Resource of the Week
by Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor
Educational Travel–Directory
ShawGuides
So what are you planning to do on your vacation? Tired of that same old beach/mountains/visiting relatives routine? Completely turned off by the idea of one of those “If It’s Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium” whirlwind tours? This year, perhaps you should do something different. Learn a foreign language. Perfect your golf game. Attend a writers conference. Study cooking in France or painting in Italy? If you need an idea, try poking around in ShawGuides, a voluminous directory of educational and cultural travel programs.

Now this site is not gorgeous by any means, but the content is rich and deep. The database contains information on more than 5,300 different programs, organized into 11 categories:
+ Cultural Travel
+ Art & Craft Workshops
+ Cooking & Wine Schools-Career
+ Cooking & Wine Schools-Recreational
+ Golf Schools & Camps
+ Photography, Film & New Media Schools
+ Photography, Film & New Media Workshops
+ Language Vacations
+ Writers Conferences & Workshops
+ Tennis Schools & Camps
+ High Performance Programs

Although there is no search box on the home page, at the top level of the directory, you’ll find one near the top of each page when you click through to one of the main headings. You can do a simple keyword search or click the search by date link, which actually gives you more options than a simple calendar search. Dropdown menus allow you to choose an area of focus — e.g., art, sports, world affairs, etc. — and/or a geographic location, either U.S. states or other countries. On the same page, under the advanced search form, is an option to sign up for e-mail notification when activities matching your search criteria are added to the database.

If you look under the keyword search box at the top of the page, you’ll see an array of clickable links to months, topics, states and countries — all different ways of browsing through the database.

Professional Reading Shelf
Technology Books–Book Reviews
Source: LITA
New Issue, TER: Technology Electronic Reviews
Reviews include:
+ REVIEW OF: Phil Bradley. (2004). Advanced Internet Searcher’s Handbook. Portland, OR: Neal-Schuman.(ISBN: 1856045234). By Rob Withers.
+ REVIEW OF: Rickford Grant. (2004). Linux for Non-Geeks: a Hands-on, Project-based, Take-it-slow Guidebook. San Francisco, CA: No Starch Press. (ISBN: 1593270348). By Wilfred Drew.
+ REVIEW OF: Peter Griffiths. (2004). Managing Your Internet and Intranet Services: The Information Professional’s Guide to Strategy, Second Edition. London: Facet Publishing. (ISBN: 1856043401). By Michelle Mach.
+ REVIEW OF: Alan Schwartz. (2004). SpamAssassin. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly.(ISBN: 0596007078). By Ray Olszewski.

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Documents in the News
Source: WMD.gov
Just Released: The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction: Report to the President
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Seismic Activity–Map
Source: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center (via ReliefWeb)
Global tectonic activity map of the earth (PDF; 853 KB)
“Tectonism and vulcanism of the last one million years.” Cool.
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Economics–Statistics
Source: UN Economic Commission for Europe
Statistics For Europe And North America
Division’s database currently presents a structured set of economic indicators for countries of the UNECE region. The statistics provided by this service are the empirical basis for the Economic Survey of Europe and other analyses carried out by the Secretariat of the Economic Commission for Europe. Emphasis has been placed on making the data ready for international comparison and immediate analytical use, as well as on making them easy to find. Users may be particularly interested in the statistics on CIS and central and eastern European countries, which are difficult to find elsewhere in a single integrated database. Data are updated on a daily basis and the content will progressively be increased to cover more domains.” Thanks to Stuart B. for the resource tip.

Search Briefs (via SEW Blog)
+ FirstGov Requests Info from Search Vendors
+ More Searchable Video on the Way: Blinkx Signs Deal with Reuters
+ Google Files Annual Report With SEC

Professional Reading Shelf
Libraries
Source: SLA, ALA, AALL, ALISE, ARL, MLA
U.S. library associations set up Library Disaster Relief Fund to rebuild libraries destroyed by the tsunami
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NARA–Electronic Records
Source: Federal Computer Week
E-records research in jeopardy
“Archivists and historians nationwide are mounting a major campaign to stop the dismantling of the National Archives and Records Administration’s grants program, which is responsible for electronic records research. Office of Management and Budget officials slashed all funding for the 70-year-old National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) in President Bush’s proposed fiscal 2006 budget. In addition to e-records research, NHPRC funds historical projects.”
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Digital Storage
Source: NIST
How Long Should Digital Storage Media Last?
“Knowing that CDs and DVDs will last for a certain number of years is critical to many government agencies, as well as to hospitals, banks and other organizations that store massive amounts of vital data on optical disks. But, how long is long enough?”

