Resources of the Week
Two items this week.
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1) The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources
This impressive compilation is the web companion to Nick Tomaiuolo’s new book. It’s “must review” material. Although more than a few of the 350+ sites listed might already be favorites (you’ll spot many that have been featured on ResourceShelf), you’re VERY likely to discover many new gems. Of course, the book might also be of interest since it includes numerous interviews and other useful material not found on the web site. Btw, Tomaiuolo continues to add new material to the web site on a weekly basis.

The layout of the web site is simple and easy to use. Various subject-based compilations are listed (corresponding to different chapters in the book).

After just a few minutes of browsing, I was able to identify several resources that were new to me.

Including:
+ FreeFullText.Com
“Direct links to over 7000 scholarly periodicals which allow some or all of their online content to be viewed by ANYONE with Internet access for free (though some may require free registration).”
+ The Visual Dictionary of Fashion
“Covers the 18th through 20th century in womenswear, menswear, and childrenswear. Search or browse. Geographic search is available.”
+ University of Michigan Instrument Encyclopedia
“Not an exhaustive site, the content of the encyclopedia is developed by graduate students. Browse or search for a musical tradition or a specific instrument.”

Nick Tomaiuolo is an associate librarian in the reference department at Central Connecticut State University. The cover of his book (edited by Barbara Quint) includes positive comments from Tara Calishain, Lisa Guernsey, and Peter Jacso.
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2) Digital Collections
University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections
“This site showcases some of the online multimedia collections built under auspices of the University of Washington Libraries’ Digital Initiatives Program,” and there is a wealth of material here — mostly photographs, but also including newspapers, reports, pamphlets, posters, and maps. Although many of the collections have a local focus — Washington State and the Pacific Northwest — there a number of collections worth bookmarking by anyone located anywhere. The Cities & Buildings Database, for example, includes “7,500 recent images of architecture and city views from around the world.” The Fashion Plates Collection contains more than 400 19th and 20th century fashion magazine illustrations of women’s and men’s clothing. The Freshwater and Marine Image Bank offers more than “10,000 historic images relating to freshwater and marine subjects including dams, fisheries, fish species, vessels and maps.” Collections are grouped into nine main subject areas: Pacific Northwest, Seattle, Alaska & the Yukon, Art & Architecture, Expeditions & Adventures, International, Labor & Industry, Natural World, Politics. They’re all searchable — by keyword, across all collections, or via an advanced search form that allows you to pick and choose collections to search, and to search by subject, title, creator, date, etc.

Web Search
Information Retrieval
For the Search and IR Geeks Out There: Papers from the Upcoming WWW2004 Conference
Those of you with an interest in what’s going on in web search and IR research might find a compilation I’ve put together to be of value. It offers direct links to several search and search-related papers to be given at the upcoming WWW2004 (Thirteenth International World Wide Web Conference). The compilation is posted on ResourceShelfPLUS.

Engineering Resources
Just Launched, A New Resource for Engineers
GlobalSpec, a company that provides access to over 10,000 product catalogs (they call it a product discovery system) launched, “The Engineering Web” today as a new tool on their web site. We first mentioned this new service about two weeks ago. “The Engineering Web” is a “focused crawler” the deals with engineering and technical information. According to the site, they’ve crawled about 10,000 sources and provide direct access to several IW resources including the U.S., European, and WIPO patent databases. More later and look for a write-up from ITI on Monday. To access “The Engineering Web” look for the the links on the left-side of the Global Spec home page or via the pull-down menu attached to the main search box.
See Also: EEVL
A massive engineering directory and search tool developed by librarians in the UK. It’s part of the RDN. Here’s an overview article about EEVL that was published in SearchDay.

Web Search–Microsoft
Source: News.com
Microsoft’s Ballmer, “Search Was Our Worst Mistake”
From the article, “‘People say that Microsoft does it all, but this is the case where we didn’t do it all,’” Ballmer told an audience of marketing and media executives here at the software giant’s fifth annual advertising conference. Then, like an eager football coach pumping up the team for the second half, Ballmer reasserted that Microsoft is still in the game and plans to win…Ballmer did not comment on the European ruling, but did sound an upbeat note for Microsoft’s growing impetus in search development. He said the company has hired many top search software developers and plans to be the absolute best in search over time. He also downplayed the mystical reputation of Google’s search tool. ‘There’s no magic here, it takes good hard work�and hard-core software’ to deliver relevant results, he said…Ballmer would not plot an exact timeline for the launch of a new Microsoft search engine, but he said that first-generation technology from its development team would likely appear in the next 12 months.”

