Information Today articles from May 2007

Information Today archives from May 2007

Copyright: Viacom's $1 billion claim against YouTube.
May 1, 2007... On March 13, 2007, Viacom sued YouTube and its owner, Google, for damages in excess of $1 billion for alleged infringement of Viacom's copyrights. Viacom is the media giant that owns television programming networks and shows, including MTV,...

LexisNexis labs enhance e-discovery.(LexisNexis Group)
May 1, 2007... An abundance of electronic documents has made the e-discovery process a challenge for legal professionals. Identifying and locating documents for specific litigation amid a sea of electronic files, spreadsheets, and email messages is now a bit...

BioMed Central opens doors for physics community.(BioMed Central Group)
May 1, 2007... Life is good for Matthew Cockerill these days. Cockerill is the publisher of the U.K.'s BioMed Central, which is now billed as the world's largest publisher of open access (OA), peer-reviewed journals. Although the road to editorial success has...

M&A: a Cymfony for TNS Media Intelligence.
May 1, 2007... After the flurry of M&A activity at the end of 2006, industry analysts predicted that the frenzy would continue throughout 2007. Although fanfare about the activity this year has been quieter than expected, the waves of M&A are still being felt...

Price hikes expected for .com, .net.(News Bytes)(VeriSign Inc.)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... VeriSign, Inc. announced an expected cost increase in registry domain names for .com and .net on Oct. 15, 2007. According to its agreement with nonprofit group ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), VeriSign boosted the...

LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group introduces sexual predator solution.(News Bytes)
May 1, 2007... LexisNexis Risk & Information Analytics Group will be launching its Advanced Investigative Solution (AIS) to aid law-enforcement agencies in locating and monitoring noncompliant sexual predators. The AIS leverages critical information, link...

Google teams up with African organizations for communications apps.(News Bytes)(Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure)(Kenya Education Network)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Google, Inc. announced separate partnerships with the Rwandan Ministry of Infrastructure and the Kenya Education Network (KENET). Since Rwanda's educational institutions and government ministries and Kenya's universities are starting to use...

Exhibition sector gains 4.8 percent in 2006.(News Bytes)(exhibition industry growth)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The exhibition industry grew 4.8 percent in 2006, representing an increase over figures for 2005, according to the fourth annual "CEIR Index Report" from the Center for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR). The nearly 300 events that contributed...

MessageGate earns certified partner status in Microsoft program.(News Bytes)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... MessageGate, Inc. earned certified status in Microsoft's Partner Program, after demonstrating expertise in Microsoft technologies and an ability to meet customer needs. As companies continue to struggle with large volumes of emails streaming...

EBSCO/MLA name winners of Grants.(News Bytes)(EBSCO Information Services)(Medical Library Association)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... EBSCO Information Services and the Medical Library Association (MLA) announced the following winners of the 2007 EBSCO/MLAAnnual Meeting Grants: * Agnes Chikonzo, College of Health Sciences Library, University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe *...

Take a survey: test your ROI know-how.(return on investment)
May 1, 2007... Information Today and Babson College's Working Knowledge Research Center are co-sponsoring a special Discovering Content ROI (return on investment) contest. The purpose is to identify the best strategies used by companies to measure and enhance...

Press: the blog buttons.(Up Front with Barbara Quint)(Column)
May 1, 2007... Here we go again. It was actually exhilarating to get a load off of my mind in last month's column, critiquing the mistakes press relations staff makes in handling--or mishandling--trade press. And these days, the number of trade press outlets...

Becoming more open, socially networked, and involved.(regulations for managing government information)(Column)
May 1, 2007... Some important progress was made in the movement toward a more open and accountable government recently. With support from both parties--but with clear opposition from the White House--the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed...

Words to work by.(information technology and its terminology)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Pepper your conversation with these new tech terms. locked tool box: When a company has the right tools, systems, and computers but is missing skilled employees who can put them to good use. CFNO: A chief financial officer whose answer...

A second look at second life.(Letter to the editor)
May 1, 2007... Robin Peek's article in the February 2007 [issue of Information Today] hardly delves into the topic. She certainly does a good job of describing current limitations and challenges of the environment, but her rather cursory and dismissive...

Downsizing the inbox.(conferences of content management)
May 1, 2007... Ross Mayfield, CEO of Socialtext, was spouting numbers at the recent Gilbane Conference on Content Management in San Francisco. He said about 90 percent of the collaboration in an enterprise occurs in email, and as a result, 75 percent of...

