Featured Link

Featured Link: World Book Trade (e-books, awards, videos)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

American Institute of Physics partners with Publishing Technology on next generation Scitation

AIP Publishing, a division of the American Institute of Physics, and Publishing Technology plc have announced a partnership to build the next generation of AIP's Scitation, scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of 2012. The new custom platform will be developed using Publishing Technology's pub2web hosting solution, enabling AIP and its Member Societies to house an impressive portfolio of journals and conference proceedings as well as Physics Today magazine and historical documents from AIP's Physics Resources Center

London, England, Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1925

This database contains papers associated with application for "Freemen" status. Historically, Freedom papers go back to royal charters granted for the privilege to market, trade, or conduct business. Livery Companies (which originated in guilds) are associations of craftsmen whose members can earn Freemen status and who regulated their trade by controlling wages, labor conditions, and admission by apprenticeship. When an individual is granted Freedom papers they are made "Free of the City of London."

Book Grocer: 30 November - 6 December 2011

Book Grocer: 30 November - 6 December 2011 - The week ahead in literary London from the Londonist blog. #books #London

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog - November 29, 2011 update

The November 29, 2011 edition of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog from Charles W. Bailey, Jr. is now available. It provides information about new works related to scholarly electronic publishing, such as books, e-prints, journal articles, magazine articles, technical reports, and white papers

Association of Research Libraries preserves with CLOCKSS Archive

The Association of Research Libraries and the CLOCKSS Archive have partnered to preserve ARL's e-journals and e-books in CLOCKSS' geographically and geopolitically distributed network of redundant archive nodes, located at 12 major research libraries around the world

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library to digitize C&RL archive

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library has launched a project to digitize the complete back contents of the Association of College and Research Libraries' official scholarly research journal College & Research Libraries. The volunteer initiative will scan the full contents of C&RL through 1996 and make them freely available to the public in the University of Illinois's IDEALS institutional repository. C&RL contents from 1997 to the present will remain freely available through the publication's online presence at HighWire Press

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Current Cites - November 2011

Current Cites (edited by Roy Tennant) - November 2011 is now available

Draft Compilation on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives

The World Intellectual Property Organization's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights has released the Draft Compilation on Limitations and Exceptions for Libraries and Archives. The Draft Compilation is an extensive document, which the library delegation warmly welcomed. Its 45 pages contain comments and proposals by Member States on each of the 10 clusters of limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives. It is extremely encouraging that Ecuador has now tabled additional language for each cluster that mirrors the proposals contained in IFLA's TLIB 4.1 document. Consequently, IFLA believes the Draft Compilation is an extremely valuable document going forward

Come and celebrate Christmas light day and night at the Bodleian Library

Come and celebrate Christmas light day and night at the Bodleian Library As part of the city-wide celebrations which mark the arrival of the Christmas season, the Bodleian Library is putting on public display for one day only a charming selection of Victorian Christmas cards from the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera. The display focuses on the 1870s-1890s, the heyday of the commercial Christmas card (invented in 1843), when chromolithographic printing was well established and publishers were competing with each other to create 'novelties', eagerly awaited by the public. Many of the Christmas traditions invented or revived by the Victorians are represented in the cards, such as Father Christmas, Christmas trees, turkeys, boar's head, Christmas puddings, holly, and an indulgent focus on children. While you are at the Bodleian, you can visit our shop which offers 10% discount on this day or get free access to the Divinity School and the Convocation House in the evening while listening to musical entertainment offered by the Oxfordshire County Music Services

Above the Fold - November 3, 2011

Above the Fold is a Web-based newsletter published by OCLC Research. It has been developed to serve a broad international readership from libraries, archives and museums - November 3 2011 - Vol. 4, No. 39 now available

The British Newspaper Archive (UK)

The British Newspaper ArchiveThe British Library and online publisher brightsolid have launched a website that will transform the way that people use historical newspapers to find out about the past. The British Newspaper Archive website will offer access to up to 4 million fully searchable pages, featuring more than 200 newspaper titles from every part of the UK and Ireland. The newspapers - which mainly date from the 19th century, but which include runs dating back to the first half of the 18th century - cover every aspect of local, regional and national news

Monday, November 28, 2011

Article Rental from Cambridge Journals

Cambridge Journals has announced a brand new Article Rental scheme, which will see single academic research articles being made available over a 24-hour period at a significantly lower cost. For just £3.99, $5.99 or €4.49, users are now able to read single articles online for up to 24 hours, a saving of up to 86% compared with the cost of purchasing the article. After registration and payment, the reader is emailed a link, through which they can access and read the article in PDF format as often as they wish during the subsequent 24 hours

Cause Papers Database (UK)

The Cause Papers Database is a searchable catalogue of more than 14,000 cause papers relating to cases heard between 1300 and 1858 in the Church Courts of the diocese of York. The original records are held in the Borthwick Institute for Archives at the University of York, and are the most extensive records of their type in the United Kingdom. They offer an extremely valuable resource for family and local historians and scholars interested in social, ecclesiastical, economic and legal history. The catalogue is designed to enhance access to the papers by presenting key information about each cause and by allowing users to search these details. The Basic and Advanced Search functions can be used to search for information about people and places involved in the cases and to refine searches by factors such as date and type of case

Panlibus Magazine - Autumn 2011

Panlibus Magazine - Autumn 2011The Autumn 2011 issue on Panlibus Magazine is available to read online. In this issue we look at shared services in detail and consider what the path to a successful library shared service will look like. The groundbreaking tri-borough plan between three London councils (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster City Council) is still in the early stages, but we see how this will pan out from the library perspective. Another innovative project underway is the unique library shared service with Worcestershire Council and the University of Worcester

The Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology launches anesthesia history into the digital age (USA)

The Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology has embarked on a project that will bring its extensive collection of rare books, multimedia materials, and artifacts to people around the world. The most comprehensive collection of information regarding the history of anesthesia resides at the WLM in Park Ridge, Illinois, and its digitization project is bringing its anesthesia library and museum online at http://www.woodlibrarymuseum.org

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #177

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #177. "This week's episode is light fare considering the events of "Black Friday Weekend" featuring a radio classic from Dimension X. The raw take of the slush pile is available in lieu of a normal miscellany" Previous Podcasts/Programs can be found here

Desperate villagers try to cling on to library (UK)

The prospect of losing their library has left people living in Borough Green distraught. Built in the heart of the village, the library is one of 99 across Kent set to have changes as a result of cutbacks. Kent County Council is planning to shake up the system and schools, parish councils, surgeries and voluntary groups will play a vital role in keeping them going. If services like these joined together with the library, this hub of the community would not have to close. KCC plans to consult the public about the possible options

17 more Open Access (OA) Journals with TOC RSS feeds added to JournalTOCs, the free journal current awareness service

Roddy MacLeod has added 17 more Open Access journals to JournalTOCs, where you can find the latest Tables of Contents from over 17,000 scholarly journals, including over 2,500 Open Access journals

Sunday, November 27, 2011

SAGE implements TEMIS Semantic Content Enrichment capabilities into its next-generation digital platform

SAGE has signed a multi-year agreement with TEMIS to increase the usability of SAGE content

ALA Emerging Leaders Program 2013

The American Library Association Emerging Leaders program is a leadership development program which enables newer library workers from across the country to participate in problem-solving work groups, network with peers, gain an inside look into ALA structure, and have an opportunity to serve the profession in a leadership capacity. It puts participants on the fast track to ALA committee volunteerism as well as other professional library-related organizations. Applications for the 2013 class of Emerging Leaders will be available about mid-May of 2012

