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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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Friday, September 30, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Medical Libraries It's Almost Here!!! National Medical Librarians Month 2005 Begins tomorrow! -- National Libraries Source: ManagingInformation.com National Libraries Of Japan And Holland Sign Joint Operating Agreement "The Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in the Netherlands has signed a joint operating agreement with the National Diet Library in Japan. The two national libraries will cooperate in several areas, such as digitisation and long-term digital preservation. By means of exchange programmes, employees of both institutions will acquire experience and exchange specific knowledge." -- OpenURL--RFP Source: NISO OpenURL Registry RFP Released (PDF) "NISO is seeking to find an organization to serve as the Maintenance Agency for the OpenURL Registry. The scope of the work and obligations are detailed in a Request-for-Proposal released on July 6. Proposals are due October 15, 2005." -- Information Technology Source: JISC Understanding Advanced Display Technologies "The report has two main sections: the first half looks at how the human visual system (HVS) processes information and the relative success with which cathode ray tube and flat panel display technologies are able to match the HVS. It also looks at how and why 'flatness' has come to dictate current technology developments and where this may take us in the future." Summary ||| Direct to Full Text (PDF)
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Department of Homeland Security Source: Inspector General/DHS (via DocuTicker) Just Released, Emergency Preparedness and Response Could Better Integrate Information Technology with Incident Response and Recovery, OIG-05-36, September 2005 67 pages; PDF. -- Biology--Central America--Digital Collection Source: Smithsonian Institution, et. al. Electronic Biologia Centrali-Americana (EBCA) "This digital edition of the important and out-of-print Biologia Centrali-Americana makes all 58 biolological volumes available. Descriptions of over 50,000 and images of over 18,000 species of animals and plants are now accessible as never before. This is the first step toward an extraordinary new set of electronic resources and knowledge tools for biodiversity studies -- the Biologia Centrali-Americana Centennial." -- Adult Education--United States Source: National Center for Education Statistics Labor Force Participation in Formal Work-Related Education in 2000-01 "This report uses the Adult Education Survey of the 2001 National Household Education Survey Program to examine the extent and nature of participation in work-related education among adults in the labor force. The report provides data on instructional providers, topics studied, employer support, and other employment-related inducements for participation." Full Report (PDF; 834 KB) -- Home Networks--Windows PCs Source: O'Reilly and Associates Home Networking -- The Missing Manual: Using the Network With Windows Computers (PDF; 2.3 MB) "Surfing the Web from your newly networked computers is fun, no doubt. But some of the best parts of having a home network revolve around what's going on inside your house. You, proud network owner, have got your own wide world of resources waiting for you on the PCs sitting right within your home. The files, folders, disk drives, and printers -- in fact, almost anything you can attach or store inside any computer on your network -- can be shared among all your PCs. Sharing requires taking three basic steps...." Sample book chapter; 43 pp.
Search Briefs + MSN Shopping Adds Search Refinements for Hundreds of Product Categories + Preview Some New "Save Search" Features at AOL Search + Broadband Adoption in U.S. Homes Continues to Increase Thursday, September 29, 2005
Resources of the Week ------------------------------ by Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor Natural disasters, stratospheric gas prices, a messy war in Iraq that goes on and on, two Supreme Court nominations on the line, evolution versus "intelligent design," privacy-threatening security breaches, and a whole raft of other social issues creating divisiveness in society... Is it just me, or does it seem like the number of rumors and hoaxes flying around the Internet is reaching critical mass? My current personal favorite? Killer dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico, freed from a Naval research facility by the wrath of Hurricane Katrina. Not that I really have time to go to the beach anyhow... It's probably a good time to review some of the sites on the Web where you can go to check this stuff out before forwarding it along to 100 of your closest friends. (And don't we all have friends like this who are eager to "share" with us?) + Urban Legends Reference Pages: Always check here first, since this is the motherlode...and it's nicely organized, for browsing and searching. Links on the front page will take you to the newest and 25 hottest urban legends. Both pages have their own RSS feeds. For each tale, you'll learn where it came from (if possible) whether it is true, false, or undetermined/ambiguous. References and links to related information are often included. Killer dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico? Probably not. But they have been trained to detect mines, which could be useful. + CIAC Hoax Pages (Hoaxbusters): This website is part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Computer Incident Advisory Capability. However, the site maintainers tell us, "At CIAC, we find that we spend much more time de-bunking hoaxes than handling real virus and Trojan incidents. These pages describe some of the warnings, offers, and pleas for help that are filling our mailboxes, clogging our mailservers, and that generally do not have any basis in fact." You can browse by category (including fake virus/malicious code warnings) or search the archive. There's also a Full Hoax Index that allows you to see, on a single page, the contents of all the other pages on the site. Also included is a comprehensive list of links to other hoax sites, as well as scam/fraud information and reporting sites. + About.com Urban Legends and Folklore: You can search and browse here as well, but as is typical for About.com sites, the cluttered interface can be distracting. Below the title of each entry, on the right, you'll see information about the origin of the rumor/hoax, its status and a link to a brief analysis. Clicking on Hoax Central on the lefthand nav bar takes you to a collection of stuff that is currently floating around, including Bogus Websites (remember the Bonsai Kitten?) and Faux Photos (always amusing). There's a top 25 list here as well, and an image quiz (real or fake?). + TruthOrFiction.com: While not as content-rich as the three sites mentioned above, there's a particularly good section on religious/spiritual rumors, including prayer requests, etc. Search or browse. Paid subscriptions are offered here for those who want to be promptly alerted to "the latest stories, eRumors, and hoaxes." + purportal.com ("The Bunk Stops Here"): Keyword search five different hoax sites from a single page -- the first three sites mentioned here, plus the CERT Computer Security Database and the Symantec (Real) Virus Encyclopedia. Well worth a bookmark. Purportal was a ResourceShelf "Resource of the Week" in 2004.