Infotoons.(Cartoon)
May 1, 2007... WE'RE THINKING ABOUT OUTSOURCING THE WORK FOR THAT NEW SOFTWARE SUITE... WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO SEND IT THIS TIME? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SIBERIA. THEY'RE CALLING IT THE SILICON FOREST. YEAH, RIGHT. [ILLUSTRATION...

HTML: it's back.(HyperText Markup Language)
May 1, 2007... Internet standards and Web standards are not the same. Internet standards, like most technical standards, are required to go through a time-consuming process (some might say longwinded) fraught with debate (which may too be long-winded),...

The PATRIOT Act illuminated.(Legal Issues)(Editorial)
May 1, 2007... Being a good librarian, I keep files of research materials from my past columns and articles. My file on the USA PATRIOT Act is the biggest one in my cabinet. Between its enactment in October 2001 and its reauthorization last year, the PATRIOT...

The time/space continuum: you are here.(weblogs)(Column)
May 1, 2007... "I want to die young at a ripe old age." --Ashley Montagu There was a time when I did a lot of technology training. But it has been years since I did so on a regular basis. Still, every once in a while, this old warhorse emerges from...

Copyright clashes on campus.(Syracuse University)
May 1, 2007... On a typically dreary, cold, wet afternoon in March, I had just finished lunch with a colleague. As settled in at my desk to review my email, my gaze fell upon the following high-priority message: Syracuse University is among more...

I twittered, then I 'Tumbld' ...(weblogs)(Column)
May 1, 2007... For those of us who like to think that we are on top of every possible technology trend, using the hippest online tools, piercing through content, and then sharing our new infatuations, the past few months have been a blur. I Twittered ...

What if next-generation BI was already here?(forecasting business intelligence software)(Column)
May 1, 2007... What would it mean to you if you could deploy a complete business intelligence (BI) solution in just weeks? What if you didn't have to build a data warehouse or data marts at all? How much would it be worth to you if your end users had...

WhereScape signs agreement with MicroStrategy.(News Bytes)(WhereScape Software)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... WhereScape Software has signed an agreement with MicroStrategy to deliver a version of WhereScape RED that integrates with MicroStrategy to let users create new data warehouses easily and build data marts at least 30 percent faster. With this...

UpSNAP partners with MuseGlobal on mobile metasearch.(News Bytes)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... UpSNAP, Inc. and MuseGlobal are forming a partnership to offer mobile metasearch. MuseGlobal's newly created search technology lets UpSNAP, Inc. customers access mobile metasearch to an array of ringtones, on-demand streaming audio, mobile...

The incredible digital journey.(INTERVIEW with Lynne Brindley)(Interview)
May 1, 2007... Lynne Brindley, who has been the chief executive of The British Library (BL) since 2000, was a panelist at March's De Lange Conference in Houston that focused on Emerging Libraries. After her presentation titled The Incredible Journey--Building...

In memoriam: John Backus.(Obituary)
May 1, 2007... John Backus, who developed the Fortran programming language in the 1950s, has died at the age of 82. He spent his career at IBM Corp., where he retired in 1991. Developing Fortran (shortened from Formula Translation) earned him the 1977 Turing...

Collaboration abounds for U.K. research literature.(International REPORT)
May 1, 2007... The collaborative efforts of a small group of U.K. organizations have culminated in a document aimed at U.K. policymakers. The 10 major stakeholders involved in the U.K. research information communication process released a joint statement of...

Put down that remote.(News Makers)(Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.'s new online video service)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... TV Guide is now extending its reach from TV to Internet video with a new service that will be officially launched in September. Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. is testing its online video search tool so viewers can find clips and episodes...

Google plans global Google developer day.(News Makers)
May 1, 2007... May 31 has been confirmed as the date of the first annual Google Developer Day in Google offices in 10 countries. Google engineers and product experts at each location will lead discussions for the global event, which will feature workshops,...

The crisis in Darfur.(United States. Holocaust Memorial Museum teamed up with Google Earth)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) has teamed up with Google Earth to provide up-to-date accounts of the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, which the museum has been calling genocide. According to recent USHMM estimates, more than 300,000 people...

Spring has sprung.(Conference Circuit)(libraries)(Calendar)
May 1, 2007... The conference season is upon us. Although last month I said that April was an extraordinarily busy month for conferences, May has almost just as many. May seems to be a popular month for major information society conferences; there are...

SIIA Content Forum 2007.(Software & Information Industry Association)
May 1, 2007... "There was a whole lot of networking going on" at the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) Content Forum April 15-17 in San Francisco. Handshakes, introductions, and business cards kept the buzz going strong for the 2-day...

