Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G8 Countries: 2004 "This report shows how the U.S. education system compares to other major industrialized countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom) in four areas: (1) the context of education; (2) preprimary and primary education; (3) secondary education; and (4) higher education. This report is an update of the 2002 G8 Report, and is part of a series to be published in alternate years." Full Report (PDF; 724 KB) -- Patents--United States--Database FreePatentsOnline.com "The FreePatentsOnline.com database contains all patents published by the USPTO since number 4,000,000. New patents are published by the USPTO every Tuesday, and are automatically added to our database." Free PDF downloads. Unclear who is behind this site; domain is registered to someone in San Antonio, TX. Says here: "We have over 100 gigabytes of data which includes the full text of US patents from number 4000000 to 6857132 (most patents before 4,000,000 exist only as images, not searchable text). As more patents are published by the US Patent Office, we add them. We also have over 2 terabytes (a terabyte is 1000 gigabytes) of images so that you can view the illustration from the patents." Do a simple keyword search from the homepage, or click the advanced search link for two more choices -- Quick Search ("designed for those not familiar with the advanced syntax of USPTO searches"), which allows for date range, "must contain" and "must not contain; and Expert Search ("Construct your own query here using the same language as the USPTO. All USPTO advanced syntax may be used.") On the left side of the home page is an option to browse patents by number, or search for a specific number. Be sure to check out the Crazy Patents page. Someone has actually patented a motorized ice cream cone. No wonder we have an obesity epidemic in this county. Friday, February 18, 2005
Library Catalogs Source: RLG RedLightGreen Adds New Links to Libraries, Releases Firefox Plugin RedLightGreen, the web-based and easy-to-use union catalog (over 120 million records) (a tool we've been tracking since the very beginning), sent along a note with a couple of news items. If you've never checked out RedLightGreen, it's more than worth a look. + They've added new links to "to thousands of libraries." Gary's local public library is now included. + A plugin for the Firefox toolbar is now available. Cool. Of course, NeedleSearch users have been able to search RedLightGreen from a Firefox toolbar for well over a year. (-: See Also: A Few Articles About RedLightGreen since it launched in 2003.
Professional Reading Shelf Public Libraries--San Francisco Source: San Francisco Chronicle Librarian picks words carefully "The mayor's pick for a new city librarian made his San Francisco debut this week during a press conference to announce the appointment. Luis Herrera, who is scheduled to take command of the library system in April, made an ambitious promise when it comes to his new job: 'There's a tremendous amount of responsibility, and I will not disappoint you.' In a brief interview Tuesday, he showed political adeptness when he offered his views on the debate over whether the library should focus resources on building its book collection or expanding technology, such as putting more computers with Internet access into the branches."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Science--Alert Tools Source: Science.Gov Science.gov Now Offering Alert Service The new alert service from Science.gov that we mentioned yesterday is now live! We're looking forward to trying them out. "From the Science.gov homepage (www.science.gov), individuals can set up an account and let Science.gov do the searching for them. Each week, up to 25 relevant results from selected information sources will be sent to the subscriber's email account. Results are displayed in the Alert email and in a personalized Alert Archive, which stores six weeks of alerts results. In the Archive, past activity can be reviewed and Alert profiles edited. Individuals can choose specific sources to monitor, or select the "All Sources" option. Science.gov drills down into hard-to-find research information collections, spanning more than 47 million pages of government R&D results. More than 1,700 government information resources and 30 databases on a wide variety of scientific topics are available -- all in one place and searchable with just one search tool." See Also: DOE/OSTI Joins CrossRef to Assign DOIs to Technical Reports -- Consumer Issues--Directories Source: FTC FTC, International Partners Unveil New Tool To Help Consumers Resolve Cross-border Problems "The Federal Trade Commission and consumer protection agencies around the world have created a valuable new tool to help consumers resolve cross-border disputes. The International Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Directory contains contact information for dispute resolution service providers that can help consumers resolve problems with foreign sellers, regardless of the seller's location. The directory was unveiled today on econsumer.gov, a joint Web site operated by consumer protection agencies in 20 countries." -- Electronic Discovery--Database Source: Preston Gates & Ellis LLP Electronic Discovery Case Database "Preston Gates & Ellis maintains and continually updates a database containing nearly 300 electronic discovery cases collected from state and federal jurisdictions around the United States. This database is searchable by keyword, as well as by any combination of 19 different case attributes, e.g., back-up tapes, allegations of spoliation, etc. Each search will produce a list of relevant cases, including a brief description of the nature and disposition of each case, the electronic evidence involved and a link to a more detailed case summary if available."
