Usability in the Library

The Usability Working Group of the University of Michigan University Library has announced the launch of its new website, Usability in the Library. The website is designed to provide open access to reports and working documents in order to share findings within the UM libraries as well as the community-at-large

Ariadne - Issue 50, January 2007

Ariadne - Issue 50, January 2007 is now available. Ariadne is targeted principally at information science professionals in academia, and also to interested lay people both in and beyond the Higher Education community. Its main geographic focus is the UK, but it is widely read in the US and worldwide

Oxford Scholarship Online to expand

Oxford University Press has announced that, as of September 2007, it will be expanding its groundbreaking Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) programme to offer the majority of its scholarly monograph publishing online. "Scholars and students will have unrivalled access to online monographs in the core areas of: Biology, Business/Management, Classics, History, Maths, Linguistics, Literature, Physics and Psychology – in addition to the current list of available subjects: Economic and Finance, Philosophy, Political Science and Religion"

Leonardo notebooks reunited online

Two of the great landmarks of world culture and science, Leonardo da Vinci's Codex Arundel and Codex Leicester, have been brought together digitally for the first time since the dispersal of Leonardo's manuscripts in the sixteenth-century. The reunification of "Turning the Pages 2.0" digital versions of the notebooks was announced by Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft, and Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library at the consumer launch of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista

Computers in Libraries 2007 Wiki

Computers in Libraries 2007 Wiki - Beyond Library 2.0: Building Communities, Connections and Strategies - The conference will take place from April 16-18, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, VA. Anyone who wants to add to or edit topics on the wiki should feel free to do so. You don't need to ask before making a change. This wiki belongs to all conference speakers and attendees

ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries winners announced

The Association of College and Research Libraries has announced the recipients of the 2007 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award. Sponsored by ACRL and Blackwell's Book Services, the award recognizes the staff of a college, university, and community college library for programs that deliver exemplary services and resources to further the educational mission of the institution

Jodi Awards 2007 - Call for nominations

"Nominations are now being sought for the Jodi Awards 2007. The awards previously recognised excellence in museum, library and archive website accessibility – but this year, for the first time, the awards will include any project that uses technology to provide access to collections for disabled people"

CERL Hand Press Book Database to be hosted by OCLC

"The Consortium of European Research Libraries has announced that OCLC Online Computer Library Center will host the CERL Hand Press Book Database, a collection of more than 2 million catalog records from libraries representing items of European printing from the 15th century through the 1830s, the hand-press period, integrated into one database."

AALL Spectrum - February 2007

AALL Spectrum - February 2007 is now available from the American Association of Law Libraries

LILAC 2007

LILAC 2007: The Librarians Information Literacy Annual Conference will take place at Manchester Metropolitan University 26-28 March 2007

One card - single membership for all London's libraries moves a step closer

"At present, most London library services operate their own membership systems, so that if users want to borrow books, music or films from more than one borough's libraries, they have to join each one separately and carry more than one membership card. The study finds that London's chief librarians strongly support a move towards a single membership. A single card would provide greater flexibility and improved accessibility. However, it also notes that there are significant challenges to be met, including financial and technical implications, and the retention of the strong local identification and ownership that most libraries enjoy. The study provides a number of possible ways forward as options for discussion

This Week in LibraryBlogLand

This Week in LibraryBlogLand - week ending January 28, 2007

EU open access petition attracts more than 10,000 signatures

"Nobel laureates Harold Varmus and Rich Roberts are among the more than ten thousand concerned researchers, senior academics, lecturers, librarians, and citizens from across Europe and around the world who are signing an internet petition calling on the European Commission to adopt polices to guarantee free public access to research results and maximise the worldwide visibility of European research..."

Newseum

"When it opens in 2007, the Newseum - a 250,000-square-foot museum of news - will offer visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits. The Newseum will be located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., on America's Main Street between the White House and the U.S. Capitol and adjacent to the Smithsonian museums on the National Mall"

BCALA announces 2007 Literary Awards

The Black Caucus of the American Library Association has announced the winners of the 2007 BCALA Literary Awards. The awards recognize excellence in adult fiction and nonfiction by African American authors published in 2006 and a citation for Outstanding Contribution to Publishing

2007 Roger K. Summit Scholarship

Dialog has announced that it is seeking applicants from North America for the 2007 Roger K. Summit Scholarship. This US$5,000 award is given annually to a promising graduate student in library and information sciences. The deadline for the award is April 30, 2007. The winner will be announced at the Special Libraries Association annual conference, June 4-7, 2007, Denver, CO, USA

2007 Transborder Library Forum (FORO)

"The 2007 FORO theme Bridging the Digital Divide: Crossing All Borders challenges us to explore and celebrate the ways in which information professionals in our border regions can further cooperate and solve common problems related to our digital information world" - February 20-24, 2007 - Tempe, Arizona, USA

SirsiDynix SuperConference 2007

SirsiDynix SuperConference 2007 - February 18-21 - Colorado Springs, USA

Encyclopaedia Britannica's Guide to Black History

Encyclopaedia Britannica's Guide to Black History represents an effort to trace the African American experience and achievements in the United States and elsewhere

Digitising five centuries of UK life: further 12m pounds investment

JISC has announced the successful bids in a further 12m pounds investment in the digitisation of major resources of national importance. Following the enormous interest in last year's call for proposals and the high quality of the many bids received, the extra investment has been made by the Higher Education Funding Councils for England and Wales (HEFCE and HEFCW) to support the wider availability of national, scholarly resources

British Library and US Department of Energy to collaborate on global science gateway

Dr. Raymond L. Orbach, Under Secretary for Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has signed an agreement with Lynne Brindley, Chief Executive of the British Library, to collaborate on the development of a global science gateway. The gateway would eventually make science information resources of many nations accessible via a single Internet portal. Called Science.world, the planned resource would be available for use by scientists in all nations and by anyone interested in science

Internet Librarian International 2007

Internet Librarian International 2007 - 8-9 October 2007 - London, UK

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer - this week: The Media. Answers here.

