Information Today articles from May 2002

Information Today archives from May 2002

The Prestige (Factor) is gone: This start-up competitor to ISI's Journal Impact Factor has recently been forced out of business. (IT News Report).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A start-up company that audaciously challenged the ISI establishment and its prestigious Journal Impact Factor for measuring scholarly journal impact has come and gone in short order, apparently as a result of its inability to defend itself...

Information Highways 2002; The theme of this year's Canadian industry event was 'e-Content: Discovering and driving Value'. (Report from the Field).
May 1, 2002... The "V" word was everywhere at the Information Highways 2002 Conference and Showcase, Canada's information industry event held March 25-27 in Toronto. "Value" was the buzzword in keynote speeches and panel discussions--even in hallway chitchat....

Moving up the value chain: MicroPatent president Steve Wolfson talks about his company's products, acquisitions, and competition. (IT Interview).(Interview)
May 1, 2002... Founded in 1989, MicroPatent was the first company to provide patent document delivery services. Following its acquisition by Information Holdings, Inc. (IHI) in 1997, the company has itself been in acquisition mode. In a recent interview,...

Letter to the editor.
May 1, 2002... As always, we enjoyed Barbara Quint's thought-provoking column in the March 2002 issue of Information Today. In it, Ms. Quint tweaks information providers for not developing products/services for individual researchers rather than to focus on...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
May 1, 2002... Marydee Ojala says that in "World Reporter Reduces Content; Three-Party Contract Not Renewed" (on page 3 of the March issue and at http://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb020204-3.htm), she gave the mistaken impression that the entire Dow Jones...

COMTEX News Network launches real-time news operation in Europe.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... COMTEX News Network, Inc. has announced that its new subsidiary, nFactoryCOMTEX S.L., will offer real-time news products to the European reseller and corporate markets. COMTEX also said it has acquired selected senior management and assets from...

Commercial online's tough sell: Some vendors' end-user 'solutions' need solutions themselves. (Quint's Online).
May 1, 2002... In comedy, it's the punch line. In gymnastics, it's the dismount. The final moment of a presentation that matters most, the moment that gets the laugh or lays an egg, the moment that has the arena on its feet applauding or groaning in pity. In...

CIPA hearings wrap up; decision expected this month. (News Break).(Children's Internet Protection Act)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... After 9 days in federal court, the civil case brought against the U.S. government jointly by the Multnomah County (Oregon) Public Library, the American Library Association (ALA), and the American Civil Liberties Union came to a close on April...

BUDDIE explores the dark side: The winner of the 2002 Best Unknown Database Award is. (Database Review).
May 1, 2002... It's awards season again. A time to acknowledge the heights of human achievement. Or maybe not. Plumbing the depths of human decadence is more like it. The 2002 Oscars, for example, were a wretched excess of greed, ambition, and poor taste. You...

What's my hiring line? Here are some valuable pointers for how to conduct a successful interview. (Hiring Line).
May 1, 2002... Making the most of a job interview is a shared responsibility. If you review the literature on how to prepare for that all-important face-to-face meeting you'll find that the advice applies equally well to both parties. In today's difficult and...

True Query launches service for IT market. (News Break).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... A newly formed company has taken on the task of providing information about technology products, markets, people, and companies to information technology (IT) knowledge workers. True Query, Inc. (http://www.truequery.net) has announced the...

Vivisimo clustering to enhance searching at Institute of Physics Publishing site. (News Break).(Institute of Physics Publishing)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... The Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP; http://www.iop.org), a U.K.-based scholarly society publisher with a record of innovation in electronic publishing, has selected Vivisimo (http://vivisimo.com), a Pittsburgh-based advanced search...

EIU introduces risk alert service, new look for its online store. (News Break).
May 1, 2002... If globalization and unbridled optimism--even "irrational exuberance"--were the terms and phrases used to depict the business climate of the 1980s and 1990s, risk and uncertainty are quickly becoming the theme for this decade. The Economist...

Retrospective publishing contracts: Publishers and authors should work together to comply with Tasini. (Legal Issues).
May 1, 2002... The letter should not have come as a surprise. After all, the Supreme Court decision last June in favor of freelance writers (New York Times Co., Inc., et al. v. Tasini, et al.) sent shock waves through publishers. They suddenly understood that...

Gale Group, Dialog announce library marketing alliance. (News Break).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Two Thomson Corp. subsidiaries, Gale Group (http://www.gale.com) and Dialog Corp. (http://www.dialog.com), have announced that they will begin a comprehensive, long-term joint-marketing effort designed to reach the academic and public library...

