Information Today articles from March 2006

Information Today archives from March 2006

The encryption code.(data security by different companies)
March 1, 2006... While encryption can protect data from hackers and companies from security breaches, many companies have yet to adopt this type of data protection. Why? Let's blame it on a handful of misconceptions about the technology, according to two...

Top 10 technology trends.
March 1, 2006... Technology is one of the last frontiers on the information horizon. While technology can help us do our jobs better, faster, and cheaper, some innovation actually proves to be more disruptive in the long run. So what are the top 10 technology...

Collaboration, competition, and controversy.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)
March 1, 2006... The annual Association of American Publishers/Professional and Scholarly Publications (AAP/PSP) conference, held Feb. 6-8 in Washington, D.C., was rich in concerns and controversy. The meeting, which revolved around the theme Competitors and...

Solinet offers disaster preparedness training.(Southeastern Library Network Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... SOLINET is offering disaster preparedness classes throughout the Southeast region to assist libraries and archives in developing and implementing recovery plans in light of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. With support from the National Endowment...

Directory of open access journals reaches a milestone.(directory)(Brief Article)(Directory)
March 1, 2006... The Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) reached a milestone with 2,000 OA journals. DOAJ remains true to its goal of increasing visibility and accessibility of OA scholarly journals while promoting their increased usage and impact. DOAJ...

Millions turn to ISI Web of knowledge.(NewsBytes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Thomson Scientific reported that more than 54 million user sessions were recorded for its ISI Web of Knowledge during 2005. Sessions represented a researcher logging on to the site to navigate, analyze, and manage multidisciplinary content from...

Google signs on top search exec.(Udi Manber appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Google added another player to its team. Udi Manber, the former CEO of Amazon's A9 Web-search business, was hired by Google in February. Source: Google (http://www.google.com)

That's infotainment.(television)(Column)
March 1, 2006... About a year ago, I tuned in to a panel discussion on television comedy that included its history, noted accomplishments, and failures. The panel members all began their careers working on Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows series in the 1950s and...

Announcements from CES and ALA lead the news.(News Break Update)(Consumer Electronics Show)(American Library Association)
March 1, 2006... Is it just me, or do you feel overwhelmed by the hype about consumer electronics, the "digital home," and all manner of wireless gadgets and gizmos? (Maybe I'm just feeling family pressure to upgrade to an expensive HDTV.) In January, I was...

U.S. patent and trademark office issues patent to Factiva.(Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive L.L.C.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Factiva received patent No. 6,938,046 from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Titled "Polyarchical Data Indexing and Automatically Generated Hierarchical Data Indexing Paths," the patent covers Factiva Intelligent Indexing--the Factiva...

SwetsWise online content adds new publishers.(Swets Information Services )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Swets Information Services signed five new publishers to SwetsWise Online Content. The publishers are the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; e-MED; Haeceitty, Inc.; LibraPharm, Ltd.; and TheScientificWorld, Ltd. Source: Swets...

Updating ChoicePoint data breach.(News Break Update)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... We've been covering many cases of data thefts, lost data, and personal security issues over the last year. One of the biggest was the data security breach at ChoicePoint, Inc., which exposed the personal financial records of more than 163,000...

Vivisimo in the news.(News Break Update)
March 1, 2006... It seems like news from Vivisimo keeps popping up. I've been impressed with the company's technology since I first reported on it in early 2001. Vivisimo Velocity 4.2 was recently named the "Best Enterprise Search Solution" in InfoWorld's 2006...

Search engine news.(Google Inc.)
March 1, 2006... Googleplex always has interesting news--and sometimes it proves to be controversial. Google introduced a new version of its Chinese search site. But the Chinese site raised eyebrows when Google revealed that it would comply with Chinese...

YASE.(News Break Update)(Yet Another Search Engine)
March 1, 2006... New search engines continue to pop up; I counted at least three new ones in the last few weeks. In my January News-Link Spotlight article, which highlighted a new search engine for the "tagosphere" called Wink, I termed this phenomenon...

Links.(News Break Update)
March 1, 2006... http://www.sony.com/reader http://www.eink.com http://www.gale.com/gvrl http://www.vivisimo.com http://www.swets.com http://www.serialssolutions.com http://firstgovsearch.gov http://www.google.cn http://video.google.com http://www.truveo.com...