1. In radio communications, "Foxtrot" is an internationally recognised code word for what?
2. "Romcom" is an abbreviation in cinema and TV for what?
3. The Palme d'Or is the top prize awarded for Best Film at which film festival?
4. What is an "ident"?
5. In a film or television production team, what is a "key grip" responsible for doing?
6. As the name of a broadcasting company, what does the abbreviation "VOA" stand for?
7. In the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, what does the film rating "G" mean?
8. What does a preamplifier do?
9. In which country is the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera based?
10. In print, on television and on radio, what is a "Clio"?

Cites & Insights - February 2007

Cites & Insights 7:2 (February 2007) is now available for downloading

ALADN 2007 Conference web site is live

The web site for the ALADN 2007 Conference is now live. The conference will be held May 18-21 at the Banff Springs Hotel, Alberta, Canada

PR's 'pit bull' takes on open access

PR's 'pit bull' takes on open access by Jim Giles in Nature - "Journal publishers lock horns with free-information movement..."

Expanded coverage for free technology search service - TechXtra

"TechXtra, the free service for finding material in engineering, mathematics and computing, has added a bundle of new sources to its cross-search. Now, it's possible to search across 31 major collections (over 4 million items) for articles, eprints, technical reports, books, theses & dissertations, teaching & learning resources, the latest industry news and job announcements, and more! In addition, TechXtra has partnered with GlobalSpec to bring you a free Patents and Standards search facility..."

Wiley acquires publications from Carpe Diem Communications

John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has announced that it has acquired three controlled-circulation publications from Carpe Diem Communications, Inc. The acquisition expands Wiley's global controlled-circulation portfolio of life and physical science offerings. "These titles complement Wiley's collection of controlled-circulation publications in the life and physical sciences, particularly in the United States, where it expands our reach into dynamic and growing markets," said Vickie Thaw, Vice President and Publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. "We welcome this opportunity to provide practical must-have information to researchers and professionals in the pharmaceutical and food industries." The three periodicals are: Food Quality, PFQ (Pharmaceutical Formulation & Quality), and Contamination Control

Book snobbery in Britain

"A third of British adults have lied about reading a book to appear more intelligent according to a new survey. A cunning 33 per cent of adults have confessed to reading challenging literature to appear well-read, when in fact they haven't a clue what the book is about. But 40 per cent of people said they lied about reading certain books just so they could join in with conversation..." - From MLA News

PREMIS study on rights info in its data dictionary

The Library of Congress' Network Development and MARC Standards Office has announced the availability of a study written by Karen Coyle on how rights information needed for digital preservation activities is handled in the PREMIS data dictionary

Journal of Medical Library Association - January 2007

Journal of Medical Library Association - Volume 95(1) January 2007 is now available

EPrints 3 released

"EPrints is already established as the easiest and fastest way to set up repositories of open access research literature, scientific data, theses, reports and multimedia. EPrints 3 is a major leap forward in functionality, giving even more control and flexibility to repository managers, depositors, researchers and technical administrators..."

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week - January 25, 2007 now available

2007 24hr Freedom to Read Marathon

"In its fifth year, the 24hr Freedom to Read Marathon has a new home at Winnipeg's Millennium Library (251 Donald Street). As you can tell from the title we read for an entire 24 hours from books that have been previously banned or challenged. Be part of the action as we raise awareness for freedom to Read Week and give voice to books and authors who have been silenced here and abroad." February 24, 10am - February 25, 10am

Images for All

Images for All: making the collections work is a project of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. The RSGS holds a collection of around one hundred and fifty thousand maps, the archives of many travellers as well as those of the RSGS itself, and many images in a variety of formats. The aim of the project is to provide greater access to the collections

Biblio Tech Review - January 2007

The January 2007 issue of Biblio Tech Review is now available

ReleMed

ReleMed - "Search millions of biomedical articles for the most relevant answers. Covering the whole MEDLINE®, till January 17, 2007"

LexisNexis Congressional Research Digital Collection

"By combining CRS reports (from 1916 to present) and Committee Prints (from 1830 to present) into one product, LexisNexis gives users a comprehensive view of congressional action and the behind-the-scenes activity involved in crafting U.S. legislation. The LexisNexis Congressional Research Digital Collection allows users to consider policy decisions from the last 175 years with a more complete perspective, giving their research more contextual relevance..."

Amazon.com "Wish for Lit" contest

Amazon.com has introduced the Wish for Lit contest, where it will give over $20,000 in Amazon.com products to 3 winning libraries in the United States. One library will be selected in each of the three categories: K-12, Academic, and Public. Each winning library will receive a $5,000 gift certificate for Amazon.com products, as well as up to $2,000 of Amazon.com products that are on the library's Amazon.com Wish List

London Book Fair 2007

London Book Fair 2007 will be held 16-18 April 2007 at Earls Court One, London, UK

9th Annual SURA/ViDe Digital Video Conference

9th Annual SURA/ViDe Digital Video Conference: THE WHOLE SHEBANG: Converged Communication Technologies in the Campus Information Ecosystem: Are We There Yet? - March 26-29, 2007 - Atlanta, Georgia, USA

2006 NBCC Award finalists

The 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award finalists have been announced

This Week in LibraryBlogLand

This Week in LibraryBlogLand - week ending January 21, 2007

Newbery and Caldecott medal winners

Susan Patron, author of "The Higher Power of Lucky," and David Wiesner, illustrator of "Flotsam," are the 2007 winners of the John Newbery and Randolph Caldecott medals, respectively. Considered the "Academy Awards" of children's book publishing, the Newbery and Caldecott medals honor outstanding writing and illustration of works published in the United States during the previous year

Bookheads

Bookheads is a UK-based website for teenagers to share information about the books they like. It is also the home of the Booktrust Teenage Prize

Google plots e-books coup

From The Times, UK: "Google and some of the world's top publishers are working on plans that they hope could do for books what Apple’s iPod has done for music. The internet search giant is working on a system that would allow readers to download entire books to their computers in a format that they could read on screen or on mobile devices such as a Blackberry. With 380m people using Google each month, the move would give a significant boost to the development of e-books and have a big impact on the publishing industry and book retailers..."

