SUBSCRIBE NOW!

Vol. 23 No. 8 — September 2003

News from SLA & ALA

British Library Unveils Electronic Delivery Service, New 'Turning the Pages' Technology

The British Library previewed its new Electronic Delivery service, which gives customers fast access to over a billion items. This means that almost anything from the library's collections, whether originally digital, print, or microform, can be delivered to a desktop within 2 hours, if needed. Because The British Library holds the vast majority of items listed in its catalogs, most can be supplied directly from its collections.

The secure Electronic Delivery service, which is fully available this fall, is based on Adobe Reader 6.0 software and Relais International's scanning and delivery technology. The addition of scanning technology means that it will be able to supply virtually all of the materials listed in its catalogs, as well as from its inside electronic table of contents service.

In a separate announcement, The British Library unveiled its new Turning the Pages (TTP) 3-D system. TTP uses touch-screen technology and animation to allow users to "turn" the pages of priceless manuscripts and books in a realistic way. The TTP electronic facsimile system enables users to zoom in on high-quality, digitized images, read notes, or listen to music and commentary on each page.

Ten TTP electronic facsimiles have been created so far, including the Lindisfarne Gospels, the Sherborne Missal, and Leonardo da Vinci's notebook. The technology is now being used at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Md., to showcase Elizabeth Blackwell's 17th-century herbal and Vesalius' Humani Corporis Fabrica, a 16th-century work considered the first truly modern anatomical guide.

Source: The British Library, London, 011-44-20-7412-7111; http://www.bl.uk.

Inmagic, Inc. Releases New Content Server

Inmagic, Inc. has announced the release of Inmagic Content Server, which combines the advantages of a robust, flexible database management environment with high-speed search and categorization.

Inmagic Content Server allows business users to create content as well as to integrate existing content from internal and external sources, deploy that content to Web pages, and organize and manage information flow so that the databases they create drive the content for end users to access. Inmagic Content Server, which is built on Microsoft SQL server, provides high compatibility with the company's DB/TextWorks product.

Source: Inmagic, Inc., Woburn, MA, 800/229-8398, 781/938-4444; http://www.inmagic.com.

EOS Q-Series Revamped with MS .NET

EOS International has announced the immediate availability of the EOS Q-Series platform, based on Microsoft's .NET Framework.

According to the announcement, one of the most significant advantages of the .NET Framework is its level of interoperability with other languages, applications, and systems. The new EOS Q-Series Web-based solutions are primarily used for editing, viewing, and accessing information, and feature a streamlined Web interface, simplified internal work-flow processes, decreased processing times, lower IT costs, full authority control for MARC records, an interactive MARC editor, XML data communications, and more.

Source: EOS International, Carlsbad, CA, 800/876-5484, 760/431-8400; http://www.eosintl.com.

Ovid Offers New Corporate Portal Services

Ovid has announced the availability of its new Corporate Portal Services, which enable pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and other healthcare organizations to offer company-branded, customized medical information Web sites featuring peer-reviewed content from Ovid.

Corporate Portal Services is a full-service solution designed to help healthcare organizations improve awareness of products, services, and clinical research programs. Corporate librarians and knowledge professionals are able to partner with colleagues who work directly with customers to enhance online branding initiatives and relationships with their respective audiences. Ovid works with the portal sponsor to develop a customized medical Web site focused on a selected therapeutic category. The site provides end users with access to Ovid's collection of biomedical journals, as well as to databases with links to full-text articles and e-tables of content alerts. Other content can be made available on a pay-per-view basis.

No design, hardware, or other technical investment is required from the customer. Ovid technical support maintains and services each site.

Source: Ovid Technologies, Inc., New York, 800/950-2035, 646/674-6300; http://www.ovid.com.

LexisNexis Upgrades Business Info Suite

LexisNexis has announced several new enhancements to its information services suite.

An advanced version of Company Dossier allows users to retrieve and package market information on businesses more efficiently. It also features more powerful searching, screening, and analysis capabilities. Users can specify search criteria on up to 16 attributes simultaneously. Company Dossier is now available in two subscription versions: Snapshot and Complete.

