Archive for July, 2005

ProQuest Helps Safari Celebrate Addition Of 3000th Book To e-Reference Library

Wednesday, July 27th, 2005

Briefly
ProQuest Helps Safari Celebrate Addition Of 3000th Book To e-Reference Library (via ManagingInformation.com)

The Information Needs of Nurses, OCLC Announces Promotions, New Statistics about America’s Museums

Tuesday, July 26th, 2005

Professional Reading Shelf
Cataloging
Source: ALA/AASL/Knowledge Quest on the Web
The Recent Evolution of Cataloging
“If you are in a quandary about cataloging standards and how they affect the way you process your library resources, you are not alone. Yet understanding and adhering to these rules is essential. A quick review of how cataloging practices have changed through the years can help you understand why.”

Museums–United States–Statistics
IMLS Releases National Report on Status of Museums’ Data Collection Activities
“[The] Museum Data Collection Report and Analysis, a national study on the status of America’s museums’ data collection activities. The report updates a similar study commissioned by IMLS in 1998 and focuses on data collected and reported by museums between 1999 and 2004 (or planned through 2006).”
Summary Direct to Full Text (PDF)

Information Needs–Nursing
Source: ManagingInformation.com
Royal College of Nursing’s Survey On Information Needs
“Patients may not be getting the best care possible because nurses have limited access to the latest research and information in their workplaces, according to research from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).”

Psychology–Publications
Source: American Psychological Association
Librarian’s Resource Center
“We have designed this page to give you a gateway to information about APA publications. We hope you can easily get to any information you need about our products from one page.” In addition to pricing, licensing and technical info, includes:
+ PsychINFO User Guide
+ PsychNET Librarian’s Reference Desk
+ Library Ressearch in Psychology

OCLC
Source: OCLC
OCLC Announces Promotions
Congrats to ResourceShelf friend, Chip Nilges, on his promotion.

Now Available: 2005 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey

Tuesday, July 26th, 2005

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Internet Resources
Source: IRN
The August 2005 Issue of The Internet Resources Newsletter is Now Online
Numerous links to quality resources from Roddy MacLeod.

Small Business–Canada–Statistics
Source: Industry Canada
New, Key Small Business Statistics — July 2005

Computer Security–United States–Surveys
Source: Computer Security Institute/FBI (via DocuTicker)
New, 2005 CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey
26 pages; PDF.

Economics–United Kingdom–Statistics
Source: National Statistics Office
UK Worth 5.8 Trillion Pounds (PDF)
“The total value of the UK at the end of 2004 was 5.8 trillion pounds. Latest estimates from an Office for National Statistics (ONS) report, Capital Stocks, Capita Consumption and Non-Financial Balance Sheets 2005, show that at the end of last year the total net worth of the UK including financial assets was 5,843 billion pounds — an increase of �404 billion on the previous year.”

Population–United States–Statistics
Source: Population Reference Bureau
Recently Released: New Marriages, New Families: U.S. Racial and Hispanic Intermarriage
“This Population Bulletin covers three aspects of intermarriage in the United States: racial intermarriage, interracial couples, and their children; Hispanic intermarriage, inter- Hispanic couples, and their children; and the implications of racial and Hispanic intermarriage, family formation, and racial identification for future demographic and social trends.”
Key Findings ||| Direct to Full Text (PDF)

Weblogs–Glossary
Source: The Blog Herald
Understanding Blog Speak
Definitions…from audioblog to XML.

Download Aerial Imagery and Access Detailed Local Info

Tuesday, July 26th, 2005

Search Briefs
+ Download Aerial Imagery and Access Detailed Local Info
+ MSN Releases Beta Version of Virtual Earth
+ Web Tools: What’s A Widget?

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Tuesday, July 26th, 2005

Briefly
Acquisition Time: Thomson Acquires Global Securities Information

Thinking Inside the Box: Games, Teens and Libraries, ERIC Users Information Exchange, & Digital Rights Management

Monday, July 25th, 2005

Professional Reading Shelf
Libraries–Video Games
Source: Bloomington (IL) Public Library
Video Presentation and Podcast: Thinking Inside the Box: Games, Teens and Libraries
“A 90 minute podcast and 15 minute video by Bloomington Public Library and Alliance Library System covers how libraries can offer video gaming programs as a way make the library a relevant place for users, create social networks, and involve organizations in the community. The presentation was recorded on July 15, 2005.”