The Wise Guide - January 2007

The Wise Guide - monthly portal to the many resources available from the U.S. Library of Congress - January 2007 now available

National Archives and Footnote launch project to digitize historic documents

Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein and Footnote, Inc. CEO Russell Wilding have announced an agreement to digitize selected records from the vast holdings of the National Archives. This non-exclusive agreement, beginning with the sizeable collection of materials currently on microfilm,will enable researchers and the general public to access millions of newly-digitized images of the National Archives historic records on a subscription basis from the Footnote web site. By February 6, the digitized materials will also be available at no charge in National Archives research rooms in Washington D.C. and regional facilities across the country. After an interval of five years, all images digitized through this agreement will be available at no charge through the National Archives web site

Cataloguing 2007

Cataloguing 2007: Back to Basics - and Flying into the Future is hosted by The National and University Library of Iceland, Nordic Research Library Associations Network, Icelandic Library and Information Science Association (Upplysing) in cooperation with The University of Iceland, Department of Library and Information Science - February 1-2, 2007

The Changing "Place" of the Library

The Changing "Place" of the Library by Laura Rein for Inside Higher Ed: "I run a library at a university of nearly 22,000 students, but I know that two-thirds of them will never step foot in our library. Ditto for hundreds of our professors. These students and faculty are either teaching or learning online or at one of our over 100 extended campuses worldwide. So when I read any of the slew of reports that come out about the library 'as a place,' I worry a bit..."

Seamus Heaney wins the T S Eliot Prize 2006

The Poetry Book Society has announced that the winner of the T S Eliot Prize for the best single-author collection of poetry published in 2006 is Seamus Heaney, for his collection "District and Circle"

UK library visitors up despite fall in spending

From The Guardian: "English libraries are attracting more visitors than ever before despite a fall in total expenditure on books, according to a new report. The annual statistics from The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy also show that total resources are expanding despite budget cuts...."

Google to digitize more than a million books from the University of Texas at Austin

"Google welcomes its latest library partner - the University of Texas at Austin - to the Google Books Library Project. Known as the fifth largest academic library in the United States, the University of Texas Libraries house some of the nation's leading collections, including the world-renowned Nettie Lee Benson Latin American Collection. Soon, researchers and history lovers all over the world will be able to search more than one million books and materials from the University of Texas, including selections from these unique works from early Latin American history"

INFORUM 2007

INFORUM 2007 - the 13th annual conference deals with professional electronic information resources for research, development, education and business purposes, and will be held May 22-24, 2007 in Prague, Czech Republic

WebJunction's Live Space

Live Space is WebJunction's web conferencing service for libraries. The service combines an easy to use yet robust technology with the training and support that will allow you to use it successfully. Through the power of collective purchasing, we are able to offer this service at a price that libraries can afford

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 147

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 147 - February 2007 - edited by Roddy MacLeod, Heriot-Watt University, is now available

JSTOR and Atypon Systems agreement

JSTOR and Atypon Systems, Inc. have announced an agreement to develop a new software platform to support the delivery and use of scholarship archived with JSTOR by faculty, researchers, and students

Nature Publishing Group announces the launch of Nature Education

Nature Publishing Group has announced the launch of Nature Education, a new venture to develop innovative educational resources and tools for science students and their professors

The Possibility of Poetry: from Migrant magazine to artists’ books

A new British Library exhibition charts the short but extraordinary life of the "little magazine" Migrant - one of the most influential poetry magazines of the 20th century, recently credited as being fundamental in inspiring the creativity of the 1960s British Poetry Revival. Migrant published the early work of many budding British and American poets who would later go on to win international acclaim

Ingenta doubles publisher signings in 2006

Ingenta has announced that it closed 2006 with 40 new publisher clients, demonstrating a 100% increase on publisher signings in comparison with 2005

EndNote Web

EndNote Web is a Web-based tool for managing and citing references in papers and creating bibliographies. Integrated seamlessly with EndNote desktop and the ISI Web of Knowledge research platform, EndNote Web provides an online collaborative environment for existing EndNote users, and an entree for undergraduate students requiring a basic bibliographic solution. From Thomson Scientific

Library of Congress to participate in Shakespeare festival

Washington, D.C, will celebrate the genius of William Shakespeare, January-June 2007, with more than 100 presentations by more than 60 organizations, including the Library of Congress. Opening on February 22, a display case of items pertaining to the bard will be on view through August 18 in the "American Treasures of the Library of Congress" exhibition, located in the Southwest Gallery of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street S.E., Washington, D.C. The exhibition is free and open to the public

Methodist ministers launch petition to stop Bush library at SMU

A group of Methodist ministers from across the United States has launched an online petition drive urging Southern Methodist University to stop trying to land George W. Bush's presidential library

LLRX.com January 15, 2007

LLRX.com January 15, 2007 update is now online. LLRX.com is a unique, free Web journal dedicated to providing legal, library, IT/IS, marketing and administrative professionals with the most up-to-date information on a wide range of Internet research and technology-related issues, applications, resources and tools, since 1996

Mark Twain's Mississippi

Mark Twain's Mississippi - Digital library of Twain's own Mississippi novels and reminiscences plus additional texts, photographs, and sound files that describe life in the the Mississippi Valley from the 1830s to the 1890s

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer - this week: Concerts and Concert Venues. Answers here.

1. Which famous guitarist died in 1970 after his final live show at the Isle of Wight Festival?
2. Which annual rock festival was started by farmer Michael Eavis in Somerset in September 1970?
3. Which composer and pianist, born in 1756, gave his first public performance at the University of Salzburg in 1761?
4. Was the famous Woodstock rock festival in New York State held in 1967, 1969 or 1972?
5. Which jazz musician fronted a concert at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 1938, contributing to the growing respectability of jazz as a performance art?
6. In December 1969, where did the Rolling Stones give a nightmarish concert at which three people died?
7. In 1971, which member of the Beatles organized a benefit concert for the hungry of Bangladesh?
8. Name the huge natural amphitheatre in Hollywood which, since 1922, has staged the so-called "Symphonies Under the Stars".
9. Which 1958 jazz festival was filmed as "Jazz on a Summer's Day"?
10. The WOMAD festival of world music has taken place at Reading since 1982. What does "WOMAD" stand for?

