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Newsline
Newsline is compiled by Kathie Felix
IEEE Releases Millionth Online
Tech Doc
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) announced that
it has released its one-millionth online technical document. The milestone
document, "Novel Frame Buffer Pixel Circuits for Liquid-Crystal-on-Silicon
Microdisplays," written by IEEE members Sangrok Lee and James C. Morizio and
IEEE fellow Kristina M. Johnson, was published in the January 2004 issue of
the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits. IEEE Xplore, the delivery system
for IEEE online publications, now offers more than 1,000,200 full-text technology
papers,
articles, and standards documents.
Source: IEEE, Piscataway, NJ, 732/981-0060; http://www.ieee.org.
Bush Requests $32 Million Budget Increase for IMLS
The Institute of Museum and Library Service (IMLS) announced that President
Bush's 2005 budget includes a request for $262,240,000 for the Institute. The
IMLS allocation features allotments of $220,490,000 for library programs and
$41,750,000 for museum programs, representing a total increase of $32,595,000
over last year's budget request for IMLS programs and administration. The total
request is equal to the full FY 2004 IMLS appropriation, which included more
than $30 million in congressionally directed grants.
Source: Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, DC, 202/606-8536;
http://www.imls.gov.
GIS Announces I.MEASURE Results
GIS Information Systems, Inc. noted that its number of monthly support issues
per customer site has dropped by 45 percent in the year since it introduced
I.MEASURE, a quantifiable metrics system that records and tracks service to
customers using the Polaris and GALAXY integrated library systems. I.MEASURE
is made up of 15 daily and monthly metrics pulled from I.TRAC, a Web-based
incident tracking and reporting tool accessible to GIS staff and customers.
Source: GIS Information Systems, Inc., Liverpool, NY, 800/272-3414; http://www.gisinfosystems.com.
PARTNERSHIPS
Dynix Partners with OCLC PICA, and with iTeam Resources
Dynix announced a technical cooperation program with OCLC PICA (a merged
entity blending a unit of OCLC with the former Netherlands-based nonprofit
Project for Integrated Catalogue Automation foundation) that will enhance the
open systems interoperability among Dynix and OCLC PICA systems and services
in the European library community. The project focuses on interaction between
Dynix local systems incorporating the Horizon Information Portal (HIP) and
the OCLC PICA Central Bibliographic System (CBS) used in many European countries
and regions to manage bibliographic union catalogs.
The initial priority is to facilitate end-user access to OCLC PICA national
and global bibliographic resources—including the union catalogs of GBV,
Hebis and DDB, the GGC (Dutch Union Catalogue), and OCLC WorldCat—through
pre-configuration of these resources in the Horizon Information Portal. An
additional key priority is to exploit the link from the bibliographic records
in the OCLC PICA CBS to the local catalog, using the Horizon Information Portal
as the front-end user to get circulation status information. This will increase
the efficiency of regional, national, and international interlibrary loans.
Dynix also announced a partnership with iTeam Resources, Inc. of Orlando,
Fla., that will provide customers with access to iTeam's full line of cost-recovery
solutions, including print management offerings, cash card systems, coin boxes,
card readers, photo identification tools, and library cards. iTeam will provide
Dynix customers with full customer service.
Source: Dynix, Provo, UT, 800/288-8020; http://www.dynix.com.
YOUR DIGITAL LIBRARY
Endeavor Creates ENCompass for Journals OnSite
Endeavor Information Systems announced the development of ENCompass for Journals
OnSite (EJOS), providing a single point of access for storing, searching, and
browsing of locally held journal content from multiple publishers. EJOS supports
local storage of full-text content from more than 20 diverse publishers, and
provides searching and collection management capabilities from the ENCompass
system. EJOS is the next-generation system replacing the ScienceServer platform
currently in place.
Source: Endeavor Information Systems, Des Plaines, IL, 847/296-2200; http://www.endinfosys.com.
Sirsi and SwiftKnowledge Develop Sirsi Director's Station
Sirsi Corp. announced that it has partnered with SwiftKnowledge to produce
Sirsi Director's Station, an analytical tool that provides a customized view
of an institution's activities and operations. Designed for nontechnical users,
the Web-based tool offers a view-at-a-glance dashboard of the library's current
key metrics and management-level data for in-depth analysis of the institution,
its collections, and its users.
Source: Sirsi Corp., St. Louis, 800/325-0888, 314/432-1100; http://www.sirsi.com.