EBSCO Information MarketPlace extends service to Italy.(News Bytes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... EBSCO Information MarketPlace will expand its e-procurement corporate purchasing solution in Italy. The service, which will integrate with Oracle, SAP, and Ariba systems, lets users select and order from thousands of magazines, newspapers, and...

GROUP Technologies partners with Rpost.(News Bytes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... GROUP Technologies announced a strategic partnership with the software firm RPost. Under the partnership, email delivery confirmation functionality provided by RPost's Registered E-Mail technology will be integrated into GROUP's iQ.Suite for...

In memoriam: Everett H. Brenner.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2006... Industry notable Everett H. Brenner recently died at the age of 79. His pioneering spirit has been felt in the information world since the 1950s. Mr. Brenner started his career as an information specialist at Texaco and Dow Chemical. He...

Outsell study targets expected growth of annual ad spending.(News Bytes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The results of Outsell, Inc.'s study on annual advertising spending trends revealed that search engine ad spending is expected to grow 26 percent in 2006 in contrast to print spending (3.3 percent) and TV/radio spending (2.4 percent). About 80...

LOCKSS pushes to preserve scholarly content.(News Bytes)(Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... An initiative launched by a group of publishers, librarians, and learned societies will use the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) technology to support a repository for published scholarly content. The group, working under the name...

SpringCM releases on-demand content management solution v. 3.(News Bytes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The Chicago-based SpringCM opened the door to a smarter content management solution with version 3.0 of its Web-based integrated content management solution. "SpringCM lets users take control of their content," said Christine Mason, CEO of...

Wiley wins two top awards, three honorable mentions.(John Wiley & Sons Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... John Wiley & Sons, Inc. received two awards and three honorable mentions in the 2005 Professional/Scholarly Publishing (PSP) Division Annual Awards Program of the Association of American Publishers. Each year, PSP recognizes excellence and...

Computers in Libraries conference set for Washington, D.C.(News Bytes)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The 21st annual Computers in Libraries conference will fill the Hilton Washington hotel later this month. Information Today, Inc. runs this show for library technology professionals. Session chair Jane Dysart packs each day with an opening...

Letter to the editor.(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2006... I've just read your editorial "Call Me Unreachable" in the January 2006 issue of Information Today. As one of the last people on the planet without a cell phone, I must applaud your realization that a person can be too wired. I still believe we...

2006 People's choice awards.
March 1, 2006... Here's your chance to nominate enterprises and movers and shakers who make a difference to the information technology community. Information Today is introducing our first-ever People's Choice Awards. Nominations are open online until March 31;...

Insidious deception.
March 1, 2006... It's been 20 years since the first virus struck our PCs. The virus was carried in the boot sector of floppy disks, and it changed the name of an infected computer's main volume to (c) Brain, (c) being the ASCII characterization of copyright....

Infotoons.(Cartoon)
March 1, 2006... My NEW PHONE DOES EVERYTHING... E-MAIL CALLS, MUSIC, VIDEO. --NICE. MY NEW JACKET HAS BUILT-IN CONTROLS FOR MY MUSIC PLAYER --COOL. YOU HAVE TO LOVE THIS NEW STUFF. WHAT WILL THEY THINK OF NEXT? I DUNNO BEST YET, I...

Google's video mess.(televison programs)
March 1, 2006... It's good to know that even Google can be humbled, as we saw with the debut of Google Video in January. Google Video billed itself as "the world's first open online video marketplace where you can search for, watch and buy an ever-growing...

Search engine scrutiny.(laws for internet privacy)(Column)
March 1, 2006... Statistics show just how ubiquitous Internet search engines have become. Google and Yahoo!, the two most prominent Internet access companies, have a combined market value of more than $177 billion (I found this figure using Yahoo!). Estimates...

It shouldn't be this difficult.(press releases)
March 1, 2006... press release: a paper or electronic document submitted to the media with the intent of gaining media coverage Public Relations Glossary (The PR Academy, http://www.learnpr.com/Refer_pages/pr_glossary.htm) Because I also work on...

Anyone can use an aggregator.(librarians)
March 1, 2006... I recently wrote a column for Public Libraries magazine about recruitment and retention. Under the title "Anyone Can Take a Reservation," the column invoked the quote born in a Seinfeld episode when Jerry and Elaine were trying to rent a car...

The Dawning of the power users.(information services)
March 1, 2006... Ever since VCRs became too complicated for adults to program, we've accepted the fact that our children have taken over the title of "expert in all things technical." We have quietly turned to our 9-year-olds to help us send text messages or...