Readex America's Historical Newspapers Collection to surpass 1300 titles

Readex has announced that it will begin adding new series of fully searchable newspapers to its ongoing America's Historical Newspapers archive in May 2007. Complementing three previously launched series, the two new collections—Early American Newspapers, Series 4, 1756-1922 and Early American Newspapers, Series 5, 1777-1922—will expand the coverage of America's Historical Newspapers by adding more than 200 new titles, including newspapers of unique historical importance, regional weeklies and big-city dailies

LACUNY 2007 Institute

Technology with a Face: High Tech Meets High Touch is the theme for the 2007 LACUNY Institute to be held on May 18, 2007 at Baruch College, the City University of New York. "As librarians, we have historically prided ourselves on our face-to-face relations with patrons. As we adapt to new and diverse students: net gens, adult learners, international students, etc., our emerging challenge has been to maintain this personal touch in the increasingly technocentric academic library environment. How can we creatively apply new technologies to better connect with user research needs and foster information literacy?"

Wiley InterScience Newsletter - January 2007

Wiley InterScience Newsletter - Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2007 now available

Information Research - January 2007

Information Research - Volume 12 No 2 - January 2007 - now available online

FreePint Newsletter 222

FreePint Newsletter 222 - 18 January, 2007 - now available

The 16th North Carolina Serials Conference

The 16th North Carolina Serials Conference, hosted by the North Carolina Central University's School of Library and Information Sciences, will be held March 29-30, 2007 at the William and Ida Friday Continuing Education Center in Chapel Hill, NC. The 2007 conference theme is "Serials at Warp Speed: Navigating Transitions."

E-JASL - Winter 2006

E-JASL: The Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship - v.7 no.3 (Winter 2006) now available

OJAX federated search service now in Beta

"OJAX federated search service software is now in Beta release and available for download. Version 0.7 has improved performance, stability and user feedback, as well as additional features such as RSS/Atom feed support. (Atom feeds of stored searches alert users when new content matching their interests is harvested.)"

LIB-RFID-UK : New RFID discussion list

LIB-RFID-UK - "A new moderated mailing list for UK education, learning and research related organisations, who have implemented, or are thinking of implementing, RFID technology in their Libraries. Members from other sectors are also welcome. The list is primarily aimed at library managers, project managers and systems librarians to share information and resolve problems. The list is not affiliated to any supplier or interest group. The primary use of the technology so far has been for self-check and self-return of items. The list may also discuss other applications such as stock taking, automated sorting, security and acquisitions, etc. Topics may also cover emerging standards and the development of SIP2"

Talis and CILIP team up to Re-imagine the Library

"CILIP has linked with Talis to present a new Executive Briefing titled Re-imagining the Library. It will be presented in London on 15 March, and focus on perceptions of libraries and information resources in the 21st century and the future for information professionals"

Library Development, SPEC Kit 297

Library Development, SPEC Kit 297, is now available from The Association of Research Libraries

Focus on UKOLN - December 2006

The December 2006 issue of Focus on UKOLN, the Newsletter which provides news, opinion and information on the wide range of activities undertaken by UKOLN is now available in print and on the UKOLN Web site

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week - January 18, 2007 now available

Librarian Central Blog from Google

Librarian Central Blog for "the latest Google news, updates, and tips relevant to the librarian community"

ScientificCommons.org

"The major aim of the project is to develop the world's largest communication medium for scientific knowledge products which is freely accessible to the public. A key challenge of the project is to support the rapidly growing number of movements and archives who admit the free distribution and access to scientific knowledge. These are the valuable sources for the ScientificCommons.org project. The ScientificCommons.org project makes it possible to access the largely distributed sources with their vast amount of scientific publications via just one common interface..."

Births, marriages and deaths records to go on the Internet

"The Office for National Statistics has announced that facilities to search indexes of births, marriages and deaths will start to be available on the Internet from early 2008. ONS intends to close its public search facility, currently located at the Family Records Centre in Islington, and instead to make indexes available at The National Archives in Kew. This will enable researchers to access records yet to be digitised in paper or microfiche format as well as making use of the wider opportunities offered by Kew for researching historic records. The relocation is expected to be complete by April 2008. The services currently provided by ONS in Islington will then cease"

Facing the Not Knowing by Roy Tennant

Facing the Not Knowing by Roy Tennant: "As I write this, I'm 30,000 feet over who knows where, on my way to another speaking engagement, where library staff will be gathered to hear what their future holds. I will tell them that I don't know. If I knew, I'd be only too happy to share, but I don't have more than some educated guesses. What I do have is a strategy, come what may, which I will use to fill the gap of not knowing. Because we can't know, not really. Who predicted the dominance of the Internet and Google? I certainly didn't."....more in Library Journal

Abraham Lincoln's Illinois years

Lincoln/Net presents historical materials from Abraham Lincoln's Illinois years (1830-1861), including Lincoln's writings and speeches, as well as other materials illuminating antebellum Illinois

National Library Agenda draft available for comment

"The result of 12 months of conversations and two days of intensive planning, American Library Association President Leslie Burger has released the discussion draft of Toward a National Agenda for Libraries in preparation for the ALA Midwinter Meeting, January 19-24"

Evaluating the Impact of Library Services to Schools

Evaluating the Impact of Library Services to Schools: A seminar for SLS and public library staff interested in finding ways to evaluate the impact of the services they provide to schools. The day will include examples of practical methods used in a number of authorities, workshops in evaluation methodology and techniques, discussions around the issues raised and opportunties to share good practice - 13 March 2007 - Wolverhampton, UK