ERIC
ERIC Users Information Exchange
A new site from Kate Corby at Michigan State University. “Tips, techniques and current information about the ERIC index.”

Scholary Electronic Publishing– Current Awareness
Source: Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
DigitalKoans: Flashback
Weekly news update via Bailey’s DigitalKoans weblog “that provides commentary on scholarly electronic publishing and digital culture issues.” According to Bailey, this “complements the scholarly reference-oriented biweekly SEPW” (Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog).
See also: Digital Works by Charles W. Bailey, Jr.

Digital Rights Management
Source: Reviews.com
New, Managing the Unmanageable: Putting Cryptography to Work for Digital Rights
“Written by Professor Aggelos Kiayias of the University of Connecticut, the Hot Topic focuses on cryptography’s role in managing the dissemination of digital content in ways that protect the rights of the creators. This form of digital rights management (DRM) must consider both the needs of the producer and consumer, and the field of cryptography promises to provide effective solutions.”

Thinking Inside the Box: Games, Teens and Libraries, ERIC Users Information Exchange, & Digital Rights Management

Monday, July 25th, 2005

Professional Reading Shelf
Libraries–Video Games
Source: Bloomington (IL) Public Library
Video Presentation and Podcast: Thinking Inside the Box: Games, Teens and Libraries
“A 90 minute podcast and 15 minute video by Bloomington Public Library and Alliance Library System covers how libraries can offer video gaming programs as a way make the library a relevant place for users, create social networks, and involve organizations in the community. The presentation was recorded on July 15, 2005.”

ERIC
ERIC Users Information Exchange
A new site from Kate Corby at Michigan State University. “Tips, techniques and current information about the ERIC index.”

Scholary Electronic Publishing– Current Awareness
Source: Charles W. Bailey, Jr.
DigitalKoans: Flashback
Weekly news update via Bailey’s DigitalKoans weblog “that provides commentary on scholarly electronic publishing and digital culture issues.” According to Bailey, this “complements the scholarly reference-oriented biweekly SEPW” (Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog).
See also: Digital Works by Charles W. Bailey, Jr.

Digital Rights Management
Source: Reviews.com
New, Managing the Unmanageable: Putting Cryptography to Work for Digital Rights
“Written by Professor Aggelos Kiayias of the University of Connecticut, the Hot Topic focuses on cryptography’s role in managing the dissemination of digital content in ways that protect the rights of the creators. This form of digital rights management (DRM) must consider both the needs of the producer and consumer, and the field of cryptography promises to provide effective solutions.”

A Satellite View of the Journey of Lewis and Clark

Monday, July 25th, 2005

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
E-Learning
Source: eLearn Magazine
Book Excerpt: The Basics of E-Learning: An Excerpt from Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design
From a new book by Lisa Neal and Diane Miller.

Schools–United States–Health Policies–Database
Source: National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)
Healthy Schools: State-Level School Health Policies
“NASBE’s policy collection effort was designed to build upon the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2000 (SHPPS 2000), conducted by the CDC Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). Whereas SHPPS collected state policy information by means of survey questionnaires, NASBE’s complementary effort was designed to gather actual written state policies in key areas of school health policy. Initially, the choice of school health topics for Phase 1 & 2 of this policy collection reflects the priority areas of NASBE and DASH: general health education; HIV, STD and pregnancy prevention; asthma management; and tobacco use prevention. Phase 3 & 4 topics of violence and bullying prevention, mental health services, and physical activity and nutrition policies have since been added to the database.”

Legal Industry–United States–Lists & Rankings
Source: Corporate Counsel, Law.com
New, 100 Highest-Paid General Counsel (Registration Required, Free)

Electricity–United States
Source: EIA
New, Residential Electricity Prices: A Consumer’s Guide
“Brochure topics include a description of the U.S. network including electricity generation, transmission and distribution, types of power plants based on energy sources used to generate electricity, factors which affect the price of electricity, historical graphs and maps which show electrical prices per state and consumer tips for reducing residential bills through conservation and efficiency.”