Industry Dossier is an add-on to Company Dossier that provides snapshot industry reports featuring descriptions, related industries, industry performance aggregates, top-20 companies, and recent industry news.

LexisNexis Publisher combines the capabilities of two former LexisNexis products—Web Publisher and Intranet Publisher.

LexisNexis Portal Components gives portal users instant access, through their customized home page, to relevant daily business news and competitive intelligence from hundreds of searchable sources.

Source: LexisNexis, Dayton, OH, 800/227-4908; http://www.lexisnexis.com.

Infotrieve Shows E-100 Doc Delivery Product

Infotrieve displayed a preview of its E-100 electronic document delivery initiative. According to the company, E-100 is next-generation document delivery, providing 100-percent electronic delivery to the desktop. This means that virtually all articles and documents can be delivered to the computer screens of its customers worldwide. E-100 will improve Infotrieve's ability to deliver documents online, regardless of whether an original article was created digitally or in print format.

When a customer already has an electronic journal subscription, E-100 allows direct linking to articles from subscribed journals to save customers service and copyright fees. When the customer does not have a subscription, Infotrieve can provide PDF files through its network of publisher agreements or a scanned image delivered in a secure manner, both of which are copyright-compliant and delivered from Infotrieve's digital rights management software.

Source: Infotrieve, Los Angeles, 800/422-4633, 310/234-2000; http://www.infotrieve.com.

Nstein Has Introduced Nserver Suite 3.0

Nstein Technologies, Inc. has launched version 3.0 of its content management platform, Nserver suite, which includes Nstein's concept extraction, categorization, entity extraction, summarization, and newly launched guided navigation modules.

Nconcept Extractor 3.0 now includes enhanced extraction and ranking algorithms for both complex and simple concepts, such as key phrases and keywords. Ncategorizer 3.0 now includes improved categorization algorithms as well as a new rule-based layer that allows content managers to define domain-specific indexing and business rules. Nfinder 3.0 now extracts two new entity types of Dates & Times and Currencies. Nfinder is now also available with a browser-based Authority File & Taxonomy Manager module that allows users to modify their authority files without requiring programming expertise. In addition, Nlikethis 3.0 has been enhanced to improve its accuracy and processing speed, and to decrease its repository size.

Also, Nserver now provides full-featured Unicode services throughout all of its components. Nserver 3.0 is available in most UNIX flavors, and can support multiple languages.

Source: Nstein Technologies, Inc., Montreal, 877/nstein-1, 514/908-5406; http://www.nstein.com.

Sea Change Creates WebClarity Subsidiary

Sea Change Corp. has announced the creation of WebClarity Software, Inc., a new, wholly owned subsidiary.

According to the announcement, WebClarity Software specializes in developing tools to enhance the productivity of librarians, catalogers, researchers, and students. The company will focus on developing search-and-retrieval tools utilizing the Z39.50 standard. WebClarity's products include BookWhere, a Windows-based client for searching bibliographic/media databases; Resource Gateway, a Web-based gateway for information resources; and Resource Registry, a comprehensive directory of Z39.50-accessible databases.

Source: Sea Change Corp., Concord, ON, Canada, 800/661-7274, 905/760-7488; http://www.seachange.com.

3M Introduces Public Access Management System, Plus New SelfCheck System Model

3M Library Systems has introduced a library card with the capability to manage public access in libraries and to make the process user-friendly for staff as well as for patrons.

The Public Access Management System is an access management software system that provides library patrons with one "smart" library card that can be used to borrow materials, pay fines and fees, pay to print from a workstation, and schedule time on a library computer. The product allows librarians to manage public access resources in the library, including computers, printers, copiers, audiovisual equipment, and meeting rooms. Web site control, filtering, and customization are personalized benefits for patrons. Also, each card stores personalization features such as home page, favorites, and history files.

3M boosts security by providing the access management system with a twofold authentication system—a library card is required, and the correct password is authenticated when signing on and off from any library workstation. Then, the system automatically closes all open applications, clears the cache, and resets the computer to the library's home page when the smart card is removed.