ISIC 2008 call for papers

"We invite the submission of papers in the field of human information behaviour research from participants in previous ISIC Conferences and other researchers from information-related fields for presentation at the Information Seeking in Context Conference to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania on September 17-20, 2008. Papers should draw upon the theoretical and empirical literature of information behaviour: those that seek to link that literature with related topics such as information literacy, information retrieval, and information system design should have information seeking or searching at the core of their presentation"

New Information Literacy resource

Learning and Teaching Scotland has launched a new resource for pupils aged 9-18. The Information Literacy website provides a range of interactive materials designed to help pupils improve the ways in which they identify, gather, organise and use information.
The website also includes notes for teachers and the following files on the pedagogical rationale underlying the materials

Dialog continues to expand Engineering offering

Dialog has added the Engineering Index Backfile to the Dialog platform. The new archival backfile from Engineering Information adds more than 1.7 million records back to 1884, giving researchers the ability to find information about engineering innovations over the last 120 years

This Week in LibraryBlogLand

This Week in LibraryBlogLand (Double Edition) - Two weeks ending January 14, 2007

D-Lib Magazine January/February 2007

D-Lib Magazine January/February 2007 is now available. "As of this issue, a combined January/February issue, we are moving to a bi-monthly publication schedule in order to help reduce costs. We plan to stay with this bi-monthly schedule through mid-year, at which point we will critically evaluate the options available to us, including the possibility of returning to a monthly publication schedule if funding permits. In the meantime, we will continue our funding efforts as well as continue to look at alternate modes of support."

Openly Link Evaluator

OCLC Openly Informatics has just released the Openly Link Evaluator, developed to help libraries deal with one aspect of the e-Journal fulfillment problem - How does a library easily and quiuckly determine which journals and other electronic resource have "disappeared" because of subscription snafus? It's a free add-on for the Firefox web browser that acts as an advanced link-checker

The Library 2.0 Gang talk about changing library buildings

"In this Library 2.0 Gang discussion, we talk about the changing role of the library building in delivering a range of services. As more material moves online, and as a growing number of those using library services are remote from their physical library, how do we adapt the services that are offered, and how do we transform the buildings for the 21st century?"

Libraries and Study Support

A new Study Support Community of Practice for library staff is now available. This is designed to support anyone working in school libraries, public libraries or SLSs who is involved in, or has an interest in Study Support provision. It includes summaries of, and links to, key documents and policy statements, case studies and links to other sources of information, advice and support

Web 2 and Other Emerging Technologies

Web 2 and Other Emerging Technologies with Phil Bradley - 6 March 2007 - Birmingham Central Library, UK

Copyright Office announces permanent location of Public Information Office

Effective January 16, 2007, the Copyright Office Public Information Office will be open to serve the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, (except federal holidays), in newly renovated space in LM-401 of the James Madison Memorial Building. In addition to answering telephone requests for information, the Public Information Office provides walk-in services, including registrations, forms, and publications. This office will also accept walk-in requests for certifications, additional certificates, and other services provided through the Certifications and Documents Section. The telephone number, which is (202) 707-5959, will remain the same. The renovation of the Public Information Office space is part of the Office's reengineering initiative to improve the efficiency and timeliness of public services

Bilingual Library of Chinese Classics unveiled

The unveiling ceremony for the global release of the bilingual mammoth edition of Library of Chinese Classics was held at the State Council Information Office's news release hall. The ceremony, titled "Introduce China to the World - the Unveiling Ceremony for the Global Publication of All-series Library of Chinese Classics," was sponsored by the series' working committee and organized by Beijing Sihai Classical Culture Communication Center along with the China Internet Information Center

JournalJunkie

JournalJunkie provides medical professionals with immediate audio access to abstracts from the latest medical journals. Subscription is free. As a subscriber, you can choose to listen to abstracts now, download them to your iPod/MP3 Player for later, set up automatic downloads from your favourite journals to your computer or iPod/MP3 Player. JournalJunkie was created by two independent health professionals who understand the challenge of staying up to date while maintaining a busy professional life. The small amount of advertising on the site is JournalJunkie's only revenue. This service is not underwritten by any health-related organisation

Netspeed 2007

The Alberta Library is now inviting session proposals for Netspeed 2007. Session proposals must be received by January 25, 2007. Proposals for pre-conference sessions are also welcome, as well as suggestions for speakers and topics. Netspeed 2007 will take place October 17-19, 2007 at the Carriage House Inn in Calgary

Access 2007 - Library Technology Conference

Access is Canada's Premier Library Technology Conference. This year it is being held in Victoria, BC, on October 10-13, 2007, and is being sponsored by the University of Victoria Libraries. There is also an RSS feed for the latest conference news

William Blake: Under the Influence

Under the Influence pays tribute to the work of English poet, artist and visionary, William Blake, in the 250th anniversary year of his birth. It reveals the range of Blake's commissioned work, his engagement with contemporary thinkers, and his profound and continuing influence on today's artists and writers. This small display in the British Library's Sir John Ritblat Gallery features unique items lent or donated by writers and artists who have been inspired in some way by Blake's life and work, including Tracy Chevalier, Philip Pullman and Patti Smith. The centrepiece of the exhibition is Blake's notebook, which he used to record sketches and draft his poems for over thirty years. The dense, closely-filled pages provide a fascinating insight into Blake's compositional process, and allow us to follow - line by line, correction by correction - the genesis of some of his best-known work, including poems such as London and The Tyger. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Blake's birth, the British Library has used its award-winning Turning the Pages technology to create an interactive version of the manuscript

digitalculturebooks

digitalculturebooks - the online home of a joint publishing project between the University of Michigan Press and the Scholarly Publishing Office of the University of Michigan Library. "digitalculturebooks is and will be a work in progress, as we develop new publishing strategies to meet the needs of both our authors and readers. In the coming year we will be publishing innovative and accessible work about the social, cultural, and political impact of new media, and developing our online community to support and extend these publications"

NetLibrary to distribute Random House titles as eAudiobooks

NetLibrary has announced an agreement with Random House Audio Group to distribute Books on Tape, Listening Library and Living Language titles. Librarians will be able to select from a growing catalog of more than 600 Books on Tape titles, with new releases added on a monthly basis

Library Juice Press

Library Juice Press is a new publishing company specializing in books about theoretical and practical issues in libraries from the point of view of the political left. Readers of the webzine and blog, Library Juice, can expect our books to be deeper investigations into topics that have been covered there over the years, including library philosophy, information policy, library activism, media studies, library history, and in general anything that can be placed under the rubric of "critical studies in librarianship."