Treasure trove of Australian history returns home

New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell and Minister for the Arts George Souris have unveiled to the public an extraordinarily rare collection of 210-year-old natural history drawings, which will shortly go on display at the State Library of NSW. The collection of 741 exquisite natural history drawings and watercolours - many previously unknown and created during the earliest years of British settlement - remained in private hands for 200 years. "The NSW Government was determined to return these extraordinary, historically significant works to their rightful home at the State Library of NSW, the nation's leading repository of Australia's colonial history," Mr O'Farrell said. 'It is one of only two surviving comprehensive natural history collections of such substance from this period - the other major collection resides in London’s Natural History Museum. "This collection is of enormous historical significance to NSW and the entire nation - the acquisition brings it into public ownership for future generations a collection which is at the very heart of the European settlement of this nation." Minister for Arts George Souris said the unveiling was a wonderful moment in the history of Australia and NSW

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Bijdragen Tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde van Nederlandsch-Indië

Depth of Field

Journal of Sonic Studies

Akademik Acil T?p Olgu Sunumlar? Dergisi (AKATOS)

International Journal of Computer Science and Communication Networks

Journal for Geography

The Criterion : an International Journal in English

Revista de Ingeniería Electrónica, Automática y Comunicaciones

Gymnasium

British Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Nursing Reports

Revista da Faculdade de Ciências Médicas de Sorocaba

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Beyond the Frame celebrates cultural impact of Indians on Britain

Beyond the Frame: India in Britain, 1858-1950 celebrates the often overlooked, long history of the Indian presence in Britain. This ground-breaking exhibition, part of a larger project, Beyond the Frame: Indian British Connections, takes a new look at this little-known history and will tour India from 25th November starting at the British Council and 29th November at the National Archives of India in Delhi

The Stalin Digital Archive

The Stalin Digital ArchiveThe Stalin Digital Archive is a result of collaboration between the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (RGASPI) and Yale University Press (YUP) to create an electronic database of finding aids, to digitize documents and images, and to publish in different forms and media materials from the recently declassified Stalin archive in the holdings of RGASPI

Explore Suffragettes' records: 100 years on (UK)

Explore Suffragettes' records: 100 years on (UK)One hundred years ago, the Suffragettes of the Women's Social Political Union, armed with stones and hammers, tried to storm Parliament as their campaign for women's right to vote entered a new, more militant phase. From 1905 until this time the Suffragettes had held relatively peaceful protests, however in the years that followed 21 November 1911 the levels of violence escalated, from window breaking to major arson attacks. Explore our Metropolitan Police records (Catalogue reference MEPO 2/1488) for details on arrested Suffragettes and the damages. The National Archives holds a large collection of records on Suffragettes, many of which contain detailed witness statements, letters of petition and the methods carried out by the Metropolitan Police to arrest those taking part in organised disorders

Banned books on reading list at provocative Hornsey exhibition (UK)

Banned books on reading list at provocative Hornsey exhibition (UK)At first glance George Orwell’s seminal novel Animal Farm and the children’s classic Black Beauty have little in common. The former is a cutting critique of Stalinist Russia, while the latter is a touching family-friendly story which promotes the values of kindness and respect by tracing the often tough life of a horse. Yet both novels appear in a thought provoking new exhibition about banned books at Hornsey Library in Haringey Park, Crouch End

Podcast: 'A low artful wicked man': poverty riots and bread, the response of government to the crises of the 1790s

Podcast: 'A low artful wicked man': poverty riots and bread, the response of government to the crises of the 1790sThe 1790s was a watershed decade in British history with the continuation of population increase and industrialisation, series of poor harvests and war with France. These factors led to a 'crisis' in the matching of food production and import of the cereal crops that were the staple diet of the poor. This talk looks at the background to the situation and at records that reveal the government's attempts to address both the food shortages and the riots that broke out as real want and scarcity took hold in many districts. Paul Carter is the Principal Records Specialist Manager for the Modern Domestic Team. He has a broad range of interests in 18th and 19th century British history. Julie Halls has worked at The UK National Archives for almost three years. She is currently a member of the Modern Domestic Records team in the Advice and Records Knowledge Department

Friday, November 25, 2011

Heritage Minister welcomes CIPFA library statistics (Wales)

Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis, has welcomed the latest statistics from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), which show that libraries in Wales are performing better than in other parts of the UK in many areas

Launch of 'living' books breaks barriers between humanities and science (UK)

A series of 21 'living books' has been launched online as part of a pioneering initiative designed to provide a bridge between the humanities and the sciences. The Living Books About Life series is written and produced by humanities scholars from universities across the world - from the UK and America to Poland and Australia - and has re-packaged and re-presented science-related research material to make it more accessible to a humanities audience. Funded by JISC and published by the Open Humanities Press, the books address a number of scientific topics whose unifying theme is life, including air, agriculture, bioethics, cosmetic surgery, energy, neurology and human cloning

Kent council employs debt collector for library fines (UK)

Kent County Council has employed an American debt collection company to help recover unpaid library fines. Libraries in Kent are owed more than £100,000 in fines for the late return of books, CDs and DVDs. According to KCC, one in 10 books are returned late and so it is piloting a new scheme to recover stock and fines

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - November 25, 2011

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Five. "All these questions concern the number five, or things that have "five" in their names." Answers here.

1. What is a "high-five"?
2. Human beings have five senses. Can you name three of the five?
3. Who originally wrote the lines which begin "Full fathom five thy father lies"?
4. Which 1970 film, directed by Bob Rafelson, starred Jack Nicholson as an oil-rig worker?
5. What phrase was used to describe four children and their dog in a series of novels by Enid Blyton, starting with "Five on a Treasure Island"?
6. What name was given to a scheme launched by Joseph Stalin in 1928 designed to industrialize the USSR in the shortest possible time?
7. Whose quartet recorded "Take Five", a song in 5/4 time on the 1959 album "Time Out"?
8. The Security Council of the United Nations has five permanent members. Can you name four of these countries?
9. Who played Red Nichols in the 1959 film "The Five Pennies"?
10. Who wrote the 1969 novel "Slaughterhouse-Five"?

Thursday, November 24, 2011

JISC eCollections (UK)

JISC eCollections is a community-owned content service providing UK higher and further education with access to world-class collections of historical books, journal archives and multimedia content. Developed in collaboration with EDINA and Mimas, JISC eCollections protects and preserves the huge investment made by JISC and JISC Collections on behalf of the education community in content licensed at a national level

Stockbury Women's Institute turns a page in libraries fight (UK)

Stockbury Women's Institute turns a page in libraries fight (UK)Book characters came to life as villagers devised a unique way to support their library. Stockbury WI, and a few specially-invited male guests, wore fancy dress and hugged the village's mobile library in celebration of the national Love Your Libraries campaign. Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Wendy joined hands with Harry Potter, characters from Alice in Wonderland and others, and encircled the bus on its weekly visit to the village hall car park on Thursday, November 10. WI branch chairman Mary Clarke, who dressed as Nancy from Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, said: "One of the National Federation of Women's Institute's suggestions of ways to raise awareness of the situation was to join hands and hug your local library. "Ours is the mobile library and we took it one step further by dressing up. It was huge fun. We had lots of laughs all getting dressed up and finding the right bits for our costumes. Then we had tea and homemade cake in the village hall." Mrs Clarke said Stockbury WI ran a library in the village hall in the late 70s and early 80s and described libraries as being the centre of many communities, offering numerous services, including Internet connection

EBSCO Publishing Enhances German-Language search

EBSCO Publishing has further advanced its multilingual support by introducing two new German-Language search enhancements - an improved umlaut search and increased support for variants

Charles Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species" - November 24, 1859

This day in world history - November 24, 1859 - Charles Darwin publishes "On the Origin of Species"

JISC and UK Research Councils to build a robust repository infrastructure for the future