Professional Reading Shelf Online Information Source: Research Information The October/November 2005 of Research Information is Now Online Articles include: + Language skills help text mining + Automation reduces the cost of archiving + Archive programmes gain momentum -- Hurricane Katrina--Archives Source: SAA Report of Hurricane Katrina Damage Assessment PDF. -- Used Books Source: AP Used Books Are $2 Billion Industry -- Library Databases Source: GovTech.net Revamped Michigan eLibrary Brings New Tools and Information Resources to Residents "On Wednesday, the Library of Michigan and Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) announced the Michigan eLibrary (MeL) is open for business with a brand new look, more user-friendly search and retrieval features, and a stable of information resources, all geared to provide Michigan residents with access to a comprehensive collection of information."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Civil War--United States--Maps Source: American Memory Project, Library of Congress Just Released, Confederate Army Maps Now Online From a news release, A collection of Civil War maps, many of which were used by Gen. Robert E. Lee and Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, is now available online at http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/maps/hotchkiss/. The maps, from the Geography and Map Division, were obtained from Mrs. R.E. Christian, granddaughter of Maj. Jedediah Hotchkiss (1828-1899), a topographic engineer in the Confederate Army.' 'The Hotchkiss Map Collection' contains cartographic items by Hotchkiss (1828-1899), who made detailed battle maps, primarily of the Shenandoah Valley, some of which were used by Gens. Lee and Jackson for their combat planning and strategy. Several of the maps have annotations of various military officers, demonstrating their importance in the military campaigns. The collection also includes maps made or used by Hotchkiss during his postwar years, including maps with information about railroads, minerals and mining, geology and history. Most of them focus on Virginia and West Virginia, but also cover other states and even the world." -- Joseph Stalin--Databases Source: Univeristy of Pittsburgh Digital Libraries New, Stalinka: Digital Library of Staliniana "The Digital Research Library released an image collection visually documenting the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The website, Stalinka: Digital Library of Staliniana, is the result of a two-year effort between the DRL and Prof. Helena Goscilo (Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures), Susan Corbesero (Department of History), and Petre Petrov (graduate student). The collection comprises 368 visual materials and artifacts relating to Stalin: photographs, posters, paintings, banners, sculptures, chinaware, pins, etc." --- Country Studies Source: Federal Research Division/Library of Congress New, Country Profile of Thailand PDF. See Also: More Country Profiles from the FRD -- Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Weapons--Maps Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Deadly Maps "The complete collection of maps from Deadly Arsenals: Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Threats by Joseph Cirincione, Jon B. Wolfsthal, and Miriam Rajkumar is now available online. Included in the collection are maps that reflect the worldwide proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and their missile delivery systems. Additionally, country maps show the major nuclear installations, both civilian and military, in each country." -- Crime Enforcement--United States--Statistics Source: Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (Syracuse University) New, Criminal Enforcement Changes in the Bush Years Released "New data show significant shifts have occurred in how the federal government enforced the law during the Bush Administration. From FY 2000 to FY 2004, federal prosecutions were up by over 31%. The data, obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act, also document changes in the kinds of cases being brought to court: immigration and weapons prosecutions are climbing while white collar crime and drug prosecutions are sliding. The new data go through the end of March 2005 (the first half of FY 2005)." -- Government--Canada Source: Library and Archives Canada New Online Exhibit, By Executive Decree -- Armed Forces--United Kingdom Source: Ministry of Defence Just Released, UK Defence Statistics, 2005
Search Briefs + Roll Your Own Search Engine With Rollyo (Beta)* ***Make sure to check out Rolly, very cool! The possibilities are endless. + Export or Backup Your Gmail Contacts List with Just a Few Clicks + Yahoo Desktop Search Out Of Beta, Gets LiveWords Contextual Search + Dynamically Search and Browse RSS News Headlines *** Very interesting technology!
Briefly + Proquest Offering 2000+ Medical e-Books From MyiLibrary + MetaPress Announces Web Site Enhancements Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf National Archives--United Kingdom Source: National Archives, UK The National Archives tackles digital compliance "The National Archives have reached another milestone in digital preservation testing and compliance. In conjunction with the UK Data Archive, The National Archives have released a report comparing their preservation practices to the leading internationally recognised standard for digital archives. This provides a model for other organisations to test the compliance of their own systems." Direct to full text of report (PDF). -- Academic Libraries Source: Chronicle of Higher Education In Depth: Libraries This is a special Chronicle supplement on libraries containing a package of stories, most of which are available to subscribers only: + Thoughtful Designs: "As they renovate old libraries and plan new ones, colleges consider the purpose of the buildings -- and how to make them popular." + Evolving Roles: "Today's reference librarians need IT and pedagogical skills. Institutions are adapting in various ways, says W. Lee Hisle." + The Beauty of Browsing: "Fred D. White doesn't want stacks closed and mechanized. He wants to hold books in his hand and see where they take him." + Should Librarians Get Tenure? Yes, It's Crucial to Their Jobs: "College librarians are crucial partners in teaching and research, and they should be eligible for tenure like their faculty colleagues, says Catherine Murray-Rust." (This one is available free to non-subscribers.) + Should Librarians Get Tenure? No, It Can Hamper Their Roles: "Librarians should be involved in college governance, but, writes Deborah A. Carver, they don't face the academic-freedom issues that professors do, and don't need tenure." (This one is available free to non-subscribers.) -- Library Catalogs Source: Center for Research Libraries Center for Research Libraries Releases New Catalog "The Center for Research Libraries has unveiled a new online catalog, allowing researchers additional functionality in searching and displaying the more than one million records in the catalog. The added functionality includes two new search types: a dedicated newspaper search and a combined author and title search. The newspaper search feature enables patrons to search all newspapers held by the Center by geographic area. Using a list provided in a drop-down box, patrons can search for foreign newspapers by country or for domestic newspapers by U.S. state." -- Scholarly Publishing Source: The Economist The paperless library "Free access to scientific results is changing research practices." See Also: New Report: Governments should improve access to publicly funded research, finds OECD report Direct to Full Text: OECD report on the scientific publishing industry (119 pages; PDF). -- Librarians--Pregnancy Source: Catherine Woodworth Wong (http://www.sciencelibrarian.org/) Pregnant @ the Reference Desk "I have created this web site to serve as a resource to help pregnant librarians and adopting parents as I included some adoption resources as well. When I was pregnant, I was so busy working that I did not know about a lot of this stuff. I am trying to include things that you may not have found as opposed to the really popular web sites!" Covers librarian parenting e-mail lists, health issues, maternity clothing, librarian-recommended websites. (via librarian.net)
