Information Today articles from January 2007

Information Today archives from January 2007

Legal update: where the lawsuits are.
January 1, 2007... Legal dramas have always been a popular television staple. From Perry Mason to L.A. Law to Boston Legal, these shows feature fast-moving, hard-driving lawyers who resolve their clients' legal challenges in less than an hour. Most of us...

New push to protect your identity.(Identity Theft Act of 1998)
January 1, 2007... As the 110th Congress starts working with new leadership in the House and the Senate, data security and privacy are two hot-button issues that are likely to get the attention of representatives. Identity theft legislation is already in...

Wiley-Blackwell agreement hits roadblock.(Investigative REPORT)(Information Access Alliance opposes acquisition)
January 1, 2007... In mid-November, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. announced that it had entered into "a definitive agreement" to acquire the outstanding shares of Blackwell Publishing (Holdings), Ltd. for a purchase price of 572 million [pounds sterling] ($1.08...

Francisco partners to acquire Endeavor Information Systems.(NewsBytes)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Francisco Partners announced that it has entered into an agreement with Elsevier to acquire Endeavor Information Systems, an Elsevier company. Endeavor will be merged with Ex Libris, which was acquired earlier this year by Francisco Partners....

Nature launches free science recruitment service.(NewsBytes)(Nature Publishing Group)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Nature Publishing Group's flagship title, Nature magazine, has created a free scientific recruitment initiative called naturejobs.com, the first job board specializing in scientific recruitment with free online postings. Through the site (which...

ALA president speaks on EPA library closings.(NewsBytes)(Leslie Burger, Environmental Protection Agency)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... ALA president Leslie Burger spoke at a meeting of the National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology (NACEPT) about the impact of the closing of several regional libraries in the 35-year-old Environmental Protection Agency...

Distinguished Dissertation Awards announced.(NewsBytes)(Katey M. Walter and Paul M. Collins awarded)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)/ UMI Distinguished Dissertation Awards were presented to Katey M. Walter of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and Paul M. Collins of the University of Houston. The winners received a certificate and a...

OCLC receives grant for library marketing campaign.(NewsBytes)(OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... OCLC received a $1.2 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a potential national marketing campaign to increase awareness of the value of libraries and the need to support local, state, and national libraries. ...

ALPSP schedules two courses for 2007.(NewsBytes)(Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) announced two training courses in London for 2007. The Introduction to Journals Finance, directed at editors and marketing managers to review the financial performances of...

Elsevier partners with the Russian Academy of Sciences.(NewsBytes)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Elsevier announced a partnership with the Russian Academy of Sciences to publish Physical Mesomechanics, a quarterly, English-language journal dedicated to producing the results of theoretical and experimental investigations and reviews in...

Answers, answers everywhere, but don't eat the peanut butter.(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt's daughter, was a prominent Washington hostess for decades. She was also a terror. Responding to critics about her caustic wit and fearless frankness--not to mention her outlandish behavior--the great...

Online video still dominates the news.
January 1, 2007... In my November 2006 column, I covered a flood of online video news. Recently, nearly nonstop announcements about video services are appearing as companies endeavor to make money from the content--much of it user generated --flooding onto the...

CrossRef adds journals from low-income nations.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... CrossRef announced that it reached an agreement with three new partners to include journals from developing countries in its linking network. The partners are INASP (the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications),...

Johns Hopkins libraries to preserve astronomy databases.(Institute of Museum and Library Services)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries have been awarded a $185,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to create a prototype system to capture and preserve digital data sets generated by large-scale astronomy projects for the...

Dialog announces 2006 scholarship winner.(NewsBytes)(Liu Ying)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Dialog has awarded the 2006 Roger K. Summit Scholarship to Liu Ying, a graduate student at China's Wuhan University. Liu, who is now working on her doctorate degree in information science, is expected to graduate in 2009. She has also worked in...

Reed Business Information to acquire BuyerZone.com.(NewsBytes)
January 1, 2007... B2B media firm Reed Business Information (RBI) announced that it will acquire BuyerZone.com, an online lead generator that provides links between prospective buyers and qualified suppliers in more than 125 business products and services...