EBSCO A-to-Z Expands E-Journals Portfolio
EBSCO announced that EBSCO A-to-Z now offers access to hundreds of free online
journals, such as those found in the Directory of Open Access Journals, PubMed
Central, Scielo, and other portals. The A-to-Z master title database provides
links to, and coverage of, information from more than 40,000 unique titles
from more than 530 databases and e-journal packages. The content is supplied
by 100 different providers and spans topics from language and literature to
science and medicine. Libraries can add these titles to their lists, and make
them available via the included interactive Title Wizard.
EBSCO A-to-Z is a locator tool for all of a library's e-resources, including
e-journals, titles in full-text databases, and publisher packages. A library's
print titles can also be included. A free trial is available online.
Source: EBSCO Information Services, Birmingham, AL, 205/991-6600; http://www.ebsco.com.
ACM Unveils New Portal Features
The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) announced new features for
the ACM Portal, including new search capabilities, greater visual clarity,
and helpful hints. The Digital Library has been rebuilt to function like standard
Internet search engines, using Boolean OR protocol on the default search, which
posts results on a scale of relevance and displays search terms on a Search
Results page. Additional new search capabilities include binders, advanced
searches, links, and index terms. The ACM Portal home page offers links from
the Digital Library and the Guide to expanded FAQs; posts news briefs and links
from TechNews; and supplies the most popular courses from ACM's Professional
Development Centre with links to the PD Centre's resource menu.
Source: Association for Computing Machinery, New York, 800/342-6626, 212/869-7440;
http://www.acm.org.
Brown v. Board of Education Archive Debuts
The University of Michigan announced that its University Library has developed
a Brown v. Board of Education digital archive, in recognition of the 50th anniversary
of the landmark Supreme Court decision. Targeted to teachers, students, and
researchers, the archive focuses primarily on three areas: associated Supreme
Court cases; public school integration efforts in the city of Ann Arbor, Mich.,
and the state of Michigan; and recent re-segregation trends in American schools.
Source: University of Michigan University Library, Ann Arbor, MI, 734/764-3166;
http://www.lib.umich.edu/exhibits/brownarchive.
Naxos Introduces On-Demand Music Library
Naxos of America announced the launch of the Naxos Music Library, an online
collection of classical music offering more than 75,000 tracks of music to
libraries and educational institutions. The music can be accessed in the library
at a listening station, or from any computer with Internet access via remote
log-in options. The Naxos Music Library will offer the complete catalog of
Naxos recordings, including the Naxos, Marco Polo, and Da Capo catalogs; Jazz
and World music; educational products; and a growing range of historical recordings
featuring renowned classical music performers. In total, the company will offer
on demand more than 5,000 CDs worth of music, 64K streaming sound, and accompanying
background and composer notes written by experts in the field.
Source: Naxos of America, Franklin, TN, 615/771-9393; http://www.naxosusa.com.
West Launches Westlaw StatutesPlus
West has gone live with Westlaw StatutesPlus, an online tool for finding,
verifying, reading, and interpreting statutes. Finding tools are gathered in
the Search Center, where researchers can find statutes by searching a book-like
Index or by conducting searches by table of contents, popular name, citation,
or word. KeyCite information is displayed in a white box at the top of the
Links tab, and includes an explanation of the KeyCite status flags. Researchers
will know instantly if a statute has been repealed, amended, or held unconstitutional,
or when new legislation is pending that could affect the statute. Interpretation
is aided with links to documents, including case law, American Law Reports
(ALR), administrative codes, and other analytical materials. Links are displayed
only when related information is available. For a Flash demo, visit http://www.westlaw.com,
or call 800/762-5272.
Source: West, Eagan, MN, 651/687-7000; http://west.thomson.com.
NEW/ENHANCED DATABASES
ProQuest Adds Springer-Verlag Titles to Its ABI/INFORM
ProQuest Information and Learning announced that it will add 103 Springer-Verlag
journal titles to the ABI/INFORM family of online business periodical databases;
ProQuest Research Library; and ProQuest Science, Technology, and Medical databases.
Key titles in science, technology, medicine, economics, and business are included
in the licensing agreement, among them: The Journal of Economics, Economic
Theory, Neurogenetics, Psychological Research, and Journal
of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology. Many of the journals are newly
available online; other titles formerly available only through a single distributor
now may be accessed in ProQuest as well.
Source: ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, MI, 800/521-0600; http://www.il.proquest.com.