Ready for Purchase + A New CD From The British Library Sound Archive: Voices of History "Hear the voices that made history! This two-CD set features historic recordings from the Sound Archive of some of the most famous and influential people active from the early days of sound recording to the middle of the 20th century. Forty speakers are represented, covering politics, women's rights, commerce, royalty, religion and society. Starting with a rare 1888 recording of Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone, the speakers include suffragette Christabel Pankhurst and the first sitting woman MP Nancy Astor; Mahatma Gandhi on Hinduism and Aga Khan III on the world of Islam; William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, and philosopher Bertrand Russell." + New From IFLA: World Guide to Library, Archive and Information Science Associations Second, completely revised and expanded Edition. It contains 633 comprehensive, updated entries from more than 130 countries. Over 170 new entries are documenting the latest trends and developments in the organisations of libraries, archives and information science. Thursday, February 17, 2005
Resource of the Week by Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor Presidential History--United States--Audio Source: Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia WhiteHouseTapes.org Washington Post assistant managing editor Bob Woodward -- of Woodward and Bernstein Watergate reknown -- likes to call the Nixon White House tapes "the gift that keeps on giving." Indeed, when we think about tape recording in connection with the Oval Office, Richard M. Nixon is definitely the name that comes to mind. However, he was not unique among presidents in making sub rosa White House recordings. As you will see when you explore this week's Resource of the Week, WhiteHouseTapes.org, "hosted and maintained by the Presidential Recordings Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs." Here you can listen to more than 5,000 hours of White House conversations recorded between 1940 and 1973 by six American presidents: + Roosevelt + Truman + Eisenhower + Kennedy + Johnson and, of course... + Nixon The tapes are available in three audio formats: FLAC, WMA, and OGG. Extensive digital audio help is available, as is general assistance. Meanwhile, the Center is committed to publishing "authoritative transcripts" of the recordings. A few are currently available in full text, including three volumes covering the three months after JFK initially began recording meetings (July 28 to October 28, 1962). The Center has assembled some of the recordings into virtual exhibits on several key topics: Civil Rights, Vietnam, the Space Race, and Politics. You'll also find a bibliography of "all major publications directly related to the tapes, whether they are about the tapes themselves or make notable use of the tapes"; teaching resources such as White House virtual tours and multimedia clips; and research resources including voice clips of other notable individuals and public domain photos. (Note: I had some trouble using this Flash-based menu on a Win2K machine.) There are other resources to explore at the Miller Center, "a nonpartisan research institute at the University of Virginia that gathers new knowledge about the American presidency and our government, shares that knowledge with scholars, officials and the public, and contributes to the contemporary debate about public policy." Besides the Presidential Recordings Program, you can browse: + The Presidential Oral History Program + American Political Development ("research in political history") + The Forum Program ("brings together leading experts and thoughtful audiences for lively discussions of critical public policy topics") + The Kremlin Decision Making Project ("translating, editing and publishing the international edition of the most secret materials of the Khrushchev-era") + AmericanPresident.org ("premiere online resource on the presidency and the executive branch of government") + Public Service Program (reports "that seek to remedy problems of executive governance.")
Professional Reading Shelf Librarians--United Kingdom Academic Libraries--United Kingdom Source: The Guardian Bangor librarians face internet threat Sadly, we had a feeling that one day this type of story would appear. "Bangor University is proposing to sack eight of its 12 librarians because students can find the information they need on the internet. Bangor, which is part of the University of Wales, has become the focus of a national campaign to save the "Bangor eight" as unions fear the cuts could be replicated in university libraries elsewhere." Here's a comment from a Bangor University librarian, "'The university thinks that because we have the internet it no longer needs skills teaching, that people can do literature searches themselves. I would say this has, in fact, complicated the resources. They need librarians to guide you through it. So many students think they can do those searches on Google. That's not true. Users are confused and need guiding through this.'" UPDATE: We were reminded of this post from 2003. I guess we've seen this before. -- Citation Analysis Scholarly Publishing Source: ScienceWatch.com/ISI New Article, Hottest Journals of the Millennium (so far) Listings for 11 fields. -- Digital Maps Source: Newsweek It's the Road Taken Meet the companies (Navteq and Tele Atlas) and the people who build the map databases that power MapQuest, Yahoo Maps, Google Maps, MSN Maps, and MANY other services.
