Briefly
+ CSA Illumina Debuts

Search Briefs
+ Blinkx Launches Standalone Video Search Site
+ A Few Articles for Your “Search” Reading List
+ Yahoo Launches Video Search Prototype and Media RSS Format

Resources of the Week
Two resources from the world of labor and labor law this week, both of which are worth a bookmark.

1) Labor Law–International
Source: International Labor Organization
International Observatory of Labour Law
This gateway to international labor law information is one of those specialized resources that few of us would ever use on a day-in, day-out basis, but it’s a good one to know about in case you ever need research material in this particular subject area — not a far-fetched possibility, given the relentless march of globalization.

While some of the material on the site is scanty or has not been updated recently, there is excellent research value in the site’s series of National Labour Law Profiles. Each of these provides an excellent overview of labor law in a number of ILO-member countries — Argentina, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Guyana, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, New Zealand, The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Russian Federation, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela. You’ll find extensive information about the constitution, the government, the head of state, the legislature, the judiciary, labor regulation, contracts of employment, protective labor legislation, wage protection, workplace equality, sexual harassment, trade union regulation, collective bargaining and agreements, strikes and lockouts, and settlement of labor disputes. Each profile also includes a bibliography.

The site also offers a reasonably up-to-date collection of web links to constitutions, labor law and general legal information.
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2) Labor Unions–Research Guide
Source: Martin P. Catherwood Library, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
Labor Unions and the Internet
This site essentially functions as a guide for labor unions who want to establish or maximize a web presence. It explains why the Internet is important for labor unions, and provides an extensive annotated webliography covering a wide range of useful, practical topics, from alternative dispute resolution to wages. The focus is on quality rather than quantity; each topic includes just a few key sites, but those are described in some detail.

Some of the guide sections will interest researchers outside the realm of labor unions. For example, guides to company information, government sites, and statistical sites. There’s also a useful selection of labor union directories.

The library offers related guides on Collective Bargaining, Arbitration, and U.S. Labor Unions.
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See Also: Stuart Basefsky’s IWS News Service
A great resource for labor-related materials. Basefky is a librarian at Cornell.

Professional Reading Shelf
Digital Libraries
The December 2004 Issue of Digital Libraries Magazine is Now Online
Articles include:
+ The Role of RSS in Science Publishing: Syndication and Annotation on the Web
Tony Hammond, Timo Hannay, and Ben Lund, Nature Publishing Group
+ Resource Harvesting within the OAI-PMH Framework
Herbert Van de Sompel, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Research Library; Michael L. Nelson, Old Dominion University; and Carl Lagoze and Simeon Warner, Cornell University
+ A Repository of Metadata Crosswalks
Carol Jean Godby, Jeffrey A. Young, and Eric Childress, OCLC
+ Metadata Development in China : Research and Practice
Jia Liu, Peking University, China
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Scanners
Source: Transform
Document Scanner Guide 2004
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Internet
Source: Talk of the Nation/National Public Radio
Radio Program: Google’s Plan Prompts a Question: What’s on the Web?
Guests:
+ Michael Keller, head librarian, Stanford University; director of Academic Information Resources
+ Brewster Kahle, founder, the Internet Archive (a non-profit digital library)

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Travel–Weblogs
Source: The Washington Post
The Washington Post Guide to Travel Blogs
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Holidays–United States–Fast Facts
Source: U.S. Census
Fast Facts: Holidays 2004
+ Christmas Trees, Ornaments and Gifts
$521 million
The amount of money the nation’s Christmas tree farmers received from tree sales in 2003
+ $30.6 billion
The dollar amount of retail sales by the U.S. toy industry in 2002
+ 11,086
The number of electronic shopping and mail-order houses in business in 2001
+ Much More on the Fact Sheet
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Toys–Noise Hazard
Source: Sight & Hearing Association
Noisy Toys
“For the seventh year, the Sight & Hearing Association tested 22 toys taken directly off toy store shelves. Five of those toys measured above 100 dB, which is similar to a chainsaw.” Includes 2004 Noisy Toys List. (via Al’s Morning Meeting)

Citation Analysis
Source: ISI
+ Science in England, 1999-2003
+ Public Health & Health-Care Science: High-Impact U.S. Universities, 1999-2003

Web Search Briefs
Weblogs
How About Some Year-End Lists?
+ Most Popular Search Terms 2004 (AOL)
+ Most Popular Search Terms 2004 (Lycos)
+ BlogPulse.com’s Most Cited Blogs, News Items, and News Sources of 2004
UPDATE: More Lists!
Google ||| Google International ||| Yahoo