March madness.(conferences)
March 1, 2006... The March Madness of the information industry world is upon us. In last month's column, I mentioned just a few of the conferences scheduled for March. Here are some more highlights. Large Society Meetings The Public Library Association...

Clouds and sunshine at the SLA Leadership Summit.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)(Special Libraries Association)
March 1, 2006... Houston's overcast skies in mid-January seemed to reflect the clouds of controversy that rolled in just prior to the SLA Leadership Summit, which was held Jan. 18-21. The catalyst was a message from SLA president Pam Rollo on the...

SIIA Summit: users taking control.(REPORT FROM THE FIELD)(Software Information Industry Association)
March 1, 2006... The fifth annual SIIA Information Industry Summit rolled out the red carpet for industry executives and market notables from Jan. 3 to Feb. 1 in New York, just steps away from Grand Central Station in the Cipriani on 42nd Street. The...

Conference calendar.(Calendar)
March 1, 2006... March 12-14: Fort Meyers, Fla. (Sanibel Harbour Resort). ASIDIC will host its Spring 2006 Meeting, the theme of which is Digitization: From Inception to Income. According to the announcement, the event will focus on the challenges and...

That's advertainment.(Link-Up@Home: Your personal Guide to the Web)
March 1, 2006... Convergence" is one of those hot Internet age buzzwords that describe an important-sounding trend that's always on the cusp of happening. Well, this trend is finally happening. Digital convergence is the merging of different computer-aided...

Some sites to behold: CyberSports.(information reports)
March 1, 2006... As regular readers know, your Field Correspondent doesn't make it a habit to fawn over Web sites. Most are more likely to wind up on the skewer than on a silver platter (to mix food metaphors). But today, excuse me, because I'm going to fawn...

Thomson Corp.(Richard Benson-Armer, Michael Wilens appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The Thomson Corp. has announced two newly created positions. Michael Wilens is now executive vice president, corporate chief technology and operations officer. In this position, he will lead corporate-level projects and manage ongoing...

MUSE.(Charles M. Getchell Jr. appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Project MUSE announced that Charles M. Getchell Jr. has joined its advisory board. He will sit on the board in an at-large librarian position and he will represent the interests of MUSE's undergraduate and smaller library subscribers. ...

Elsevier.(Sharon Mombru appointed by Elsevier Information Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Elsevier announced that Sharon Mombru has been appointed managing director of Scirus, Elsevier's science-specific search engine. She will have overall responsibility for Scirus, including development of new product concepts and market strategy....

Ex Libris Group.(Oded Scharfstein, Mare Daubach appointed )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Ex Libris Group has announced two management changes. Mare Daubach has been appointed corporate vice president and general manager for Europe. During his 11 years at Ex Libris, Daubach has held several positions including sales manager,...

Content Management Professionals (CM Pros).(appointments)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Content Management Professionals (CM Pros) announced that Mary Laplante and Scott Abel have been elected to the 2006-2007 CM Pros board of directors and that Janus Boye and Mollye Barrett have been elected to its management committee as...

William Burger joined the Copyright Clearance Center as vice president of marketing, Copyright Clearance Center.
March 1, 2006... In 2005, William Burger joined the Copyright Clearance Center as vice president of marketing. He's the first one to admit his marketing strategies have an outward focus "with a passion for organic growth." His mission is to develop new products...

Title change for SLA's executive director.(Special Libraries Association's Janice R. Lachance)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... There has been a title change in the top staff at the SLA. Janice R. Lachance's title of executive director has been changed to chief executive officer to reflect the same language/titles used in the corporate, government, and academic world....

Case of the Missing Librarians.(trends of retirement )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Within the next 5 years, more than one-quarter of all librarians will be turning 65 and entering retirement, according to the U.S. Census Bureau in a February 2006 online article by Laura Morsch. Her CareerBuilder.com article also noted that,...

The USA PATRIOT act back in action.(Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... "We need the PATRIOT Act. I'm prepared to work on it further to improve it," said Arlen Specter, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. The Senate approved a 5week extension of the current antiterrorism law in early February with a near unanimous...

An image of the future: graphical passwords.(access control)
March 1, 2006... I used to remember my passwords. That was back when I only had to keep track of one or two, and they were actual words that had meaning to me. But now that alphanumeric passwords need to be random strings of upper-and lowercase letters,...