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Congressional Research Service A Selection of New/Recently Updated CRS Reports Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists and National Library for the Environment) + Tracking Current Federal Legislation and Regulations: A Guide to Basic Sources + Information Sharing for Homeland Security: A Brief Overview + Military Aviation: Issues and Options for Combating Terrorism and Counterinsurgency + China's Trade with the United States and the World + Mercury in the Environment: Sources and Health Risks + Chemical Plant Security -- Hans Christian Andersen--Fairy Tales Source: Institute of Literature, Media and Cultural Studies (Hans Christian Andersen Center); University of Southern Denmark The Complete Andersen "The Complete Andersen is a rather extensive collection of Andersen's tales -- and this is the most comprehensive edition of Andersen's fairy tales in English (American) on the internet. Collection, translated by Danish actor Jean Hersholt, is searchable (in Danish as well as English)."
Search Briefs Four New Clients for Vivisimo (via Pittsburgh Business Times) Note: The University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences Library System is one of the four. Vivismo's technology is available to the public via Clusty.com. -- Google Releases New Version of Toolbar (Beta) -- Science.gov has Plans for an Alert Service A note on the the federated search/directory site home page mentions that Science.gov alert service is coming soon. Stay tuned. Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Digital Libraries The February 2005 Issue of D-Lib Magazine is Now Available Articles include: + A Metadata Search Engine for Digital Language Archives by Baden Hughes and Amol Kamat, University of Melbourne + Concepts and a Design for Fair Use and Privacy in DRM by Pasi Tyrväinen, University of Jyväskylä, Finland -- Wikipedia Source: The Harvard Crimson Citing Riots Harvard student and Crimson columnist, Matthew Gline, asks if the Wikipedia and other "online sources" can be "trusted in an academic environment." Quick comment: I wonder if the headline writer understands the differences between the many types of material found "on" and "via" the web? -- Digital Maps Source: MAGERT Historical Maps Online "For 20 years, David Rumsey assembled a collection of more than 150,000 historical maps of the Americas and the world. Motivated by a desire to make his private map collection a free public resource, Rumsey then created an online map library, http://www.davidrumsey.com/, which currently has over 10,000 high resolution images of maps from his collection. He has also built a suite of tools for users to experience and interpret the maps online. These include GIS, which allows users to combine historical maps with modern geospatial data to see change over time."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Tape Recording Laws--United States Source: Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Can We Tape? Chart shows "tape recording laws at a glance" for all 50 states. Indicates whether consent of all parties is required, if there are criminal penalities, whether statute allows for civil suits, if a specific hidden camera law exists, and whether there are additional penalities for disclosing or publishing information. -- U.S. Military Personnel--Locator Services Source: Embassy of the United States, London UK Tracing Former Military Personnel In The U.S. "It is difficult to trace someone in the United States when their whereabouts are completely unknown, as there are no central records of names and addresses available to the public. For those trying to locate former colleagues, friends or relations the following information may be of assistance. When writing to an agency or organization listed below, you should provide as much information as possible about the person you seek. At least the full name, date and place of birth should be given. For military personnel, the rank, serial number and branch of service should also be specified." -- Substance Abuse--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (via DocuTicker.com) Just Released, State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2002-2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health "This report presents State estimates on substance use or mental illness problems from the combined 2002 and 2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUHs), formerly called the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA)." -- Science--Higher Education--Surveys Source: The Scientist (Registration Required, Free) Best Places To Work For Postdocs: 2005 "Each year The Scientist asks postdocs from the United States, Canada, and Europe to reveal how they feel about their jobs, and this year more than 3,500 answered the call." -- Microsoft Office--Reviews Source: PC World Free Tool Identifies Hidden Data in Office Docs