Tracking the UK's research outputs will become easier in the future thanks to JISC and Research Councils UK (RCUK) working together to utilise their expertise. Over the coming months a piece of work called the RIO Extension project 1will take place, to scope the issues and requirements from universities, funders and researchers in managing the information about research outputs. The aim of the work is to provide the UK education and research sector with clear, practical guidance on recording and sharing information about its research outputs, so that it can be reused for a variety of purposes, including by the systems used by the Research Councils

Inquiry into public library closures announced (UK)

The Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee have launched a new inquiry into public library closures in England. Chaired by John Whittingdale MP, the Committee are inviting written submissions and views on:

* What constitutes a comprehensive and efficient library service for the 21st century
* The extent to which planned library closures are compatible with the requirements of the Public Libraries & Museums Act (1964) and the Charteris Report
* The impact library closures have on local communities
* The effectiveness of the Secretary of State’s powers of intervention under the Public Libraries & Museums Act 1964

NTIS Technical Reports Newsletter - November 2011

NTIS Technical Reports Newsletter - Volume 4, Number 5, November 15, 2011 is now available from the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA, USA

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Book Grocer: 23-29 November 2011

Book Grocer: 23-29 November 2011 - The week ahead in literary London from the Londonist blog. #books #London

FreePint Newsletter 339

FreePint Newsletter 339 - 24 November 2011 now available

Detroit Public Library will shutter four branches (USA)

The Detroit Public Library Commission voted on November 15 to close four branches effective December 22. The decision will leave the city's library system with 20 locations. "In closing libraries, it is always with despair," said Jo Anne Mondowney, the library's director. "In many areas, the library is an iconic place for the community, and we recognize that. So, to close any library is a painful thing," she said. Mondowney said the decision was driven by declining property tax revenues that had resulted in 81 layoffs and retirements in March

EDGE2012 (Scotland)

EDGE 2012 is a high level conference exploring how public services will benefit from developing technology. At the cutting edge of digital technology, the Edge 2012 conference will show how libraries - physically, virtually and socially are revolutionising local authority service delivery. The two-day conference at The Roxburghe Hotel, Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, on 1 and 2 March will bring together top local government figures from the UK and beyond to explore how libraries are key to delivering council services, e-government, learning and digital inclusion. Delegates will be able to find out the latest ideas, share success stories, hear best practices and meet colleagues from across the country and around the world

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #176

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #176. "This week's episode is a quick one since we're so close to a holiday" Previous Podcasts/Programs can be found here

New videos from SUNCAT (UK)

Two new videos are now available on the SUNCAT website. The first is a demonstration of SUNCAT, highlighting the search options and also how to access journal articles and table of contents via the service. The second is a short introduction to the service by one of the SUNCAT team, with information on what SUNCAT does and what it contains

OverDrive Test Drive

OverDrive Test Drive is a program that enables your library to offer eBook devices for demonstration and lending. OverDrive provides guidelines, recommendations, best practices and promotional materials to help you successfully integrate eBook devices into your everyday services, all within publisher copyrights and library lending policies

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Cauriensia : Revista Anual de Ciencias Ecleiásticas

Inquietude : Revista dos Estudantes de Filosofia da UFG

Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology

Högre Utbildning

International Journal of Advanced Information Technology

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

2011 UKeiG Jason Farradane Award (UK)

The 2011 UKeiG Jason Farradane Award has been awarded to the United Kingdom Council of Research Repositories (UKCoRR). Founded in 2007, UKCoRR is a professional membership-driven organisation managed for and by those staff working throughout the UK as Open Access repository administrators and managers. UKCoRR facilitates communication between the membership and fellow information providers, LIS professionals, the research community and scholarly publishing stakeholders by providing a collective voice that can speak on members' behalf to publishers, funding councils, institutions, and other relevant community stakeholders

First look inside London's £14m new super-library

The finishing touches are being applied to London's first "super-library" ready for its opening next week. At a time of austerity measures and huge cuts to the capital's library services, Canada Water Library is set to buck the trend with 40,000 books, a café, meeting rooms, evening class space and wi-fi facilities. Overhanging Canada Water basin, the £14.1 million building is the first library in the capital to have a purpose-built 150-seat theatre. It will also be the first to lead directly to a Tube station. Library users can bring their own laptops or use one of 40 computers or 30 laptops that are available for hire

British Library gives voice to Disability History Month

As part of UK Disability History Month, the British Library is making available a new online package of oral history interviews - Disability Voices - which charts the experiences of disabled people

InSITE: A Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library - Vol. 17, No. 7, November 21, 2011

InSITE: A Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library - Vol. 17, No. 7, November 21, 2011 is now available. Contents:

# Commission for Environmental Cooperation
# Disasters & the Law
# Justice for Vets: The National Clearinghouse for Veterans Treatment Courts

Anthony Burgess archive reveals vast body of previously unseen work

Anthony Burgess archive reveals vast body of previously unseen workA greatly expanded slang lexicon for the delinquent droogs of the novel A Clockwork Orange has been unearthed in a vast archive of the work and life of Anthony Burgess held in Manchester, alongside the libretto and score of an unseen opera about Leon Trotsky, and the script for an unmade TV series about Attila the Hun

CILIP announces closure of the Public Library Journal (USA)

It is with profound regret that the Public Libraries Group of CILIP announces the cessation of the Public Library Journal. For decades, PLJ has been an excellent resource for public library professionals. The journal's editorial board has worked extremely hard to bring readers the kind of high quality content from which we have all benefitted as professionals, and which has helped us learn about the latest thinking and innovative ideas in public librarianship

Penguin Group USA has halted library lending for E-Books

Penguin Group USA has announced that it is halting all library lending of its new e-book titles, and halting all library lending of its Kindle editions

Maney to publish The Chinese Historical Review

Maney Publishing has announced a new partnership with The Chinese Historians in the United States, Inc. to publish The Chinese Historical Review. This academic title, published biannually, provides transnational research regarding the history of China in every period and complements Maney Publishing's existing range of Chinese Studies journals such as Twentieth-Century China and Early Medieval China

Governance and Recordkeeping Around The World - November 2011

"Governance and Recordkeeping Around The World is a free newsletter published on a regular basis by Library Archives Canada that explores and highlights issues pertaining to government and recordkeeping practices in the public and private sector. This collaborative tool was designed to help readers stay up-to-date with the latest news, events, trends, products and publications in the field of public administration and recordkeeping" - November 2011 issue now available

DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly - Summer 2011

DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly - Summer 2011 - now available online

ALCTS webinar: Datasets for Publication: Standards and Issues

ALCTS webinar: Datasets for Publication: Standards and Issues - December 7, 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Shake-up of Kent's libraries planned by county council (UK)

Shops, surgeries and schools could all have a role to play in Kent's library service under a far-reaching shake-up planned by Kent County Council. But details of whether any libraries will have to close remain unclear as the council says it plans to listen to what local communities want to see happen before making specific decisions. And there is no indication yet of the extent of possible job losses. There are already concerns that unless volunteer groups or parish councils step in, some smaller libraries may end up shutting

Nursing Reference Center iPhone app now available

EBSCO Publishing has announced the release of an iPhone application for Nursing Reference Center™. This new app from EBSCO represents the only evidence-based, point-of-care nursing mobile application available today

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Library Journal lists top books for year (USA)

Library Journal has announced its annual Top Ten Best Books list. Chosen by a consensus vote of eight Book Review editors, the list represents outstanding titles in fiction and nonfiction that span subjects as widely disparate as bigamy, politically charged fashion, Balkan magical realism, and pre-Civil War history. "Because so much is being published and in so many formats, lists have become even more important reading tools," said Heather McCormack, Book Review Editor of Library Journal. "We're proud of our Top Ten because we think it showcases both blockbuster works and quieter contenders that merit more attention. No matter their topics, these books share an irresistible point of view." The following titles made up the 2011 Top Ten list:

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton and others (text) & Sølve Sundsbø (photogs.) (Metropolitan Museum of Art, dist. by Yale Univ.)

Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War by Tony Horwitz (Holt)

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones (Algonquin)

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami (Knopf)

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht (Random)

The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka (Knopf)

The Tragedy of Arthur by Arthur Phillips (Random)

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker (Viking)

Tides of War by Stella Tillyard (Holt)

The Empty Family: Stories by Colm Tóibín (Scribner)

Code4Lib 2012

Code4Lib 2012 - February 6-9, 2012 - Seattle, WA, USA - Code4lib 2012 is a loosely-structured conference for library technologists to commune, gather/create/share ideas and software, be inspired, and forge collaborations

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Nauki o Zemle

Mechanical Circulatory Support

International Journal of Biomedical and Advance Research

International Journal of Computer Science, Engineering and Applications (IJCSEA)

Journal of Biodiversity and Ecological Sciences

International Journal of Information Technology Convergence and Services (IJITCS)

Région et Développement

Analytic Teaching and Philosophical Praxis

ARPN Journal of Systems and Software

SCIRES-IT : SCIentific RESearch and Information Technology

Revista Monografias Ambientais

Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research

Asian Journal of Engineering, Sciences & Technology

International Journal of Advanced Biotechnology and Research

International Journal of Advanced Computer and Mathematical Sciences

Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran

ALA Office for Diversity Webcasts

The ALA Office for Diversity is presenting a series of three webinars beginning December 1. The webinars are part of a new series, "Diversity Leadership Online," which aims to help build Diversity advocates in libraries. Each session is $20 for ALA members and $25 for non-members. The series includes:

The Diversity Committee: Your Library's Competitive Advantage. Presented by Valerie Bell, Chief Librarian, Branch Services, Ocean County Library - Thursday December 1, 2011 at 2:00 Eastern Time

How Diversity Matters: Micro-Practices that Keep Libraries Relevant. Presented by Karen Downing, University Learning Communities Liaison and Foundation & Grants Librarian, University of Michigan - Thursday December 8, 2011 at 3:00 Eastern

The Diversity Conversation: Why You Need to Have It and How to Start It. Presented by Miguel Figueroa, Director, Office for Diversity, American Library Association - Thursday December 15, 2011 at 2:00 Eastern

Friday, November 18, 2011

A Hankering after Ghosts: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural 29 November 2011 - 4 March 2012 (UK)

A Hankering after Ghosts: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural 29 November 2011 - 4 March 2012The British Library is to mark the bicentenary of Charles Dickens' birth with an exhibition, A Hankering after Ghosts: Charles Dickens and the Supernatural, in the Folio Society Gallery from 29 November 2011 to 4 March 2012. The exhibition will explore the many ways in which Dickens uses supernatural phenomena in his works, while placing them in the context of scientific, technological and philosophical debates of his time. Dickens' interest in the macabre was apparent from an early age. As an adult he was caught up in the 'mesmeric mania' that swept Britain and developed an interest in the power of the human mind. He believed that all supernatural manifestations must have rational explanations, but his investigations into animal magnetism and psychology showed him that science could be as chilling as any ghost story. As a result he became wonderfully adept at suspending readers between psychological and supernatural explanations in his fiction

The Journal of Electronic Publishing - Fall 2011

The Journal of Electronic Publishing is a forum for research and discussion about contemporary publishing practices, and the impact of those practices upon users - Volume 14, No. 2, Fall 2011 is now available

British designer Zandra Rhodes' archive to be digitised (UK)

British designer Zandra Rhodes' archive to be digitisedResearchers at The University for the Creative Arts will spend the next 15 months working closely with Zandra Rhodes, who trained at one of UCA's founder colleges, the Medway College of Design. The dedicated team will sort through over 2,500 of her fashion creations spanning five decades to select 500 for photographing and cataloguing. Zandra Rhodes, who was made UCA's first Chancellor in 2010, has played a significant role in the development of British fashion, helping establish its reputation on the world stage. Her diverse client base has included Diana, Princess of Wales; Jackie Onassis, Freddie Mercury; Kylie Minogue and Sarah Jessica Parker

SPARC enews/November 2011

SPARC enews/November 2011: a bimonthly newsletter features the latest SPARC activities, an industry roundup, upcoming workshops and events, as well as articles related to developments in scholarly communication

Dame Lynne Brindley to step down as Chief Executive of the British Library at the end of July 2012

The British Library has announced that, after twelve successful years as Chief Executive, Dame Lynne Brindley is to step down at the end of July 2012

The Sixth CILIP CoFHE and UC&R Joint Conference (UK)

The Sixth CILIP CoFHE and UC&R Joint Conference - 25-27 June, 2012 - Newcastle, UK

OCLC and IZUM to investigate partnership to develop library information systems in the Western Balkans

OCLC and IZUM, the Institute of Information Science in Slovenia, have signed a Letter of Intent to investigate establishment of a strategic partnership to develop national library information systems in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia

National Archives to Release 1940 Census Free Online on April 2, 2012 (USA)

The National Archives has announced its selection of Inflection, parent company to family history web site Archives.com, to design and host a free web site for the April 2, 2012, at 9 AM (EST) launch of the 1940 U.S. Census. This is the first time that the National Archives has released a U.S. Census online. On April 2, 2012, users will be able to search, browse, and download the 1940 Census schedules from their own computers or from the public computers at National Archives locations nationwide through the new 1940 Census web site, free of charge

Wiley-VCH launches new journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials

Wiley-VCH has announced the launch of the journal Advanced Healthcare Materials, a new international scientific journal dedicated to publishing all aspects of materials science in medicine and biotechnology

Podcast: Public? Private? Personal? Navigating the open data landscape

Building upon JISC's research integrity conference earlier this year, the UK's Digtial Curation Centre will be hosting an international conference in December. The event will discuss the issues surrounding the importance of managing data - public, private or personal and the challenges facing researchers and universities around the world. In this podcast JISC's Rebecca O'Brien chats to Kevin Ashley, director of the DCC, about the event and what delegates can hope to gain by taking part

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - November 18, 2011

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Eight. "This week's Brainteaser is about dancers and various kinds of dance." Answers here.

1. Which popular music group released a song in 1964 called "Eight Days a Week"?
2. What are or were "pieces of eight"?
3. What is the meaning of the phrase "be (or have had) one over the eight"?
4. In popular music, what is the "middle eight"?
5. In mathematics, a horizontal figure of eight is a symbol of what?
6. What is the meaning of the phrase "behind the eight ball"?
7. Who wrote the 1966 novel "When Eight Bells Toll"?
8. The G8 or Group of Eight is an organization of the eight leading industrial nations of the world. Can you name four of them?
9. In 1984, Peter Hyams directed a sequel to the film "2001: a Space Odyssey". Fans of the original movie were not impressed and gave it the alternative title "Ten Past Eight". What was Hyams' film actually called?
10. The Warsaw Pact was a military defensive alliance between eight countries: the USSR and seven East European communist states. Can you name five members of the Warsaw Pact?