Lewis and Clark
Explorers–United States
Source: USGS
The Voyage of Discovery Continues: A Satellite View of the Journey of Lewis and Clark

Publishers Meet With Google to Discuss Library Scanning Project

Monday, July 25th, 2005

Search Briefs
Publishers Meet With Google to Discuss Library Scanning Project

New From EBSCO: Garden Literature Index

Monday, July 25th, 2005

Briefly
EBSCO Publishing Introduces Garden Literature Index

ALA President Michael Gorman Interviewed

Sunday, July 24th, 2005

Professional Reading Shelf
Libraries
American Library Association
Source: Cox News Service
ALA President Michael Gorman Interviewed
“Michael Gorman, who began his term as ALA president last month, said in an interview Tuesday that the concerns include Web giant Google’s plans to digitize the nation’s libraries, government intrusion into personal library records, and funding shortfalls…While he supports digitizing reference materials such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, Gorman said many books are being “atomized,” meaning that online they would be reduced to a collection of paragraphs or sentences that can be taken out of context.”

Freedom of Information Act–United States
Source: FOIA Post, US DOJ
FOIA Training Opportunities, Fiscal Year 2006

New Look, Site Redesign: UNESCO’s Free & Open Source Software Portal

Sunday, July 24th, 2005

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Software–Portals
Source: UNESCO
New Look, Site Redesign: UNESCO’s Free & Open Source Software Portal
“A gateway to resources related to Free Software and Open Source Technology movement.”

Human Resources–United States–Legislation
Source: Towers Perrin
+ Updated, Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts — Health and Welfare
+ Updated, Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts — Human Resources
+ Updated, Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts — Retirement

New Look, Site Redesign: UNESCO’s Free & Open Source Software Portal

Sunday, July 24th, 2005

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Software–Portals
Source: UNESCO
New Look, Site Redesign: UNESCO’s Free & Open Source Software Portal
“A gateway to resources related to Free Software and Open Source Technology movement.”

Human Resources–United States–Legislation
Source: Towers Perrin
+ Updated, Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts — Health and Welfare
+ Updated, Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts — Human Resources
+ Updated, Towers Perrin U.S. Legislative Tracking Charts — Retirement

Canada: Funding fight threatens library delivery plan

Saturday, July 23rd, 2005

Professional Reading Shelf
Interlibrary Loan–Canada
Source: The Globe and Mail
Funding fight threatens library delivery plan
“A funding dispute between Canada Post and the Canadian Heritage Department could put an end to a 66-year-old program that helps libraries exchange books at cheap rates and deliver them to borrowers in rural and remote areas of the country…. Don Butcher, executive director of the Canadian Library Association, said he believes the threat to cancel the book rate may be a negotiating tactic on the part of Canada Post, which wants the federal government to find a way to help pay for it.”

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents

Saturday, July 23rd, 2005

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Education Indicators–Handbook
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
Forum Guide to Education Indicators
“The Forum Guide to Education Indicators provides encyclopedia-type entries for 44 commonly used education indicators. Each indicator entry contains a definition, recommended uses, usage caveats and cautions, related policy questions, data element components, a formula, commonly reported subgroups, and display suggestions. The document will help readers better understand how to appropriately develop, apply, and interpret commonly used education indicators.”
Full Document (PDF; 1.03 MB)

Venerable encylopedia seeks just the facts

Friday, July 22nd, 2005

Professional Reading Shelf
Information Industry–Encyclopaedia Britannica
Source: Boston Globe
Venerable encylopedia seeks just the facts
“To respond to competitive challenges from Google, Yahoo, and the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia, Britannica today will announce it is returning to an old practice after a lapse of a decade by naming an advisory board, whose 15 members top editor Dale Hoiberg calls ‘’some of the smartest people on earth.” The Chicago-based publisher hopes that the prestige and knowledge of the members — four Nobel laureates and two Pulitzer Prize winners among them — will help reassert the authority of an encyclopedia first published in 1768 but buffeted in an age when the Internet has loosened the definition of what is factual.”

Libraries
Source: Council on Library and Information Resources. All rights reserved
The July/August Issue of CLIR Issues is Now Online
Articles Include:
+ American Literature E-Scholarship: A Revolution in the Making by Kathlin Smith
+ The Promise and Problems of Digital Scholarship by Amy Harbur

Public Libraries
Source: The Courier, Waterloo, Iowa
Por-no-no: A twisted trip through public libraries’ battle with Internet pornography
“Johnson found herself where many American libraries and librarians find themselves, balancing some patrons’ freedom of speech and other patrons’ right to be free from potentially offensive material. American libraries can house anything that is legal in the “outside world,” including pornography; but each library chooses what material it will make available. Most libraries work to serve as community-oriented learning centers for everyone.”
See Also: The Courier Shares Its Opinions in an Editorial

Presidential Libraries–United States
Source: AP
Arlington, Universities Vie For Presidential Library
“The city of Arlington, Southern Methodist University, and Baylor University have received letters requesting proposals for a George W. Bush presidential library and museum”

National Archives and Records Administration
Digital Preservation
Source: Technology Review
Fading Memory of the State
“Electronic records rot much faster than paper ones, and NARA must either figure out how to save them permanently, or allow the nation to lose its grip on history.”