Web Search Briefs + Google's Scholarly Initiatives Items about Google Scholar and their library digitization project. + More Mobile Access to Yahoo! Local Content: Driving Directions Cool! Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Personal Information Management Source: Seattle Times UW ponders how to best store and retrieve electronic information More about the Keeping Found Things Found project at the University of Washington. We've posted about it before. Gary offers a few comments about PIM and related "stuff" on the SEW Blog. -- Censorship--Public Libraries Source: Houston Chronicle Houston Texas: Mayor wrote a new page in library history "It wasn't unusual for the Houston library to receive a complaint about a sexually explicit book like porn star Jenna Jameson's autobiography. What was unusual was that the mayor dealt with it personally, according to a Chronicle review of 10 years of library complaints." -- Information Industry The January/February Issue of Research Information is Now Available Articles include: + High-tech business embraces new library technology + Tailoring tools -- from clothing to patents A profile of Charles Besson, CEO of Questel Orbit + Mobile data could help medicine + Portals enable national access -- Information Industry--LexisNexis Legal Research Source: The Virtual Chase The Devil Is in the Details Genie Tyburski writes about a technical "glitch" with the LN's free service, LexisOne. -- EJournals Online Databases--Higher Education--United Kingdom JISC Source: Public Technology More online content available to UK academics as NESLi2 has 2nd successful year "The Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) has announced that it has secured agreements for 2005 with nine major international publishers via NESLi2, the national electronic journals initiative for further and higher education, funded by JISC. In addition to the renewal of significant agreements with Blackwell Publishing and Oxford University Press, brand new agreements were concluded with AAAS for Science Online, The American Chemical Society, The British Psychological Society, BMJ Publishing Group, Cell Press, The Institute of Physics and Sage. These agreements will mean considerable savings for the education and research communities through the lower cost of journals secured through national negotiations."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Sir Francis Drake--Digitized Collection Explorers Source: Library of Congress Voyages of Sir Frances Drake Are Subject of New Online Presentation The LC Global Gateway is now home to the The Kraus Collection of Sir Francis Drake. "The Kraus Collection comprises important materials about Drake's voyages throughout the then Spanish territory of the Americas. It consists of 60 items -- 16 manuscripts, 29 books, eight maps and views, and seven medals and portraits. The materials range from 1579 to 1765." -- Linus Pauling--Digitized Collection Source: Oregon State University Libraries Linus Pauling and the Nature of the Chemical Bond: A Documentary History "Utilizing over 800 scanned documents, photographs, audio clips and video excerpts, this website narrates the incredible achievement of Linus Pauling and others in the discovery of the nature of the chemical bond. Scattered throughout the project are images of a number of very important and extremely rare items, most of which are held within The Valley Library's Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers, and many of which have not been previously displayed. It is expected that this website will serve as a primary reference point for individuals interested in the history of chemical bond." -- Military--United States--Statistics Source: National Archives Updated Database, Records About Military Goods and Services Provided to Foreign Countries, 1950-2002 Part of the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) System from NARA. "This series, previously titled the Military Assistance Program (MAP) series, provides information about deliveries of material or services for participating countries. Materials include both arms transfer and the sale or transfer of military supplies. Services include military education of individuals from other countries both in United States and abroad. We have recently added data from the 2002 release." See Also: Other AAD Databases -- Employment--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission EEOC Releases Fiscal 2004 Year-End Data Statistics from previous years can be found here.