Dialog Appends Adverse Drug Event Data
Dialog announced that it has added comprehensive data on adverse drug events
to the collection of pharmaceutical industry news and research available through
its Dialog-branded online services. The new adverse drug reactions content,
known as DIOGENES: Adverse Drug Events Database (File 181), is produced and
supplied to Dialog by FOI Services, Inc., and is offered through a single searchable
database format. The database contains records of patient experiences with
commercially available drugs or combinations of drugs as reported to the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Drug manufacturers, individuals, health professionals, and distributors generate
the reports to the FDA. Each report includes data such as FDA numbers and receipt
dates, manufacturer's report number, drug name, reaction date, patient age
and sex, reported reactions, outcomes, and concomitant drugs used. The records,
aligned with FDA reporting requirements, begin in 1969 and become more comprehensive
from 1997 onward.
Source: The Dialog Corporation, Cary, NC, 800/3-DIALOG, 919/462-8600; http://www.dialog.com.
Thomson ISIHighlyCited.com Expands Coverage
Thomson ISI announced that, throughout 2004, it will add up to 1,100 new
researchers to ISIHighlyCited.com, its free online gateway to scientific authors.
From 30 to 60 new researchers will be added per category, via articles indexed
in the ISI citation database covering 19832002. Each author record will
contain biographical data (education, faculty or professional posts, society
memberships and/or offices) and publication information (journal articles,
books or book chapters, conference presentations, Web sites, and other Internet
resources) as supplied by the researcher. This data can be searched by name
and browsed by individual, category, country, or institutional affiliation.
Each ISIHighlyCited.com bibliography has been integrated with Web of Science,
a Web-based resource that enables users to search current and historical information
from scholarly journals worldwide.
Source: Thomson ISI, Philadelphia, 800/336-4474; http://www.isinet.com.
CSA Rolls Out Technology Research Database
Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) announced the launch of the new online
CSA Technology Research Database. The multidisciplinary resource offers more
than 5.5 million records covering serial and non-serial literature, biweekly
updates, and backfiles to 1962. Features include common indexing and removal
of duplicates, journal coverage, controlled vocabulary and searchable thesauri,
and classification codes enabling subdiscipline retrieval. Three area-specific
components are available separately: CSA Materials Research Database with METADEX,
CSA High Technology Research Database with Aerospace, and CSA Engineering Research
Database.
Source: Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD, 301/961-6700; http://www.csa.com.
Marcel Dekker Ships Plant and Crop Science Encyclopedia
Marcel Dekker, Inc. released the new Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science,
available in print form and as an online database. The encyclopedia covers
both classic and modern studies, from fundamentals of plant growth and reproduction
to developments in agronomy and agricultural science. The online edition includes
quarterly updates, links to bibliographic citations, full-color illustrations,
and customized content views for the life of the edition (minimum 4-year access).
Source: Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, 800/228-1160, 212/696-9000; http://www.dekker.com.
Thomson Delphion Enhances European Patent Searching
Thomson Delphion has extended its partnership with CHI Research, Inc. to
add European corporate hierarchy data to its existing U.S. data for expanded
patent search capabilities. Delphion analyzes European patent data and corporate
hierarchy data to standardize corporate names and to incorporate merger and
acquisition activity, making it possible to find all patents from a corporate
entity, even when names are misspelled. The Delphion coverage of corporate
hierarchy data now includes the top 1,900 patent holders, representing 45,000
separate entities.
Source: Thomson Delphion, Lisle, IL, 800/411-4811, 630/799-0600; http://www.delphion.com.
Oxford Builds Out Reference Online Service
The Oxford University Press released the Oxford Reference Online: Premium
Collection, which builds upon its Core Collection of more than 100 books to
add the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations as well as several new Oxford Companion
series titles. The Premium Collection database now includes New Oxford Companion
series content on American law, American literature, American military history,
Australian history, the Bible, British history, classical civilization, the
Earth, English literature, the history of modern science, music, philosophy,
Shakespeare, U.S. history, Western art, and World War II, among other topics.
The new database also includes new display functionality that enables users
to reindex search results by category, and the service will add new timeline,
map, illustration, and bibliography features in the next few months. Marketed
globally to academic, corporate, and special libraries, Premium Collection
service subscriptions start at $550 annually, with reduced rates available
to K-12 school libraries. Oxford University Press also offers the service to
individuals for a fee of $139 per year.
Source: Oxford University Press, New York, 212/726-6000; http://www.oup.com.
Dialog Enhances BIOSIS Previews
Dialog announced that it has enhanced the BIOSIS Previews database available
through its Dialog and Dialog DataStar online services. The most significant
enhancements to the database include: the addition of CAS Registry Numbers
to more than 9 million BIOSIS Previews records, the addition of more than 6,300
sequence-data-accession numbers, and the addition of BIOSIS Major Concepts
(an indexing field that enables researchers to identify and retrieve targeted
information by conceptual terms) now appended to every citation back to 1969.