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents September 11th Source: The Memory Hole All Available NY Fire Dept Dispatch Tapes From 9/11 "The Fire Department of New York's radio dispatches from the morning and early afternoon of 9/11. For over three years, they fought in court to keep these recordings secret but were finally forced to release them in August 2005. For the first time anywhere, we've made the contents of all 21 audio CDs available online." -- Psychology--Full-Text Documents Source: York University (Toronto) Classics in the History of Psychology "Classics in the History of Psychology is an effort to make the full texts of a large number of historically significant public domain documents from the scholarly literature of psychology and allied disciplines available on the World Wide Web. There are now over 25 books and about 200 articles and chapters on-line. The site also contains links to over 200 relevant works posted at other sites." Searchable. + Index by author + Index by topic -- Natural Disasters--Children's Books Source: University of Illinois Extension Disaster Resources (by Lynn Blinn Pike, Ph.D., University of Missouri) Children's Literature on Floods and Natural Disasters "Reading about floods, understanding what causes floods, and talking about natural disasters in general will help children who have experienced a flood to communicate their feelings and fears. Through thoughtful questioning, children can be guided to relate their own experiences to those of the characters in the books." See also: Bibliography: Books on Disaster For Kids (FEMA)
Citation Reports Source: ISI + Science in Finland, 2000-04 + U.K. Universities: Most Prolific in Mathematics, 2000-04 + Dentistry/Oral Surgery & Medicine: High-Impact U.S. Universities, 2000-04 + Journals Ranked by Impact: Entomology
Search Briefs + Dynamically Search and Browse RSS News Headlines + Time For Results Counts / Number Of Matches To Go? + Google Claims To Be Most Comprehensive -- But Helps Defuse Size Wars By Dropping Home Page Count
Briefly + Market for Business Online Services Projected to Grow 3.1% to $36 Billion in 2005, Says Simba Information's Business Information Markets Report + Wales: Internet Makes Archive World Smaller (via ManagingInformation.com) Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Digitization Projects--Canada Source: Library and Archives Canada Digitization Program for the Archival Community A list (with links) to the digital projects (2004-2005) that have received funding and support from Library and Archives Canada, the Canadian Council of Archives and the Department of Canadian Heritage. -- Scholarly Communication Source: ARL (Bimonthly Report 241) Seeking a Global Perspective on Scholarly Communication: Contributions from the UK "How do the University of Chicago Press's titles compare to Elsevier's in terms of median price? How long does it take first-time submitters to self-archive a work through the Internet? How do librarians and publishers feel about the concept of a national site license for a collection of journal titles? These questions about our current scholarly communication system are addressed in recent reports commissioned in the United Kingdom. It is worth taking a close look at three of these reports as much of the data collected and many of the findings are highly relevant for North American research institutions." -- Information Technology Source: JISC New, TechDis staff packs published to support accessibility "Engaging staff with e-Learning can be difficult, particularly where their personal IT skills are modest. This difficulty can be compounded by misguided accessibility training that attempts to give highly technical advice to people who lack the skills to make use of it. The resulting confusion can lead to tutors and lecturers - the staff with biggest potential impact on accessibility - retreating to traditional, less accessible teaching approaches. The JISC-funded service TechDis has produced a series of self-supporting staff development packs aimed at highlighting the important issues surrounding technology and disability. Each pack is self-standing and can either be delivered as a session independently or adapted into a wider staff development programme. Direct to TechDis Staff Packs. -- Public Libraries--United States--Statistics Source: NCES Updated, Compare Public Libraries Database "Compare Public Libraries allows users to compare one library (the library of interest) with similar libraries (the comparison group). For example, a user may wish to compare one library's total circulation with the total circulation of a group of libraries with similar total expenditures. Once you complete your analysis you can view the results and download them as an Excel file. This data tool has just been updated with information for fiscal year 2003." -- Researching Hospitals Source: TVC Alert Conducting Research on Hospitals
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Celluar Subscribers--Global--Lists & Rankings Source: Computer Industry Almanac Just Released, China Tops Cellular Subscriber Top 15 Ranking "The worldwide number of cellular subscribers will surpass 2 billion in 2005 - up from 11M in 1990 and 750M in 2000. China is the clear leader in cellular subscribers and will reach nearly 400M at year-end 2005 - nearly twice as many as the USA. Russia has seen tremendous growth in the last few years and is projected to be in third place by year-end 2005. Rapid expansion in India will see a future climb in the rankings to a possible #2 in 2010. Worldwide cellular subscribers are forecasted to reach 3.2B by the end of 2010." -- MBA Programs--Lists & Rankings Source: Economist Intelligence Unit European school takes top spot in the Economist Intelligence Unit's MBA rankings -- College Rankings--Influence Source: Cornell Higher Education Research Institute The Influence of the U.S. News and World Report Collegiate Rankings on the Matriculation Decision of High-Ability Students: 1995-2004 (PDF; 216 KB) "The annual U.S. News and World Report (USNWR) Guide to America's Best Colleges is a much anticipated magazine among both high-ability prospective students and college and university administrators. In this paper we use a decade of Colgate University Admitted Student Questionnaire surveys to estimate the influence of changes in a school's USNWR rank on the probability of matriculation of high-ability students. We find that the school choice of students is more responsive to changes in rank the higher (better) a school is ranked. This sensitivity to rank is independent of other objective measures of quality. As a group, women (aided and full-pay) are slightly less sensitive to the rankings than men, minorities (full-pay) are less sensitive to the rankings than non-minorities, and the rankings themselves have become more important over time for aided students. In terms of financial factors, the net cost of attendance along with the packaging of the aid matters for aided students. Finally, merit aid in general does not appear to influence high-ability full-pay students. Our results suggest that it is rational for college administrators (especially those at the highest ranked institutions) to pay attention to their USNWR rank because it is an important influence in yielding accepted students." (via DocuTicker) -- Hurricanes--United States--Map Source: NOAA (National Hurricane Center) Continental United States Landfalling Hurricanes 1950-2004 Very nice map, in .jpg format.