Search Briefs (via the SEW Blog) + Video Search: Say Hello to Annodex from Australia + Findory Adds Favorites + Google and Its Betas Monday, February 14, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Public Libraries--UK--Most Borrowed Books Source: Public Lending Right (UK) Public Lending Right Data Reveals Jacqueline Wilson Is Still the Borrowers' Choice "Figures released today by Public Lending Right confirm that in 2003-2004, books by children's writer Jacqueline Wilson were borrowed over 2 million times from public libraries, thus ensuring her place as the nation's most borrowed author for the second year running." See: Public Libraries' Chart Toppers, 2003-2004 -- Censorship--Public Libraries--Lists and Rankings Source: ALA Most Challenged Book List 2004 "Robert Cormier's "The Chocolate War" tops the list of most challenged books of 2004, according to the American Library Association's (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom." See Also: Porn Star's Book Returns To Houston Library Shelves -- National Archives--United States Source: SAA Dr. Allen Weinstein Confirmed as Archivist of the United States
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Art Exhibits--United States Satellite Images Source: Space Imaging Just Released, Satellite Image of The Gates Project in NYC's Central Park "The image was taken Saturday, Feb. 12, 2005, the same day that The Gates were unfurled. At a cost of $20 Million, The Gates was conceived by artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The image shows all of Central Park the gates geometrically placed throughout the park...Space Imaging decided to commemorate this environmental art exhibit by tasking its IKONOS to share its bird's eye view of the 7,500 gates with saffron-colored fabric panels. From 423 miles in space moving over the Earth in a north-to-south orbit at 17,000 mph, this perspective showcases the size and scope of 23-mile-long The Gates project." -- Business--United States--Lists & Rankings Venture Capitalists Source: Forbes The Midas List: Top Dealmakers 2005 "The Midas List considers all technology and life sciences deals that have gone public or been acquired in the past five years. A candidate's rank is determined by the size and frequency of his or her deals." -- Musical Instruments--Pathfinders Source: Sibley Library, Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester Reference Web Guides (Instruments) Online guides "to help you find information about, and music for" various musical instruments. Includes call numbers, subject headings, bibliography, periodicals, Internet resources. -- Australia Source: House of Commons Library Two New Research Briefs + Australia's Uranium after Kyoto + Whistleblowing in Australia--transparency, accountability -- but above all, the truth
Briefly + WilsonWeb Databases Now Feature Automatic Link to Scirus Search + Announcing FamPat, a New International Patent Database from Questel Orbit (via Info Today) Sunday, February 13, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf NASA--Database Source: Spaceflight Now NASA's data could fill Library of Congress 300 times "The largest scientific data system on the planet, the Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS), is providing users around the world with unprecedented access to huge amounts of important information about the Earth's environment. Five years after the launch of the flagship satellite, Terra, the current volume of available data is 4 petabytes (4 followed by 15 zeros), the equivalent of a DVD movie with a running time of more than 160 years or the equivalent of enough information to fill the Library of Congress 300 times." -- Public Libraries--Philadelphia Source: Philadelphia Inquirer Protest draws hundreds at library "'We are fed up with the latest assault on library services,' Amy Dougherty, executive director of the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia, shouted to a cheering crowd. 'We want books, we want librarians, and we want open libraries, and we want it now!'" -- Censorship Source: The Grand Rapids Press Banned Book Flies Off Shelves "Author Chris Crutcher is banned temporarily from Grand Rapids Public Schools, but at local libraries, his book 'Athletic Shorts' is flying off shelves.... In fact, all 44 copies in the eight-county book-sharing network covered by the Lakeland Library Cooperative were spoken for Saturday, with more people waiting." -- Rare Book Collection--Ian Fleming Source: The Times (UK) The Man With the Golden Library "Fleming's own career in the book business started long before James Bond. As a youth in 1929, almost a quarter of a century before Casino Royale was published, he was attracted by an unlikely item in a Mayfair bookshop window -- D. H. Lawrence's controversial volume of poems, Pansies."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Music and Musicians--Pronunciation Source: WOI Radio, Iowa State University Pronouncing Dictionary of Music and Musicians "Pronouncing the titles of classical music and the names of composers and performers is a daunting task for many Americans because so many of the words are foreign to us.... This dictionary provides some help in the form of pronunciations by a phonetic system devised by E. Douglas Brown of the staff of WOI Radio at Iowa State University. Many of the pronunciations in the dictionary were derived from tape-recorded pronunciations made by foreign nationals who were speaking their respective native languages. Prepared primarily for the announcing staff of WOI, the dictionary has been found useful by them and is being made freely available to others who may find it of value. Although imperfect and far from complete, the dictionary, with its 30,000 entries, is the most extensive of its type now available." -- U.S. Military--Food Source: Defense Logistics Agency Operational Rations: Meal, Ready to Eat "The Meal, Ready-To-Eat (MRE) is designed to sustain an individual engaged in heavy activity such as military training or during actual military operations when normal food service facilities are not available. The MRE is a totally self-contained operational ration consisting of a full meal packed in a flexible meal bag. The full bag is lightweight and fits easily into military field clothing pockets. Each meal bag contains an entree and a variety of other components as may be seen in the table of Menus." Everything you wanted to know about MREs. See also: MRE Taste Test (Airman Magazine) -- Erma Bombeck--Online Museum Source: University of Dayton ErmaMuseum.org "Erma Bombeck graduated from the University of Dayton in 1949 with a degree in English and never forgot that she got her start as a writer at UD. For three decades, she celebrated the extraordinary in the ordinary and chronicled life's absurdities in a syndicated column carried by 700 newspapers prior to her death of kidney disease in 1996. She credited the University of Dayton with preparing her for life and work, for making her believe she could write." Includes her writing, a biography, photos.
