LILAC 2010 call for papers

The call for papers for LILAC 2010 to be held 29 to 31 March in Limerick, Ireland is now open. The themes of next year's conference are:

* Measuring Impact
* Developing the IL practitioner
* IL and research
* Making connections: cross-sectoral initiatives
* Innovative practice

Competition for community wi-fi (UK)

"Librarians, youth-workers, and local vicars are being encouraged to apply to a fund which will provide free net access in selected UK communities. The fund is run by Freerunner, a company that installs wi-fi hotspots. The firm has said it will install 50 access points in communities across the UK, "no matter where they are". Earlier this year, the government made a pledge to ensure that every home in the UK can access 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) broadband by 2012. A study commissioned by the BBC earlier this year suggested that some three million homes currently have speeds of 2Mbps or below. The government's Digital Britain report has proposed that every citizen, with a fixed-line phone, will pay 50p per month to pay for the roll out of faster, next generation networks" - BBC

McGraw-Hill Connect

"McGraw-Hill Connect offers a number of powerful tools and features to make managing assignments easier, so you can spend more time teaching. With Connect, students can engage with their coursework anytime and anywhere, making the learning process more accessible and efficient"

New library gargoyles shown off - Bodleian Library

The newest gargoyles to grace Oxford's historic buildings have been unveiled by author Philip Pullman. Schoolchildren competed to design the nine carvings at the Bodleian Library after the originals crumbled away. Oxford-based Mr Pullman, known for the His Dark Materials trilogy, cut the ribbon at the ceremony at 1000 BST. As there was no historical record of the original designs, they have been replaced by images including those of fictional characters. Some of the characters include Aslan, the lion from The Chronicles of Narnia, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee, from Through The Looking Glass. Hundreds of children entered the competition, launched two years ago as part of the Millennium Myths and Monsters festival, celebrating 1,000 years of Oxfordshire" - BBC

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with free trials to Alexander Street Press titles

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15 (September 15 is the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, while Mexico declared independence September 16, Chile on September 18, and Belize on September 21), Alexander Street Press is offering these sneak peek free trials to three of its products:

Caribbean Literature
Latin American Women Writers
Latino Literature

Here are the codes to use with all three files:
Username: eviews
Password: hispanicheritage

Library of Congress Digital Preservation Newsletter - September 2009

The September 2009 issue of the Library of Congress Digital Preservation Newsletter is now available

Brooklyn Book Festival 2009

"The Brooklyn Book Festival is a huge, free public event presenting an array of literary stars and emerging authors who represent the exciting world of literature today. One of America's premier literary and literacy events, this hip, smart, diverse gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages. The festival is organized around themed readings and devoted to timely and lively panel discussions. The inclusion of top national and international authors and new partners has expanded the festival's reach while continuing to celebrate and enhance Brooklyns contemporary and historic literary reputation" - September 13 2009 - New York, USA

Koha Express - for any library on a budget

"LibLime's Koha Express is perfect for any library on a budget. This subscription-based turnkey solution offers the award-winning Koha ILS at a fraction of the cost of a commercially-supported solution. It lets your library stay within budget without sacrificing features"

Library + Information Gazette 11-24 September 2009

Library + Information Gazette, the fortnightly magazine for the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is now available online to everyone. Latest issue: 11 September - 24 September 2009

All Free Library of Philadelphia Branch, Regional and Central Libraries Closed Effective Close of Business October 2, 2009

Siobhan Reardon, President and Director, Free Library of Philadelphia writes: "We deeply regret to inform you that without the necessary budgetary legislation by the State Legislature in Harrisburg, the City of Philadelphia will not have the funds to operate our neighborhood branch libraries, regional libraries, or the Parkway Central Library after October 2, 2009"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Interactive Educational Multimedia

Journal of King Abduaziz University : Engineering Sciences

Revista Colombiana de Psicología

Journal of New Frontiers in Spatial Concepts

Biblio Tech Review - August/September 2009

The August/September issue of Biblio Tech Review is now available. This issue includes:

* ASCC (Automation System Colorado Consortium) Selects Koha and LibLime
* Open Book Alliance Formed to Counter Google Book Settlement
* Libraries in Clackamas County (LINCC) Implements SirsiDynix Symphony
* eiNetwork Consortia Opts for AquaBrowser Library Software

Canadian Book Review Annual Online

CBRAonline provides users with access to more than 40,000 authoritative reviews of Canadian scholarly, reference, trade, children's, and young-adult books as well as 1,800 new books reviewed annually. Written by academics, librarians, and other professionals, CBRAonline reviews are a reliable resource librarians and educators can use in collection development. But equally important, CBRAonline's easy search capabilities will save users time with quick and efficient searches". Free trial available from September 14, 2009