Search Briefs + For Many, It's All About the Very First Search Result + Infospace Gets Ready to Launch Mobile Search Client + Google Video Gets Flashy
Briefly + Autonomy and NetLibrary (OCLC) Announce Deal + Department Of Justice Awards $26 Million To Enhance State Criminal Justice Records + New Release of Factiva Public Figures & Associates Provides Enhanced Compliance with Global Anti-Money Laundering Regulations Monday, September 26, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Information Industry--Forecasts Source: Outsell In a New Report, Outsell, Inc. Forecasts Single Digit Growth For The Information Industry, Reaching $358 Billion "Outsell, Inc. has released FutureFacts: 2006 and Beyond, the market?s first-ever comprehensive forecast of the trends and drivers fueling the Information Industry. The report pegs the Information Industry to reach $358 billion by 2008, lending credit to innovative companies like Yahoo!, Google, Baidu, Interactive Data Corporation, Greenfield Online and, HealthStream Inc. for growing the market." The full text of the report is available (free) here (registration required). -- Searching--User Interface--Children Source: Human-Computer Interaction Lab, University of Maryland Interface Design for Children's Searching and Browsing From the abstract, "Elementary-age children are among the largest user groups of computers and the Internet, so it is important to design searching and browsing tools that support them. However, many interfaces for children do not consider their skills and preferences. Children are capable of doing Boolean searches, but have difficulty with the sequential presentation of hierarchical structures used in many category browsers. Based on previous research, we believed a simultaneous presentation of a flat category structure might better support children. We conducted two studies of searching and browsing with these two types of category browsers. Our results suggest that a flat, simultaneous interface provides advantages for both Boolean searching and casual browsing. These results add to the understanding of children?s searching and browsing skills and preferences and suggest guidelines for other interface designers."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Renters--Satisfaction--Lists & Rankings Source: Apartment Ratings, Inc. Renter Livability and Satisfaction Survey: Top Cities for Renters List 2005 "The Renter Livability and Satisfaction table is based on the results of analyzing data collected from users of ApartmentRatings.com regarding renter satisfaction and average rent along with data regarding local economic conditions from secondary sources. The index uses the most up-to-date information available from government research agencies for income and rental vacancy. The most current data were available for 2003 and 2004 respectively." -- Interactive Voice Response Systems Source: Intuit QuickBase Find-A-Human -- IVR Phone System Shortcuts (USA) "Instructions for bypassing IVR systems to get to a human as quickly as you can." See also: Info for Amazon.com, eBay and PayPal customer service (Cliche Ideas) -- September 11th Source: 9/11 Commission New Version, Four Flights and Civil Aviation Security (PDF) The September 12, 2005 version of the Staff Monograph on the "Four Flights and Civil Aviation Security" resulted from a second review of the report by the executive branch. This version was released by the U.S. Department of Justice and transferred into the custody of the National Archives on September 12, 2005. This newer version contains less redacted information than the first version released on January 28, 2005. -- Crime--United States--Statistics Source: BJS Just Released, Criminal Victimization, 2004 "Victimization rates for every major type of crime measured were unchanged from their 2003 levels." -- Pensions--United States Source: Congressional Budget Office New, A Guide to Understanding the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Sunday, September 25, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf PubMed Source: NLM New Edition of PubMed Tutorial Available The tutorial can be accessed here or via a link on the PubMed sidebar. -- Internet Security--Internationalized Domain Names Source: United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) Understanding Internationalized Domain Names "You may have been exposed to internationalized domain names (IDNs) without realizing it. While they typically do not affect your browsing activity, IDNs may give attackers an opportunity to redirect you to a malicious web page."
REMINDER Make Sure to Visit DocuTicker Today! Docuticker is a daily update from the ResourceShelf team with direct links to new reports from government agencies, ngo's, think tanks, and other groups.
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Toys--Holiday Season--Lists & Rankings Source: Toys "R" Us Toys "R" Us Announces Its Annual List of the Hottest New Toys for the 2005 Holiday Season "Toys 'R' Us Us today announced its annual list of toys anticipated to be the top choices of children this holiday season. The Toys "R" Us Joy List -- organized by age from infants to big kids -- features 36 toys that are new to market this year. From this list, 14 toys were selected as the overall 'best of the season.'" -- MacBeth--Database Source: askSam The Tragedy of MacBeth by William Shakespeare -- Free Searchable Version "Using the askSam Web Publisher, we've put the entire text of MacBeth on-line in a searchable database. You can search and browse through the information from your Web browser." You can also download the database along with an askSam viewer. (Free registration required.)
Search Briefs + Vivisimo and MSN Awarded Contract to Power Search on FirstGov + MSN Search Offers Free Full Text Access to Encarta Encyclopedia Saturday, September 24, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Information Industry Libraries Source: ACCESS The September Issue of ACCESS is Now Online Articles include: + The future of the book: the view from a librarian and a publisher + India moving ahead with open access + Companies turn to knowledge management to solve information overload
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Elections Source: Parliamentary Library, Parliament of Australia Research Brief: Elections Around the World "This electronic brief provides links to web-based information and full-text articles relevant to selected countries having national elections in 2005." Friday, September 23, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Federal Depository Library Program--Selection Policy Source: GPO FDLP Selection Mechanisms: Item Numbers and Alternatives "As part of its ongoing planning efforts, GPO's Information Dissemination (Superintendent of Documents) organization has undertaken a review of the item number system used by libraries in the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) to select tangible and electronic titles. As the number of electronic publications disseminated continues to grow, GPO raised questions about the continued utility of item numbers in its initial planning statement on the National Bibliography. In response to a request from the Depository Library Council, GPO conducted a review of the current item number system and examined possible alternatives. As a result of this review, GPO is releasing three briefing papers and soliciting comments from the depository library community. Depository Selection: History and Current Practice (PDF; 84 KB) is provided as background information for the other two papers. It provides an overview of the item number process in its current form. Depository Selection Mechanisms: New Model for the Selection of Online Titles (PDF; 82 KB) proposes new mechanisms for the selection of online titles. Depository Selection Mechanisms: New Model for the Selection of Tangible Publications (PDF; 90 KB) proposes new mechanisms to support a more flexible model for selection and distribution of tangible publications.... Deadline for comments is Monday, October 31, 2005." -- Public Libraries--United Kingdom Source: LISU Public Library Materials Fund and Budget Survey 2004-06 "LISU's regular Public Library Materials Fund and Budget Survey describes in detail how our Public Library Services are faring and their plans for the future. Based upon an extensive questionnaire survey of UK Libraries, it is a compilation of recent spending results, together with budgets for 2005-2006." -- Public Libraries--United States Source: National Center for Education Statistics E.D. TAB: Public Libraries in the United States: Fiscal Year 2003 "This report includes national and state summary data on public libraries in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the outlying areas, with an introduction, findings, and numerous tables. The report is based on data from the Public Libraries Survey, Fiscal Year 2003, and includes information on population of legal service area, service outlets, public service hours, library materials, total circulation, circulation of children's materials, reference transactions, library visits, children's program attendance, interlibrary loans, electronic services and information, full-time-equivalent staff, operating revenue and expenditures, and capital expenditures. The report includes several key findings: Nationwide, library visits to public libraries totaled 1.3 billion, or 4.6 library visits per capita. The average number of Internet terminals available for public use per stationary outlet was 9.5." Full Report (PDF; 1.07 MB)
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Hurricane Rita A Selection of Resources to Track the Storm -- Wealth--United States--Lists & Rankings Source: Forbes Just Released, Forbes 400 (2005) "The 400 Richest Americans." Sort list by rank, name, net worth, age, and residence. Numerous special features are included in the online package. -- Public Schools--United States--Financial Data Source: National Center for Education Statistics Public School District Finance Peer Search "This search lets you compare the finances of a school district with its peers. Peer districts are districts which share similarities among these characteristics: total students; Student/Teacher Ratio; Percent Children in Poverty; District Type; and Locale Code. In the box above, enter the name of a district. You may enter the entire name or any portion of the name. Click the search button to perform your search." Recently updated to include 2002-03 fiscal data and 2003-04 non-fiscal data. -- Workplace--United States--Statistics Source: BLS Just Released, Work At Home In 2004 "In May 2004, 20.7 million persons usually did some work at home as part of their primary job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. These workers, who reported working at home at least once per week, accounted for about 15 percent of total nonagricultural employment in May 2004, essentially the same percentage as in May 2001." -- Health--Web Resources Source: MedlinePlus New MedlinePlus Topic Compilation + Coping with Chronic Illness + Fluid and Electrolyte Balance -- MacArthur Fellows Program--Grant Recipients Source: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation 25 MacArthur Fellows Announced by the MacArthur Foundation... "The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation today named 25 new MacArthur Fellows for 2005. Each received a phone call from the Foundation this week informing them that they will be given $500,000 in 'no strings attached' support over the next five years. MacArthur Fellows are selected for their creativity, originality, and potential. By providing resources without stipulations or reporting requirements, the MacArthur Foundation offers the opportunity for Fellows to accelerate their current activities or take their work in new directions. The unusual level of independence afforded to the Fellows underscores the spirit of freedom intrinsic to creative endeavors."