Teoma search engine goes live. (News Break).(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... Teoma, the newcomer search engine that unabashedly targets industry leader Google, has officially launched its presence on the Web. Last August, Paul Gardi, Teoma's then president and CEO, claimed that the engine performed superior searches to...

AT&T Business Services to power FirstGov.gov. (News Break).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... The U.S. government has awarded a contract to AT&T Business Services to provide a new search engine service for locating government documents and services. AT&T Business Services will employ search technology created by FAST, previously known...

Ninth National PLA Conference: This meeting provided a forum for public librarians to discuss current issues. (Report from the Field).
May 1, 2002... A LA's Public Library Association (PLA) division held its ninth National PLA Conference March 12-16 in Phoenix, Arizona. PLA, an organization with more than 9,000 members, hosted nearly 7,900 participants and 400 exhibitors. This was my first...

New.net registry introduces Quick! search service. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... New.net has announced the launch of Quick!, a search product that enables users to type search requests directly into an Internet browser address bar without having to visit a search Web site or use a separate search window. Quick! users can...

WorldFinder Corp. releases new company database. (News Briefs).(WorldAtOnce.com)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... WorldFinder Corp. has announced the introduction of WorldAtOnce.com, a database that lets users find companies throughout the world with one Web site. The new service reaches more than 40 million companies in 200 countries. Visitors can...

BBC Monitoring Online wins Electronic Source Award. (News Briefs).(European Information Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... BBC Monitoring Online has announced that it has been awarded first place in the Electronic Sources Category of the European Information Association (EIA) 2001 Awards for European Information Sources. The awards were launched in 1991 to...

MicroPatent launches licensing exchange, Worksheets service. (News Briefs).(World Patent and Trademark Exchange)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... MicroPatent, a provider of global intellectual property (IP) information, has announced the release of the World Patent & Trademark Exchange (WPT-X), a new service for listing and searching IP that's available for commercialization. The company...

Dialog adds DialogLink, NewsRx newsletters. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Dialog Corp. has announced the launch of DialogLink 3.0, its telecommunications software package, and the addition of full-text newsletters produced by NewsRx, an Atlanta-based health news publisher. DialogLink DialogLink provides...

Free Web-based ready reference services: Much has changed since these sources were last reviewed in May 2000. (Internet Insights).(Column)
May 1, 2002... Two years ago I reviewed the rather convoluted web of the free Web-based ready reference sources, depicting the cross-licensing of the resources to various portal sites and other aggregators ("Silent Partners on the Web," May 2000, p. 36). Much...

EBSCO Publishing announces new databases, NoveList upgrades.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... EBSCO Publishing has announced the addition of the MedicLatina Spanish-language medical database, the General Science Collection, and the Vocational and Career Collection to its EBSCO host service. The company also announced upgrades to its...

Thomson Financial Publishing debuts enhanced Web resources. (Internet Today).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Thomson Financial Publishing (TFP) has announced the launch of new versions of two Web sites, http://www.fraudban.com and http://www.tfp.com. FraudBAN.com is a nationwide information clearinghouse that facilitates real-time data sharing...

CSA introduces RefWorks. (Internet Today).(Cambridge Scientific Abstracts )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA) has announced the release of RefWorks, a new Web-based bibliographic management tool. RefWorks allows users to create a personal, searchable online database of references that can be imported from a variety...

Gale Group announces new content contract. (Internet Today).(Spanish-language books in large print, AncestryPlus, Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Gale Group has announced an initiative through which Thorndike Press, its large-print subsidiary, will be the first publisher to offer Spanish-language bestsellers in large print. The company also announced content additions to its AncestryPlus...

Hoover's launches new search tool. (Internet Today).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Hoover's, Inc. has announced the release of the Hoover's Advanced People Search tool on Hoover's Online. This new tool allows customizable searches by more than 20 different criteria, including job function, job title, keyword, age, salary,...

Mondosoft enhances MondoSearch engine. (Internet Today).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Mondosoft has announced enhancements to MondoSearch, its site search and reporting solution, to provide corporate customers with efficient and economical search and reporting across their intranets, extranets, and Web sites. With full support...

Zycus unveils AutoClass e-commerce content classifier. (Internet Today).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Zycus, a provider of e-catalog content management solutions, has announced the release of AutoClass, a next-generation Universal Standard Products and Services Classification (UNSPSC) tool for e-catalogs. It is a fully automated solution for...