Scholarly Publishing–Citation Reports
Source: ISI
+ Most-Cited Countries: The Top Ten, 1994-2004
+ Psychiatry: High-Impact U.S. Universities, 1999-2003
+ Journals Ranked by Impact: Dentistry, Oral Surgery & Medicine
+ Space Science: High-Impact U.S. Universities, 1999-2003

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Commuting–United States–Lists & Rankings
Source: U.S. Census
Just Released, Americans Spend More Than 100 Hours Commuting to Work Each Year, Census Bureau Reports
“Americans spend more than 100 hours commuting to work each year, according to American Community Survey (ACS) data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. This exceeds the two weeks of vacation time (80 hours) frequently taken by workers over the course of a year. For the nation as a whole, the average daily commute to work lasted about 24.3 minutes in 2003.”
Rankings include:
State ||| County ||| Place ||| Extreme Commutes
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Documents in the News
Independent Inquiry Committee, United Nations
United Nations Oil-For-Food Program, 2nd Interim Report
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Albert Einstein–Audio
Source: The British Library
New, Available For Purchase: Previously unpublished and rare recordings of Einstein
“A rare recording of the celebrated fund-raising dinner at the Savoy Hotel in 1930, at which Bernard Shaw famously described Albert Einstein as a ‘maker of universes’, is the centrepiece of a new CD published by the British Library today. It also contains what is believed to be the first commercial release of Albert Einstein explaining his Special Theory of Relativity, the formula e=mc 2.” Learn More and Listen to Two Clips.
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Military Science–Digital Library
Source: Combined Arms Research Library (CARL)
CARL Digital Library
“These electronic collections are largely composed of digital versions of paper documents from the Combined Arms Research Library collections. The CARL will continue to select and digitize appropriate documents to meet the original goals of preservation and dissemination.” Search across all collections or search each indivually. Collections include:
+ WW II Operational Documents: “During WW II the primary mission of CGSC was to train large numbers of captains and majors to be staff officers in battalions, brigades, divisions, and corps. To that end, the Army provided copies of documents produced by field units to the College. Operations orders, after action reports, intelligence analyses, logistics appraisals, and similar documents are in the CARL documents collection. As time and funds permit the CARL will scan these historical documents and add them to the WW II collection. Primary focus will be on documenting operations at the tactical and operational levels of warfare.”
+ School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) Monographs: “The School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) is one of the parts of the CGSC. Most SAMS students complete the regular CGSC course, then stay for a second academic year. They write either one or two monographs and are awarded a Master of Military Art and Science (MMAS) graduate degree. Most go on to planning jobs in field units. This collection will eventually contain all the publicly releasable monographs produced since the program began in 1986. SAMS monographs typically address historical events, current operational issues, or new organizational concepts and tend to be in the 50-75 page range.”
+ Master of Military Art and Science(MMAS) Theses: “The Master of Military Art and Science (MMAS) program began in 1964. CGSC regular course students may elect to take a set of electives, write a thesis, and earn an accredited Masters. This collection will eventually contain all of the publicly releasable theses. MMAS theses provide in-depth research on historical events, operational issues, and organizations, both existing and proposed and tend to be in the 100-200 page range.”
+ Stability Operations & Support Operations (SOSO): “Today’s contemporary operating environment requires the U.S. military to participate in a broad spectrum of missions ranging from conventional full-scale war to peacekeeping operations and disaster relief. SOSO require soldiers in peacekeeping operations to promote and sustain regional and global stability and to assist civil authorities prepare for, or respond to, crises. This collection contains lessons learned, reports, doctrinal materials, and monographs relevant to SOSO, and is not limited to Army or DoD sources.”

Web Search Briefs (via SEW Blog)
+ Ready Reference on the Go: New Mobile Version of Answers.com Now Available
+ LookSmart Launches Several Vertical Search Engines, Don’t Forget What Libraries Offer
+ Yahoo Unveils Social Networking Service in Limited Release