Search Briefs + AOL.com Portal Leaves Beta + Findory Completes Release of Personalized RSS Reader + University of Michigan Official Comments on Google Library Lawsuit Thursday, September 22, 2005
Resources of the Week By Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor This week, we bring you another eclectic ResourceShelf Round-Up. Here's a brief look at a few quality resources available from some of the leading U.S. business schools. We'll bet there's at least something here you've never seen before. And if you know about other "hidden gems" like this, please let us know. Business Education--Research Source: Columbia University School of Business http://www0.gsb.columbia.edu/ideasatwork/ "Columbia Ideas at Work is a bridge between business research and practice, offering key insights from Columbia Business School's faculty in a format that is easily accessible to busy executives. Our faculty members -- world-class scholars in accounting, economics, finance, marketing, management and operations -- are engaged in pioneering research on issues that affect your business. This site presents practical applications of that research to help you understand your customers, motivate your employees, make strategic investment choices and capture opportunity in today's dynamic, global marketplace. The site is organized into three sections: + Magazine -- a quarterly, online magazine showcasing recent research + Research briefs -- one-page digests of the main findings of research papers (includes the idea, the research and how you can apply it) + Research archive -- a searchable database of faculty publications (citations, abstracts, and full text) An RSS feed is available, as is a link to the collection of research guides compiled by the Thomas J. Watson Library of Business and Economics. -- Business Leaders--Multimedia Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business Audio & Video Here you'll find a large collection of audio and video presentations from business leaders in a wide range of discplines who have spoken at the graduate school, including such notables as Microsoft's Steve Ballmer, Jack Welch, Anne Mulcahy of Xerox, and Symantec CEO John Thompson. RealPlayer format. -- Union Army--Data Source: University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Center for Population Economics Union Army Study "The Union Army Data Set consists of 35,747 white males mustered into the Union Army during the Civil War, for whom military, socio-economic, and medical information from several sources throughout their lifetimes has been collected." Includes three datasets: + Military, Pension, and Medical Records: The largest data set is the 'Military, Pension, and Medical Records' data set, which is derived from military-related documents housed in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. These include both war-time records and applications made by veterans for pension support. + Surgeon's Certificates: "Associated with these pension applications are detailed physical examinations, completed by physicians, that certify the veterans' health and disability status. Information from these examinations is collected in the second major dataset, known as the 'Surgeons' Certificates' data set." + Census Records: The 'Census Records' data set contains all information on the veterans that is available in the U.S. Federal Censuses of 1850, 1860, 1900, and 1910, though not all veterans could be linked successfully to the Census documents." Researchers have used this data "to analyze, among other things, trends in chronic diseases, life-cycle and intergenerational factors in the secular decline of mortality and morbidity, and changes in the pattern of retirement and aging." -- Branding Source: Emory University, Goizueta Business School Zyman Institute of Brand Science "The Institute's lauded scholars lead the development of new knowledge and insights for building, maintaining, enhancing, and revitalizing persistently profitable brands. We help companies link brand equity to business and shareholder value." If you're doing research in this area, you'll find an interesting collection of full-text articles on the front page, including Building a Branding Taxonomy, one of the Institute's projects. There's also an annotated selection of relevant articles from around the Web. -- Public Utilities--Research Source: University of Florida, Warrington College of Business Public Utility Research Center "The Public Utility Research Center (PURC), at the University of Florida Warrington College of Business, provides international training and strategic research in public utility regulation, market rules, and infrastructure management in the energy, telecommunications, and water industries. Its outreach activities support the expanded deployment and efficient delivery of telecommunications, energy, energy and water/wastewater services, including the achievement of environmental objectives." Offers: + Collection of "articles and working papers on regulation" + Infrastucture Regulation and Market Reform, an online book that "covers such topics as price cap regulation, interconnection pricing, investment incentives, benchmarking, and sector issues." + Spanish language materials + Extensive collection of briefly annotated links to resources in electricity, general regulation, international development, natural gas and oil, telecommunications, water, transportation, analytical tools, and laws. -- Business Leaders--Audio Source: Dartmouth University, Tuck School of Business Radio Tuck "Radio Tuck brings you ground-breaking digital interviews, straight from the business leaders of today." Download mp3 files and transcripts, or listen in streaming audio. Collection is searchable. -- Business--Research Guides Source: Harvard School of Business, Baker Library Baker Library Research Guides You may already be familiar with this excellent resource, but if you haven't been here lately, you'll see that it's been updated and now includes a large collection of Country Guides that draw on a variety of U.S. and international sources. Also here: + Research Guides + Subject Guides + Industry Guides -- We also like the collection of research guides from the Cole Library, Rensselaer at Hartford.