CDC Releases Extensive Survey of Americans’ Exposure to Environmental Chemicals

Friday, July 22nd, 2005

Resources, Reports, Tools, Lists, and Full Text Documents
Environment–United States
Source: CDC (via DocuTicker)
New, CDC Releases Extensive Survey of Americans’ Exposure to Environmental Chemicals
“The Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, released today by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shows a significant decline in exposure to secondhand smoke and continued decreases in children?s blood lead levels. The report also suggests the need for more research into health effects of exposure to low levels of cadmium.”
Summary ||| Direct to Full Text

School Transportation–Statistics–United States
School Transportation–Statistics–Canada
Source: School Transportation News
Data and Statistics
Includes loading/unloading zone data, enrollment and transportation data, number of small and large vans by state, annual school bus production, train-school bus collisions, general data and statistics. Also offers:
+ School transportation data by U.S. state or Canadian province
+ Information on special needs transportation

Cities–United States–Lists & Rankings
Cost of Living–United States
Source: Forbes
Most Overpriced Places In The U.S. 2005
See Also: What is Costs to Live Well in the United States

Higher Education–United States–Statistics
R&D–United States–Statistics
Source: National Science Foundation
Just Released, Academic R&D Doubled During Past Decade, Reaching $40 Billion in FY 2003
“FY 2003 R&D expenditures topped $40 billion (10.2 percent over FY 2002), according to data from the Survey of Research and Development Expenditures at Universities and Colleges.”

MSN Updates Start.com Site with New Features

Friday, July 22nd, 2005

Search Briefs
+ Google Earth, Google Moon, and Beyond?
+ MSN Updates Start.com Site with New Features

Access to IEEE Standards, Publications, and Bibliographies Enhanced in IEEE Xplore 2.1

Friday, July 22nd, 2005

Briefly
+ Free trial offer send-off for STN AnaVist (via IWR)
+ EBSCO Publishing Acquires DynaMed
+ Access to IEEE Standards, Publications, and Bibliographies Enhanced in IEEE Xplore 2.1

Resource of the Week: Economic Info from Eco5.com

Thursday, July 21st, 2005

Resource of the Week
By Shirl Kennedy, Deputy Editor

Our resource for you this week is a European-based research portal for economic and financial data. Sites like this are very handy, especially when a reliable academic source has taken the time to select and organize the available information.

Finance and Economics–Hub
Source: European Business School (International University Schlo� Reichartshausen)
Eco5
“Eco5.com is a free professional research platform for the financial and economic world. The concept of eco5.com is based on ‘adding value by selection’. This is put into practice by carefully selecting free research resources and making these directly accessible via a simple menu structure, enabling our users to save research time and energy.”

The home page is deceptively simple. Start exploring the eight sections here and you’ll uncover some real gems. For example, you’ll find an extensive collection of nicely organized links to historic financial data — stock market, GDP, exchange rates, interest rates, employment income/personal consumption, trade, public finance, budget and more. Data is available in varying quantities for North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia — mainly, but not exclusively, from the U.S., the UK, Japan, Germany and France. You’ll also find links to key sources of global historic data.

There’s also good one-stop shopping here for repositories of working papers, finance and economics glossaries, and dictionaries and translation sites. The international institutions section provides links to central banks, finance ministries, chambers of commerce, exchanges and commissions, governments, international organizations and statistical offices. Browse by type of institution or geographic location.

Other useful links here:
+ University Rankings — for the U.S. and worldwide.
+ Economists and Economics Departments — U.S. and non-U.S.
+ Sources for annual reports and 10ks
+ Links to sites offering country studies

And there’s a wealth of information for graduate students and job seekers, as well as links to sites concerning relevant exams and certifications.

Add Eco5.com to your bookmark list and you can probably weed out dozens of other sites you’ll no longer need.