Google selects winners in Global Code Jam.(NewsBytes)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Petr Mitrichev of Russia won Google's fourth annual Global Code Jam competition and claimed the $10,000 first prize. Mitrichev's work was chosen as the best out of more than 21,000 registered competitors from more than 100 countries. Ying Wang...

Outsell offers insider's look at growth of search, aggregation, and syndication.(NewsBytes)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... In a recent MarketView report, Outsell announced that the search, aggregation, and syndication segment will reach $68 billion, representing a 4-year compound annual growth of 17 percent through 2009. The "Search, Aggregation & Syndication: 2006...

Pew Internet releases report on Web 2.0.(NewsBytes)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Pew Internet & American Life Project issued a report on Web 2.0, one of the hottest buzzwords in the Internet community. Originally introduced in 2004 by Dale Dougherty, the phrase "Web 2.0" has now become ambiguous. In fact, Pew report...

Letter from the editor.(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Here's your chance to nominate enterprises and movers and shakers who make a difference to the information technology community. Information Today is introducing its second annual People's Choice Awards. Nominations will be open online from...

OA in 2006: three tidbits.(open access )
January 1, 2007... As the new year begins, I found myself reviewing my "editorial fodder" file to see what stories attracted my attention last year but were never written up. Among the items I found were these three tidbits related to open access (OA). *...

Infotoons.(Cartoon)
January 1, 2007... 1,000 EMAILS!--HEAVEN HELP ME... GO TO A CONFERENCE AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENS... 900 ARE SPAM! MORTGAGE, MEDS REAL ESTATE OPS, PSYCHIC STOCK TIPS... AND FREE BAD ADVICE! AND LOOK WHAT'S FOR LUNCH!

2007 will be more open.(Focus on Publishing)
January 1, 2007... If we were to create a motto for the past year, it could be "Scanners Rule," since we seem to have scanning fever. Or perhaps it could be "Open Rules," as we prepare to deal with more open content than we ever imagined a few years ago. Some...

What will the democrats do?(Legal Issues)
January 1, 2007... Not long after the Nov. 7 elections, speculation began about the possible impact of the new Democratic Congress. The next morning, commentators, pundits, and bloggers were all debating the takeover on various issues. While most of that...

Aches 'n' pains.(Online information services)(Column)
January 1, 2007... OK, I am not in a good mood, so get ready for plenty of attitude this time around. In late October, I hurt my left knee dancing (in 4-inch heels) at a girlfriend's wedding. Perhaps it was not the wisest footwear choice for someone who...

Editing tools for amateur photographers.(Library Stuff Revisited)
January 1, 2007... Much has been said about the love affair that Web users have with Flickr (www.flickr.com), the photo sharing social site bought by Yahoo! a few years ago. Those amateur photographers (including yours truly) who take digital shots of family...

Sampling, registration, and a broken copyright system.(Intellectual Property)
January 1, 2007... Remember this name: Armen Boladian. According to Columbia law professor Tim Wu, Boladian is the sole owner of Bridgeport Music, a one-man company that controls the copyrights to most of George Clinton's song catalog. Clinton is the mastermind...

More appointments to the NISO board.(NewsMakers)(James G. Neal, John S. Erickson, and John Harwood appointed at National Information Standards Organization)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) has appointed three board members: James G. Neal, John S. Erickson, and John Harwood. Neal, who will become the NISO vice chair, is vice president for information services and...

Rachel Kolsky named Information Professional of the Year.(NewsMakers)
January 1, 2007... President Rachel Kolsky of SLA Europe was named Information Professional of the Year at the fourth annual International Information Industry Awards in early December. The awards, which were hosted by VNU's Online Information 2006 and...

You've got spam.(NewsMakers)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The next time you log into your email account, don't get too excited when your computer announces, "You've got mail"--91 percent of that mail is spam. Postini, a provider of on-demand integrated message management services, announced a...

A Lifetime of Achievement and still going strong.(INTERVIEW: with Eugene Garfield)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Eugene Garfield, known by many as the "Father of Scientometrics and Bibliometrics," received the 2006 Online Information Lifetime Achievement Award Nov. 29 in London. The International Information Industry award paid tribute to Garfield's more...