Professional Reading Shelf Libraries--Marketing Source: Chris Olson The September Issue of Chris Olson's Marketing Treasures Newsletter is Now Online Highlights include: + Pointers For Better Focus Groups + Open Houses For Solo Librarians + Washington State Library Marketing Plans + Singapore National Library Board Winning Marketing Strategy -- Library Jobs--United Kingdom Source: CILIP CILIP Relaunches Lisjobnet.com From a news release "...Lisjobnet.com has been relaunched with a new look, new functionality and a wide range of content. Its aim is to provide an unmatched resource for jobseekers and employers in the library & information community...[The service offers] four separate search facilities and on-line access to all the latest jobs published in Gazette magazine -- the UK's leading library & information recruitment publication. Alongside the jobs are special sections to assist jobseekers by providing them with direct links to support services and professional advice. -- Book Prices Source: LISU Summary Only: Average Prices of British Academic Books Jan-June 2005 and Average Prices of USA Academic Books Jan-June 2005 Full text of the report is fee-based. "Academic librarians all over the world buy large numbers of English language academic books published in the UK and the USA. LISU's firmly established bi-annual series giving the average prices for these materials have recently been revised, and are now available electronically. The information is particularly helpful to librarians for budgeting purposes." -- Hurricane Katrina--Libraries Source: IMLS In Midst of Katrina's Destruction, Gulf States and Neighboring Libraries Persevere Examples of what libraries are doing in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Arkansas, and Georgia.
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Hurricane Katrina--Web Resources + Watch/Listen To Live TV and Radio Coverage from Houston Stations A link to a compilation of sources that Gary posted on SEW Blog + Up-to-the-Minute Coverage of Hurricane Rita NewsNow aggregates content from more than 21,000 sources. Page auto-refreshes every five minutes. + Storm News Tracker from the Wall Street Journal Acccess to the page is free, you don't have to be a WSJ subscriber. The tracker is updated with headlines throughout the day. + Hurricane Rita Resources via Texas Governor's Division of Emergency Management Maps, links to local emergency mangement offices, and more. + Facts: Texas Disasters at a Glance (PDF) + Facts: Texas Levels of Emergency Response (PDF) + The Harris County (Houston area) Office of Emergency Management offers this real-time, interactive rainfall map. + Harris County Storm Surge Zones Map (PDF) + Harris County Elevation Map (PDF) + Emergency Managers Weather Information Network--Houston + Hurricane Rita Tracking Map (via Geodata.gov) + Buoy Data near Hurricane Rita (via NOAA) -- Pharmaceutical Drugs--Clinical Trials--Portals Source: Reuters Drug firms launch Web site to disclose trials data "The global pharmaceutical industry launched a new Web site on Wednesday giving details of clinical trials on new medicines in a bid to allay patient fears over drug safety. The move follows criticism that companies manipulate or suppress results of clinical studies in order to come up with favorable conclusions. The new portal (www.ifpma.org/clinicaltrials), established by the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, links available online information about clinical trials worldwide." -- Business--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Census Just Released, 2002 Economic Census, Management of Companies and Enterprises, Geographic Area Series, United States and States: 2002 29 pages; PDF. -- Business Schools--United States--Lists & Rankings Source: The Wall Street Journal Just Released, 2005 Wall Street Journal/Harris Interactive Business-School Rankings "These rankings measure how appealing the schools are to recruiters -- the buyers of M.B.A talent. The three top-rated schools this year all offer relatively small M.B.A. programs and produce graduates that companies find attractive both for their technical aptitude and their agreeable attitudes. Recruiters like students from Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business for their collegiality and teamwork. Purdue graduates are considered impressive because of their humble attitudes and strong work ethic. And IMD receives praise for its students' unusual maturity and depth." Direct to Summary (PDF) Searchable Database -- Congressional Research Service Source: CRS (via FPC) A Selection of New/Updated CRS Reports All reports are PDF documents. + Gasoline Prices: Policies and Proposals + Federal Affirmative Action Law: A Brief History + The Macroeconomic Effects of Hurricane Katrina + Federal Civil Rights Statues: A Primer + The Use of Federal Troops for Disaster Assistance: Legal Issues -- U.S. Supreme Court Hearings--Transcripts--Databases askSam Offers Searchable Versions of Transcripts from John G. Roberts Confirmation Hearings "Search and analyze the transcript of Supreme Court nominee, Judge John G Roberts's confirmation hearings." Browse online or download (you'll need the askSam viewer, free). You'll also find a database (search/browse) of Judge Roberts's published court opinions.
Search Briefs + Diller Says Ask Jeeves Will Rebrand as Ask.com + Save the Time of the Searcher: Yahoo's New "Quick Links" + blinkx.TV Adds Video Content from HBO + 10 Years of Popular Search Terms at Lycos + A New Approach to Sharing Web Research (via SearchDay)
Briefly Info Industry...Alacra Launches The Alacra Wiki! (PDF) See Also: Direct to Alacra Wiki + New from LexisNexis: Accurint Business Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Libraries--United States Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services $17.3 Million Awarded to Advance Innovation and Public Service at Nation's Museums and Libraries "The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the primary source of federal funds for the nation's museums and libraries, today announced the recipients of its prestigious National Leadership Grants for 2005. More than $17 million ($17,349,361) is being awarded to 41 museums and libraries throughout the country in this highly competitive grant program." Direct to a list of recipients. -- Digital Archives Source: PADI Tomorrow's File Endings : On Archiving Principles and Archiving Formats A new article by Marcus Uneson. "This paper discusses general digital archiving principles, such using open standards and text-based formats, particularly in regard to the archiving of scientific and scholarly publications. The efficacy of using various file formats in an archival setting are also discussed. These formats include pdf, pdf-a, tex/latex and xml." -- Academic Libraries--Journals Source: Wichita Eagle KU to lose $500,000 worth of journals "As state money for higher education gets harder to come by, the University of Kansas is saving money wherever it can. That includes cutting back on its subscriptions to scholarly journals, some of which carry annual price tags in the thousands. But some faculty members say the strategy hurts their ability to do research." -- The British Library--Digitsation Source: ManagingInformation.com British Library Put Manuscript Of 'Alice's Adventures Under Ground' Online "On 21 September 2005, the original manuscript of Alice's Adventures Under Ground, one of the world's most popular and well-known children's books, will be available to internet users for the first time." -- Librarians Library Educators Source: The Australian Library and Information Association Some Very Sad News To Report via the ALIA What's New Page: "Professor L. Anne Clyde ...died suddenly on 18 September at her home in Reykjavik. Anne's influence and friendships extended around the world and she inspired students and colleagues throughout her prolific academic career in Australia, Canada, and Iceland. Anne was a long-standing advocate for school librarianship. Her teaching and research interests also focussed on the use of the internet and online information. Her most recent publications were Weblogs and libraries and An introduction to the internet. Anne will be greatly missed."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Hurricane Katrina--Labor Source: Congressional Research Service (via Open CRS) New, Unemployment and Employment Programs Available to Workers from Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi Affected by Hurricane Katrina Thanks to IWS News Service for the tip. -- Work--United States--Statistics Source: BLS Just Released, American Time Use Survey--2004 + Employed persons worked 7.6 hours on average on the days that they worked. They also worked longer hours on weekdays than on weekend days--7.9 versus 5.8 hours. + On the days that both worked, employed men worked about an hour more than employed women--8.0 versus 7.2 hours. + Married persons spent more time doing household activities than unmarried persons--2.1 versus 1.4 hours per day--and women, regardless of marital status, spent more time doing these activities than men. + On an average day, persons age 65 and over spent the most time--7.3 hours--participating in leisure and sports activities of any age group; 35- to 44-year-olds spent the least time--4.2 hours. -- Enterprise Information Integration (EII) Source: Compterworld What is Enterprise Information Integration (EII)? "Enterprise information integration (EII) refers to software systems that can take data from a variety of internal and external sources and in different formats and treat them as a single data source." -- Business--United States--Statistics Source: U.S. Census Just Released, County Business Patterns: 2003 -- Hurricane Katrina--Images Source: USGS/NASA Katrina Rolls Barrier Island Landward -- Shown by Airborne Laser Mapping Images In a cooperative research program, the USGS, NASA, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are using airborne laser mapping systems to quantify coastal change along the entire coastline affected by Hurricane Katrina." Links to images and animations are included.