Other improvements include additional revisions to indexing fields, such as
newly added taxonomical terms, revised biosystematic codes, and revised mapping
of Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) disease terms. In addition, the bibliographic
data has been standardized and the patent-indexing feature streamlined.
Source: The Dialog Corporation, Cary, NC, 800/3-DIALOG, 919/462-8600; http://www.dialog.com.
LexisNexis Launches Campaign 2004 Coverage
LexisNexis announced that it has bundled relevant information from some of
its more than 32,000 news, business, and legal sources into a one-stop resource
for U.S. election coverage. Current LexisNexis flat-rate subscribers to news
content can access the new Campaign 2004 file on the lexis.com and nexis.com
services at no additional charge. This file contains information from top news
sources, including ABC News, CNN, Gallup Poll News Service, National Journal,
National Public Radio, NBC News, The Hotline, The New York Times, USA
TODAY, The Washington Post, and The Washington Times. Coverage
begins with stories from Oct. 1, 2003, and will be updated daily. A search
form on the nexis.com service includes the option to select specific topics
using LexisNexis SmartIndexing Technology. Subscribers can search by topics
such as healthcare policy, immigration, and foreign policy; select from a list
of candidate names to uncover stories that reveal candidate positions; and
set up news alerts in Personal News on the nexis.com service, or ECLIPSE on
the lexis.com service.
Source: LexisNexis, Dayton, OH, 800/253-5624, 937/865-6800; http://www.lexisnexis.com.
ContentScan Introduces CancerDome
ContentScan announced the addition of CancerDome to its stable of discipline-specific
Dome database products. Dedicated solely to the information needs of professionals
and students in the fields of clinical and research oncology, CancerDome covers
books, journal articles, grants, research and academic institution profiles,
author profiles, and expert-selected Web sites. The information is continuously
updated and can be accessed either from a library's local collection via OpenURL
linking, or from direct links to content providers. A Save & Share management
feature allows patrons to save, annotate, and share research results. CancerDome
is available to libraries through an annual subscription site license program,
and to professionals through an online subscription.
ContentScan also announced an agreement with Matthews Medical Books to distribute
ContentScan's line of health science Dome services to medical and hospital
libraries.
Source: ContentScan, Inc., San Diego, 858/452-1264; http://www.contentscan.com.
USEFUL TOOLS
Endeavor Creates ENCompass for Journals OnSite
Endeavor Information Systems announced the development of ENCompass for Journals
OnSite (EJOS), providing a single point of access for storing, searching, and
browsing of locally held journal content from multiple publishers. EJOS supports
local storage of full-text content from more than 20 diverse publishers, and
provides searching and collection management capabilities from the ENCompass
system. EJOS is the next-generation system replacing the ScienceServer platform
currently in place.
Source: Endeavor Information Systems, Des Plaines, IL, 847/296-2200; http://www.endinfosys.com.
Sirsi and SwiftKnowledge Develop Sirsi Director's Station
Sirsi Corp. announced that it has partnered with SwiftKnowledge to produce
Sirsi Director's Station, an analytical tool that provides a customized view
of an institution's activities and operations. Designed for nontechnical users,
the Web-based tool offers a view-at-a-glance dashboard of the library's current
key metrics and management-level data for in-depth analysis of the institution,
its collections, and its users.
Source: Sirsi Corp., St. Louis, 800/325-0888, 314/432-1100; http://www.sirsi.com.
Endeavor Launches Scirus XML Gateway
Endeavor Information Systems announced the development of an XML gateway
for access to the Scirus science-specific search engine via the ENCompass system
for managing, searching, and linking Web and journal collections. The gateway
allows ENCompass to search and display results from Scirus, a free Internet
search tool developed for finding scientific information. The path allows interaction
between Web and journal citations available through Scirus and ENCompass.
Source: Endeavor Information Systems, Des Plaines, IL, 847/296-2200; http://www.endinfosys.com or http://www.scirus.com.
H.W. Wilson Releases Online User's Guide to the 'Green Books'
H.W. Wilson announced the release of an online user's guide for the print
version of the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. The updated
handbook, How to Use the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature, is posted
in PDF on the H.W. Wilson Web site, where it can be printed as needed without
charge. The guide includes updated instructions, such as new ways to find information
in the print edition based on indexing enhancements, and offers sample searches
and citations that reflect student interests. A new quiz tests student mastery
of the Readers' Guide. The Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature is
available in a variety of Web-based database versions, as well as in print.
Source: H.W. Wilson, New York, 800/367-6770, 718/588-8400; http://www.hwwilson.com.