Wiley-Blackwell and The Association of Applied Biologists launch new Wiley Open Access Journal, Food and Energy Security

Wiley-Blackwell and The Association of Applied Biologists have launched Food and Energy Security, a new journal to meet the needs of authors and funders to publish international open access content in food and energy security. Food and Energy Security will publish high impact, peer-reviewed, original research on agricultural crop and forest productivity to improve food and energy security. It will publish high quality articles from all over the world and will be actively seeking submissions from countries with expanding agricultural research communities. Papers from China, other parts of Asia, India and South America will be particularly welcome. The Editorial Board, headed by Editor-in-Chief Professor Martin Parry, is resolved to make Food and Energy Security the leading publication in its sector and will be aiming for a top-ranking impact factor from the outset

Thursday, November 17, 2011

UK Public libraries in the news

UK Public libraries in the news - news stories and more from across the web on UK public libraries

SAGE begins publishing Clinical EEG and Neuroscience

SAGE has been chosen by the EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society to publish Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, beginning in January 2012

Credo Reference adds Brill religion to Publisher Collections

Credo Reference has announced that Brill Publishing, a publisher of religion, humanities, and social science titles, will contribute the Brill Religion Collection to Credo Reference's Publisher Collections next year. The Brill Religion Collection includes seven titles, such as Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism and Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an, which encompass a variety of religious topics

Library Grants Center from Salem Press (USA)

Library Grants Center, from Salem Press, is a free web tool designed to help librarians everywhere - whatever their level of experience - navigate the world of library grants

HathiTrust Digital Library - Update on October 2011 Activities

HathiTrust Digital Library - Update on October 2011 Activities

Library closures were unlawful, says High Court judge (UK)

A decision which could see 21 libraries close in Somerset and Gloucestershire has been ruled "unlawful". Somerset County Council wanted to withdraw funding for 11 libraries and Gloucestershire County Council wanted to stop funding 10 libraries. At the High Court, Judge Martin McKenna said the closures did not comply with "public sector equality duties" owed to vulnerable social groups. These include the elderly, disabled, single mothers and children. The decision means the closure plans have been reversed. Campaigners began the legal action after the two authorities announced plans to cut costs

Survey seeks feedback: Digitally Inclusive Communities (USA)

WebJunction has been awarded a grant from IMLS for a digital inclusion project complementing existing efforts to help libraries and other community-based organizations make strategic decisions about providing public access to broadband. Working with partners TechSoup Global, and the International City/County Management Association, WebJunction will evaluate the needs of libraries, community-based organizations, and city and county managers seeking to get started with digital inclusion. Based on these findings, the partners will create and test a summit agenda for local community gatherings to develop a shared understanding about digital inclusion and begin to create an action plan

The Occupy Wall Street Library gegrows in Manhattan (USA)

The People's Library at Occupy Wall Street was destroyed in the early morning hours of November 15. Without warning or provocation hundreds of militarized New York police officers cleared the park starting at 1 a.m. The library was torn down in the dark of night and its books, laptops, archives, and support materials were thrown into dumpsters by armed police and city sanitation workers. Numerous library staff were arrested, and, in one case, a librarian strapped the notebooks of original poetry from the library's poetry readings to her body before lending aid to comrades who had been pepper-sprayed - American Libraries

ALCTS webinar: Promoting Institutional Repositories on and off Campus

ALCTS webinar: Promoting Institutional Repositories on and off Campus - November 30, 2011 - This webinar will consider strategies for promoting the institutional repository to on campus and off campus constituencies. Results of surveys carried out at institutions with IRs will be reviewed and information based on the speaker's experience at Thomas Jefferson University will be provided

Book Grocer: 16-22 November 2011

Book Grocer: 16-22 November 2011 - The week ahead in literary London from the Londonist blog. #books #London

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Dickens and London exhibition

Dickens and London exhibitionRecreating the atmosphere of Victorian London through sound and projections, you'll be taken on a haunting journey to discover the city that inspired his writings. Paintings, photographs, costume and objects will illustrate themes that Dickens wove into his works, while rarely seen manuscripts including Bleak House and David Copperfield - written in the author's own hand - will offer clues to his creative genius. During your visit you'll discover how Dickens' childhood experiences of London, working in a blacking factory while his father was locked away in a debtor's prison, were introduced into the stories he wrote. The great social questions of the 19th century, including wealth and poverty, prostitution, childhood mortality and philanthropy, will also be examined, all of which set the scene for Dickens' greatest works - 9 December 2011 – 10 June 2012

ACRL Research Forum at ALA Annual 2012

The ACRL Research Coordinating Committee is sponsoring a new forum to give those doing research in academic library contexts an opportunity to share their work with a national audience at the upcoming ALA Annual Conference June 21-26, 2012, in Anaheim. The ACRL Research Forum will feature three research presentations based on work in progress or completed, followed by discussion

American Heart Association and Wiley-Blackwell launch open access journal for heart disease and stroke

The American Heart Association and Wiley-Blackwell have announced an innovative venture to publish a new open access journal, Journal of the American Heart Association: Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Disease, which will launch this fall. Journal of the American Heart Association will serve as the first online-only open access journal for the AHA, and joins the AHA's prestigious portfolio of 11 peer-reviewed print and online subscription-based scientific journals, including Circulation; Stroke; Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology; Circulation Research; and Hypertension

Monday, November 14, 2011

Appeal to 'save' Charlotte Bronte treasure

Appeal to 'save' Charlotte Bronte treasureA museum dedicated to the Bronte sisters has launched an appeal for funds to buy a "lost" Charlotte Bronte manuscript and put it on public show. Young Men's Magazine Number 2 is valued at up to £300,000 by Sotheby's. The Bronte Parsonage Museum, based in the literary family's home in Haworth, West Yorkshire, already has a number of the other volumes in the series. It is "the most significant manuscript to come to light in decades", museum director Andrew McCarthy said

New journals from Inderscience Publishers

International Journal of Cloud Computing

International Journal of Instrumentation Technology

International Journal of Public Law and Policy

International Journal of Powertrains

International Journal of Social Computing and Cyber-Physical Systems

Finding E-books: A Guide (Library of Congress, USA)

Finding E-books: A Guide, created by J. Cheyenne Hohman, University of Kentucky, is an introduction to e-books: what they are, how to use them, and where to find them, at the Library of Congress and elsewhere online. An e-book (also referred to as an electronic book, ebook or digital book) is a text that can be viewed and/or downloaded onto a computer or other digital device. E-books cover a wide range of genres and subjects. Though many e-books are currently available in both digital and conventional paper formats, some are created strictly in digital format. Conversely, some conventional paper books do not exist in digital format, because of the book's copyright status, or the preferences of the book's publisher or author

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #175

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #175. "This week's episode looks at a recent case of an event gone wrong and attempts to draw lessons" Previous Podcasts/Programs can be found here

Sunday, November 13, 2011

ProQuest to digitize NAACP archives

ProQuest and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) are teaming to digitize the association's archives, bringing one of the most famous records of the civil rights movement to the online world. The collection - nearly 2 million pages of internal memos, legal briefings and direct action summaries from national, legal and branch offices throughout the country - charts NAACP's work and delivers a first-hand view into crucial issues: lynching, school desegregation, and discrimination in the military, the criminal justice system, employment, and housing, among others. Preserved on microfilm, it holds the distinction of being the most heavily used collection in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress. Now, it will be fully searchable and accessible electronically and available through academic, research and public library websites as part of ProQuest® History Vault, an initiative to digitize historically rich primary sources, opening their discovery to broader audiences

Information Today - November 2011 issues

The November 2011 issues of Computers in Libraries, Information Today, and Searcher, are now available

Scientific American 1845-1909 archive collection - complimentary access through November 30, 2011

Now through November 30, 2011, you and your patrons will enjoy complimentary access to more than 75,000 articles from classic issues featured in the Scientific American 1845-1909 archive collection. This collection is a treasure trove that includes 65 years of scientific history, breakthroughs, inventions, and triumphs

USAID launches New GeoCenter

The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of Science and Technology has launched the new USAID GeoCenter, an Agency-wide resource to expand and institutionalize the use of geospatial tools and analysis in support of our development goals. The GeoCenter will enhance USAID's capacity in strategic planning and programming, evaluation, and research with the use of the powerful tools of geospatial analysis. The center is an integral element of the Agency's ambitious reform agenda, USAID Forward

Volunteer army bid to run Hampstead Garden Suburb library (UK)

Volunteer army bid to run Hampstead Garden Suburb library (UK)Magistrates, school teachers and local councillors could all serve behind the counter as voluntary librarians in a bid to save the Hampstead Garden Suburb library from closure. The Suburb's 2,000-strong Residents Association lodged its plan to save the library from the scrapheap this week, proposing that volunteers could save Barnet Council £70,000 a year. The community group has mustered an army of 40 willing helpers to man the premises in Market Place, including two former librarians who will lend their expertise

West Yorkshire: Help sought to save theatrical library (UK)

Organisations are being urged to come up with ideas to save a music and drama library used by amateur theatre groups across Yorkshire. The Yorkshire and Libraries Information Council decided in September that the Wakefield-based library - a collection of play scripts, vocal scores and orchestral sets supported by 12 local authorities including Leeds - was no longer financially viable and should close "as it currently exists." A review team has been examining options for the collection's future and now the YLI is inviting groups to come up with suggestions by November 30 to ensure it remains available to the public

Europeana Collections 1914-1918

Europeana Collections 1914-1918Europeana Collections 1914-1918 will create by 2014 - the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War - a substantial digital collection of material from national library collections of ten libraries and other partners in eight countries that found themselves on different sides of the historic conflict. It is co-funded in the framework of the European Commission's Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme.