In a separate news release, 3M announced that the SelfCheck System 7210SE is now available. According to the company, this new model is the culmination of the best in self-check technology.

Source: 3M Library Systems, St. Paul, MN, 800/328-0067; http://www.3m.com/library.

Endeavor and Luna Imaging Join Forces

Endeavor Information Systems and Luna Imaging, Inc. have announced an exclusive partnership that will create a premium content gateway between the ENCompass system for managing, searching, and linking collections and Luna's Insight software for working with high-resolution images, data, video, and audio materials. In addition, this agreement allows Endeavor to provide the option for libraries to purchase an integrated version of Insight with their selection of ENCompass.

When ENCompass users conduct a search, it will return results from information contained in Insight collections together with data from other resources. Users who select Insight-enabled results will activate Insight's tools for viewing, comparing, and organizing full-quality visual resources.

Source: Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., Des Plaines, IL, 800/762-6300, 847/296-2200; http://www.endinfosys.com and Luna Imaging, Inc., Culver City, CA, 800/452-LUNA, 310/452-8370; http://www.lunaimaging.com.

Sirsi Announces Release of Unicorn 2003 and Sirsi Voice Automation (SVA) Solution

Sirsi Corp. has announced that the Unicorn Library Management System, version 2003, is now available. The new version includes enhanced circulation and public services, client software, acquisitions and technical services, iBistro and iLink e-library solutions, and DataStream content.

In a separate announcement, Sirsi reported the availability of its new Sirsi Voice Automation (SVA) solution for the 2003 version of the Unicorn Library Management System and version 2.5-2 of the DRA Classic System. The system includes both inbound and outbound calling capabilities.

Using SVA and local telephone technology, patrons can call in to the library to review their account information, renew items, and check library notices, while library personnel can set an automatic schedule to call out to notify patrons of past due materials, holds, and special events. The use of a PIN ensures the privacy of library users' personal information. Libraries can choose an automated voice or recorded human voice. The SVA module also provides detailed usage statistics: number of notices generated, number of failed calls, and number of items renewed with SVA.

Source: Sirsi Corp., Huntsville, AL, 800/917-4774, 256/704-7000; http://www.sirsi.com.

New & Improved Databases

World Bank Announces e-Library Portal

The World Bank's Publishing Division is launching the World Bank e-Library (http://www.worldbank.org/elibrary), an electronic portal for libraries and institutions to its full-text collection of books, reports, and other documents.

The e-Library is a commercial, subscription-based research and reference tool that brings together, in a fully indexed and cross-searchable database, more than 1,000 titles published by World Bank during the past several years, plus all future titles. Subscribers will also have the option to include access to the World Bank's two statistical databases, World Development Indicators and Global Development Finance.

Source: The World Bank, Washington, DC, 202/473-1000; http://www.worldbank.org.

Wiley Has Started Pay-Per-View Service

Wiley InterScience (http://www.interscience.wiley.com), an online content service of John Wiley & Sons, Inc., has launched its new Pay-Per-View service, which provides access to its electronic journals and book material to all individuals who previously did not have access to the publisher's scientific, technical, medical, and professional content. The service offers access via a secure credit card transaction and can be accessed from any Web-enabled computer.

Wiley InterScience has also expanded ArticleSelect, a token-based individual article supply service for subscribing libraries, which provides access to articles and chapters in non-subscribed journals and books. The service, which was previously available only to Enhanced Access License Customers, has now been extended to Basic Access License Customers.

Source: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, 201/748-6000; http://www.wiley.com.

Ovid Releases LinkSolver, Links@Ovid

Ovid has announced Ovid LinkSolver, its new universal link resolver that provides end users with advanced linking capabilities with which to access their libraries' entire collections of Web-based content, as well as Internet resources, regardless of where they reside.

LinkSolver can be purchased independently of Ovid's current product line or integrated into the OvidWeb Gateway platform. Key features include limiting results to full text, an import utility, full customization, expanded administration capability, and remote hosting.