CABI Publishing has released CABRef linking system. (Internet Today).(new service)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... CABI Publishing has announced the launch of CABRef, a new linking system. Publishers can use CABRef free of charge to embed a link to records in the CABI Publishing databases (CAB ABSTRACTS and CAB HEALTH) from within their full-text articles,...

Metrics Group rolls out new patent alerting service. (Internet Today).(Citation Alerts)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Metrics Group has announced the availability of Citation Alerts, a new patent-referencing tracking service. Enabled by Metrics Group's Citation Indicator Analytics database, Citation Alerts scan an inventor's or company's patents against those...

The New York Public Library teams with EBSCO. (Internet Today).(EBSCO Information Service to offer database services)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... The New York Public Library (NYPL) has announced that an expanded list of electronic databases is now available to its patrons through EBSCO Information Services, a provider of full-text periodical and newspaper databases. The newly...

STN on the Web introduces new BLAST capability. (Internet Today).(announced by Chemical Abstracts Service)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has announced that STN on the Web users can now apply BLAST searching to the sequence information in the CAS Registry file and document records in STN databases. After identifying a sequence similar to a queried...

OverDrive introduces Digital Kiosk. (Internet Publishing Today).(online service)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... OverDrive, Inc., a provider of e-book, digital rights management (DRM), and media marketplace solutions, has introduced Digital Kiosk, an all-in-one online vending machine for the sale of protected digital content. OverDrive supplies complete...

ASM chooses eMeta technology. (News Briefs).(ASM International, eMeta Corp.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
May 1, 2002... eMeta Corp. has announced that ASM International, a materials information society, has chosen eMeta technology to enhance and expand its online information offerings, which currently include selected journals, magazines, and books, as well as...

HighRidge Technologies rolls out text-to-voice software. (News Briefs).(for online services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... HighRidge Technologies, Inc. has announced the release of docKinetics Integrated Publisher, a browser-based tool that extends News Industry Text Format standard content to e-mail, wireless devices, the Web, and VoiceXML-based servers. With this...

Atomz adds support for XML data import, export. (Internet Publishing Today).(Atomz Corp.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Atomz Corp. has announced support for XML data import and export in Atomz Publish, its Web content management system. The data that Atomz Publish maintains for its customers can now be exported to other applications in the enterprise. Data from...

New specifications for a new Web: The W3C issues positions on patents, privacy, and the Semantic Web. (Focus on Publishing).(World Wide Web Consortium)
May 1, 2002... Web standards are going through an awkward phase in their evolution. Standards-making processes are usually criticized for being too slow, but the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has been quite nimble in comparison to venerable groups such as...

Accumedia provides Web publishing solution for companies. (Internet Publishing Today).(new services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Accumedia has announced the release of the Accumedia Convergence Platform (ACP) for Media version 2.5, a Web services content management and delivery solution. Designed and built specifically to address the unique needs of media companies, the...

Alchemedia releases Mirage Enterprise 3.1. (Internet Publishing Today).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Alchemedia Technologies, Inc., a provider of enterprise digital rights management software, has announced the release of Mirage Enterprise 3.1. Building on Mirage's ability to control the copying, editing, screen capturing, and forwarding of...

Applied Semantics launches Auto-Categorizer 1.1. (Internet Publishing Today).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Applied Semantics, Inc. has announced the launch of Auto-Categorizer 1.1, which features a powerful taxonomy-administration tool to enhance its content-categorization application. This product update lets users quickly import, create, and edit...

ClearForest announces ClearTags 4.0, licensing agreement with Thomson Financial. (Internet Publishing Today).(Brief Article)(Company Profile)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... ClearForest has announced the release of ClearTags 4.0, an intelligent auto-tagging platform. This new version, which includes semantic, statistical, and structural ragging, expands tagging output and the understanding and value of unstructured...

IEEE selects Gauss' VIP Enterprise system. (Internet Publishing Today).(Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Gauss Interprise, a provider of enterprise content management software, has announced that the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) has selected its VIP Enterprise system to help standardize IEEE's global Web content...

Groove Networks, Documentum team to deliver content management solution. (Internet Publishing Today).
May 1, 2002... Groove Networks, Inc., a provider of decentralized software for secure business collaboration, and Documentum, a provider of enterprise content management (ECM), have announced an alliance to deliver a content management solution that offers...

XMLCities, B-Bop to offer XML-based publishing solution. (Internet Publishing Today).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... XMLCities, Inc., a provider of XML-conversion tools, and B-Bop Associates, Inc. (B-Bop), a provider of XML data management software and solutions, have announced an alliance to jointly market a comprehensive solution to meet the growing...

