Reference Tools–Reviews
The March Edition of P�ter’s Digital Reference Shelf is Now Available
This month P�ter Jacs� reviews the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia and McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms.

Information Organization
Web Organization
“Researchers Discover Internets Self-Organizing Properties”
From the announcement, “Despite the Internet’s decentralized and seemingly unorganized nature, scientists at the NEC Research Institute have discovered that the Web is in fact naturally self-organizing. This discovery led the scientists to develop an algorithm that may change the way that companies segment and target specific online audiences…The scientists’ research shows that the Internet’s structure of “clickable” links within web pages allows for identification of communities based on specific topics of interest. These communities are considered to be natural, in that independently authored pages collectively organize them. This research is particularly significant given the fact that no central authority or process governs the formation and structure of web pages and links…Once affirming the Internet’s self-organizing properties, Dr. Gary W. Flake and Dr. Steve Lawrence, research scientists at the NEC Research Institute, teamed with Dr. C. Lee Giles, a professor at Penn State University and Dr. Frans M. Coetzee, chief technical officer of GenuOne, to develop the community algorithm. This algorithm enables businesses and individuals to zero in on specific information by focusing on communities of web pages that are related to one-another…For example, an individual wishing to study the latest scientific findings on breast cancer research is able to locate medical literature, treatments and new developments without wading through the pages of irrelevant material that a normal Internet search on the subject might produce. This is possible because NEC’s algorithm utilizes link information to generate its results, rather than specific text that may appear on countless web pages.”
UPDATE: “Search Engine Makes Social Calls” (via Nature)
UPDATE: Further Explanation and Examples
Thanks to J.F. for the update info.
See Also: “Efficient Identification of Web Communities (2000)”
See Also: Dr. Lawrence and Dr.Giles are the co-founders of ResearchIndex, a search tool for computer science and information technology literature on the web.

Public Libraries–United Kingdom
Source: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries (Resource)
Site Update: “Resource Launches New People’s Network Website”
From the new site, “The People’s Network is a project to connect all public libraries to the Internet, as part of the Government’s commitment to give everyone in the UK the opportunity to get online.”
Direct to The Peoples Network Website

Resources, Tools, and Full-Text Documents (4 Items)
Information Policy
Source: Re:Source/The Library Association
Full-Text: Report on Developments World-Wide on National Information Policy
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Energy–Canada
Source: Energy Information Administration (United States)
Update: Canada Country Analysis Brief
Provides overview of Candian energy issues and statistics.
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Documents in the News
Source: GPO
Full-Text, “Final Report of the Independent Counsel In Re: Madison Guaranty Savings & Loan Association Regarding Monica Lewinsky and Others”
237 pages .pdf
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Health–Statistics–United States
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
New Listserv: State Health Statistics by Sex and Race/Ethnicity
This list from NCHS will notify you of, “notices throughout the year of updates to existing tables, new releases, and other relevant information.”

U.S. Census
Happy 100th Birthday to the U.S. Census Bureau!

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