WorldWideScience.org

"WorldWideScience.org is a global science gateway connecting you to national and international scientific databases and portals. WorldWideScience.org accelerates scientific discovery and progress by providing one-stop searching of global science sources. The WorldWideScience Alliance, a multilateral partnership, consists of participating member countries and provides the governance structure for WorldWideScience.org. Subsequent versions of WorldWideScience.org will make additional science information resources from many nations accessible via this portal. Read about the WorldWideScience.org Architecture: What is under the Hood. WorldWideScience.org was developed and is maintained by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), an element of the Office of Science within the U.S. Department of Energy"

William Blake's World: "A New Heaven Is Begun"

"In the Morgan's first exhibition devoted to Blake in two decades, former director Charles Ryskamp and curators Anna Lou Ashby and Cara Denison have assembled many of Blake's most spectacular watercolors, prints, and illuminated books of poetry to dramatically underscore his genius and enduring influence. William Blake's World: "A New Heaven Is Begun" - the subtitle a quote from Blake referring to the significance of his date of birth - is on view from September 11, 2009, to January 3, 2010. The Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, New York"

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Musical Instruments. Answers here.

1. Nowadays, which musical instrument usually comes in the shape of the grand or the upright?
2. A hi-hat is a regular component of which set of instruments?
3. What kind of instrument is the Indian tabla?
4. Name three of the four main instrument families which usually make up a symphony orchestra.
5. A nose flute is a flute blown through the nose instead of the mouth. Is this true or false?
6. Which musical instrument was invented in 1933 by a man trying to find new applications for his synchronous motor (previously used to power electric clocks)?
7. Which instrument is also known as the "English horn"?
8. What shape is the body of a balalaika?
9. "French harp" is another name for which instrument?
10. Which woodwind instrument has a tube more than 16 ft (4.9 m) long, doubled back upon itself four times?

The School Librarian - Autumn 2009

The School Librarian - Volume 57, Number 3, Autumn 2009 is now available

The Open Dinosaur Project

"The Open Dinosaur Project was founded to involve scientists and the public alike in developing a comprehensive database of dinosaur limb bone measurements, to investigate questions of dinosaur function and evolution. We have three major goals:1) do good science; 2) do this science in the most open way possible; and 3) allow anyone who is interested to participate. And by anyone, we mean anyone! We do not care about your education, geographic location, age, or previous background with paleontology. The only requirement for joining us is that you share the goals of our project and are willing to help out in the efforts"

New Books on Literature 19 (NBOL-19)

New Books on Literature 19 (NBOL-19) is a new Open Access journal of reviews of new scholarly books on 19th-century literature. The first issue was published September 1. The journal aims to publish reviews within 90 days of a new book's release. The reviews are commissioned from faculty and graduate students. The journal is funded by Dartmouth College's English Department and Humanities Division

Influenza (Flu) - Evidence-based Medical Information from EBSCO Publishing

"Due to Pandemic H1N1 Influenza and concerns about the 2009/2010 flu season, the EBSCO Publishing Medical and Nursing editors of DynaMed™, Nursing Reference Center™ (NRC) and Patient Education Reference Center™ (PERC) have made key influenza information from these resources freely available to health care providers worldwide. The editorial teams will monitor the research and update these resources continuously throughout the upcoming flu season."

RefStart — Virtual reference simplified

"RefStart is a web-based reference application giving librarians customizable one-click access to reference tools, search, web 2.0 sites and popular social networks. As a standard feature of Text a Librarian, RefStart enables librarians to make the most efficient use of time while receiving and responding to patron inquiries"

ENTITLE - Europe's New libraries Together In Transversal Learning Environments

"ENTITLE is a multilateral project under LLP KA4 Dissemination and Exploitation of Results, designed to support and extend the progress made to date by Europe's public libraries in supporting learning for all age groups and sections of society, by disseminating, consolidating and enhancing the work of key existing networks, projects and initiatives in this area. It will focus on the contribution to be made through informal learning settings in libraries to lifelong learning, combating digital illiteracy and social exclusion, paying special attention to gains achieved through the applications of ICT"

Google Book Downloader

Google Book Downloader is a small utility which allows you to save a book as PDF from Google to your local file system. The application is available for Windows and requires Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1

Library 2.0 Gang 09/09: eBooks & eReaders

Library 2.0 Gang 09/09: eBooks & eReaders - "The Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader are spreading their influence across libraries, especially in North America. Our guest this month is Orion Pozo from North Carolina State University where he has helped rollout a couple of Sony Readers and a few dozen Kindles of various versions, for students to loan. The interest of the Gang this month (Marshall Breeding, Carl Grant, Frances Haugen) soon moved on from the student experience and current practicalities at NCSU, to the wider potential and impact of eBooks on the world of libraries"

Ontario Library Assocation - Super Conference 2010

Ontario Library Assocation - Super Conference 2010 will take place February 24-27, 2010 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Canada

Murder in Cardiff, Tragedy at Llanelly: Launch of the Welsh Ballads Project

The Welsh Ballads Digitisation Project, funded as part of the Enriching Digital Resources Programme will be holding a one-day Open Seminar, for academics, students and members of the public. The seminar will be featuring a range of speakers on issues relating to ballads and digitisation. he seminar is taking place on Monday 14 September, from 10am to 4pm at Cardiff University, Arts and Social Studies Library