The First World War was a conflict on an unprecedented scale that affected the every-day lives of virtually all Europeans and many people living in other parts of the world. The memory of the war, its events and consequences, its victims and victors, remains very much alive today. It has become part of the individual and collective memory of Europe.

The three-year project will make over 400,000 WWI sources publicly and freely available online for the first time - content that is often rare and highly fragile because of the deteriorating quality of the paper it was produced on and generally only accessible in reading rooms

New titles in PubMed Central

Journal of Gastric Cancer

Asian Journal of Neurosurgery

Pulmonary Circulation

World Journal of Nuclear Medicine

Ayu

Journal of Surgical Technique and Case Report

European Journal of Histochemistry

Toxins

Journal of the Korean Surgical Society

Asia Pacific Allergy

Arthritis

Emergency Medicine International

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Canada at War: A Guide to Library and Archives Canada's Websites Recalling the Canadian War Experience

Canada at War: A Guide to Library and Archives Canada's Websites Recalling the Canadian War Experience will lead you to the many resources available on our website, exploring Canada's contribution to military and peacekeeping operations at home and around the world. Each of the links contained in this website will lead you to a virtual exhibition or a database of primary documents

Search Wellcome Library catalogue via Chrome browser

Ever wondered if the Wellcome Library held something but couldn't really be bothered to check? Ever wanted to have our search just a little more within your reach? The Chrome browser's omnibox gives you that help at your fingerstips. We've had information about how to add search engines to your Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers for a while. This is now updated with the instructions for adding a Wellcome Library search to Chrome’s omnibox. It only takes a minute to set up, and will let you search out catalogues from your workspace instead of having to come to ours

LILAC 2011 presentations available (UK)

Presentations from LILAC 2011 are now available online

Florida library makes 34,000 Ebooks available at international airport

Travelers at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport can now download free ebooks from the Broward County Library while they wait to claim their luggage. The partnership between the library and the airport began during the summer but only recently has begun to attract notice. The airport all together has 36 LCD screens that are reserved for advertisements or public service announcements

Nixon Grand Jury records and additional records have been released (USA)

Beginning November 10 records of the Watergate Special Prosecution Force collection, including transcripts of President Nixon's grand jury testimony of June 23-24, 1975, and associated material may be obtained from the following websites:

* Government Printing Office (GPO)
* Scribd
* Our Archives - Wiki

These files are also available at the textual research room of the National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Agro-Ciencia : Chilean Journal of Agricultural Sciences

Journal of Isfahan Dental School

Tekhnologiya i Konstruirovanie v Elektronnoi Apparature

International Journal of Research in Chemistry and Environment

Acta Dermato-Venereologica

Perspectiva Interdisciplinaria de Música

Crystals

Gnosis

Potravinarstvo : Scientific Journal for Food Industry

Vascular Cell

International Journal of Burns and Trauma

Journal of Science and Technology of Greenhouse Culture

Con A de Animación

Tekhnika i Pribory SVCh

Eye Reports

Urogynaecologia International Journal

Journal of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences

Proceedings of the European Society for Aesthetics

Revista Tamoios

International Journal of Agricultural Management and Development

Advances in Clinical Medicine

Hans Journal of Biomedicine

Hans Journal of Data Mining

Journal of Dutch Literature

Linguistics in Amsterdam

Operations Research and Fuzziology

Friday, November 11, 2011

LibLime Academic Koha 4.8 is now in production release

LibLime, a division of PTFS, and WALDO (Westchester Academic Library Directors Organization) have announced the production release of LibLime Academic Koha 4.8. LibLime Academic Koha 4.8 has specific tools for authority records. With LibLime Academic Koha librarians can import MARC authority records, replace a brief or "stub" authority record with an updated record and link authority records to bibliographic records via the user interface. The workflow for managing this aspect of cataloging was designed by librarians and is user friendly and intuitive

Brent Library closures: Council 'shirked duties' (UK)

A council failed to comply with Parliamentary duties when it chose to shut down six "treasured" libraries, the Court of Appeal has heard. Residents in Brent, north-west London, want to overturn the decision of a High Court judge who found Brent Council's action lawful. They argue that the decision-making process was flawed. The Labour-run council says its decision was "rational" and "made with great care". Celebrities including author Philip Pullman, playwright Alan Bennett, singer Nick Cave and bands Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys and Goldfrapp are backing the residents' legal fight

Arts Council England launches Libraries Development Initiative (UK)

The Arts Council and the Local Government Association have launched the Libraries Development Initiative. The overarching aim of this initiative is to create vibrant, sustainable 21st century library services within the framework of Achieving great art for everyone and Culture, knowledge and understanding: great museums and libraries for everyone

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - November 11, 2011

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Dance and Dancing. "This week's Brainteaser is about dancers and various kinds of dance." Answers here.

1. The 1977 film "Saturday Night Fever" popularized what kind of dancing?
2. Which dancer did the splashing solo for the title song in the 1952 film "Singin' in the Rain"?
3. What kind of dances were Johann Strauss's "Blue Danube" and "Tales from the Vienna Woods"?
4. In which country did the dance called the lambada originate?
5. Which dance was popularized by Chubby Checker with a million-selling record in 1960?
6. In which form of dancing were Marius Petipa, Anna Pavlova and Rudolf Nureyev famous?
7. Which famous pair of dancers starred in the 1939 film "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle"?
8. Which fast rhythmic dance of the 1920s, characterized by kicking and by twisting of the legs from the knee down, was named after a city in South Carolina?
9. Name the Latin American dance of three steps and a kick to each bar, usually performed by a number of people in single file.
10. Name the choreographer and film director (1895-1976) whose lavish spectacles used intricate camera moves and unusual angles to fill the screen with dancers arranged in geometric patterns.