Professional Reading Shelf
USA PATRIOT Act
Source: Judiciary Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
U.S. House Judiciary Committee Announces Plans for PATRIOT Act Reauthorization Hearings
“‘The Committee plans an ambitious hearing and oversight schedule in April and May, kicked off by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales testifying before the full Committee on April 6. Eight hearings (roughly 2 oversight hearings per week) at the subcommittee level will continue through April and into May on the 16 sunsetting PATRIOT Act provisions.’”
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Search Engines
Source: XEROX PARC
The New Sensemakers: The Next Thing Beyond Search Is Sensemaking
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Serials
Source: OCLC Systems & Services (via E-LIS)
Transforming Thyself: Serials Agents in a Digital World
“This article discusses the impact of electronic resources on the suite of services provided by serials agents. The article describes the changing needs of academic libraries in this new environment, and the ways in which serials agents can repurpose themselves to remain a cornerstone of serials management. A white paper by R2 Consulting is referenced for its insights into the expectations and requirements of academic libraries.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
VoIP
Source: IEEE Spectrum
Seven Myths about Voice over IP
“Voice over Internet Protocol, or VoIP, is one of the fastest-growing, and most misunderstood, technologies in the world at the moment. Confusion, outdated beliefs, and urban mythology reign over such simple issues as how it works, the quality of the calls, and, of course, how much it costs. VoIP calls are not free now, and they never will be. As things are shaping up, though, they’re so cheap that carriers are letting customers make all the calls they want for a single monthly fee, typically US $25 to $35.”
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Internet Filtering–Bahrain
Source: OpenNet Initiative
New Report, Internet Filtering in Bahrain in 2004-2005
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Aviation–United States–Statistics
Source: NTSB (via DocuTicker.com)
NTSB Reports Decrease In Aviation Accidents In 2004
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Health–United States–Children
Source: Child.com (Child magazine)
The 10 Best and Worst States for Fit Kids
“”Most states are failing kids and their parents,” says Suzanne Smith, an obesity expert and an adviser for our story. Read on to see if your state is among the best or the worst.”

Search Briefs (via SEW Blog)
+ InfoSpace Plans to Launch New Mobile Search Engine

Professional Reading Shelf
Libraries and Librarianship
Source: Access
New Issue, Access: Asia’s Newspaper on Electronic Information Products & Services
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Enterprise Search
Source: Information Today
Endeca Provides Latitude for Information Retrieval and Analysis
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Web Sites
Source: Library and Information Research (via E-LIS)
Accessing library web page usability: how benchmarking can help
“This article looks at how the “Mystery Shopper” methodology used by a consortium of universities was adapted to assess the usability of the library web pages of all four universities. Using a methodology refined from a previous web usability exercise, the various elements in the process are described. The outcomes of the project are briefly discussed, along with lessons learnt from the process.” Direct to Full Text.

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Business–United States–Lists & Rankings
Source: BusinessWeek
The BusinessWeek 50 2005
+ Company Profiles
+ Executive Compensation Table
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Canada–Electronic Government
Source: Public Works and Government Services Canada
Just Released, Canada Government On-line, Annual Report 2005
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Education–United States
Source: U.S. Census
Just Released, College Degree Nearly Doubles Annual Earnings, Census Bureau Reports
New information from the U.S. Census Bureau reinforces the value of a college education: workers 18 and over with a bachelor?s degree earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915. Workers with an advanced degree make an average of $74,602, and those without a high school diploma average $18,734. According to new tables released on the Internet titled Educational Attainment in the United States: 2004, 85 percent of those age 25 or older reported they had completed at least high school and 28 percent had attained at least a bachelor’s degree. Other highlights for the population 25 years and over in 2004:
+ Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska had the highest proportions of people with at least a high school diploma, all around 91 percent.
Summary ||| Summary Table ||| Detailed Tables
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Adolf Eichmann–CIA Files
Source: National Security Archive
Uncovering the Architect of the Holocaust: The CIA Names File on Adolf Eichmann
“The CIA was surprised by Israeli agents’ capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960, and a subsequent CIA file review uncovered extensive ties between Eichmann and men who served as CIA assets and allies (like Franz Alfred Six and Otto Von Bolschwing), according to the CIA’s three-volume Directorate of Operations file and their Directorate of Intelligence file on Eichmann, posted today by the National Security Archive at George Washington University.”
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Investment Fraud
Source: North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA)
NASAA’s 2005 Top 10 Threats to Investors
“The following ranking of NASAA’s Top 10 threats to investors for 2005 is based on the order of prevalence and seriousness as identified by an annual survey of state securities regulators. Click on a title for details.”

Search Briefs (via SEW Blog)
+ Positive Comments About Indeed.com, A Federated Job Search Database

Professional Reading Shelf
School Libraries–Virtual Reference
Source: Knowledge Quest on the Web
Virtual Reference @ Your Library
Sarah Houghton writes, “I believe school libraries and the students they serve have the most to gain from real-time online reference. The users, in this case students, are generally very comfortable with computers and with chat technology. In fact, many of them would rather chat online with a teacher or librarian than ask for help in person. I have seen students in the public library chatting away on an online reference service, while there is a real-life librarian sitting not twenty feet away at the reference desk. Clearly ‘online’ is a preferred medium, at least for some students.”