Web Search
Source: NY Post
In Google Many Trust (Too Much)
Just because you don’t find something when running a Google search doesn’t mean the info isn’t out there. Here’s an example. From the article, “Had anyone bothered to Google Shamoon “Sam” Rafiq a month ago, they would not have found much information about the man. A now-removed profile from the Amsterdam American Business Club’s Web site listed Rafiq as a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers. Other than that, you could assume that Rafiq is a soccer fan – messages attributed to him are posted on a soccer fan Web site. Rafiq never was a partner at Kleiner Perkins, however, and today he sits in jail charged with wire fraud for selling non-existent shares of Google. Rafiq’s alleged exploits, which the feds say netted him almost $3 million, were detailed in yesterday’s Post (you can find the story online). He is accused of conning corporate executives and Wall Street types – an investment banker and stock broker. That people would salivate over Google’s IPO – despite the fact the company has not yet even filed for one – is not surprising… But all that Googles is not gold. Just ask Shamoon Rafiq’s alleged victims. Had anyone bothered to look somewhere other than Google for information on Rafiq, they would have found information that made them think twice about trusting the man. Searches for Rafiq on LookSmart, Yahoo! and AllTheWeb.com turn up a 2001 press release in which the mysterious man was named an executive at now-defunct Ripcord Systems. You can find the same press release through Factiva and Lexis-Nexis as well.” Thanks to Seth F. for the link.
See Also: Read More in this 3/18 SF Chronicle Article

Professional Reading Shelf (2 Items)
National Archives–United Kingdom
Source: The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council
Just Released Report, Listening to the Past, Speaking to the Future: The Report of the Archives Task Force
From a Resource news release, “The report, Listening to the Past, Speaking to the Future, comes at a time when unprecedented numbers of people at home and overseas are beginning to use the UK’s archives for genealogy or to explore the history of their community. It highlights the importance and remarkable diversity of British archives and points to ways in which access to these resources can be developed.”
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Information Seeking Behavior
Health Information
Source: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Online Pediatric Information Seeking Among Mothers of Young Children: Results From a Qualitative Study Using Focus Groups
“Women appear to be high information seekers during pregnancy and the first few years following delivery, and this period represents an important window of time for providing online health information. Participants suggested that online information sources and motives for providing online information should be clear in order to increase perceptions of trust. Participants expressed preference for online clinical health information that is presented by clinical professionals, and online parenting advice that is presented from other parents.”

Access to Information–United States
Web Site Preview, OpenTheGoverment.org
From the site, “What OpenTheGovernment.org will do? We’ll highlight alerts, reports and analyses from dozens of groups. This coalition includes librarians, journalists, good government and environmental groups, and labor. We are advocates defending the First Amendment, promoting free expression, strengthening national security and fighting censorship.” The public launch of the web site will take place later this spring. Several library organizations have signed the OpenTheGovernment.org “statement of values.”
See Also: A Bit More From OMB Watch
“OpenTheGovernment.org is a new, unprecedented coalition of over 30 organizations created to fight increased secrecy and promote open government.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full-Text Documents (5 Items)
WMD
Source: Congressional Research Service
New, Full Text, Weapons of Mass Destruction: Trade Between North Korea and Pakistan
23 pages; PDF.
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Internet
Source: United Nations Information and Communication Technologies Task Force
Home Page, Global Forum on Internet Governance
The forum begins today.
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Internet Usage–United States
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
Just Released Report, Older Americans and the Internet
Summary ||| Direct to Full Text
From the summary, “The percent of seniors who go online has jumped by 47% between 2000 and 2004. In a February 2004 survey, 22% of Americans age 65 or older reported having access to the Internet, up from 15% in 2000. That translates to about 8 million Americans age 65 or older who use the Internet. By contrast, 58% of Americans age 50-64, 75% of 30-49 year-olds, and 77% of 18-29 year-olds currently go online.”
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Education Technology–Schools
Source: Bureau of Educational Technology, Florida Department of Education and the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida
Educational Technology Clearinghouse
“For your convenience, we’ve grouped the pages into three sections:
+ Subjects: Here you will find links to the best of the Web, sorted by subject and grade level.
+ Resources: Valuable links for teachers, administrators, grant-seekers, and other members of the educational community.
+ Reference Desk: Quick links to the most useful reference sources on the Web.”
Includes database containing more than 3,500 pieces of clipart licensed for free educational use. License says: “A maximum of fifty (50) clipart items may be used in any non-commercial, educational project (report, presentation, display, website, etc.) without special permission. The use of more than fifty clipart items in a single project requires written permission from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) at USF.
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Counties–United States
Source: NETRonline
New, NETR County Locator
“You can search for counties by supplying either a City/Town OR a Zip Code…”