Science Librarians in an e-Science World

Science Librarians in an e-Science World: Science librarians are proactively engaging with their constituents and supporting new models of research and scholarly output. Hear from librarians and researchers who are involved in the following areas: e-science, data curation, creating topical information clearinghouses, and embedding themselves in their communities in new ways - October 9, 2009 - Southbridge, MA, USA

25th anniversary of the DNA fingerprint

"Today, the DNA fingerprint is 25 years old. Wellcome Images holds a photo of the original autoradiograph, discovered by Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys in his lab at Leicester University, where he still works today. This image, acquired in 2005, represents a greatly important discovery for the field of forensic science. Thanks to later technological improvements, a microscopic sample of DNA can now be analysed to produce a DNA profile sufficient to convict a criminal"

Biotechnology News Today - free access

"Until September 13, EIN News is giving visitors access to one of its 80+ industry publications: Biotechnology News Today. To access the site for free, go to http://biotech.einnews.com/login.php and enter the following login information:

Login: free@einnews.com
Password: access

Biotechnology News Today brings you the latest news from around the world on stem cell research, genetic research, cloning, gene therapy, genome mapping, genetically modified food and much, much more from the world's most-trusted news sources and research institutions"

September 2009 Early Reviewer Books at LibraryThing

The September 2009 batch of Early Reviewer books is now available at LibraryThing. There are 1310 copies of 59 books available this month

AIP UniPHY - scientific social networking

"AIP UniPHY, from the American Institute of Physics, is the world's first literature-based professional social networking site for physical science researchers. The site allows physicists, engineers, and other scientists to directly connect with and explore their professional contacts and to identify researchers with the expertise needed for future collaborations. AIP UniPHY, powered by Collexis High Definition Search, enables fast, accurate and extraordinary knowledge retrieval and discovery, and empowers individuals to search for and identify documents, researchers, trends, and new discoveries more quickly, precisely - and thoroughly - than ever before. AIP UniPHY provides intuitive interfaces through which researchers can network and share data - all with the goal of advancing physics research worldwide"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Animation Studies

Studia Universitatis "Petru Maior" : Historia

Biolinguistics

Advances in Software Engineering

Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance

Gateways : International Journal of Community Research & Engagement

Transforming Cultures

Llengua, Societat i Comunicació : Revista de Sociolingüística de la Universitat de Barcelona

Hoaxing the Royal Navy, throwing butter at lunch and leaving a Cézanne in a hedge - The Bloomsbury Group in action

The British Library has released a new collection in its popular series of literary spoken word CDs, featuring rare and previously unreleased historic recordings by and about members of the Bloomsbury Group, including Virginia and Leonard Woolf, Vanessa and Clive Bell, John Maynard Keynes, John Lehmann, Desmond MacCarthy and Vita Sackville-West.

C&RL News - September 2009

C&RL News Volume 70, No. 8, September 2009 is now available from ACRL

FreePint News and Digest - September 2009

FreePint News and Digest - September 2009 is now available

Pan Macmillan celebrates 30 years of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

"On 12 October 1979 the most remarkable book ever to come out of the great publishing corporations of Ursa Minor (and Earth) was made available to humanity - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Pan Macmillan is celebrating thirty years of planet-hopping comic genius with the publication of special editions of Douglas Adams' iconic books. With new forewords from Russell T Davies, Terry Jones, Simon Brett, Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs, these editions are a must-have for Hitchhiker readers. Turn to the back of each book to find exclusive material from the Pan Macmillan archives, such as original synopses, press releases, photographs and letters from Douglas to his publisher. Whether you're a seasoned Hitchhiker fan or experiencing Arthur Dent's intergalactic adventures for the first time you'll love the fun new design, including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy's 'DON’T PANIC' DIY sticker cover"

High Volume Digitisation: Issues, Trends & Innovative Robot Tech (UK)

This free workshop focuses on high-volume digitisation of bound materials e.g. books, manuscripts, newspapers, magazines, registers and ephemera. This is a growing area of interest for technical and project managers, practitioners and researchers, and useful for anyone interested in what is also known as 'mass' or Large Scale Digitisation Initiatives (LSDIs). Bringing together experts, UK and European case studies, the latest technical developments and good practices, the day is intended to provide an outline awareness of what is involved in planning LSDIs for digital preservation or digital access. This includes LSDI feasibility, logistics, scaling, outsourcing, costing, risks, quality, metadata, OCR and FAQs. The day will include real-time demos of robotic-arm scanners with opportunities for two way dialogue and open questions. Location: The New Technology Institute, Birmingham, UK. 23 September 2009

Booklist launches free webinar series

"Booklist is launching a free webinar series on September 22, building on previous popular Booklist Online webinars. The first in the new series, 'The Scoop on Series Nonfiction: Best Uses, Best Practices, and Best New Titles for Fall,' will be useful to anyone involved in engaging reluctant readers, promoting reading success and keeping the library relevant in this era of accountability. Booklist youth editors will moderate as four top series nonfiction publishers - Lerner Publications, ABDO Publishing Company, Norwood House Press and Cherry Lake Publishing - share their expertise and introduce a selection of their fall titles. Webinar participants will also get a sneak peek at Booklist's October 1 Series Nonfiction Spotlight, including a focus on a new trend: series nonfiction for early primary children"