According to the company, LinkSolver will be sold at a significantly reduced price until the end of the year.

The company also announced Links@Ovid, its new outbound full-text linking functionality, delivered as a service within the OvidWeb Gateway solution. This functionality is now available to medical and academic customers at no additional charge, providing linking from Ovid's more than 100 bibliographic databases to electronic full text hosted internally or externally, as well as to locally held print resources through institutional OPACs and document delivery services.

Source: Ovid Technologies, Inc., New York, 800/950-2035, 646/674-6300; http://www.ovid.com.

ICT Available Online Through Knovel.com

Knovel Corp. has announced that it has converted National Research Council's seven-volume resource International Critical Tables (ICT) into an interactive online reference.

ICT offers data on physics, thermodynamics, mechanics, and other key properties. ICT's content on http://www.knovel.com is also searchable and is enhanced with interactive productivity tools such as "live" spreadsheet tables and graphing and calculation packages. Additionally, these online volumes of chemistry, physics, and technical resources are merged into a consistent, user-friendly Web interface. ICT is also available in full-text searchable Adobe PDF, including the original index. All entries in the index are hyperlinked to their page numbers.

Source: Knovel Corp., Norwich, NY, 866/303-3336, 607/773-1840; http://www.knovel.com.

Bowker Offers New Linking Options

Bowker has announced several new user options that provide customized, seamless integration with a library's local resources and OpenURL link resolvers directly from ulrichsweb.com, the Web-based source for detailed information about journals, magazines, and electronic resources.

Bowker's new options allow ulrichsweb.com subscribers to launch searches in a wide range of full-text resources as well as to retrieve collections information from their own holdings or the holdings of another library by means of their preferred OpenURL resolver or other Web-based links.

The new features are available for users of LinkSource from EBSCO, LinkFinderPlus from Endeavor Information Systems, WebBridge from Innovative Interfaces, OCLC WorldCat, 1Cate from Openly Informatics, Journal Linker and Article Linker from Serials Solutions, and any library whose OPAC supports predictable URL searching.

Source: R.R. Bowker, LLC, New Providence, NJ, 800/526-9537, 908/219-0191; http://www.bowker.com.

ABC-CLIO Has Launched NSTC Online

ABC-CLIO has announced the launch of the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue (NSTC) new online version. ABC-CLIO acquired NSTC in January from Avero.

Available as an online subscription from ABC-CLIO, NSTC is a database that covers all materials published in the British Empire and the U.S. between 1801 and 1919 that are found in the catalogs of several major U.K. and U.S. libraries. The collection of over 1.2 million searchable entries offers unlimited access to the 19th-century holdings of the Bodleian Library, the Library of Congress, and six other large collections.

NSTC includes well-known and obscure works of literature, important translations, new editions of classics, legal documents, political pamphlets, medical and scientific monographs, journals, and periodicals. The online environment allows subscribers to create customized bibliographies, locate specific copies or genres, trace etymological uses of words and phrases, and more. Users may search by keyword, title, author, author epithet, subject, place and date of publication, classification, library location, or reference number.

Source: ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, CA, 800/368-6868; http://www.abc-clio.com.

MarketResearch.com Launches New Site

MarketResearch.com, a source for global market intelligence that covers markets, industries, and companies, has launched version 3.0.

According to the company's CEO, the improvements in the new launch make the experience of buying business intelligence products easier, both for project-driven users as well as for frequent buyers. The search environment is geared toward helping both new users and super searchers with sophisticated techniques to find what they need. Users can refine searches iteratively until they have narrowed down the results set to just those reports relevant to their needs.

MarketResearch.com has also added a Matching Categories feature that classifies search results into relevant industry groups. Users can perform searches within specific topic categories, and also refine their searches using keywords, publisher name, date published, price, and geographic region.

Source: MarketResearch.com, New York, 800/298-5699, 212/807-2600; http://www.marketresearch.com.