Briefly + Social Bookmarking: Nature Publishing Group's Connotea wins ALPSP Award for Publishing Innovation (PDF) Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Scholarly Publishing Source: HighWire Press Stanford's HighWire Press Portal Has A New Look "After more than three years of operation, during which we monitored usage, read your feedback messages, and conducted usability research, we are launching a new, improved version of the HighWire Portal." Learn more about what's new. -- Archives-Web National Library of Medicine Source: ARL Bimonthly Report Permanence Levels and the Archives for NLM's Permanent Web Documents "The instability of resources on the Web is one of many challenging issues related to digital preservation. Several years ago, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) recognized the seriousness of this problem and included in its long range plan for 2000-2005 the following objective: Take a leadership role in ensuring permanent access to important digital materials in health and biomedicine, including electronic journals, databases, documents published on the Web, and new kinds of scholarly communication and documentation of knowledge, using NLM's own electronic output and services as initial testbeds." -- Audio Books--Accessibility Source: TAP Information Services Accessibility Trial of the Downloadable Digital Audio Book Service from netLibrary and Recorded Books LLC "The volunteers who participated in this two-month trial had a wide variety of experiences and reactions to those experiences. Some volunteers thought this was the best digital audio book system they had ever tried. (Many of the testers currently use and subscribe to a variety of digital audio book services, such as Audible.com and Bookshare.) Others thought it was barely functional and barely accessible. The content website, the digital rights management system, and Microsoft's Windows Media Player software presented substantial accessibility challenges for a large portion of the group of volunteer testers. The volunteers generally were very satisfied with the quality of the digital audio books themselves, in terms of the selection of content, the quality of the narrators' performances, and the sound quality of the files." (via Librarian.net) -- Archives Project Update: Archives and Human Rights Violations: International UNESCO / ICA Guide to Sources
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Canada--Imagery--Databases Source: Library and Archive of Canada New Database, Framing Canada: A Photographic Memory "The photographic collections at Library and Archives Canada (LAC) contain more than 22 million images. Representing the history of photography from its beginnings in the early 1840s to the present day, these photographic collections are an invaluable resource for the visual history of Canada and Canadians. Featuring photographs from various public and private collections, Framing Canada: A Photographic Memory presents a searchable database of digitized photographic images from 1843 to the mid-20th century. These images tell the fascinating and ever-changing story of how Canadians see themselves and their world." -- Grandparents--Caregivers---Fact Sheets Source: AARP, et. al. State Fact Sheets for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children "U.S. Census 2000 data tell us that 2.4 million grandparents are taking on primary responsibility for their grandchildren's basic needs. Many of these grandparents have assumed this responsibility without the parent of the child being in the home. These grandparent and other relative caregivers often lack information about the range of support services, benefits and policies they need to fulfill their caregiving role. In an effort to remedy this situation, a group of child and aging advocacy and research organizations has prepared State Fact Sheets, which provide helpful state-specific data and information for all the states and the District of Columbia." Individual fact sheets in PDF format. -- China--Economics Source: OECD New, Economic Survey of China Exec summary and policy brief available. -- Federal Employers--Ranking Source: American University's Partnership for Public Service and the Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation Best Places to Work in the Federal Government 2005 From press release: "Best Places to Work includes a ranking of 30 agencies and 220 subcomponents on overall employee engagement, as well as in ten work environment categories. The rankings also highlight trends among demographic groups, including workers under 40 versus workers over 40, men versus women, and African American, Hispanic, and Asian employees. Best Places to Work was made possible with technical assistance from Sirota Survey Intelligence, specialists in attitude research." Site done entirely in Flash; may have accessibility issues. Results also to be posted on U.S. News and World Report site later this week. -- Internet Security Source: Symantec New, Internet Security Threat Report, Vol. 8 "Symantec Corp. (Nasdaq: SYMC) today released its eighth volume of the Internet Security Threat Report, one of the most comprehensive sources of Internet threat data in the world. The semiannual report, covering the six-month period from January 1 to June 30, 2005, identified new methods of using malicious code for financial gain with increasing frequency to target desktops rather than enterprise perimeters." Summary ||| Full Text (Registration Required, Free) See Also: Symantec: Mozilla browsers more vulnerable than IE
Search Briefs + Two Yahoo! Employees Recognized as Top Technology Innovators by MIT's Technology Review Monday, September 19, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Legal Databases--United States--Milestones Source: U.S. Courts PACER Accounts Top 500,000 "Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER), the service that allows users to obtain case information online from federal courts, now has over 500,000." -- Hurricane Katrina--Medical Libraries Source: MLA Medical Libraries and Hurricane Katrina Website "This Website is intended to be a portal to MLA efforts and relief efforts nationwide and to provide ideas on ways MLA members can support medical libraries that are having difficulty providing information services." -- Archives--United Kingdom Source: The National Archives The National Archives Publishes Annual Report -- Web Browsers Source: PC World Build a Better Browser "...35 free downloads add invaluable new features to Internet Explorer and Firefox."