Information Literacy Source: The New York Times Teaching Students to Swim in the Online Sea If this is the info age, shouldn't teaching the skills to access (searching and finding) and then judging information be paramount? We think so. From the NYT article, "Clearly, 'computer skills' are not enough. A teacher of Scandinavian literature at Berkeley recently described how students used the Web to research a paper on the Vikings: 'They're Berkeley students, so, of course, they have the sense to restrict their searches to 'vikings NOT minnesota.' But they're perfectly willing to believe a Web site that describes early Viking settlements in Oklahoma...Up to now, librarians have taken the lead in developing information literacy standards and curriculums. There's a certain paradox in that, because a lot of people assumed that the digital age would require neither libraries nor librarians. But today, students have only limited contact with librarians, particularly because they do most of their online information-seeking at home or in the dorm. More important, leaving information literacy to librarians alone suggests a failure to understand the scope of the problem." Saturday, February 12, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf PubMed Alert Tools Source: NLM Technical Bulletin New Tools for the PubMed Researcher: My NCBI Replaces the Cubby: Includes Automatic E-mailing of Search Updates and Filters The PubMed Cubby has been replaced by My NCBI. My NCBI features include: + Saved Searches: Similar to the Cubby stored search feature, you can save search strategies in order to generate updates -- including automatic e-mail updates. + Filters: Group your retrieval by topics of interest to you. You can also add an icon to the filters with links to resources provided by outside organizations. See Also: PubCrawler, PubMed Alerts via E-Mail See Also: HubMed, PubMed Alerts via RSS
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Consumer Resources--United States Source: Federal Citizen Information Center Just Released, 2005 Consumer Action Handbook "Not only is it the same, helpful guide with listings of contacts for consumers and advice on consumer problems and complaints, but we have added some new features: easy to use navigation to consumer topics (including some new ones), a new state resources page, and a consumer news and feature links section." Order a print copy (free) here. -- Airport Security--United States Source: Transportation Security Administration Security Checkpoint Wait Times "As a customer service initiative, TSA is providing security checkpoint wait time information to assist travelers in planning for their next flight. The wait times are historical so please note actual wait time may vary depending on factors including weather delays which result in increased passenger levels." Choose a state from the dropdown menu, click "submit" and then choose the airport, day of the week and time period from the next three dropdown menus. Click "submit". You'll see average and maximum wait times over a five-hour span for the different terminals. There's also a link to the airport's home page. Friday, February 11, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Digital Library Federation Source: DLF Katherine Kott Named Aquifer Director Katherine Kott has been named director of the Digital Library Federation's Aquifer initiative. Her appointment became effective January 1, 2005. Kott comes to the DLF from Stanford University Libraries, where she was head of cataloging and metadata services. As Aquifer director, she will continue to work from Stanford. Aquifer is an initiative of the DLF that will support research, teaching, and learning with high-quality online special collections and distinctive information services. It will leverage extant digital collections, institutional capacities, curatorial expertise, and library services to benefit scholarly communities. Eleven DLF member libraries are currently participating in Aquifer. Aquifer's products and services will be shared freely with other DLF participants and with the library community at large." See Also: Direct to Aquifer Initiative Home Page -- Librarians Catalogers Source: The New York Times A Bibliophile, 3,600 Friends and a System Soft-voiced and carefully spoken, Kathie Coblentz displays the studious demeanor you would expect from someone who has been cataloging materials at the New York Public Library for 36 years. But browse her home library, which she estimates at 3,600 volumes, and you will find a lampoon of library science's organizational schemes.."Your system doesn't have to be logical, it just has to work for you," said Ms. Coblentz, the author of "The New York Public Library Guide to Organizing a Home Library" (Running Press, 2003). Those who can't see their walls -- or floors or tabletops -- can consider that advice encouraging." -- MedlinePlus Source: NLM Florida Physicians to Write Prescriptions for Patient Information