Nature Podcast OKs first sponsorship agreement.(Nature Publishing Group signed marketing deal with Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... The Nature Podcast from Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has completed its pilot phase with a record number of downloads and a sponsorship agreement with Bio-Rad Laboratories. The podcast, which was launched in October 2005, is one of the first...

ProQuest plans to distribute evidence matters.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... ProQuest Information and Learning is now distributing Evidence Matters, a digital medical resource, to academic and hospital markets. Evidence Matters encompasses peer-reviewed medical research that allows clinicians to compare therapies for...

Scirus blends public, private STM realms.(scientific technical medical)
March 1, 2006... Don't underestimate the power of brand-name recognition. Take the case of two similar search engines, for example. Both cover scholarly and technical content; both cover public Web sites and proprietary, deep Web material; both include free and...

WebFeat and EBSCO Announce Partnership.(EBSCO Information Services)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... WebFeat and EBSCO have announced a partnership to integrate two of their products. WebFeat Express, a streamlined version of WebFeat's federated search engine, will be sold as an add-on to EBSCO's online title listing service, EBSCO A-to-Z....

EBSCOhost electronic journals service enhanced adds content.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Five publishers will be adding metadata to EBSCOhost Electronic Journals Service (EJS) Enhanced, bringing 18 more journals to the 12,728 titles now accessible via the e-journal gateway. The gateway provides access to more than 6.9 million...

CSA Acquires PapersInvited Database.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... CSA acquired PapersInvited, a Business One service to assist research at all levels for scientists, professors, postdocs, and students. PapersInvited lists the calls for papers issued by professional bodies, journal editors, and other...

In the spotlight.(Product News & Reviews)(HighBeam Research, Inc. enhance services on its online research)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... HighBeam Research, Inc. has raised the bar on its content collection. The Chicago-based online research firm now has plenty of upgrades to go around for new users and longtime subscribers alike. New users can sample HighBeam's enhanced...

BioMed central launches biology direct.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... BioMed Central will launch Biology Direct, a new online open access journal with open peer review that uses named peer reviewers' reports alongside each article. Authors are required to approach Biology Direct editorial board members directly...

WilsonWeb introduces improvements.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... H.W. Wilson announced a series of improvements to WilsonWeb designed to provide a better search experience. The new WilsonWeb 2.6 reflects the insights of librarians, information professionals, and WilsonWeb database subscribers. Improvements...

ClinicalResource@Ovid: the prescription to better patient care?(patient care)
March 1, 2006... Imagine that you're a doctor. Your patient with rheumatoid arthritis asks if there are any natural remedies that she can try. Instead of scanning journals, books, and databases, you could turn to ClinicalResource@Ovid, Ovid's new point-of-care...

EDGAR online offers Chinese company financial data in XBRL.(Product News & Reviews)(Shanghai Stock Exchange)(Shenzhen Stock Exchange)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... EDGAR Online, Inc., one of the founding members of the XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) Consortium, announced that it will be the first U.S. financial information firm to deliver fundamental data on Chinese companies from both the...

Facet publishing to publish 38 new titles.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... Facet Publishing, a division of CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, launched its 2006 catalog with details covering nearly 200 titles in print. There are 38 new titles expected to be published this year on...

A Slice in time.(data capture )
March 1, 2006... The life sciences are literally swimming in data--structured, unstructured, tagged, and untagged. The life sciences instruments market is currently estimated at $30 billion alone. And data results from popular laboratory instruments files are...

National archive publishing introduces NAPC content solutions.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... National Archive Publishing Co. introduced its NAPC Content Solutions service to support libraries with content management options. The company provides expertise for a range of microfilming and digitization services. NAPC also serves libraries...

LexisNexis offers new congressional research.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... LexisNexis U.S. unveiled its redesigned LexisNexis Congressional interface at the American Library Association's Midwinter Meeting in San Antonio. Users can now search more than 200 years of congressional archives online within seconds. The new...

Endeavor forms strategic partnership with Jiangsu Huiwen software.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... Endeavor Information Systems and Jiangsu Huiwen Software Co. have formed a strategic partnership to develop and market digital library products to Chinese institutions. Endeavor will provide Jiangsu Huiwen access to its full line of library...

Edit.com launches web site service.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... A new online service from Edit.com gives businesses the capability of do-it-yourself editing to update sites. Its custom work services can also provide advice and expertise on advanced updates. "We're like a service station for [Web...