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Earthquakes--California--Handbooks Source: USGS Before The Next Big Earthquake: New Handbook Offers Vital Tips To Bay Region Residents "A useful and perhaps life-saving new handbook is being released by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Putting Down Roots in Earthquake Country--Your Handbook for the Bay Region is a practical, informative guide for Bay Area residents on earthquake preparedness. Hurricane Katrina's disastrous aftermath serves as a stark reminder that natural hazards can strike suddenly, putting millions of Americans in harm's way and that preparedness is key to survival. The handbook describes the likely impacts of future earthquakes in the Bay Area and gives seven important steps people should follow to prepare for, survive and recover from future earthquakes." Highlights ||| Direct to Full Text -- Hurricane Katrina--Geospatial Resources Source: USGS USGS Releases Hurricane Katrina Geospatial Clearinghouse -- Ready Reference Source: Answers.com Answers.com Adds New Content New reference content about: Poker -- poker rules and terms First Names -- first names and their origins -- Water Source: EPA Two New "Water" Documents + Bottled Water Basics (7 pages; PDF) + Filtration Facts (7 pages; PDF) -- Jewish Music--United States--Archive Source: Lowell Milken/Milken Family Foundation Milken Archive of American Jewish Music "A musical adventure of historic proportions, the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is an international undertaking to record, preserve and distribute a vast cross-section, comprising hundreds of outstanding pieces of American Jewish music from the past 350 years. While secular music by American Jewish composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Kurt Weill and Leonard Bernstein is widely available, the Milken Archive's focus on the rich body of music specifically related to the American Jewish experience, both sacred and secular, is unprecedented.... In addition to its recording program, the Milken Archive has videotaped more than 100 oral histories of composers, conductors and performers; is commissioning a comprehensive history of American Jewish music; and is assembling an extensive collection of memorabilia. When completed, the Milken Archive will comprise the largest collection of American Jewish music ever recorded." Includes: + Feature articles + Glossary + Annotated links
Search Briefs + Yahoo Cache Now Offering Direct Links to Wayback Machine + Results from Google Groups Now Appearing at the Bottom of Google Web Results Pages Sunday, September 18, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf Books--United States--Censorship Source: ALA Materials for Banned Books Week 2005 Banned Books Week begins on September 24th. Lists include: + Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2004 + The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 + The Top 10 List of Most Frequently Challenged Books
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Hurricane Katrina--Enviromental Issues Source: EPA and CDC Just Released, EPA, CDC issue joint New Orleans Needs Assessment "EPA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) formed a joint task force to advise local and state officials of the potential health and environmental risks associated with returning to the City of New Orleans. The initial Environmental Health Needs & Habitability Assessment, issued September 17, 2005, identifies a number of barriers to be overcome and critical decisions to be made prior to reinhabiting New Orleans." -- Health Insurance--United States--Surveys Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Just Released, Employer Health Benefits 2005 Annual Survey "This annual survey of employers provides a detailed look at trends in employer-based health coverage, including changes in premiums, employee contributions, cost-sharing policies and other relevant information. This year the survey also documented the prevalence of high-deductible health plans and savings account options, including the percentage of employers offering these plan types and the percentage of workers covered by them. The 2005 survey included 2,995 randomly selected public and private firms with three or more employees (2,013 of which responded to the full survey and 982 of which responded to an additional question about offering coverage). The Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and Educational Trust jointly conduct the survey." Saturday, September 17, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf History Source: Center for History and New Media at George Mason University Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web The full text (web version) of a book by Dan Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig. -- Public Libraries--Special Collections--Holocaust Source: Indianapolis Star Evansville library will open Holocaust archive "A collection of Holocaust survivors' testimonies, filmed as a memorial to the millions who lost their lives in the Nazi-run death camps of World War II, has become an educational resource to teach cultural acceptance. Universities and libraries in recent years have begun using the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation's film archives to compile their own collections of survivor testimonies that chronicle the horrors of Adolf Hitler's concentration camps. The Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library on Monday will be the latest to open a collection from the foundation -- 115 films that document the lives of survivors and Holocaust witnesses who fled to Indiana, Kentucky, and southern Illinois after the war."
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Emergencies--United States Source: Federal Emergency Management Agency National Situation Update Daily update with news about weather, fires, etc. Archive of NSU's available back to 2000. -- Information Security Source: CIO/PricewaterhouseCoopers (via DocuTicker.com) The Global State of Information Security 2005 "To borrow from forestry parlance, information security is an escaped wildfire. And according to 'The Global State of Information Security 2005,' a worldwide study by CIO and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), you are the firefighters, desperately trying to outflank the fireline and prevent flare-ups and firestorms. It's a thankless, impossible business." Friday, September 16, 2005
Professional Reading Shelf ERIC Source: ERIC ERIC Provides Citation Management -- Libraries Source: ALC Gulf Coast Libraries Renewal Fund Created by Americans for Libraries Council -- Privacy--Social Security Numbers Source: General Accountability Office (PDFs) Social Security Numbers: Federal and State Laws Restrict Use of SSNs, yet Gaps Remain, by Barbara D. Bovbjerg, Director, Education, Workforce, and Income Security Issues, before the New York State Assembly Standing Committees on Consumer Affairs and Protection, Government Operations, and Banks, in New York City. (via DocuTicker) Highlights Full Report
Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents Community Investment--Database Source: Calvert Foundation Community Investment Profiles Database "Calvert Foundation and many community development organizations have worked together to present the most complete on-line resource for financial and program information on over 100 groups. If you want to read about how and where different community development organizations work, search this database." Search by lending sector, geographic area, organization name. "Please register (free) if you would like access to the advanced version of the profiles database. Upon registration you will have access to more detailed financial information, more sophisticated search capability, and further information about the operations of the organizations in this database." -- Electronic Voting Source: National Research Council Just Released (Prepub) Report, Asking the Right Questions About Electronic Voting "...articulates important questions and issues that election officials, policy makers, and informed citizens should ask concerning the use of computers and information technology (IT) in the electoral process." -- Disasters--Mental Health Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disaster Mental Health Resources "This page includes information on general strategies for promoting mental health and resilience that have been developed by various organizations based on experiences in prior disasters. While each individual is affected differently by a disaster, certain groups may share common experiences." See also: Information on Coping With Traumatic Events (National Institute of Mental Health) -- Hurricane Katrina--Environment Source: EPA Hurricane Katrina Response from the EPA < |