Digital divide tops agendas in '07.(Hamadoun I. Toure)(IESC Geekcorps)(United Nations Conference on Trade and Development)
January 1, 2007... New ITU Secretary-General The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) begins 2007 with a new secretary-general and deputy secretary-general, who will both serve a 4-year term. Hamadoun I. Toure of the Republic of Mali will replace...

Blackwell publishing sparks global greening.
January 1, 2007... Global warming has captured its share of headlines over the past few years. According to scientists, carbon dioxide emissions are likely to be one of the key factors causing this warming, so some companies are taking a closer look at what kind...

ITI 2007 conference dates.(Calendar)
January 1, 2007... SpeechTEK West Feb. 21-23 Hilton San Francisco Buying & Selling eContent March 25-27 Camelback Inn, Scottsdale, Ariz. Computers in Libraries Internet@Schools East April 16-18 Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, Va. Enterprise Search...

Reaching all points around the globe.
January 1, 2007... Welcome to the new year and a new showcase of conference coverage. My column in this issue spotlights conferences in late January. If you didn't make any plans for early January's conferences, feel free to check last month's column. ...

Unintended consequences: the Charleston Conference.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... For the past 26 years, the Charleston Conference has attracted information professionals (especially academic librarians) to this namesake charming city in South Carolina in mid-November. The 4-day conference, organized by Katina Strauch (see...

Open access and institutional repositories.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Because journal prices keep rising, open access (OA) continues to be a big concern for librarians. In fact, prices are increasing at an average of about 8 percent, according to Ray English, director of libraries at Oberlin College, who quoted...

Reacting to the emphasis on OA.(open access)
January 1, 2007... Some commercial publishers are creating their own OA journals in self-defense and are trying different payment models to recoup subscription revenues. Others are resisting the OA movement or are ignoring it altogether. Professional...

Ebooks make a comeback.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Although ebooks were once thought to be a dying technology, they have made quite a comeback recently. One major driving force in the ebook domain has been the well-known Google Book Search, in which Google will scan and make large portions of...

Back to Google Book Search.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Since Google Book Search is the most prominent ebooks project underway today, interest in it is very keen. Laura De-Bonis, Google's director of library partnerships, was on hand along with Anne Karle-Zenith from the library at the University of...

The role of libraries.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)
January 1, 2007... The debate over how relevant libraries are and how relevant they will be in the future drew substantial attention. The volume of data available today is increasing exponentially, and as it increases, people will want to find ways to keep it...

Web 2.0 and the future.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The library and information area is starting to feel the impact of Web 2.0 with its capability to integrate user data into other existing Web sites. Some of Web 2.0's most popular tools are wikis, blogs, folksonomies, mashups, and syndication....

What the future of publishing holds.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)
January 1, 2007... Radical changes are coming, and many long established ideas will fall by the wayside, especially as we look to the year 2020. In fact, we are just starting to feel the impact of some changes, such as Web 2.0. David Worlock, founder of...

Behind the scenes with Katina Strauch.(Interview)
January 1, 2007... I spoke to Katina Strauch in between sessions in Charleston, S.C., last November. Here are the (edited) highlights of our discussion about the conference. Tell me about the Charleston Conference. Why did you start it? It all started...

Online Information and Information Management Solutions 2006.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)
January 1, 2007... When you attend Online Information, you can sometimes feel as if you are visiting several different worlds. Sometimes these worlds intersect, but often they appear to occupy parallel universes that are in close proximity but don't quite meet....

Conference calendar.(Calendar)
January 1, 2007... January 3-6: Waikoloa, Hawaii (Hilton Waikoloa Village). The objective of the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) is to "provide a unique environment in which researchers and practitioners in the information,...

Eccentric collectors find soul mates on the web: in fact, if you accumulate anything, there's a good chance you'll find like-minded collectors on the Web.(Link-Up@Home: Your Personal Guide to the Web)
January 1, 2007... Do you collect flashlights? Or sand? Or airline safety cards? How about mousetraps, rubber band balls, or garden hose nozzles? If so, did you think you were the only person in the world who collected that kind of stuff? You're not. In fact,...

Less sullied side of sports.(Alex Wolff )
January 1, 2007... Alex Wolff 's new assignment has your Field Correspondent thoroughly jealous. OK, it's basketball instead of baseball, and the events are taking place in Vermont instead of The Land of Eternal Summer. But Wolff, a longtime contributor to...