The new Blackwell Synergy website

Blackwell Publishing has announced its newly redesigned online delivery platform. Blackwell Synergy enables its users to search 1 million articles from over 850 leading scholarly journals across the sciences, social sciences, humanities and medicine. The redesign provides easier navigation, faster loading times and improved access to tools for researchers, as well as meeting the latest accessibility standards (ADA section 508 and W3C's WAI-AA)

Gutenberg! The Musical!

Gutenberg! The Musical! - Official site for Gutenberg!The Musical! by Doug Simon and Bud Davenport, featuring Christopher Fitzgerald and Jeremy Shamos as two writers appearing in a backer's audition for their musical about the inventor of the printing press

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer - this week: Confusing Words. Answers here.

1. What is the difference between "magnate" and "magnet"?
2. What is the difference between "yoke" and "yolk"?
3. What is the difference between "gild" and "guild"?
4. What is the difference between "gamble" and "gambol"?
5. What is the difference between "Gaelic" and "Gallic"?
6. What is the difference between "pedal" and "peddle"?
7. What is the difference between "unwanted" and "unwonted"?
8. What is the difference between "punctilious" and "punctual"?
9. What is the difference between "brooch" and "broach"?
10. What is the difference between "bathos" and "pathos"?

Elsevier awards grant for training librarians in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

The Medical Library Association has announced that it has been awarded an $80,000 grant from Elsevier to train librarians on the African, Asian, and Latin American continents. This is a joint program co-sponsored by Librarians Without Borders: a global initiative of MLA and Elsevier

Costa Book Awards 2006 category winners announced

Costa Book Awards 2006 category winners have been announced. The Costa Book Awards were formerly called the Whitbread Book Awards

Mass reading project tackles the legacy of slavery

"More than 50,000 free copies of Andrea Levy's novel, Small Island, will be distributed today in four British cities in a bid to encourage reading, discussion and possibly argument. The bestseller, which won the Orange prize in 2004, will be made available in Bristol, Hull, Glasgow and Liverpool with the help of funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other sponsors. The participating cities all have connections with the slave trade. Levy's story of migration from Jamaica to a bleak and chilly post-war Britain has been chosen to mark the 200th anniversary of the of the slave trade abolition bill" - The Guardian

ACCESS December 2006

ACCESS: Asia's Newspaper on Electronic Information Product & Service - December 2006 No.59 is now available

FirstGov.gov is now USA.gov

In January 2007, FirstGov.gov announced that it changed its name to USA.gov. "We did it because you asked us to. Feedback from the public told us that we need a name that is easier to understand and remember"

ALA offers free wireless access at 2007 Midwinter Meeting

The American Library Association has announced that it will offer free wireless access during its Midwinter Meeting in Seattle, January 19 to 24. Wireless access will be provided in most areas of the Washington State Convention & Trade Center other than the exhibit floor

4th Annual Big Sur Writing Workshop

4th Annual Big Sur Writing Workshop for Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Narrative Nonfiction - March 9-11, 2007 - The Big Sur Lodge in Pfeiffer State Park, California

Google book search adds five Catalonian libraries

The National Library of Catalonia and five affiliated libraries have agreed to take part in Google Inc.'s bid to scan book collections of the world's great libraries, the third in Europe to join the project. The two organizations said in a statement that they would soon be digitizing hundreds and thousands of public domain works, including collections by Catalonian writers such as Ramon Llull, Angel Guimera and Jacint Verdaguer as well as Cervantes and Gongora - Reuters

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week - January 11, 2007 now available

Changing Lives, Changing Libraries

Changing Lives, Changing Libraries - 20 March 2007 - Cambridge Unversity Library, UK

ancestorsonboard

"Findmypast.com, in association with The National Archives, is proud to present ancestorsonboard, a new database featuring BT27 Outward Passenger Lists for long-distance voyages leaving the British Isles from 1960 right back to 1890. With ancestorsonboard, you can search for records of individuals or groups of people leaving for destinations including Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and USA featuring ports such as Boston, Philadelphia and New York. Passengers include not only immigrants and emigrants, but also businessmen, diplomats and tourists. Images of the passenger lists are available to download, view, save and print"

International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation

International Journal of Human Factors Modelling and Simulation is a new journal from Inderscience

Web Archiving Training Session

The European Web Archive is organizing a two-day training session on Web Archiving in Paris, 1-2 March 2007. The training will cover all aspects of Web Archiving for librarians, archivists as well as technicians in charge of web archiving. Special attention will be given to providing the necessary background on Internet technologies in general and Web publishing in particular to understand the media and requirements for its preservation

73rd IFLA General Conference and Council

73rd IFLA General Conference and Council - "Libraries for the future: Progress, Development and Partnerships" - 19-23 August 2007 - Durban, South Africa

Ancestry.com adds six million names from German Census and Port Records, and launches German-Language site

"Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource, today announced the addition of more than six million names from German port and census records to its historical records collection, making Ancestry.com the central online source for German family history. The German records launched simultaneously on Ancestry.de, Ancestry.com's first foreign-language, international sister-site"

Histpop - The Online Historical Population Reports Website

The Online Historical Population Reports collection provides online access to the complete British population reports for Britain and Ireland from 1801 to 1937

InfoBits December 2006

The December 2006 issue of InfoBits, the information and instructional technology newsletter from the Information Technology Services at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is now available online

Music for the Terrified

Music for the Terrified: your fears dispelled. A course for staff working with printed and recorded music. This course is designed for anyone working with music in libraries who feels they lack basic music knowledge. The emphasis will be on dealing with and understanding 'classical' music but there will be the opportunity to carry out exercises in all kinds of music enquiry work - 26 February 2007 - London, UK