Social-Networking Software
Source: Technology Review
Internetworking
A look at several social-networking software companies. From the article, “The premise behind this new social-networking technology is simple: you may know a lot of people from work, college, church, or your neighborhood, but you probably don�t know exactly who their friends are�and forget about their friends� friends. But join an online social network and invite a few acquaintances, and the software will begin to reveal previously hidden second- or third-degree connections that can lead to an interview, business meeting, or tee time with that elusive potential client or employer.”
Companies mentioned:
+ Tribe.net
+ Visible Path
+ Spoke Software
+ Broadband Mechanics
+ LinkedIn
+ Ryze

News Search
Source: San Jose Mercury News
All the news that’s fit for searching
A short article on what MS is up to in the news search arena. From the article, “…NewsJunkie, could help Microsoft develop a search function in Windows to compete with Google. It’s also planned as part of MSN’s upcoming news page, called Newsbot. Using principles of artificial intelligence and information retrieval, NewsJunkie keeps track of what a reader has already seen. It reorganizes news stories to rank those with the most new information at the top and push those with repetitive information to the bottom, or filter them out entirely. NewsJunkie can help improve news alerts beyond key words to offer only new information, the researchers said. [Susan] Dumais is working on a similar project to make search happen behind the scenes to recognize what you’re working on, search your hard drive and automatically present related files.” Thanks to Andy B. for the news tip.
NOTE: The article does not mention that a public beta of Newsbot has been online since November. You can learn a bit more in this ResourceShelf post.
See Also: Findory is a “Just Launched” Adaptive News Search Resource

Web Search–Google
Google’s Craig Silverstein Chats from ZDNet UK
Silverstein is Google’s Director of Technology. Here are a few passages from the article.
+ “Silverstein said he believes that within a few years Google could have a voice interface for everything from driving directions to help you finding the aisle for a particular food in your local supermarket.”
+ “Silverstein said speech-based searching presented a real problem but not because of the recognition technology. Instead he said the problem lies in the way results are returned. ‘The problem is, how do you get the answers back? Do you have someone reading them off to you like one of those voicemail mazes where it takes so long to speak to someone? A big list works visually, but doesn’t work very well in audio,’ he said.”
+ “Silverstein said he was unconcerned about the phenomenon known as Google Bombing.”
+ “Silverstein said that Google is also interested in adding new kinds of content that were not previously available in any electronic form. ‘I think we probe much if not most of the static Web, which consists of pages that are not dynamically generated. From the dynamically generated stuff it is hard to say. We cover a lot of it, but probably not close to everything,’ he said.”
See Also: Silverstein Introduces the Idea of Search Pets (via Searchblog.com)

Citation Analysis
Scholarly Publishing
Source: ISI
+ Journals Ranked by Impact: International Relations
+ Science in Brazil, 1998-2002
+ Economics: High-Impact U.S. Universities, 1998-2002

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full-Text Documents (4 Items)
Energy
Geochemistry
Source: USGS
Just Released, One-of-a-Kind Database of World�s Petroleum Resources Now Available
Summary ||| Direct to Database
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Political Action Committees
Source: Federal Election Commission
PAC Statistics 2003
Includes several tables and rankings. Including:
+ Top 50 PACs by Receipts January 1, 2003 – December 31, 2003
+ Top 50 PACs by Cash on Hand as of December 31, 2003
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Population–United States–Statistics
Source: U.S. Census
Moving Rates Lowest in 50+ Years, Census Bureau Reports
Summary ||| Direct to Full Text Report
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Documents in the News
September 11th
Source: National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
+ Staff Statement No. 5: Diplomacy
+ Staff Statement No. 6: The Military
+ Staff Statement No. 7: Intelligence Policy
See Also: Transcripts and Other Documents from Hearings

Briefly
San Jose State: “Academic journals to be sacrificed in library cuts” (via The Spartan Daily)

Information Retrieval–Visualization
Source: Technology Review
Sketchy Information
The articles asks if “graphical search interfaces make a picture worth a thousand links?” From the article, “‘The biggest challenge with visualization is data overload,’ says Greg Coyle, general manager of Ancubis, a Cambridge, UK-based developer of search visualization tools. ‘When the data sets get large, it�s a challenge to usefully visually represent that and not scare the hell out of the user.’ Effective presentation requires understanding how to categorize it and relate one piece of information to another. So developers need descriptive information about the underlying data that people want to search.”
Products Discussed:
+ Gnod.net (More About Gnod.net soon.) It’s a “self-adapting community system.”
+ Endeca ||| Demo
+ Anacubis ||| Demo