SQL for librarians.(Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Creating Database-Backed Library Web Pages Using Open Source Tools by Stephen R. Westman Chicago: ALA, 2006 ISBN-13: 9780838909102 268 pages $48 softcover You may have seen some very impressive library Web pages lately; I know I have. Many...

Time passages.(In Other Words)(Editorial)
January 1, 2007... Some of you may remember Fernando, Billy Crystal's over-the-top character on Saturday Night Live. Crystal's apparently ageless Fernando was famous for saying, "It's not how you feel, it's how you look. And you look maaavalous." As we start off...

Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.(People Line)(Stella Wisdom receives CILIP/Online Information Personal Development Award)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals has announced that Stella Wisdom is the recipient of its CILIP/Online Information Personal Development Award. The award is given to chartered members who have used or are...

Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).(People Line)(Simon Thomson appointed at Inspec)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) announced the appointment of Simon Thomson as publishing director and general manager of Inspec. In this position, he will oversee the IET research journals portfolio and the Inspec...

Ensynch, Inc.(People Line)(Gene Holmquist appointed )(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Ensynch, Inc. announced the appointment of Gene Holmquist as CEO of Ensynch by its board of directors. Currently, Holmquist is the company's president, and he will continue to serve in that role in addition to his new duties. Prior to...

CTB/McGraw-Hill.(People Line)(Richard J. Patz appointed)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... CTB/McGraw-Hill announced that Richard J. Patz is now vice president of research. In this position, he will lead the company's research agenda, which is dedicated to supporting student achievement through testing programs, educational product...

Emerald Group Publishing.(People Line)(Michael Seadle appointed as director of the Institute of Library and Information Sciences at Humboldt University)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Emerald Group Publishing announced that Michael Seadle has been elected to be director of the Institute of Library and Information Sciences at Humboldt University in Berlin. He is the first American to hold this position and the first to hold...

Anark Corp.(People Line)(Mark Sawyer appointed)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Anark Corp. announced the appointment of Mark Sawyer to the company's board of directors. Most recently, Sawyer was president and CEO of @Last Software. Prior to that, he was at Autodesk. He has also held many executive-level positions for both...

The Executive profile.(Health care industry)
January 1, 2007... A simple Google search can help you find information on anything from how to diagnose symptoms of leukemia to the world's best chocolate chip cookie recipe. But how do you know if this information is credible? When it comes to healthcare...

EDGAR Online Introduces I*Metrix 2.0.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... EDGAR Online introduced I*Metrix 2.0, a platform that combines an XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) database of more than 11,000 companies with analytical capabilities. I*Metrix 2.0 enhances the transparency and usability of...

McGraw-Hill professional debuts new version of Diagnosaurus.(Product News & Reviews)
January 1, 2007... McGraw-Hill Professional announced the release of Diagnosaurus 2.0, a free differential diagnostic tool for the Web and PDAs. The latest version offers updates of symptoms, diseases, and disorders, as well as platform enhancements for PDAs....

H.W. Wilson offers new reference retrospective index.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... H.W. Wilson announced a new reference retrospective index of library and information science articles offered on WilsonWeb called Library Literature & Information Science Retrospective: 1905-1983. It combines WilsonWeb searching with nearly 8...

New classification engines provide alternative Web search.
January 1, 2007... Google reigns supreme among search engines for its general Web search and its many specialty search products (Google Scholar, Google Book Search, among others). Google's dominance is well-deserved and seemingly unshakeable, but longtime rivals...

FortiusOne releases beta version of GeoIQ.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... FortiusOne has introduced its beta Web service of GeoIQ for map analysis. The service takes today's mapping technologies such as Google Maps and Microsoft Virtual Earth and builds upon them to filter, analyze, and get more insight from...

Keeping an eye on the global marketplace.(Chemical Structure Search)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Knovel Corp. has more bells and whistles to add to its lush array of research tools for science techies. Chemical Structure Search, which was on display at London Online 2006 in December, is scheduled for release early in the new year. Its...

Nature Publishing Group launches two free gateways.(Product News & Reviews)
January 1, 2007... Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has created two new freely available information resources: the Functional Glycomics Gateway and the Pathway Interaction Database. The Functional Glycomics Gateway is a collaborative effort between the Consortium...