CONTENT/LINKING AGREEMENTS
CAS and CSA Provide Additional Databases on STN International
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) and CSA, a Cambridge Information Group company,
announced an agreement to add eight CSA databases to the STN International
online network during 2004. The newly added CSA databases cover biotechnology,
engineering specialties, earth and environmental studies, and library and information
science.
STN is operated by CAS in North America, FIZ Karlsruhe in Europe, and JST
in Japan.
Source: Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus, OH, 614/447-3600; http://www.cas.org.
APA Licenses Content from Former e-psyche Database
The American Psychological Association (APA) announced that it will license
content contained in the former e-psyche database from EBSCO, the new owner
of the content. APA will use most of the licensed content in its new gray literature
database, PsycEXTRA, scheduled for launch in early 2004. In addition, APA will
license some newspaper, magazine, and book content from EBSCO for the database.
Initially, PsycEXTRA will be available solely on a site-license basis from
APA and EBSCO.
Source: American Psychological Association, Washington, DC, 800/374-2721,
202/336-5510; http://www.apa.org/psycinfo.
Swets and ACS Offer Access via SwetsWise
Swets Information Services announced that it has concluded negotiations with
the American Chemical Society (ACS) to provide full-text access to ACS Web
Editions, current online content of ACS journals, via SwetsWise. The SwetsWise
Web-based service now carries a total of 7,787 full-text publications from
295 publishers.
Source: Swets Information Services, Lisse, Netherlands, 011-31-252-435-584;
http://www.swets.com and American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 800/227-5558,
202/872-4600; http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/home.html.
NEW BOOKS
ABC-CLIO Releases Reference Sources in History
ABC-CLIO shipped Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide (ISBN:
0-87436-883-9, $85), a 360-page reference to print and electronic history resources.
The book's 14 chapters are organized by country, time period, and topic. The
material covers more than 900 reference works, including encyclopedias, journals,
book reviews, biographies, handbooks, newspapers, bibliographies, dictionaries,
atlases, and maps. Annotated descriptions summarize the contents of each work
and evaluate its usefulness for the study of history. CD-ROM sources, listservs,
and Web sites are included in the evaluations.
Source: ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, 800/368-6868;
http://www.abc-clio.com.
ITI Publishes Web Research Tool
Information Today, Inc. (ITI) is now shipping copies of The Extreme Searcher's
Internet Handbook (ISBN 0-910965-68-4, $24.95) by Randolph Hock. Addressing
research novices and information professionals alike, Ran Hock leverages
years of experience as an Internet trainer to explain search technology options
and to provide tips on streamlining the process of locating content on the
Web. Hock discusses efficient use of strategies and tools, such as search
engines, portals, and directories, for winnowing desired results for all
major Internet content areas. The handbook functions as both a reference
for research and a guide for teaching Internet skills, and Hock complements
the material by maintaining The Extreme Searcher's Web Page as an online
resource for related links, updates, and news.
Source: Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, 609/654-6266; https://www.infotoday.com or http://www.extremesearcher.com.
Facet's New Guide Supports Information Literacy Training
Facet Publishing released The Internet and Information Skills: A Guide
for Teachers and School Librarians by James E. Herring (available in
the U.S. through Neal-Schuman Publishers, ISBN: 1-85604-493-9, $65). The
224-page manual is designed to help educators and media specialists effectively
use the Web and other digital resources to develop innovative teaching methods
and curricula. In addition to guidance on school Web site and Web activity
page development, it details Internet technologies, search strategies, Web
site optimization, curricular subject gateways, and the PLUS (Purpose, Location,
Use, and Self-Evaluation) model for building research skills. The book also
provides instructional organization tools, such as sample lesson and search
planning forms, Web workshop exercises, keyword strategy advice, and search
engine comparison sheets.
Source: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., New York, 212/925-8650; http://www.neal-schuman.com.
ALA Tackles Patron-Focused Web Design
ALA's publishing arm, ALA Editions, released Web Site Design with the
Patron in Mind: A Step-by-Step Guide for Libraries (ISBN: 0-8389-0869-1,
$40) by Susanna Davidsen and Everyl Yankee. Targeted toward librarians who
find themselves thrust into Webmaster roles, the nontechnical, systematic
guide maps out data development and Web site design and redesign approaches
that center on user needs and behaviors. Its step-by-step design process
is meant to allow a Web developer from a library of any size and type to
experience its online presence from the patron's perspective, and to apply
resulting insights to craft a more intuitive site.
Source: ALA Editions, Chicago, 312/280-1537; http://www.ala.org/editions.
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