EBSCO Acquires Two Databases from ITI

EBSCO Publishing and Information Today, Inc. have made an agreement whereby EBSCO has acquired two databases—Information Science & Technology Abstracts (ISTA) and Internet & Personal Computing Abstracts (IPCA).

ISTA is designed to promote the science, management, and technology of information through the abstracting of pertinent books, journals, e-journals, conference proceedings, reports, and patents. IPCA provides access to concise and comprehensive information on the latest personal computing products and developments in business, education, libraries, the Internet, information science and technology, and the home. More than 120 of the most important trade publications, mainstream computer magazines, and professional journals are covered.

Source: EBSCO Publishing, Ipswich, MA, 800/653-2726, 978/356-6500; http://www.epnet.com.

Online Collections

ATLA's Digital Collection Now Available

The American Theological Library Association (ATLA) has announced the debut of the Collaborative Digital Resources Initiative (CDRI). CDRI provides a freely available, Web-searchable, central repository of digital resources contributed by participating ATLA libraries.

CDRI allows individuals and libraries to access digital resources that include 2,500 images. Digital images of woodcuts, photographs, slides, papyri, coins, maps, and manuscripts relevant to teaching and learning in theological education are available on the Web site.

Collections include Wesley Manuscripts & Memorabilia, Illuminations from Armenian Gospels, Biblical Iconography: French Medieval Cathedrals, and Photographs of Protestant Missionary Work in Korea.

Source: American Theological Library Association, Chicago, 888/665-ATLA, 312/454-5100; http://www.atla.com.

Readex Will Begin Digitizing the Serial Set

Readex, a division of NewsBank, Inc., has announced that the Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set Digital Edition will for the first time make available digital images of all the publications, including maps and color plates, accompanied by searchable OCR-generated ASCII text and full bibliographic metadata for every publication.

The U.S. Congressional Serial Set is sequentially numbered volumes of all reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Because of the size of the collection (more than 12 million pages), the Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set Digital Edition will be released in phases, beginning with the pre-Civil War period (1817–1859), followed by the Civil War to the end of the 19th century (1859–1899).

The digital edition will be released in monthly segments beginning this fall. Pricing is based on the size and mission of the institution. Discounts will be offered before and during the production phase, and payment plans will be considered.

Source: Readex, Naples, FL, 800/762-8182, 802/875-2910; http://www.readex.com.

Southern Oregon University Launches SODA

Southern Oregon University (SOU) Library in Ashland, Ore., has announced the creation of the Southern Oregon Digital Archives (SODA).

SODA, which is funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, is designed to develop a digital library made up primarily from the SOU Library's collections of federal, state, and county publications. SOU Library is concentrating its efforts on two collections of materials: the Bioregion Collection and the First Nations Tribal Collection. The Bioregion Collection is about the Siskiyou-Cascade-Klamath bioregion, recognized by scientists as an area that is uniquely rich in plant and animal species. The collection includes documents from federal agencies, locally published materials written by researchers on contract with government agencies, and Oregon state publications.

The First Nations Tribal Collection consists of documents, books, and articles relating to the indigenous people of this area, including the Klamath, Modoc, Yahuskin, Takelma, Shasta, Coos, Cow Creek Band of Umpqua, and Hupa nations. This is a work-in-progress that is being undertaken in collaboration with local tribes. Some of the materials include treaties, native-language dictionaries, and government documents.

All SODA collections are full-text searchable by author, title, year, subject, and keyword.

Source: Southern Oregon University Library, Ashland, OR, 541/552-6860; http://www.sou.edu/library.

Your Digital Library

Ekahau, Inc. Enables Wireless PDA Map- Based Guidance System for Library Users

Ekahau, Inc. has announced that it has enabled the first location-aware library navigation system for the Oulu University Main Library in Finland.

A wireless PDA-based system called SmartLibrary, developed by Ekahau and Oulu University's Library and Information Processing and Computer Engineering Laboratory, helps users find books and other material in the library collection. The aid is provided in the form of map-based guidance via a PDA to the target bookshelf. Ekahau Positioning Engine software is used by the SmartLibrary system to pinpoint the accurate mobile client location.