Brodart unveils latest version of Precision One. (News Briefs).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Brodart Automation has announced the release of version 2.6.3 of the Precision One Cataloging System. The new release will include enhancements to its card- and label-printing capabilities, as well as to the online help feature. Along with...

Ohio Public Library chooses Millennium system. (News Briefs).(from Innovative Interfaces Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Innovative Interfaces, Inc. has announced that the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County (Ohio) has chosen to install the Millennium library automation system. The Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County joins a growing...

EOS International launches new Q Series Web OPAC. (Library Systems Today).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... EOS International (EOS) has announced the release of the new Q Series Web OPAC version Winter 02. According to the announcement, this new version incorporates an inviting, user-friendly interface and the latest Web technologies to deliver...

Microsearch announces solution set for online document libraries. (Library Systems Today).(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
May 1, 2002... Microsearch Corp., a provider of Web-based document publishing services, has announced a comprehensive solution set for the online publication of library special collections. Microsearch's offerings combine services and proprietary software...

Preserving digital information: Building collections that will outlast current technologies is a challenge. (The Systems Librarian).
May 1, 2002... One of the fundamental issues facing libraries is the long-term preservation of information. While this applies to all aspects of a library's collection, my main concern as a technologist involves those in electronic form. We need to ensure...

TLC shares NCIP exchange with epixtech, announces system installations. (Library Systems Today).(The Library Corporation and epixtech Inc. announce National Circulation Interchange Protocol success)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The Library Corporation (TLC) and epixtech, Inc. have announced the successful implementation of the industry's first NCIP (National Circulation Interchange Protocol) communication exchange between two different automation systems. According to...

SIRSI announces system deployments. (Library Systems Today).(contracts)
May 1, 2002... SIRSI Corp. has announced that its systems have been deployed at six institutions. SIRSI has also announced an alliance with Book Data, Ltd. to supply content for U.K. iBistro sites. WYLD The Wyoming Libraries' Database (WYLD), a...

Endeavor adopted by Maryland Consortium, University of Toronto Library. (Library Systems Today).(Endeavor Information Systems' ENCompass digital management and e-content access system)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Endeavor Information Systems has announced that the Maryland Interlibrary Consortium (MIC) is currently implementing both the Voyager integrated library management system and the ENCompass digital management and e-content access system....

ITI announces co-location of KMWorld, Intranets Conferences; publishes new edition of Directory.(Information Today Inc.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Information Today, Inc. (ITI) and Online, Inc. have announced that the KMWorld Conference and Exhibition and the Intranets Conference and Exhibition will be held together October 29--31, 2002 at the Santa Clara (California) Convention Center....

Library Automation Directory.("Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems, and Services, 2002-2003")(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Published biennially since 1983, the Directory of Library Automation Software, Systems, and Services is recognized as the primary reference source for software packages used in automating libraries. This new and expanded edition includes...

NEC Research Institute reports that the Web is self-organizing.(community algorithm development)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The NEC Research Institute, Inc. reports that, despite the Internet's decentralized and seemingly unorganized nature, NEC scientists have discovered that the Web is in fact naturally self-organizing. According to the announcement, this...

Digital Talking Book standard approved.(National Information Standards Organization / American National Standards Institute)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... NISO has announced that the national standard for the Digital Talking Book (ANSI/NISO Z39.86-2002) has been approved. A Digital Talking Book (DTB) is a collection of electronic files that are arranged to present information to the blind and...

Calendar.
May 1, 2002... May 14-16: New York (New York Hilton and Towers). Information Today, Inc. will sponsor the InfoToday 2002 conference and exposition. According to the announcement, the revitalized InfoToday conference now blends sessions for the...

Getting your information firsthand: Primary research provides a valuable supplement to secondary resources. (Book Review).
May 1, 2002... Super Searchers Go to the Source: The Interviewing and Hands-On Information Strategies of Top Primary Researchers--Online, on the Phone, and in Person by Risa Sacks Medford, NJ: CyberAge Books, 2001 ISBN: 0-910965-53-6 ...

Removing information from the public Web: An ITI Snap Poll drew heavy response and many interesting comments. (IT Feature).(internet censorship following September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks)
May 1, 2002... There's no question that we've all felt the effects of heightened security measures since September 11. Many have declared that life in the U.S. will never be the same following the terrorist acts and the ensuing sense of vulnerability. Our...