Professional Reading Shelf
Digitization Projects–Books
No, It’s Not Google: International Libraries and the Internet Archive collaborate to build Open-Access Text Archives
I have a funny feeling that this exciting news from the IA got overlooked yesterday. We have a couple of other items about the Million Book Project in yesterday’s Google/Library post. “By working with libraries from 5 countries, and working to expand this number, we are bringing a broad range of materials to every interested individual. This growing commitment to open access through public archives marks a significant commitment to broad, public, and free access. While still early in its evolution, works in dozens of languages are already stored in the Internet Archive’s Open-Access Text Archive offering a breadth of materials to everyone. Over one million books have been committed to the Text Archive. Currently over twenty-seven thousand are available and an additional fifty thousand are expected in the first quarter of 2005. Advanced processing of these multilingual books will offer unprecedented access.”
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Archives–Standards
Source: National Archives (U.K.)
The National Archives Standard for record repositories and the Framework of Standards
“The new National Archives Standard is the recognised benchmark for all aspects of caring for records and providing access to them. This new Standard also includes guidance on the preservation of digital and electronic records.”
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National Libraries–U.K.
Online page turner takes top award
Congrats to the Turning the Pages (TTP) team. If you’ve never checked out TTP, you should!!!
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Information Industry
The November/December Issue of Research Information is Now Available
Feature Articles include:
+ Adapting to advance
“Information professionals can benefit from a dynamic employment market, so long as they’re prepared to change with the environment.”
+ Digging for information
“John Murphy profiles Professor Keith Van Rijsbergen, head of the information retrieval group at the University of Glasgow”

Google Scholar
Creator of Google Scholar Answers a Few Questions
Thanks to developer of Google Scholar, Anurag Acharya, for the following answers about the new service. ResourceShelf will check back soon for any updates.

Q: What is the cut-off in terms of page size? From what we can see it’s about 500kb-800kb? Is this documented anywhere?
A: No, this isn’t documented and the team tells me these limits are “likely to change.” Nothing specific to announce. No date set yet.

Q: How often is the GS database updated?
A: Periodically. While in beta, we will determine how often to update this index. As you can imagine, the content in Scholar is different than the main index. We’re studying it, and don’t have a final schedule/refresh rate to announce yet.

Q: Does GS have any plans to state what they do and don’t consider scholarly?
A: The techniques used to decide inclusion in Google Scholar are evolving. As mentioned earlier, we’re still in beta and constantly working to evolve the product. Automated extraction of information from a diverse collection of documents and web pages can be tricky. Note, however, that with a decent ranking, the inclusion criteria are less important.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Online Exhibits–Canada
Source: Civilization.ca
New, Before E-Commerce: A History of Canadian Mail Order Catalogs
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Health Benefits–United States
Source: Kaiser Family Foundation
Just Released, Current Trends and Future Outlook for Retiree Health Benefits: Findings from the Kaiser/Hewitt 2004 Survey on Retiree Health Benefits
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Computer Hardware–Consumer Ratings
Source: PCWorld.com
Readers Rate the Manufacturers
“Who builds hardware you can count on? How does tech support stack up? We asked 42,000 PC World readers about their PCs, cameras, printers, and more — and boy, did they give us an earful.”

Web Search–Google
Source: SearchDay
Google: Let’s Digitize Several Million Library Books
Holy Cow! Not even a month after Google Scholar was released, more big news from Google today. The company is announcing plans (very little has been done to this point) to work with libraries at Harvard, University of Michigan, Oxford, and Stanford, as well as the New York Public Library to scan and digitize MILLIONS of books in their collections — in fact, in some cases, the entire collection. These are long-term projects (many years). All of us will be watching. Gary has written an overview article for SearchDay.
More in the Boston Globe, the New York Times, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
See Also: The Google Print Library FAQ
Oh, how could we forget, check out the headline CNN slapped on a Reuters story about the project. )-:
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Btw, let’s not forget that other book digitization projects are well underway. In fact, Brewster Kahle, founder of the Internet Archive has just posted news about the IA’s Million Book Project. He writes:
+ “The Million Books Project will be posting 10’s of thousands of books later this month on the Archive and elsewhere. These were scanned in India by the Indian government.”
+ “This fall we kicked off a volume book scanning “in-library” project at the University of Toronto.”
+ Watch a Movie of the Internet Archive’s Scanning Robot at the University of Toronto

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ResourceShelf Contributing Editor, Steven Cohen, shares a comment or two:
So, it seems that Google is starting a partnership with a few libraries across the country, which will include the digitation of all of the books in the collections and make them available on Google Print. Wow.

According to Search Engine Watch, “At the University of Michigan, the plan is to scan seven million titles over a six year period using a non-destructive scanning technology that Google has developed. The university will also be given a copy of each file to use as they see fit. A “digitize the complete library” arrangement is also the current plan at Stanford and Oxford, and the New York Public Library will also be running a pilot project.”