The map guidance is linked into the online catalog so that books retrieved from the catalog can be located. The service is a completely software-based solution, which can be provided atop a Wi-Fi network installed for wireless Internet access, without any additional hardware.

Source: Ekahau, Inc., Saratoga, CA, 866/4EKAHAU; http://www.ekahau.com.

BookPage Offers Patron Newsletter Service

BookPage has announced a new electronic newsletter service that makes it easy to e-mail patrons their personally selected information on new titles. BookLetters is an affordable electronic newsletter service that lets patrons select the book news they receive from the library and connects them back to the library's Web site, e-resources, and online catalog.

BookLetters offers libraries a selection of 15 genre-specific e-newsletters composed primarily of BookPage reviews and features. Patrons choose the newsletters they want to receive using an automated sign-up page. E-newsletters are maintained by the BookLetters staff and can also be used as pages on the library's Web site.

The cost to implement BookLetters is based on the number of registered borrowers: $600 plus $30 per 1,000 registered borrowers, up to a maximum of $7,500 per year (e.g., a library with 20,000 patrons would be charged $1,200 per year).

Source: BookPage, Nashville, TN, 615/292-8926; http://www.bookpage.com.

EBSCO Announces Its New A-to-Z Service

EBSCO Information Services has announced that its new A-to-Z service (http://atoz.ebsco.com) is now available. This service helps librarians keep track of their electronic resources and helps patrons find titles.

A-to-Z collects into one gateway listing the titles to which a library's patrons have full-text access, whether they are included in publisher packages, are stand-alone e-journals, or are found in many different databases. Even print titles can be included. For the A-to-Z service, EBSCO has created a master list of titles and coverage data from hundreds of sources, including all the major database vendors and significant publisher packages, as well as individual e-journals.

While a library does not have to be a current EBSCO customer to use A-to-Z, the service is built to integrate with other EBSCO electronic resource products.

Source: EBSCO Information Services, Birmingham, AL, 800/815-9627, 205/991-6600; http://www.ebsco.com.

Automation Tools

Mandarin Partners with MuseGlobal, Inc.

Mandarin Library Automation, Inc. has announced its technology partnership with MuseGlobal, Inc. in developing its M3 Web OPAC Deluxe, a portal product that will complement the Mandarin M3 Library Automation software suite.

M3 Web OPAC Deluxe will be built on top of the recently redesigned M3 Web OPAC and will integrate the functionality of the M3 Web OPAC with the powerful global search capabilities of Muse technology. Patrons will be able to conduct a search from a single search interface, simultaneously returning results not only from the local library's collections, but also from the library's subscription databases and popular Internet search engines. Users will be able to de-duplicate and sort the results list in a variety of ways.

Source: Mandarin Library Automation, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 800/426-7477, 561/995-4010; http://www.mlasolutions.com and MuseGlobal, Inc., Salt Lake City, 801/208-1880; http://www.museglobal.com.

Horizon 7.3 from Dynix Is Now Available

Dynix has announced the general release of Horizon 7.3. The new version has more than 100 new features, and is fully integrated with Horizon Information Portal 2.1 and Horizon Reciprocal Borrowing 1.0.

For consortia librarians, key additions to Horizon functionality in release 7.3 include the ability to create order blanks and session defaults in acquisitions and the ability to search acquisitions records and filter or suppress based on record status. Staff will also be able to filter borrower search results at checkout according to the location they are logged in to. According to the announcement, academic librarians will see increased accuracy and efficiency through the software's new ability to map call numbers from bibliographic records into newly created copy and/or item records, and the Horizon Authority Loader guarantees accuracy and reduces staff time spent in managing MARC records. Public librarians will notice the ability to print workslips in acquisitions, duplicate user records, and group itemized block information into single summaries according to bar code. The new version provides librarians with closed stack access functionality, helping library users to find and library staff to circulate material for which physical access is not possible during the search process.

Source: Dynix, Provo, UT, 800/288-8020, 801/223-5200; http://www.dynix.com.