New Zealand Electronic Text Centre

The New Zealand Electronic Text Centre has four aims:

* To create a digital library providing open access to significant New Zealand and Pacific Island texts and materials. This encompasses both digitised heritage material and born-digital resources
* To effectively partner with other organisations, as a collaborator and service provider, on a variety of digitisation and digital content projects
* To build a wider community skilled in the use and creation of digital materials through teaching and training activities and by publishing and presenting the results of research
* To work at the intersection of computing tools with textual material and investigate how these tools may be used to make new knowledge from our cultural inheritance

Elsevier to add nearly 250 health sciences eBook titles on ScienceDirect

"Elsevier has announced that nearly 250 health sciences titles published and/or publishing in 2009 and 2010 will be launched in October. These new eBook collections cover clinical content in clinical medicine, veterinary medicine, and health professions, furthering Elsevier's commitment to making health sciences content available electronically through ScienceDirect, its online scientific research platform. These new eBook collections follow the May release of titles published from 2000 to 2008, bringing the total Health Sciences eBooks on ScienceDirect to greater than 870 titles. Elsevier's Health Sciences books are published under the imprints W.B. Saunders, Mosby, Churchill Livingstone, and Hanley & Belfus, publishers with a rich medical and health science publishing heritage dating back to 1688. The inclusion of these books on ScienceDirect allows even more researchers across the world to access these valuable content resources."

New HSE Books website (UK)

"Health and Safety Executive has made the content of some 230 of our priced publications freely available through our new HSE Books website. The site helps deliver HSE's promise, made in June 2009 at the launch of our new strategy, to make the content of our priced publications containing guidance and regulation, freely available from 1 September 2009. These mainly include HSE's 'HSG' and 'L' series of publications. The content of these priced publications are now freely available in PDF format. Printed hard copies can also be purchased through the new website. The option to view a PDF is shown under the paragraph headed 'Downloads' on the relevant page for each publication within the new site"

British Library launches new careers website

The British Library has launched a new careers website to enable the organisation to attract the best people to the vast range of roles on offer at the Library. This new website includes some key new features such as a people and projects section, interactive fact-finder and updated job vacancies page

Liverpool Reads (UK)

"Liverpool Reads will launch on Tuesday 15th September and this year is our biggest read ever. This year's book is The Savage, written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean. The Savage is a uniquely presented, touching tale of grief, solace and hope from a master of contemporary storytelling and a visionary artist. David Almond, acclaimed author of Skellig - a children's novel recently adapted into a major drama for Sky television - is a Whitbread Children's award winner and was short-listed for the Carnegie Medal for The Fire-Eaters"

Canadian Library Month 2009

The Canadian Library Association / Association canadienne des bibliotheques (CLA/ACB) has announced that October has been designated as Canadian Library Month. The idea for a month dedicated to library and information services in Canada was developed by library partners from across the country to help raise public awareness of the valuable role that libraries play in the lives of Canadians

Man Booker Prize 2009 Shortlist announced

A S Byatt, J M Coetzee, Adam Foulds, Hilary Mantel, Simon Mawer and Sarah Waters are today, Tuesday 8 September, announced as the shortlisted authors for the 2009 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The shortlist was announced by Chair of judges James Naughtie at a press conference held at the Man Group plc's London headquarters:

A S Byatt The Children's Book (Random House, Chatto and Windus)
J M Coetzee Summertime (Random House, Harvill Secker)
Adam Foulds The Quickening Maze (Random House, Jonathan Cape)
Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall (HarperCollins, Fourth Estate)
Simon Mawer The Glass Room (Little, Brown)
Sarah Waters The Little Stranger (Little, Brown, Virago)

Newly-formed UK Library and Information Science Research Coalition makes its first appointment

"Dr Hazel Hall has been appointed to provide strategic leadership of the newly-established Library and Information Science Research Coalition. The remit of the Coalition is to facilitate a co-ordinated and strategic approach to Library and Information Science (LIS) Research across the UK. It was founded in March this year by the British Library (BL), the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC), the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and the Research Information Network (RIN). Dr Hall is the Coalition’s first appointment"

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography Version 76

Version 76 of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography is now available from Digital Scholarship. This selective bibliography presents over 3,480 articles, books, and other digital and printed sources that are useful in understanding scholarly electronic publishing efforts on the Internet

Fifth CILIP CoFHE and UC&R Joint Conference 2010

The Fifth CILIP CoFHE and UC&R Joint Conference 2010 - Futureproof: making libraries indispensible to learning, teaching and research - Exeter University, 21-23 June 2010

The Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2009 shortlists announced

The shortlists for The Roald Dahl Funny Prize 2009 have been announced:

The funniest book for children aged six and under

* The Great Dog Bottom Swap by Peter Bently, illus. Mei Matsuoka (Andersen Press)

* Octopus Socktopus by Nick Sharratt (Alison Green Books)

* Elephant Joe is a Spaceman! by David Wojtowycz (Alison Green Books)

* Crocodiles Are the Best Animals of All! by Sean Taylor, illus. Hannah Shaw (Frances Lincoln)

* Mr Pusskins Best in Show by Sam Lloyd (Orchard Books)

* The Pencil by Allan Ahlberg, illus. Bruce Ingman (Walker Books)

The funniest book for children aged seven to fourteen

* The Galloping Ghost by Hilda Offen (Catnip Publishing)

* Eating Things on Sticks by Anne Fine, illus. Kate Aldous (Doubleday)

* Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky by Philip Ardagh, illus. Jim Paillot (Faber and Faber)

* The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams, illus. Quentin Blake (HarperCollins)

* Purple Class and the Half-Eaten Sweater by Sean Taylor, illus. Helen Bate (Frances Lincoln)

* Ribblestrop by Andy Mulligan (Simon & Schuster)

International Literacy Day, 8 September 2009

"On International Literacy Day each year, UNESCO reminds the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Despite many and varied efforts, literacy remains an elusive target: some 776 million adults lack minimum literacy skills which means that one in five adults is still not literate; 75 million children are out-of-school and many more attend irregularly or drop out. This year, International Literacy Day will put the spotlight on the empowering role of literacy and its importance for participation, citizenship and social development. Literacy and Empowerment is the theme for the 2009-2010 biennium of the United Nations Literacy Decade

2010 IEEE subscriptions price list

2010 IEEE subscriptions price list is now available from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Libraries vs Recession. How libraries can help communities during the economic downturn (UK)

"There are signs that the recession is resulting in an increase in public library use as people turn to free and low cost services. However, libraries can also be an important community resource to help people and businesses cope with the effects of the recession. Libraries can provide information, signpost further sources of information and support, and provide access to other support agencies. This seminar will look at the information needs of communities in a recession, the services that libraries can provide and how to promote the value of library services." 15th October 2009 - Sheffield, UK

New Information Landscapes - Aslib

This course will give an overview of significant changes in the library/information environment, and their consequences for information providers:

* Library/information places and spaces – real and virtual
* New forms of access – repositories and open access
* New types of resources and interfaces – web 2.0 and more
* Economic, social and political issues – their effect on the library/information sectors, and how our continuing value can be demonstrated
* Future-proofing – how can library/information specialists respond to these trends and develop their skills
7 October 2009 - London, UK

Oxford Journals Update for Librarians: Autumn 2009

Oxford Journals Update for Librarians: Autumn 2009 is now available for downloading

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #85

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #85. "This week's podcast is brief in recognition of the Labor Day holiday in the United States and an unanticipated document dump. Some discussion of telecommunications issues that could adversely impact libraries was presented in addition to relaying a notable item from the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter.". Previous Podcasts can be found here

JISC Advance

"JISC Advance is a not-for-profit company financed by grants from the UK funding councils for further and higher education. Governed by a board of directors drawn from across the sector, each of the funding councils are represented to provide their knowledge and expertise. Consisting of eight advisory and complementary services, JISC Advance will coordinate and develop upon the provision of excellence within the education and learning sectors, providing inspiration and advice to support the innovative use of technology. Focussed clearly on the needs of its users, the Company is committed to providing agile, holistic services, developing new services where required and ensuring the community meets the emerging technology challenges across education sector"

Mary Queen of Scots' last letter to go on show

"The last letter ever written by Mary Queen of Scots is to go on display for the first time in 30 years. The 422-year-old manuscript - written six hours before her execution - will go on show at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh on 15 September. The letter, which will be displayed for seven days, was written on 8 February, 1587 to the King of France, Henri III. The Catholic Queen told her brother-in-law she would die a religious martyr and not for purely political reasons. King Henri III was the brother of her late husband, Francois II. The letter revealed that, just hours from death, Mary asked Henri to ensure her servants' wages were paid. The document will be one of the key exhibits unveiled by the National Library to mark the official launch of its new visitor centre" - BBC

The HeinOnline Newsletter - August 2009

The HeinOnline Newsletter - August 2009 - Issue #8 is now available online

CQ Press releases new online edition of Historic Documents of 2008

"CQ Press's newly released online edition of Historic Documents of 2008 portrays important events and issues around the world through primary sources and accompanying narratives. Its archive contains more than 2,800 of the most significant documents in the past four decades, ranging from United Nations reports, presidential speeches, international agreements, and Supreme Court decisions to scientific findings and cultural discussions

National Writers Union joins Open Book Alliance

"The National Writers Union, (USA) has announced that it has joined the Open Book Alliance: a diverse coalition of writers' organizations, librarians, activists, legal scholars and corporations who object to the proposed Google Book Settlement"