Xrefer adopts new COUNTER standard.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Xrefer recently adopted the new COUNTER Code of Practice for Books and Reference Works for its Xreferplus online reference library. "The standardization of the usage reports facilitates better understanding of users' patterns across a range of...

WILEY-VCH offers new reference sources.(Product News & Reviews)
January 1, 2007... WILEY-VCH announced the launch of Macromolecular Reaction Engineering MRE), which will be available online and in print. The journal extends the scope of the macromolecular journals with emphasis on polymer reaction engineering as a component...

EBSCO announces enhanced Book Index with Reviews.(EBSCO Publishing)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... EBSCO Publishing has expanded the latest version of Book Index with Reviews (BIR) with information on thousands of music and video titles. BIR now has more than 4 million popular and classic book titles, detailed information on more than...

IBISWorld introduces i-Expert briefing service.(Product News & Reviews)
January 1, 2007... IBISWorld introduced i-Expert, a quick-read overview of business sectors for a briefing about one of more than 200 top industries. The new business briefing and sales-force tool presents key snapshots about a covered industry, including...

CAS expands Asian/U.S. patent coverage, changes chemical nomenclature.(Chemical Abstracts Service)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) announced several enhancements to its patent information databases through STN, SciFinder, and SciFinder Scholar. The announcement showcased improvements in accessing Chinese patent records, expanded coverage of...

SwetsWise Online Content enhances gateway.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Swets has signed 10 new publishers to SwetsWise Online Content, Swets' ejournal gateway. The platform now includes American Society of Clinical Oncology, AlphaMed Press, Idea Group, Mohr Siebeck, Pion, Proceedings of the National Academy of...

ProQuest boosts library collection with Cuban and parliamentary papers.(ProQuest Information and Learning Co.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... ProQuest Information and Learning now has research materials on Cuban-related topics from the University of Miami Libraries. The Cuban Exile Collection includes more than 650 newspapers, magazines, and newsletters published by the exile...

HP offers updated software portfolio.(Hewlett-Packard Co.)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Hewlett-Packard (HP) has a trio of updates to add to its software portfolio. With the acquisition of Mercury Interactive Corp. last year, HP expanded its product line. HP can now combine the power of its management software with Mercury's...

Translations.com: global interpretations.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... As businesses enter the global marketplace, language becomes an issue, especially with content development and software localization. Companies often need help sorting through software and applications for a quick, accurate, and seamless way to...

Scopus: cites and insights.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... When researchers turn to Scopus, they have access to 27 million abstracts, 14,200 titles from 4,000 different publishers, 535 open access journals, 230 million references, 200 million Web pages, 700 conference proceedings, and 16 million patent...

Quick choice with QlikTech.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... For business professionals, information isn't useful if you can't find it. So QlikTech created one user-friendly application for the holidays that demonstrates the power of QlikView, the company's flagship business analysis tool. The Wine Press...

CrossRef extends web services with OAI-PMH, adds partnerships.(Product News & Reviews)
January 1, 2007... CrossRef released an OAI-PMH (Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) interface to its CrossRef Web services (CWS) metadata distribution program. It also announced an agreement with Scirus and the European Bioinformatics...

Blackwell Publishing to deliver Guide on Publication Ethics, launch New Society Journal.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Blackwell Publishing has launched its "Best Practice Guidelines on Publication Ethics: A Publisher's Perspective." The guidelines will provide practical advice to editors on the major ethical principles of academic publishing and help provide...

Mimeo.com: from web to finished product.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Busy companies are finding ways to increase productivity by doling out a few of their labor-intensive jobs. Mimeo.com is one company that is reaping the benefits (an expected $50 million in revenues this year) by taking charge of print projects...

Google adds historical maps, mobile Gmail to offerings.(Product News & Reviews)
January 1, 2007... Google released featured content for Google Earth from the David Rumsey collection, one of the largest private map collections in the U.S. The collection integrates historical cartographic works dating back to the 17th century, including 16...

Preventing financial data drain.(Column)
January 1, 2007... The mortgage lending industry has encountered the same data breaches as in other parts of the economy, which have resulted primarily from lost tapes and missing and stolen computers rather than outright hacks into data systems. The...