Bowker releases Fiction Connection for BooksInPrint.com.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... Bowker recently introduced Fiction Connection, a new readers' advisory tool for BooksInPrint.com customers. Fiction and biography books published in the U.S. can now be identified through Fiction Connection, a service that allows patrons or...

DataDirect qualifies S2A product line with ONStor gateway.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... DataDirect Networks, Inc. announced that its Silicon Storage Appliance (S2A) products are now certified for use with ONStor's 2280 NAS gateways. This will provide customers with a scalable solution for enterprise storage requirements. The S2A...

CSA acquires The Annual Register from Keesings Worldwide.(Product News & Reviews)
March 1, 2006... CSA acquired The Annual Register from Keesings Worldwide. The Annual Register, which was founded in 1758 by Edmund Burke, has been published for 243 years. Each edition includes an overview of the year's developments by country and...

HP OpenView Select Audit: focus on innovation.(software introduction)
March 1, 2006... Mention the "C" word in a room of CFOs and you're bound to hear a collective gasp. The "C" word, of course, is compliance, and adhering to the standard requirements, whether for the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Health Insurance Portability and...

'Net' worth.(surveys on internet usage)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... "About 60 million Americans say the Internet has played an important or crucial role in helping them deal with at least one major life decision in the past two years," according to "The Strength of Internet Ties" study from the Pew Internet &...

Creating the information age.("The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley")(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley by Leslie Berlin New York: Oxford University Press, 2005 ISBN: 0-19-516343-5 402 pages $30 hardcover Well, this is a first for me. I don't usually see the books...

Great debates.(library services)
March 1, 2006... I know I'm in the minority, but I love to get into heated discussions with people who may not share my point of view (political, religious, or anything in between). I'll talk about anything from who's the best NCAA men's basketball player this...

Cashing In with Content: How Innovative Marketers Use Digital Information to Turn Browsers into Buyers.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... Cashing In with Content: How Innovative Marketers Use Digital Information to Turn Browsers into Buyers. By David Meerman Scott; Foreword by Michelle Manafy Gimmicky Web sites are out. Content is in. In Cashing In with Content,...

Yahoo! to the Max: An Extreme Searcher Guide.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... Yahoo! to the Max: An Extreme Searcher Guide By Randolph Hock; Foreword by Mary Ellen Bates With its many and diverse features, it's not easy for any individual to keep up with all that Yahoo! has to offer. Fortunately, Ran Hock--"The...

Theories of Information Behavior.(New Titles for the Information Professional)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... Theories of Information Behavior Edited by Karen Fisher, Sanda Erdelez, and Lynne McKechnie This unique book presents authoritative overviews of more than 70 conceptual frameworks for understanding how people seek, manage, share, and...

The Accidental Library Manager.(New Titles for the Information Professional)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... The Accidental Library Manager By Rachel Singer Gordon Most librarians enter the field intending to focus on a particular specialty, but eventually need to take on certain supervisory or managerial responsibilities in order to move...

The Successful Academic Librarian: Winning Strategies from Library Leaders.(New Titles for the Information Professional)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... The Successful Academic Librarian: Winning Strategies from Library Leaders Edited by Gwen Meyer Gregory The role of academic librarian is far from cut-and-dried. For starters, there are the numerous job classifications: staff or...

The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries.(New Titles for the Information Professional)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... The New OPL Sourcebook: A Guide for Solo and Small Libraries By Judith A. Siess This new edition of the essential management guide for small and one-person libraries (OPLs) features a wealth of practical tips, strategies, and success...

Understanding and Communicating Social Informatics: A Framework for Studying and Teaching the Human Contexts of Information and Communication Technologies.(New Titles for the Information Professional)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... Understanding and Communicating Social Informatics: A Framework for Studying and Teaching the Human Contexts of Information and Communication Technologies By Rob Kling, Howard Rosenbaum, and Steve Sawyer This book presents a sustained...

The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide: Strategies for the High-Tech Reference Desk, 2nd ed.(New Titles for the Information Professional)(Brief Article)(Book Review)
March 1, 2006... The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide: Strategies for the High-Tech Reference Desk, Second Edition By Irene E. McDermott Edited by Barbara Quint In this updated and expanded second edition of her popular guidebook, Searcher columnist...

Google continues to reign supreme.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2006... It looks like Google is still the king of search. At least that's what a new study released by Keynote Systems found. "Keynote Customer Experience Rankings for Search Engine Sites" was based on an examination of 2,000 consumers as they searched...