Above the Fold - October 24, 2011

Above the Fold is a Web-based newsletter published by OCLC Research. It has been developed to serve a broad international readership from libraries, archives and museums - October 24 2011 - Vol. 4, No. 38 now available

Explore The Great War and Armistice in The National Archives (UK)

Explore The Great War and Armistice in The National Archives (UK)On this day in 1918, Allied and German troops signed a historic agreement to end the First World War. More than 8 million men and women saw service in the British forces during 'the war to end all wars', a significant proportion of the British population. The National Archives is an invaluable source of information on the conflict and holds a large collection of records from this time, many of which can be searched online

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Video: Master of Library and Information Science overview from San Jose State University

Our fully online, ALA-accredited Master of Library and Information Science program prepares students for careers as information professionals, who work in libraries and other settings

OCLC Research Scan and Deliver Webinar recording now available

This webinar featured streamlined methods for scanning and delivering digital copies of special collections materials at the request of users. Changes in technology and the increased visibility of special collections have resulted in a deluge of requests for digital copies of special collections materials. A steady stream of digitization requests for one item here, two pages there can be labor-intensive, and policies for user requests vary widely across institutions

Gale launches MyGovernment

For libraries that want to make it easy for citizens to become active participants in all levels of government, MyGovernment is an online resource which provides key information on how our government functions, representative contact info and where representatives stand on key issues. Unlike other Web/Internet sites which each provide just a portion of what citizens need to become informed and engaged in local and federal politics, MyGovernment is the only resource that teaches citizens how government processes work and provides that information in one place. Both new and experienced and English and Spanish-speaking voters will quickly increase their knowledge and feel confident when evaluating candidates and issues when heading to the polls

New OCLC Research Video, "Archival Collections Assessment"

This two-minute video on the OCLC Research YouTube Channel features senior program officer Merrilee Proffitt summarizing the recent OCLC Research report, "Taking Stock and Making Hay: Archival Collections Assessment." Merrilee Proffitt coauthored the report with Martha O'Hara Conway of the University of Michigan. The report encourages the development of a community of practice and identifies projects and methodologies that can serve as models for librarians, archivists and others who undertake archival collections assessment

School Library Journal & Library Journal parent company acquired by RLJ Equity Partners

The private equity firm RLJ Equity Partners has acquired Media Source, Inc., the company that owns School Library Journal, Library Journal, Junior Library Guild and The Horn Book

Read/Write Library (Chicago, USA)

The Read/Write Library opens to the public on Friday, November 11 at 6:30 PM. RSVP on Facebook. Please join us to celebrate our relaunch, our incredible new space, and most of all, making it through these last few months. We couldn't have done it without you

Leading North American institutions endorse the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge

Thirty-three research institutions, associations, and foundations in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have made a commitment to Open Access to research by signing the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities. These top private, public, and non-profit organizations join nearly 300 more from around the world in another clear sign of the growing demand for change in the way scientific and scholarly research results are communicated and maximized. The announcement is made in conjunction with the ninth Berlin conference, at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Book Grocer: 9-15 November 2011

Book Grocer: 9-15 November 2011 - The week ahead in literary London from the Londonist blog. #books #London

FreePint Newsletter 338

FreePint Newsletter 338 - 10 November 2011 now available

Core Knowledge UK

Core Knowledge UK provides teachers, parents, grandparents and home educators with the resources to help children succeed. Gradually developed and refined by teachers and educational specialists, the Core Knowledge Sequence UK is a year-by-year outline of the specific and shared content and skills to be taught in Years 1 to 6. The Sequence UK is the backbone of the Core Knowledge UK curriculum, a springboard for learning that provides the foundation for a sound, well-rounded education in the arts, humanities and sciences

2012 Library Design Showcase call for submissions (USA)

American Libraries is now accepting submissions for the 2012 Library Design Showcase, our annual feature celebrating the best new and newly renovated or expanded libraries of all types

Using archives on Vietnam war (UK)

The NAM project at the University of the Arts, London is bringing together the photographic archives of Phillip Jones Griffiths, the film archive of Stanley Kubrick, and the journalistic archive of Phillip Knightley in an interactive multimedia resource that looks at the resonances of the conflict in Vietnam today. It then gets students working with the archives, developing their own commentaries based on the primary sources. This video piece was created by Alex Milan Tracy as part of his research into Agent Orange for his MA in Photojournalism & Documentary photography

Agent Orange in Vietnam - A research project by Alex Milan Tracy from Alex Milan Tracy on Vimeo.

Search the Cheshire Collection on findmypast.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk has just published the Cheshire Collection. This collection comprises 10 million records, which span the period 1538-1910. The following records are contained in this exciting collection:

* Bishop's Transcripts of the Parish Registers 1576-1905
* Church of England Parish Registers 1538-1910
* Electoral Registers 1842-1900
* Marriage Licence Bonds and Allegations 1663-1905
* Non-Conformist and Roman Catholic Records 1671-1910
* Workhouse Registers 1781-1910

409 years serving the 'Republic of the Learned': Bodleian celebrates anniversary

409 years serving the ‘Republic of the Learned’: Bodleian celebrates anniversaryOn 8 November 1602, the University Library we know as the Bodleian Library officially re-opened its doors. The re-institution of the Public Library of the University of Oxford by Thomas Bodley (1545-1613) at the beginning of the 17th century represents a milestone in the provision of library services in England and worldwide. The first University Library in Oxford had in the mid 14th century been housed in a room adjoining the church of St Mary the Virgin, on High Street. The gift of 279 manuscripts to the University by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester, between 1439 and 1444 prompted the building of a purpose-built library room above the Divinity school. Completed in 1488, this, the University's second library, flourished for about sixty years. When Thomas Bodley came to Magdalen College in 1560, however, the library room was empty and derelict. Throughout his Oxford career the only libraries available to students at the University were in their colleges

Submit proposals for ACRL 2013 (USA)

ACRL invites proposal submissions for the ACRL 2013 Conference to be held April 10-13, 2013, in Indianapolis. Contributed paper, panel session, preconference and workshop proposals are due May 11, 2012. Cyber Zed Shed presentation, poster session, roundtable discussion and Virtual Conference Webcast proposals are due November 9, 2012

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Historical British Columbia newspapers digitized by UBC Library (Canada)

For the first time, more than 45,000 pages chronicling British Columbia's storied past are available online following the completion of a British Columbia Historical Newspapers Project. The University of British Columbia project, led by the UBC Library's Digital Initiatives unit and generously supported by a private family foundation, features digitized versions of 24 historical papers from around the province. The newspapers, which range from the Abbotsford Post to the Phoenix Pioneer, date from 1865 to 1924

Kindle Cloud Reader now available on Mozilla Firefox

Amazon has announced that Kindle Cloud Reader, the HTML5-based web app that lets customers read their Kindle books in their web browser, is now available for Mozilla Firefox so the hundreds of millions of Firefox users can start reading their Kindle books instantly, simply by opening their web browser. To start reading, go to http://read.amazon.com using Chrome, Safari on iPad, Safari on desktop and now Mozilla Firefox

November 2011 batch of Early Reviewer books is up at LibraryThing

The November 2011 batch of Early Reviewer books is now available at LibraryThing. There are 2143 copies of 81 books available this month

Serials Solutions announces enhancements to its 360 Management Services

Serials Solutions has announced enhancements to its 360 Counter, 360 Resource Manager and 360 Consortium Edition management services

105th AALL Annual Meeting & Conference (USA)

105th AALL Annual Meeting & Conference (USA)The AALL Annual Meeting and Conference is an essential learning and networking opportunity for legal information professionals. The conference features approximately 100 educational programs and workshops, nearly as many vendor exhibits, abundant social opportunities, an onsite Career Center, and more. The four days of valuable educational programming cover topics that include managing library costs, improving efficiency, and getting noticed as the professional you are. Go home inspired and energized with innovative techniques and strategies to benefit your library and users - July 21-24, 2012 - Boston, MA, USA

JISC to pioneer the use of social media technologies to improve the discovery of educational content (UK)

The UK is to participate in a global experiment, based on the social media technology behind Twitter and Facebook, to find out how the social activity around online educational content can be captured and fed back to users, creators and publishers. Working with the Learning Registry, a project funded by the US Department of Education and the US Department of Defence, JISC and the HE Academy are calling for institutions and developers to work with them on a new 10 month project. This project will lay the foundations of an infrastructure that will improve the way people choose educational information online

2011 California Library Association and California School Library Association Annual Conference & Exposition

2011 California Library Association and California School Library Association Annual Conference & Exposition - November 11-13, 2011 - Pasadena, CA, USA