The Tocqueville Review/La revue Tocqueville via Project Muse

The Tocqueville Review/La revue Tocqueville, published by University of Toronto Press, is now available via Project Muse

First Monday - September 2009

First Monday - Volume 14, Number 9, 7 September 2009 now available

WWII prisoners' publishing feat

"They were behind barbed wire in cramped wooden huts hundreds of miles from home during World War II. But some Welsh prisoners of war overcame adversity with a remarkable series of morale-boosting magazines about their homeland called Cymro (Welshman). They stole medicine to make ink, while their meagre rations were used to stick illustrations onto pages from school exercise books. It featured snippets of news from home taken from letters sent by loved ones, and was handwritten in English and Welsh from inside Stalag IVb, near Mühlberg in Germany, between July 1943 and December 1944. Now, as the 70th anniversary of the start of the war is commemorated, the National Library of Wales in Aberysytwyth has published its collection of the magazines online"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

IUSLabor

Veredas : Revista de Estudos Lingüísticos

Psicoperspectivas : Individuo y Sociedad

Journal of Systematics and Evolution

Archives of Computational Materials Science and Surface Engineering

Drinking Water Engineering and Science

Turismo y Desarrollo : Revista de Investigación en Turismo y Desarrollo Local

Archives of Materials Science and Engineering

Confins

Journal of Achievements in Materials and Manufacturing Engineering

Rasayan Journal of Chemistry

Cities and the Environment

Journal of Management and Social Sciences

Jurnal Nanosains & Nanoteknologi

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Famous Women. One of the reference resources recently added to the Credo Reference database is "The Palgrave Macmillan Dictionary of Women's Biography". These questions about notable women can all be answered from this source.. Answers here.

1. Who wrote the 1813 novel "Pride and Prejudice"?
2. Which US actress won her first Academy Award for "Kramer vs Kramer" and also appeared in "Sophie's Choice" and "Out of Africa"?
3. Who was the first woman Prime Minister of Pakistan?
4. Which American jazz singer sang in Chick Webb's band and took over his band after his death in 1939?
5. What was the pseudonym of the French writer Baronne Dudevant (1804-76), who had a ten-year relationship with Chopin?
6. Name the American zoologist who wrote "Gorillas in the Mist" in 1983.
7. Which 19th-century English poet wrote "Sonnets from the Portuguese" and "Aurora Leigh"? She had a jealous and tyrannical father.
8. Which British athlete broke the women's world javelin record in 1986 at the European Athletics Championships?
9. Which American playwright wrote the plays "The Children's Hour" and "Toys in the Attic"?
10. Which Burmese politician, co-founder and general secretary of the National League for Democracy, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991?

"Welcome to the library. Say goodbye to the books" (USA)

"There are rolling hills and ivy-covered brick buildings. There are small classrooms, high-tech labs, and well-manicured fields. There's even a clock tower with a massive bell that rings for special events. Cushing Academy, Ashburnham, MA., has all the hallmarks of a New England prep school, with one exception. This year, after having amassed a collection of more than 20,000 books, officials at the pristine campus about 90 minutes west of Boston have decided the 144-year-old school no longer needs a traditional library. The academy's administrators have decided to discard all their books and have given away half of what stocked their sprawling stacks - the classics, novels, poetry, biographies, tomes on every subject from the humanities to the sciences. The future, they believe, is digital." - Boston.com

Harvard's DASH for Open Access

"The Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) repository is an open access repository run as a service by the Office for Scholarly Communication in the Harvard University Library at the instigation of the Harvard Provost's Office. As part of its mission, DASH makes available scholarly articles pursuant to the open access policies of the various faculties at Harvard that have established them, in addition to other materials that it provides on behalf of members of the Harvard community. For background on Harvard's open access policies,visit the OSC web site. DASH is built using the DSpace open source digital repository platform" RSS Feed

Archival Sound Recordings - The British Library

"Archival Sound Recordings is the result of a development project to increase access to the British Library Sound Archive's extensive collections. The British Library holds one of the world's foremost sound archives with a collection of over 3.5 million audio recordings. These come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound from music, drama and literature, to oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds. You can search and browse information about all the sounds held in the British Library at our online catalogue. This website delivers a selection of that rich audio heritage in the form of tens of thousands of digitised recordings and their associated documentation. If you were to listen to all the recordings on this site for eight hours each day, every day, it would take you around four years to hear them all! The digitisation project which made this website possible ran from 2004 to 2009 and was funded by the JISC (Joint Information Systems Committee) under its Digitisation Programme."