Swets Blackwell acquires John Smith subscriptions; Coutts takes over Martinus Nijhoff Book Division.(Coutts Library Services Ltd.)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Swets Blackwell and Coutts Library Services, Ltd. have announced an acquisition agreement between their respective books and journal subscription divisions. Coutts has acquired the books division of Martinus Nijhoff International from Swets...

R.R. Bowker signs agreement with Baker & Taylor.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... R.R. Bowker has announced that it has signed an agreement with Baker & Taylor that will expand the information and services accessible through the Books In Print CD-ROM product line. "This new alliance allows us to provide our customers...

Dialog expands alliance with Frost & Sullivan.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Dialog Corp. has announced an expanded, exclusive licensing and content alliance with San Jose, California-based Frost & Sullivan, an international marketing-consulting and -training company. The agreement allows Dialog to offer worldwide...

Serials Solutions joins NISO.(National Information Standards Organization)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The National Information Standards Organization (NISO) has announced that a new member, Serials Solutions, has been added to its voting roster. Serials Solutions is dedicated to improving the visibility of full-text electronic-format journals...

Access Imagery, Inc. launches.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Access Imagery, Inc. has announced that it is a new company specializing in digitizing library materials and creating associated metadata. The company is an outgrowth of experience gained by MARC Link Retrospective Conversion in digitizing and...

ingenta acquires HERON.(Higher Education ON-demand project)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... ingenta, PLC, an online distributor of published scientific, professional, and academic research, has announced that it has agreed to acquire the business and assets of HERON, a Web-based supplier of online course packs to higher education...

Inmagic, Inc. has announced that Betty Eddison, its co-founder and chair emeritus, has been named as a 2002 inductee to the SLA Hall of Fame. (People on the Move within the Industry).(Special Libraries Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Inmagic, Inc. has announced that Betty Eddison, its co-founder and chair emeritus, has been named as a 2002 inductee to the SLA Hall of Fame. She will be one of three to be inducted next month at SLA's annual conference. Eddison will be honored...

David Brown. (People on the Move within the Industry).(elected to board of directors of the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Dialog Corp. has announced that David Brown, its senior vice president of content development, has been elected to NFAIS's board of directors. NFAIS is a group of more than 60 organizations and institutions from both public and private sectors...

The OCLC Office of Research and the Association for Library and Information Science Education have awarded OCLC/ALISE Library and Information Science Research Grants to three university researchers for 2002. (People on the Move within the Industry).(Jane Greenberg, Lorna Peterson, Wonsik Shim)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The OCLC Office of Research and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) have awarded OCLC/ALISE Library and Information Science Research Grants to three university researchers for 2002. Each year the program awards...

Cynthia V. Hill. (People on the Move within the Industry).(elected president of the Special Libraries Association)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... SLA has announced that Cynthia V. Hill is its new president-elect. She will be installed next month at SLA's 93rd Annual Conference in Los Angeles. Hill is a manager of SunLibrary at Sun Microsystems, Inc. in Palo Alto, California, and...

Rein van Charldorp. (People on the Move within the Industry).(appointed at OCLC PICA)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... OCLC PICA has announced that Rein van Charldorp has been named its new managing director. OCLC PICA began operation earlier this year and is a combination of the former Pica B.V. in Leiden, Netherlands, and the former OCLC Europe, the Middle...

Carol Hutchins. (People on the Move within the Industry).(appointed at Reviews.com, Computing Reviews)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Reviews.com has announced that Carol Hutchins has been appointed editor in chief of Computing Reviews, an online resource for reviews of computing literature. This publication was developed by Reviews.com and the Association for Computing...

Ulrich Neumann. (People on the Move within the Industry).(appointed at University of Southern California School of Engineering)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... The University of Southern California (USC) School of Engineering has announced that Ulrich Neumann, an associate professor of computer science, has been appointed director of its Integrated Media Systems Center (IMSC). The IMSC is the National...

Raymond Campbell. (People on the Move within the Industry).(appointed at Drexel University College of Information Science and Technology)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2002... Drexel University's College of Information Science and Technology (IST) in Philadelphia has announced the appointment of Raymond Campbell as associate dean. He will work primarily with the college's administrative staff and participate with the...

Spring 2002 ASIDIC meeting: The mood at this event was considerably more upbeat than the one last fall. (Report from the Field).(Association of Information and Dissemination Centers)
May 1, 2002... The information industry has experienced far-reaching and rapid change in recent years, and the changes have had significant impacts on all its segments. But in spite of these, harsh market and industry conditions, and even a major meltdown in...