New from Bodleian Library Publishing: The Art of Elections

New from Bodleian Library Publishing: The Art of ElectionsA striking overview of the evolution of Conservative Party election posters over the last century and their role in bringing the political message of the day to the people is the subject of a new illustrated book from Bodleian Library Publishing. Vividly demonstrating the unique art of election posters, which blend graphic design, bold art or photography, and advertising psychology, Dole Queues and Demons reproduces nearly 200 of the 650 posters in the vast Conservative Party Archive held at the Bodleian Library, many of which have never before been shown in print. Divided into chapters along political periods, the book highlights the changing fashions in and attitudes to advertising, design, political ideology, slogans, combativeness and above all, propriety. Each chapter includes a brief introduction discussing the major themes of the period as well as captions explaining specific issues related to the individual posters

C&RL News – November 2011

C&RL News – November 2011 is now freely available online from The Association of College and Research Libraries

Monday, November 07, 2011

Recruits needed to save Leeds library (UK)

A major push is under way to recruit volunteers who are needed to save a Leeds library from closure. City council bosses announced plans in May to shut 15 libraries in a move designed to save £625,000 a year. Drighlington Library, however, was spared from the axe, with a view to it being taken over by members of the community. Now a steering group called The Friends of Drighlington Community has been launched to oversee the hoped-for takeover

Routledge announces free access to Area Studies journals

Routledge has announced its latest free access campaign, Access All Areas, offering free online access to its complete range of Area Studies journals for six weeks, available from 3 November to 16 December 2011 inclusive. Access All Areas incorporates more than 150 journals within the Area Studies classification, with 30 additional titles now included such as Bulletin of Spanish Studies, Journal of Asian Public Policy and Chinese Journal of Communication which publish a significant amount of research that is specific to a particular region

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #174

LISTen: An LISNews.org Program -- Episode #174. "This week's episode is a quick one" Previous Podcasts/Programs can be found here

E.T. Bryant Memorial Prize (UK/Ireland)

The E.T. Bryant Memorial Prize is awarded to a student of Library and Information Science, or to a librarian in their first five years in music librarianship, for a significant contribution to the literature of music librarianship. Publication does not preclude entry. The prize is £250, awarded jointly by IAML(UK & Irl) and the Music Libraries Trust, at the IAML(UK & Irl) Annual General Meeting. Applicants must be resident in the UK or Republic of Ireland during the year of entry. The E.T. Bryant Committee reserve the right not to award the prize in any one year. The closing date for entries is 12 December 2011

Global Open Access Portal

Global Open Access PortalThe Global Open Access Portal, funded by the Governments of Colombia, Denmark, Norway, and the United States Department of State, presents a current snapshot of the status of Open Access to scientific information around the world. For countries that have been more successful implementing Open Access, the portal highlights critical success factors and aspects of the enabling environment. For countries and regions that are still in the early stages of Open Access development, the portal identifies key players, potential barriers and opportunities

Workshop on Annotation of Corpora for Research in the Humanities 2012

ACRH: Workshop on Annotation of Corpora for Research in the Humanities - 5 January 2012 - University of Heidelberg, Germany. The workshop aims at building a tighter collaboration between people working in various areas of the Humanities (such as literature, philology, history etc.) and the research community involved in developing, using and making annotated corpora accessible

Sunday, November 06, 2011

New journals from Oxford University Press

Oxford Journals will publish both Research Evaluation and Science and Public Policy from 2012

Back by popular demand: LITA Web course on mashups and APIs

LITA's popular Web course, Creating Library Web Services: Mashups and APIs, presented by Jason Clark of Montana State University Libraries, will be offered November 14-18, 2011, with live synchronous lectures each day from 11 a.m. - 1 pm CST

Lost Latvia

In time for Novem­ber cel­e­bra­tions of Latvia's Inde­pen­dence Day, the unique trea­sures of Latvia revealed in its majes­tic scenery, ancient cas­tles, beau­ti­ful parks and its peo­ple, can be now dis­cov­ered on Euro­peana. The recently-added col­lec­tion Lost Latvia from the Lat­vian National Library opens access to over 18,000 draw­ings, post­cards and pho­tographs from the 19th cen­tury to present day

New book: International Students and Academic Libraries: Initiatives for Success

New book: International Students and Academic Libraries: Initiatives for SuccessInternational Students and Academic Libraries: Initiatives for Success: Edited by Pamela A. Jackson & Patrick Sullivan. The number of international students studying on campuses in the United States is at an all-time high. International students bring with them special skills and insights, but they also present unique challenges for our educational systems. Libraries play a critical role in connecting these foreign students, not only to our universities and colleges, but also to the information literacy skills they need to succeed. The insightful case studies presented in International Students and Academic Libraries: Initiatives for Success describe over a dozen exciting projects that support the success of international students studying at academic institutions. The work provides numerous examples of new and innovative strategies for librarians to encourage library use among international students and increase international student success. This volume is essential reading for academic librarians, library educators and professional collections at institutions that support international student populations

First World War nursing records available online (UK)

First World War nursing records available online (UK)The UK National Archives has published online more than 15,000 First World War nursing service records, providing a glimpse into the life stories of the women who dedicated their lives to their profession. The records date from 1902 to 1922 and hold an unusually high level of detail, rarely seen in service records

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Southwest Journal of Pulmonary and Critical Care

Processing and Application of Ceramics

Odonto

Scientific Reports

Dansk Universitetspaedagogisk Tidsskrift

Hans Journal of Chemical Engineering and Technology

Hans Journal of Wireless Communications

Work Based Learning e-Journal

Nota Bene : Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology

Totem : the University of Western Ontario Journal of Anthropology

Linguarum Arena : Revista do Programa Doutoral em Didáctica de Línguas da Universidade do Porto

Religion and Gender

Journal of Pakistan Medical Students

e-Finanse

Synergies France

Saturday, November 05, 2011

VAST Package from Alexander Street Press

Electronic publisher Alexander Street Press has introduced VAST, its new streaming video package for academic and public libraries. VAST contains all the videos from 21 of Alexander Street's individual collections, all cross-searchable, making it a one-stop, multidisciplinary solution for libraries. With more than 10,000 titles now and growing to 22,000 titles by 2013, the package has something for everyone, covering areas as diverse as science, architecture and performing arts. Every video included in VAST is indexed to reflect important search elements of its unique discipline collection, allowing for both general searching of all videos and advanced, in-depth searching of specific disciplines

Digital Library Digest: November 4, 2011

Digital Library Digest: November 4, 2011 - A round-up of Digital Library News from the past week

IMLS awards grant to OCLC's WebJunction to get communities on the path to digital inclusion

The Institute of Museum and Library Services has awarded a grant of $249,871 to OCLC's WebJunction for a project aimed at helping communities across the country get started on the path to digital inclusion. The project will complement IMLS' efforts to help libraries and other community-based organizations make strategic decisions about providing public access to broadband

The Great Lost Library of England’s Kings (British Library)

The Great Lost Library of England’s Kings (British Library)The post-Conquest kings of England were kleptomaniacs: collectors of books as of all other sorts of precious objects. Their lavish literary patronage accounts for the survival of much of what we have by way of English historical, religious or scientific writing after 1066. Yet the 'royal' manuscripts gathered and displayed at the British Library only hint at the great collection of books that went before.
One of our finest historians of the central Middle Ages, Nicholas Vincent, investigates the what might have been the composition and fate of this library, painting a provocative and approachable portrait of the reading habits of Kings from 1066 to 1272, from William the Conqueror to Henry III

Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets (1910-1941)

Royal Canadian Navy Ledger Sheets (1910-1941)The Canadian Navy was established in 1910. Library and Archives Canada holds different type of records for the Canadian Navy and its members. This research tool provides access to 16,788 references to individuals who served in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Naval Reserve between 1910 and 1918. It also includes some records for those who enlisted between 1919 and 1941. The information was extracted from the Navy Service Ledger Sheets