This is sure to make waves across the library world. On one hand, making library materials available on Google could result in libraries getting more attention from users. In fact, it could be a great marketing tool for the participating libraries. On the other hand, what makes Google certain that they will reach potential users of the system? As we have found out with Open WorldCat, just because data is part of a database, it doesn’t mean people will find it. Considering that Google will not be providing a specific search query system for this service, it will probably be just as tough to find materials from the participating libraries. Making a database bigger doesn’t make it better.

I’ve heard the “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach before with Google (and I’m not implying that this is one of those instances), but libraries should be pushing their own materials through their websites rather than having to “rely” on Google to do so.

That said, I’m taking the wait-and-see approach with this new partnership. It could indeed have a very positive effect on users’ attitutes towards libraries, but there could also be negative consequences.
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Comments from ResourceShelf Contributing Editor, Dan Giancaterino
Here’s the bottom line for Jenkins Law Library (where I work), which btw is 200 years old. About 1% of our collection is “out of copyright,” i.e., published before 1900 (my arbitrary date.) These titles have accounted for less than one-half of 1% of total uses (checkout, internal use, copying, and ILL) in the last 10 years. Digitizing these titles sounds great, but it really won’t help our users very much.”
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See Also: Some are leery of Google’s online data project (via SLC Tribune/AP)
See Also: Google’s digital books plan not user perfect (via Chicago Tribune/AP)

Professional Reading Shelf
Law Librarians
Source: Memphis Business Journal
Law librarians say technology has them more in demand
“Online research hasn’t rendered law librarians obsolete. In fact, librarians are actually in greater demand now than ever before and have increased workloads, librarians and lawyers say.”
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Virtual Reference–United Kingdom
Nationwide Virtual Reference Service Pilot Underway in the United Kingdom
From the announcement, “The first phase of the new People’s Network Service is launched to library professionals today. The People’s Network Online Enquiry Service will deliver a real-time information service to the public by providing ‘live’ access to library and information professionals across the internet…’We are asking colleagues to help us pilot and test out this Enquiry Service and give us your comments and feedback prior to its public launch in March next year.’”
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Document Delivery
Source: E-LIS
The impact of e-journal access on DocDel Service activities
In Proceedings 9th European Conference of Medical and Health Libraries, Santander(Spain).

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Crime–United States–Statistics
Source: FBI
Just Released, Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report
Summary ||| Full Text
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Freedom of Information–United Kingdom
Source: National Audit Office
New, Freedom of Information Guide
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Energy–Statistics–United States
Source: EIA
+ Early Release of the Annual Energy Outlook 2005
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Newspapers–RSS
Source: The Media Drop
Newspapers with RSS: A List
From The Media Drop Web Site, “It took a little longer than expected, but I’ve compiled what I believe to be a solid list of U.S. newspapers that offer RSS feeds. It is sorted alphabetically, and I’m still noting state designations on some of them. The list includes newspapers listed in the Yahoo! directory, including college/university publications when available.”

Professional Reading Shelf
Audio Books
Source: CNET
Flash memory coaxes audiobooks out of the ’70s
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Children’s Literature
Source: AP
University’s library school offers online gift guide for children’s books
From University of Illinois’ Graduate School of Library Science and Information. “Thousands of children’s books are published in the United States each year so finding the perfect book for that favorite niece or nephew won’t be easy. It wouldn’t hurt to have some professional help. With that in mind, the experts at the Center for Children’s Books at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have created an online guide to help make choosing the right gift easier. ‘The books people buy for kids aren’t necessarily the same books kids enjoy,’ explained Deborah Stevenson, editor of the 20-page guide, which lists about 250 books split up by age group.”
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Government Printing Office
Source: GPO
Just Released, GPO Unveils Its Strategic Vision for the 21st Century: A Digital Information Factory
From the announcement, “‘We had to wake up. Last month 50% of all Government documents were born digital and will never be printed by the Government. But the GPO is still required by law to gather and catalog these electronic documents, to distribute them electronically, and to ensure their perpetual availability to the public,’ said Bruce James, Public Printer of the United States. ‘This task calls for a whole new set of skills and tools; what we call a digital information factory.’ Central to GPO’s plans is trading its existing building complex for new facilities, sized and equipped for its digital future. ‘Rather than burden taxpayers with the enormous costs of building and equipping our operations for the future, we believe that we can use the proceeds from the private redevelopment of our current obsolete plant to completely pay the costs of new facilities and still have money left over to return to the U.S.Treasury,’ James said.”
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Open Access
Source: Online Journalism Review
Calls for Open Access Challenge Academic Journals