Professional Reading Shelf (5 Items)
Reference Services
Source: OCLC
Webcast: Next Generation Reference Services
“Five experts discuss next-generation reference services at the OCLC Symposium held on January 9, 2004 during ALA Midwinter. The experts are: Diane Nester Kresh, Director for Public Service Collections, Library of Congress; Susan McGlamery, Project Director, 24/7 Reference; Anne Craig, Network Director, ILLINET/OCLC Services, Illinois State Library; David Lankes, Director of the Information Institute of Syracuse and Assistant Professor at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies; and Joseph Janes, Associate Professor and Chair of Library Information Science at the Information School of the University of Washington.”
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Awards
LITA Names Several Award Winners
+ 2004 LITA/Library Hi Tech Award: Eric Lease Morgan from the University Libraries of Notre Dame
+ LITA/Brett Butler Entrepreneurship Award: Susan McGlamery from 24/7
+ Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology: Carl Lagoze, Cornell University
+ Hugh C. Atkinson Memorial Award: Jerome Yavarkovsky, Boston College
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Open Access
+ New Open Society Institute Grants Program Will Promote Open Access Publishing
+ (Mis)Leading Open Access Myths (via BioMedCentral)
“BioMed Central responds to criticisms of the Open Access publishing model.”
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Wireless Libraries
Source: Government Computer News
Library of Congress Sets Wireless Course
“With little or no wireless connectivity in the three main LOC buildings, the library IT team has awarded a $2.9 million contract to EMS Technologies Inc. of Atlanta for a system to support wireless voice and data access via cell phones, personal digital assistants and notebook PCs.”
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Government Libraries–United States
Source: Federal Computer Week
NIST Honored for Library Tech
“The Library of Congress’ Federal Library and Information Center Committee will give awards on March 25 to federal libraries and librarians for outstanding work and technological innovations in 2003. The National Institute of Standards and Technology Research Library will be recognized as federal library of the year among libraries with 11 or more staff members or contract employees, the Library of Congress committee officials said. The Library Services Department at the Naval Medical Center, in Portsmouth, Va., will be commended as federal library of the year among libraries with 10 or fewer staff members.”

Web Browsers
An Upcoming Version of Opera will Include IBM’s ViaVoice Technology
No need to type your search, just say it. From the announcement, “Opera Software announced the upcoming release of a multimodal desktop browser that incorporates IBM’s Embedded ViaVoice speech technology. By leveraging IBM’s voice libraries in this version of Opera, users can navigate, request information and even fill in Web forms using speech and other forms of input in the same interaction. ‘Voice is the most natural and effective way we communicate. In the years to come it will greatly facilitate how we interact with technology,’ says Christen Krogh, VP Engineering, Opera Software ASA. ‘By making this technology available today for the wider Web audience, the serious work of voice-enabling the Web can commence.’…Opera will make the IBM integrated voice browser available in English for Windows with initial targets being enterprise customers and developers”

Enterprise Search (2 Items)
+ Yet Another Deal for FAST
Reuters has announced that they will utilize FAST technology to monitor the web for copyright infringements. Reuters also uses FAST to power their news alert service.
+ ProQuest Licenses Its Taxonomy to Convera

Web Search–Google
Source: MarketWatch.com
More on Google’s Possible SEC Filings, IPO
From the article, “Google.com has been coy about going public even as Wall Street’s collective mouth waters, but the Internet giant may soon have to reveal its closely guarded financial performance through another type of public filing, according to securities lawyers tracking the company. If Google has $10 million of total assets and more than 500 stockholders, it will have to file a Form 10 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, under section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934…Such a filing will make public Google’s earnings and revenue information. It would also trigger the need for other public filings such as proxy statements and annual reports…If Google reached the threshold of 500 stockholders by the end of 2003 and if that is the end of its fiscal year, it would have to file a Form 10 by April 30, said Matthew Gilman, a partner at Brown Rudnick Berlack Israels in Boston.”

Web Search–Dogpile
Dogpile Releases Toolbar That Features Scrolling RSS Feed Ticker
Two days and two toolbars. Yesterday, a new toolbar with RSS and hard drive search capabilities from Hotbot. Today, Dogpile releases an upgrade to its toolbar. Dogpile Search Toolbar 2.2.0 offers an RSS reader and the chance to view your feeds (headlines only) as they scroll across the toolbar.
See Also: Reuters Publishes Article About RSS
Thanks to S.C. for the news tip.