British Library extends 'New Ways of Reading' display

British Library extends New Ways of Reading display - providing dedicated space for researchers to get to grips with the latest technologies driving the digital reading revolution.
* Showcase of the Bloomsbury Library Online - a new service which allows readers to borrow e-books from their public libraries
* Three new e-reader devices on display, the COOL-ER reader and Sony's 'Pocket' and 'Touch' Reader devices - not available in shops until 10 September

New journals from Inderscience Publishers

International Journal of Collaborative Engineering

International Journal of Decision Sciences, Risk and Management

International Journal of Global Warming

International Journal of Knowledge and Web Intelligence

Crossroads - September 2009

Crossroads: the newsletter of WebJuntion.org - September 2009 issue is now available

Harvard University Library Web Archive Collection Service

"Harvard's Web Archive Collection Service (WAX) is part of the University Library's central infrastructure for the capture, management, storage, and display of web sites for long-term archiving"

Information Today - September 2009 issues

The September 2009 issues of Computers in Libraries, Information Today, and Searcher, are now available

70 years since the start of WWII

The Intute blog has a number of useful and interesting links

Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data

Library Mashups, Nicole C. Engard and 25 contributors from all over the world walk readers through definitions, summaries, and practical uses of mashups in libraries. Examples range from ways to allow those without programming skills to make simple website updates, to modifying the library OPAC, to using popular sites like Flickr, Yahoo!, LibraryThing, Google Maps, and Delicious to share and combine digital content. This essential guide is required reading for all libraries and librarians seeking a dynamic, interactive web presence"

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #137

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #137 - September 2, 2009 is now available

Information Today, Inc. acquires the Search Engine Meeting

"Information Today, Inc. has acquired the Search Engine Meeting from Infonortics Ltd. of Tetbury, U.K. The Search Engine Meeting has been held for 14 straight years in a variety of locations. The conference, generally held in April, draws together those interested in building better search engines - such as search engine designers and developers - and those interested in deploying advanced search technologies within their organizations. Attendees typically represent the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Most have strong technical orientations"

Credo Reference signs agreement with Willan Publishing

"Credo Reference has signed an agreement with Willan Publishing to include five key reference titles in UK law, criminal justice, policing and forensic psychology in the Credo platform:

* Dictionary of Forensic Psychology
* Dictionary of Policing
* Dictionary of Probation and Offender Management
* Dictionary of Prisons and Punishment
* Dictionary of Youth Justice

Each of the dictionaries, which are actually more like encyclopedias, includes over 300 detailed entries on key terms and concepts that address the components of UK justice. They are designed to meet the needs of both students and practitioners, and include summaries, main text and recommended key texts and sources for each entry"

Archives Hub Collections of the Month, September 2009

Archives Hub Collections of the Month, September 2009: The Spanish Civil War - "In 1936, a military rebellion against the Spanish government led to a war involving Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, and brought anti-fascist volunteers to Spain from around the world in defence of democracy. This month we highlight descriptions for the papers of political campaigners, historians, and International Brigades volunteers, the records of aid organisations, and descriptions for collections of posters, photographs, and interviews with veterans of the Spanish Civil War.". Archives Hub is also on Twitter

ShipIndex.org

"ShipIndex.org tells you which books, magazines, and online resources mention the vessels you're researching. With over 100,000 entries in the free database, you're bound to find useful information here". From Peter McCracken , founder of Serials Solutions. RSS Feed

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - September 3, 2009

Harvard College Library budget planning document

"The Harvard College Library, like other units throughout Harvard University, is responding to the downturn in the economy and resultant decrease in the University's endowment with a series of carefully considered budget reductions. The Library has endeavored to maintain a balance, effecting reductions to collections and services as well as to positions, and to make choices that offer the prospect of rebuilding recognized areas of strength once the financial conditions improve"

Aeroplane via Exact Editions

Aeroplane is now available via the Exact Editions platform. "This lively and authoritative magazine features aviation history, preservation, nostalgia and personal recollections from pilots and ground crew. Aeroplane will feed your passion for the 'golden age' of flying"

FreePint Newsletter 285

FreePint Newsletter 285 - 3 September, 2009 now available

2009 RITA and Golden Heart Award Winners

Romance Writers of America has announced the winners of the 2009 RITA and Golden Heart Awards

Vatican to give Queen copy of Henry VIII's divorce plea

"A facsimile of an historic document from the Vatican Secret Archives in which English peers appeal to Pope Clement VII to annul Henry VIII's marriage to Catherine of Aragon is to be given to the Queen tomorrow. The 95 x 46cm (37 x 18in) parchment, which dates from 1530 and bears 81 red wax seals, is a key document of events leading to the schism between Rome and the Church in England. Scrinium, a Venice-based publisher that promotes the historic and cultural wealth of the Vatican and reproduces treasures from its archives, said that the facsimile would be presented to Lady Roberts, the Royal Librarian since 2002. The collectors' item normally costs €50,000 (£44,000)" - Times

HealthBase

"HealthBase is a health information search tool created by Netbase. Search results are drawn from a diverse range of resources, including WebMD, PubMed, Medline Plus, and the Mayo Clinic. NetBase uses a semantic-based indexing system to obtain the context of articles, and provides targeted results categories to allow the user to find specific information on their topic"

Ask-WA from Washington State (USA)

"Ask-WA provides access to a live librarian, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, to every Washington State resident. Get useful answers to your questions, based on credible resources, from the best information experts around"