News Coverage Index

"The Project for Excellence in Journalism's News Coverage Index is, we believe, the largest effort ever to measure and analyze the American news media on a continuing basis. The Index examines some four dozen news outlets in real time to determine what is being covered and what is not—a broad sense of the American news agenda. The findings are then released in a weekly report that features an Index of the top stories, a narrative analyzing the twists, turns, and trajectory of the coverage, and a breakdown of the differences among media sectors"

Booklist announces prestigious 2006 Top of the List selections

Booklist magazine, the review journal of the American Library Association, has announced its 17th annual Top of the List winners. The eight winning titles were chosen from the annual Editors' Choice selections as the best books and media of 2006

FIBS meeting

FIBS: Frontiers in Information provision for the Biosciences and environmental Sciences - a one-day meeting at the Novartis Foundation, London W1, 25 January 2007

First International PKP Scholarly Publishing Conference

The Public Knowledge Project at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University has announced that the first international PKP conference will be held from July 11-13, 2007 in Vancouver. The conference will provide opportunities for those involved in the organization, promotion, and study of scholarly communication to share and discuss innovative work in scholarly publishing, with a focus on the contribution that open source publishing technologies (such as Open Journal Systems) can make to improving access to research and scholarship on a global and public scale. The conference will appeal to all those with an interest in the future of scholarly publishing community: software developers and technical support specialists; journal publishers, editors, and staff; librarians; and researchers in scholarly publishing

The CLA/OCLC Canada Award for Resource Sharing Achievement

The CLA/OCLC Canada Award for Resource Sharing Achievement is an annual award consisting of $1,000 and a plaque recognizing and honoring an individual, an organization or a project team for outstanding professional achievement, leadership and contributions to library resource sharing in Canada. Deadline is February 2008

Carnival of the Infosciences #62

Carnival of the Infosciences #62 hosted by Off the Mark. Previous Carnivals can be found here

DLF Spring Forum 2007

DLF Spring Forum 2007 - April 23-25 - Pasadena, California

Web2.0 for Student Success

Webinar: Web2.0 for Student Success: Student Engagement through Next-Generation Web Tools - January 25, 2007

Information for Social Change Issue 24

Information for Social Change Number 24 - Winter 2006-2007 Special Issue on Libraries & Information in World Social Forum context

UK PubMed Central

Based on PubMed Central, the U.S. National Institutes of Health free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature, UK PubMed Central provides a stable, permanent, and free-to-access online digital archive of full-text, peer-reviewed research publications

Best Free Reference Web Sites Combined Index, 1999-2006

Best Free Reference Web Sites Combined Index, 1999-2006 is an index of the web sites included in the 1999-2006 annual lists issued by the Mars Best of Free Reference Web Sites Committee of the Machine-Assisted Reference Section of the Reference and User Services Association of ALA to recognize outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web

2007 Diversity and Outreach Fair

The American Library Association invites its members to participate in the 10th Annual Diversity and Outreach Fair on Saturday, June 23, 2007, in the Washington Convention Center during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. Last year the fair successfully piloted a strategy of showcasing a range of programs with a common theme. The 2007 Diversity and Outreach Fair will focus on bookmobile and other innovative services to underserved communities

Libraries Fellowship on the Clore Leadership Programme

The Clore Leadership Programme "is designed to help develop the knowledge, skills, networks and experience of potential leaders across a wide range of cultural activity. We are pleased to announce that in 2007/8 we shall be offering a Libraries Fellowship on the Clore Leadership Programme, funded by the MLA, which will be a candidate from the libraries profession"

Miles Blackwell Outstanding Academic Librarian Award

Canadian Association of College and University Libraries (CACUL) is seeking nominations for candidates for the Miles Blackwell Outstanding Academic Librarian Award. This award will be presented to an individual member of CACUL who has made an outstanding national or international contribution to academic librarianship and library development. Nominations due February 28, 2007

ALADN 2007

Formed in 1995, the Academic Library Advancement and Development Network (ALADN) was designed to explore issues of interest to professionals in the area of library development. The group is designed to offer networking and mutual problem-solving for professionals involved in advancement and development for academic and research libraries through an annual conference, the electronic list serve participation (LIBDEV), and personal contacts. ALADN 2007 will be held at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in the majestic Banff National Park, Canada. Over 180 delegates are expected to attend the 12th annual conference

Library of Congress Information Bulletin - November 2006

Library of Congress Information Bulletin - November 2006 - Vol. 65, No. 11 now available

Libraries and University Presses Working Together?

Libraries and University Presses Working Together? - "Want to know more about how libraries are collaborating with university presses? How are roles changing and what are the new publishing opportunities for libraries? In this, the second of two forums devoted to the state of the university press, the ALCTS PVLR Interest Group will bring together distinguished representatives from libraries and presses for an open discussion of their strategies for success" - January 22, 2007 - Washington State Convention & Trade Center

ICSTI 2007 Winter Meeting

The International Council for Scientific and Technical Information 2007 Winter Meeting - January 19-22 - British Library, London, UK

Community Engagement in Action - Three Workshops

"Following on from the 9 successful Community Libraries Programme workshops held in the Autumn, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council is staging three workshops to showcase library services that have already successfully engaged local communities and describe how library staff have been involved. The workshops are aimed at middle managers or other staff who are directly involved in Community Engagement and/or the Community Libraries Programme. A Big Lottery Fund representative will also attend to answer questions about the Community Libraries Programme"

UK Serials Group 30th UKSG Annual Conference and Exhibition

UK Serials Group 30th UKSG Annual Conference and Exhibition - 16-18 April 2007 - University of Warwick, UK

Call for papers for Partnership's Spring 2007 issue

"After a successful first issue, the editorial team of Partnership: the Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research is preparing the Spring 2007 issue. We are looking for interesting articles for our peer reviewed sections, including Innovations in Practice, Theory and Research and the Conference Spotlight. The next deadline for submissions to these sections is February 28th, 2007"

The Thrill of the Chase in Cyberspace: A Report of Focus Groups with Live Chat Librarians