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Drug Prices–United States
Source: Consumers Union
New Web Site, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs Launches Website
“Consumers Union has launched a public education campaign and free website–www.CRBestBuyDrugs.org–that will help consumers save money on medicines. The reports compare a variety of prescription drugs on price, effectiveness and safety to help consumers and their doctors identify the most effective and affordable medicines.”
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Military Science–Bibliographies
Two new bibliographies from Air University Library
Internet resources, books, documents, periodicals
+ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
+ Operation Iraqi Freedom–Lessons Learned
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Vehicle Colors–Popularity
Source: DuPont Automotive
Silver Still Strong, But Livelier Hues Lead Change — 2004 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report Indicates Car Buyers “Yearn For Color”
“A color coup has yet to topple silver’s crown, but a yearning for new and expressive vehicle exterior colors is clearly gaining force — a trend that experts say will increase in the coming years. The newly released 2004 DuPont Automotive Color Popularity Report traces the rise of chromatic shades in North America. For example, light metallic brown and blue each have captured double-digit percentages of the overall vehicle market, and yellow looks hot on the right vehicles while red is on the rise again.”
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Internet–Spam
Source: Business Software Alliance (via docuticker.com)
Consumer Attitudes Toward Spam
“Internet bargain hunters are likely to become scam victims this holiday season if they respond to unsolicited or ‘junk’ email offers that seem
‘too-good-to-be-true,’ say the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB). The two non-profit groups today released the results of a BSA commissioned study conducted by Forrester Data on spam email along with shopping tips for a safe and secure online holiday shopping experience.”
+ Read the Survey of Spam in the U.S. [PDF]
+ Read the Survey of Span in 6 Countries [PDF]

Web Search Briefs (via SEW Blog)
+ A News Query Refinement Tool

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
U.S. History–Timelines
New Timelines Added to Infoplease.com Collection
+ Significant U.S. Conflicts
+ U.S. Voting Rights
+ Changes in the Presidency
+ The Supreme Court and Equal Rights
+ The Supreme Court and Federalism
+ Congressional Power
+ Free Speech
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Military History–Writing Guide
Source: Marine Corps Historical Center
Marine Corps Historical Center Writing Guide (PDF; 732 KB)
“The Writing Guide of the Marine Corps History and Museums Division is intended primarily for use by historians and curators, both Marine and civilian, assigned to the Division and those others engaged in the preparation of officially sanctioned histories and exhibits. However, the Writing Guide can also be a useful reference for historians of Marine Corps history.” (Revised Edition 2004)
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Ethics–Professions–Public Opinion
Source: The Gallup Organization
Nurses Top List in Honesty and Ethics Poll
“More generally, this year’s honesty and ethics poll shows that Americans continue to give their highest ratings to the public service professions, like the military, teachers, and members of the medical profession. Public protectors also rate highly. The lowest rated professions tend to be those connected with sales or big business, lawyers, elected officeholders, and reporters.”
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AIDS Epidemic–Maps
Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
AIDS Epidemic Update: December 2004 North America, Western and Central Europe: Maps
Four maps:
+ Global estimates for adults and children, end 2004
+ Adults and children estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, end 2004
+ Estimated number of adults and children newly infected with HIV during 2004
+ Estimated adult and child deaths due to HIV/AIDS during 2004

Search Briefs (via SEW Blog)
+ American Chemical Society Sues Google Over Google Scholar Name
Note: If you’re interested in reading the nine page complaint that the ACS filed in U.S. District Court, it’s available here.

Professional Reading Shelf
Information Dissemination
Source: E-LIS
PREPRINT: Participation in the global knowledge commons: challenges and opportunities for research dissemination in developing countries
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Academic Libraries
Source: Daily Illini
Crowded library receives shelf space
Read about the opening off-campus storage facility at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
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National Archives–United States
Source: NARA
President Signs National Archives Budget
“Congress has passed and the President has approved a budget for the National Archives and Records Administration for Fiscal Year 2005 of $321,291,000, which exceeds the President’s request…Included in the total of $321,291,000 are $266,945,000 for operating expenses, $35,914,000 for the Electronic Records Archives, $13,432,000 for repairs and restorations, and $5,000,000 for the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, (NHPRC). However, the legislation also includes a .83 percent (eighty-three one hundreds of one percent) across-the-board reduction on all accounts. This means an agency-wide reduction of approximately $2,426,000 from the appropriated amounts.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Computer Viruses–Lists & Rankings
Source: Sophos
Top Ten Computer Viruses for 2004
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U.S. History–Timelines
New Timelines Added to Infoplease.com Collection
+ Significant U.S. Conflicts
+ U.S. Voting Rights
+ Changes in the Presidency
+ The Supreme Court and Equal Rights
+ The Supreme Court and Federalism
+ Congressional Power
+ Free Speech