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Documents in the News--September 11th Source: National Security Archive (via DocuTicker.com) Just Released, 9/11 Commission Staff Report on FAA Failings Published on Web "As a result of a Freedom of Information Act appeal filed by the National Security Archive, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) corrected its October 2004 blunder of withholding the names and numbers of aviation warnings known as Information Circulars that were widely cited and quoted in the best-selling 9/11 Commission Report." See Also: Direct to Memo (Full Text, 120 pages; PDF) -- Laws--United States--Databases Source: GPO New on GPO Access, Public and Private Laws, 109th Congress -- Health--Antidepressant Medication--Children Source: National Institute of Mental Health Just released: Antidepressant Medications for Children and Adolescents: Information for Parents and Caregivers "Research has shown that, as in adults, depression in children and adolescents can be treated. In particular, antidepressant medications -- called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) because they specifically target the neurotransmitter serotonin -- have been shown to be of benefit to children and adolescents with major depressive disorder. Certain types of psychological therapies have also been shown to be beneficial. In those with moderate to severe depression they are especially useful when combined with medication. Our knowledge of antidepressant treatments in youth, though growing substantially, remains limited when compared with what we know about treatment of depression in adults."
Briefly + Elsevier's Scopus bags 50th licence (via IWR) + Thomson Reports Revenues up 9% and Earnings Per Share up 15% in 2004 Thursday, February 10, 2005
Resources of the Week by Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor Variety is indeed the spice of life, and we have a couple of completely different databases for you to explore this week. 1) Postsecondary Education--Accreditation Source: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education Postsecondary Educational Institutions and Programs Accredited by Accrediting Agencies and State Approval Agencies Recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education "The database lists approximately 6,900 postsecondary educational institutions and programs, each of which is accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a 'reliable authority as to the quality of postsecondary education' within the meaning of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)." Click the link at the bottom of the page that says Institutional accreditation system, and you are off and running. You'll see a multi-faceted search form that offers you a variety of options. If you just want to see if a particular institution is accredited, simply type its name in the box provided and press The options get a little more interesting as you make your way down the search page. The second dropdown menu allows you to choose from among a list of "Nationally Recognized Accrediting Agencies" to generate a results list of postsecondary institutions accredited by that agency. Choose multiple agencies by holding down the control key as you click the ones you want. This could be useful, for instance, if you wanted to find schools offering a program of study accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. On the results page, the schools are listed in alphabetical order; you can sort by city, state or size by clicking on the column headings. The other dropdown menus on the page allow you to narrow your search further, depending on your needs. Use them to choose a regional accrediting agency (e.g., the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools), a geographic region or state, and/or a type of institution (e.g., public, private, two year, four year, etc.). To really narrow things down geographically, type a city name in the space provided. There's even a dropdown menu to let you search by institution size, say, if you were only interested in attending a smaller school. According to the website, "The database is compiled entirely from publicly available information obtained by the U.S. Department of Education, as of the above date (January 2005), from recognized accrediting agencies and state approval agencies." No guarantees are made as to its completeness, currency or accuracy, and the department recommended that "additional sources of qualitative information be consulted." A Wired News article says the database was created "in response to calls for action from Congress in 2004 following revelations about high-level government officials holding questionable degrees and concerns that diploma mills are using the internet to deceive would-be students." -- 2) Disability Statistics--United States Source: Cornell University, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Program on Employment and Disability Disability Statistics.org "The DisabilityStatistics.org web site condenses several data sources into a single, user-friendly, accessible, Internet resource. It also provides essential background information on key issues related to disability statistics." The data here emanates from the |