The Thrill of the Chase in Cyberspace: A Report of Focus Groups with Live Chat Librarians by Lynn Silipigni Connaway and Marie L. Radford - "During the past twenty years, Web-based library reference services have provided alternatives and enhancements to face-to-face (FtF) and telephone reference.1 The majority of libraries now provide synchronous (real time interaction via chat or Instant Messaging) or asynchronous (e-mail) virtual reference services (VRS). Chat software has enhancements such as co-browsing of electronic sources with users and queuing options that have enabled and encouraged reference consortium development and growth"

7th Annual Brick and Click Libraries

7th Annual Brick and Click Libraries - November 2, 2007 - Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville, Missouri

ResearchChannel

ResearchChannel is "a nonprofit media and technology organization that connects a global audience with the research and academic institutions whose developments, insights and discoveries affect our lives and futures"

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom blog

ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom blog. "Our blog will feature alerts, articles, commentary, links, news, and more, to expand our ability to fulfill our mission: to implement ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights. Our goal - for nearly 40 years! - is to educate librarians and the general public about the nature and importance of intellectual freedom in libraries"

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer

The Friday Brain-teaser from Xrefer - this week: History. Answers here.

1. "Duce" is an Italian word commonly applied to which Italian leader?
2. During the 1990s, which country had prime ministers named Albert Reynolds, John Bruton and Bertie Ahern?
3. Who was president of the United States from 1977 to 1981? His first names were James Earl.
4. The Scottish engineer, John Logie Baird, is usually credited with demonstrating in 1926 the first true system of what?
5. Which three countries are in the Benelux economic union?
6. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili was the original name of which Russian leader?
7. Which medieval fortress was stormed by a Parisian mob on 14 July 1789?
8. Which president of North Vietnam was the leading force in the war between North and South Vietnam during the 1960s?
9. In which country was the FLN engaged in guerilla war with French forces from 1954 to 1962?
10. After 99 years of British rule, in which year was Hong Kong restored to China?

Overview: Nature's peer review trial

"Despite enthusiasm for the concept, open peer review was not widely popular, either among authors or by scientists invited to comment" ...more

Karger Publishers announce Author's Choice

Karger Publishers has announced Author's Choice, a new service which will enable authors to choose whether their articles are to be distributed under the traditional publishing model, or whether they will be freely available for all to access online in exchange for payment of a publication fee

Engaging Communities - Career Development Group National Conference

Engaging Communities - Career Development Group National Conference - 30 April 2007 - Jubilee Library, Brighton, UK

Blackwell launches BJOG's first podcast

From BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology - Consultant gynacological oncologist Dr Pierre Martin-Hirsch is interviewed by Wendy Barnaby. The podcast deals with the complex issues surrounding screening for cervical precancer. Download and listen to hear Dr Martin-Hirsch's thoughts on the future of precancerous cervical screening

Best Free Reference Web Sites 2006 Eighth Annual List

This is an annual series initiated under the auspices of the Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS) of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) of ALA to recognize outstanding reference sites on the World Wide Web

NetLibrary adds eAudiobooks from Blackstone Audio

NetLibrary now offers a selection of more than 1,600 classic, best-selling and award winning eAudiobooks from Blackstone Audio

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index New This Week - January 4, 2007 now available

British Library launches fully integrated journals digitisation service for publishers

The British Library has launched a new service that offers a "one-stop-shop" for publishers who wish to digitise archival material from their journal collections. The Publisher Digitisation Service draws on the unrivalled breadth of the Library's collections as well as its expertise in converting large volumes of print material into digital format

British Library new home page

From The British Library: "We hope you will try our new home page. It incorporates a much improved search of our web resources. It is the result of extensive user research and technical development over the last year and will replace our current home page in coming weeks. We were aware that some users had been finding it difficult to locate the British Library web content that best met their needs. Using the new search box means that users can see results from our four most important web resources together on the same page"

eContent & eServices Showcase

CILIP will present its second annual Showcase for all those supplying eContent and eServices to the UK library community at its Central London offices on Friday 30 March 2007

FreePint Newsletter 221

FreePint Newsletter 221 - 4 January, 2007 - now available

Executive Briefing - Re-imagining the library

CILIP has linked up with Talis to present an Executive Briefing on 15 March 2007 titled Re-imagining the library. It will focus on perceptions of libraries and information resources in the 21st century and the future for information professionals, and will include keynote presentations, case studies and discussion sessions

Benchmarking and Best Practices in Special Libraries

One day Seminar on Benchmarking and Best Practices in Special Libraries organized by SLA - Asian Chapter - February 2, 2007 - Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #105

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #105 - January 2007 is now available

New THOMAS beta version

New THOMAS beta version available for testing. THOMAS was created to make U.S. federal legislative information freely available to the public

ALSC announces exceptional web sites for children

The Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, has announced the Web sites added in 2006 to Great Web Sites for Kids, its Web resource containing hundreds of links to commendable Web sites for children

ALCTS National Conference

ALCTS National Conference - Interactive Futures: A National Conference on the Transformation of Library Collections & Technical Services - June 20-21, 2007 - Washington, D.C.

Archives Hub Collections of the Month, January 2007

Archives Hub Collections of the Month, January 2007 - "Stuff the diet!: The New Year resolution to go on a diet - stuff that! Have a slice of cake, or try a couple of biscuits. This month we look at the records of bakers and confectioners, and recipes for making your own goodies"

Information Today - January 2007 issues

The January 2007 issues of Computers in Libraries, Information Today, and Searcher, are now available

Free Culture Foundation

The Free Culture Foundation has been launched "...to promote and protect cultural freedoms. The Foundation provides an accessible, independent introduction to the free culture movement, now a global phenomenon thanks to the Creative Commons licenses, organisations like Open Business and artists like the Beastie Boys..."

Lake Superior State University 2007 List of Banished Words

Lake Superior State University has released its annual List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. The Sault Ste. Marie school in the Upper Peninsula has been compiling the list since 1976 to attract publicity. A total of 16 words or phrases were selected by a university committee from more than 4,500 nominations