War Poetry Archive launches new collection - Edmund Blunden

"The University of Oxford's First World War Poetry Archive has just released a new collection of digitised poems and other material, by Edmund Blunden. Blunden was sent to the Western Front in 1916, and served as part of the 11th Royal Sussex regiment. He received the Military Cross for his actions during the Battle of the Somme. He died in 1974, after having received numerous awards, including a CBE and the Queen's gold medal for poetry in 1956. Articles on the new collection feature in The Independent, the Guardian and the Great War Fiction blog. The Blunden collection adds to the numerous poets already featured online, including Vera Brittain, Robert Graves and Isaac Rosenberg"

ccNewsletter #14

ccNewsletter #14 from Creative Commons is now available. "Read about the latest CC news, from the launch of the collaborative CC Case Studies effort, to the Wikimedia Foundation approval to use CC licenses for Wikipedia articles, plus updates from our jurisdictions around the world and news of CC in the world of science, education, and arts & culture. This will be the last newsletter produced on the bi-monthly schedule; from now on, we will send brief monthly e-news updates, and produce PDF newsletters, with a CEO update, on a quarterly basis"

Fragment from world's oldest Bible found hidden in Egyptian monastery

"A British-based academic has uncovered a fragment of the world's oldest Bible hiding underneath the binding of an 18th-century book. Nikolas Sarris spotted a previously unseen section of the Codex Sinaiticus, which dates from about AD350, as he was trawling through photographs of manuscripts in the library of St Catherine's Monastery in Egypt. The Codex, handwritten in Greek on animal skin, is the earliest known version of the Bible. Leaves from the priceless tome are divided between four institutions, including St Catherine's Monastery and the British Library, which has held the largest section of the ancient Bible since the Soviet Union sold its collection to Britain in 1933" - Independent

COOLERBOOKS.com announces Google partnership

"British company Interead has announced that COOLERBOOKS.com is the first ebookstore outside the US to partner with Google to include over 1 million public domain books (close to half a million outside the US) from Google Books in its online library. Starting today, COOLERBOOKS.com will feature a Google API with out of copyright works from the Google Books index, accessible for free via the COOLERBOOKS.com website, and the COOL-ER ereader."

TACIT - August 26 2009

TACIT: Information for librarians & information professionals working in Edinburgh - August 26 2009 issue now available

2009 Guardian first book award longlist

The longlist for the 2009 Guardian first book award has been announced. RSS Feed

Library + Information Gazette 28 August - 10 September 2009

Library + Information Gazette, the fortnightly magazine for the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is now available online to everyone. Latest issue: 28 August - 10 September 2009

The Google Book Scanning Project: Issues and Updates

Educause Live presents: The Google Book Scanning Project: Issues and Updates. September 2, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. EDT (12:00 p.m. CDT, 11:00 a.m. MDT, 10:00 a.m. PDT). "For about five years, Google has been scanning and indexing millions of volumes drawn from academic libraries and other sources worldwide. The project has been greeted with high praise but also with lawsuits. In the latter category, a judge will shortly decide whether to approve a settlement reached last year by Google and several organizations representing authors and publishers. The issues swirling around the settlement include the treatment of absent rightsholders, user privacy, and competition. This session will offer a status report on the project and explore both sides of these questions"

Best Practices TV channel launched on You Tube

"The first in a series of online videos that show how librarians are actively improving and managing their libraries and content repositories has been posted on You Tube. Best Practices Television (BPTV) consists of three-minute interviews with librarians who are part of the ScienceDirect Development Partner Program. These objective, user-generated "webisodes" are intended for use by librarians, research administrators, directors and content managers in their daily working lives. The first webisode features a subject librarian from Pepperdine University in California who gives some useful tips on how to align faculty with the library."

Current Cites - August 2009

Current Cites (edited by Roy Tennant) - August 2009 is now available

Richmond Walking & Book Festival 2009 (UK)

The Richmond Walking & Book Festival 2009 takes place 25 September to 4 October 2009. Writer Peter Robinson is the Patron. He writes: "I was pleased when Festival Coordinator Gillian Howells asked if I would be the Patron of Richmond Walking and Book Festival because I am passionate about both books and the dales. I have known these northern dales from my childhood and have recently come to live in Richmond although my main home is still in Canada. Some festival goers may know that this is the area where I set my Inspector Banks novels and although Eastvale is my creation, Richmond does exist. This beautiful market town in Swaledale is a great place to live, work and play. Our friendly festival offers visitors a chance to experience its many attractions whilst engaging in activities and events that are good for the body, intellect and soul. Once again there's an excellent choice of events. I'll be talking to fellow crime writers Ruth Rendell and Ian Rankin - and reading whilst Eliza Carthy plays. There's music, films, slideshows, literary lunches, historical strolls and theatre. The award winning North Country Theatre will be telling the story of the Home on the Range - women who walked the 2000 mile Oregon trail. The festival walks are somewhat more modest - so have a good read through the brochure and book your tickets. I'll be around all week and look forward to meeting you"

The new Librarian in Black blog

Sarah Houghton-Jan has re-designed and moved her Librarian in Black blog