CODiE Award Winners for 2007.(information technology services awarded for their innovations)
May 1, 2007... San Francisco's Palace Hotel was the site of the 22nd Annual Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE Awards Gala, honoring the best innovations in the Content, Education, and Software Divisions. More than 1,200 nominations were...

Transforming research communication: ALPSP International Scholarly Communications Conference.(Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers)
May 1, 2007... For the past 22 years, the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) has held the International Learned Journals Seminar every spring. This year, ALPSP changed the name of this annual event to the ALPSP International...

Conference calendar.(Calendar)
May 1, 2007... May 1-3: Bath, U.K. (Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel). The theme of the Perfect Information Conference 2007 is Staying Relevant in a Constantly Evolving Environment--What's Next for the Information Professional. Site: Macdonald Bath Spa...

Can a Wiki help you master almost anything?(Link-Up @ Home: Your Personal Guide to the Web)(Column)
May 1, 2007... Do you want to know how to get six-pack abs, to play jazz piano, or to make sushi? Or maybe you have some esoteric expertise you'd like to share such as how to shear sheep or the best way to bake brioche, for instance. If you need...

And the Gold Glove Awards go to ...(baselball teams and players)
May 1, 2007... As part of his real job last summer, your Field Correspondent wrote a story about statistical analysis in baseball, which is the science of crunching data using formulas to evaluate ballplayers. Was it as dull as it sounds? Perhaps, but...

OCLC.(People Line & the Executive Profile)(Online Computer Library Center)(appointment of Karen Calhoun)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... OCLC announced that Karen Calhoun has joined its leadership team as vice president of WorldCat and metadata services. Most recently, Calhoun was senior associate university librarian for information technology and technical services at...

ALA.(People Line & the Executive Profile)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... ALA announced that Peter Jaszi is the 2007 recipient of the L. Ray Patterson Copyright Award: In Support of Users' Rights. Named after L. Ray Patterson, the award recognizes contributions of an individual or a group that pursues and supports...

SirsiDynix.(People Line & the Executive Profile)(appointment of Keith Sturges )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... SirsiDynix announced that Keith Sturges will join the company as president of its new division, SirsiDynix International. Most recently, Sturges was business unit CEO and corporate chief marketing officer at Misys Healthcare. Prior to that,...

CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals.(People Line & the Executive Profile)(appointment of Ian Snowley)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... CILIP: the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals announced the inauguration of its new president, Ian Snowley. Currently, Snowley is director of academic services at the University of London Research Library...

Knovel Corp.(People Line & the Executive Profile)(appointments)
May 1, 2007... Knovel Corp. announced changes in its management infrastructure. Robert E. Smith joined the company as the vice president of information technology, John Dooley joined as the vice president of sales, and Delores Meglio was promoted to vice...

Gertrude Hoogendoorn, Head of Marketing, Scopus.(People Line & the Executive Profile)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... One size doesn't fit all when it comes to choosing a search engine. End users now have lots of options, and new models are constantly emerging. "If you are looking for a hotel or a plane ticket, Google is great--I use it all the time,"...

Librarians: staying ahead of the learning curve.(Cover Notes)(Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders)(Book review)
May 1, 2007... Out Front with Stephen Abram: A Guide for Information Leaders Compiled by Judith A. Siess and Jonathan Lorig Chicago: ALA, 2007 ISBN: 9780838909324 $40, softcover 192 pages When I read a new book about the information profession, I...

Share where?(In Other Words)(Column)
May 1, 2007... Does anybody out there remember a TV commercial from the early 1970s that featured a little boy coming home from school to find his dad eating a box of Cracker Jack? As the dad munches, he asks his son, "What did you learn in school today?" ...

Wiley-Blackwell publishes Polar Research.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Wiley-Blackwell announced the publication of Polar Research, Issue 1, Vol. 26, on behalf of the Norwegian Polar Institute. Polar Research is an international publication for promoting the exchange of scientific knowledge about the Arctic and...

ChemSW releases CISPro Client/Server.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... ChemSW, Inc. released CISPro Client/Server, the newest version of its database software for tracking chemicals and other laboratory supplies. CISPro Client/Server runs on all SQL Server runtime versions, which are simplified versions of SQL...

Upgrade upgrades Amazon Ebook program.(Google Book Search, Amazon Search Inside!)(Column)
May 1, 2007... Last November, I reviewed Google Book Search and gave it a rough review for two reasons: for being poorly conceived and poorly executed. As a search tool for current books, Google Book Search was compared unfavorably with Amazon's Search...

Moonwalk steps into the U.S. market.(Product News & Reviews)
May 1, 2007... Fresh from the Land of Oz, Moonwalk, Inc. recently introduced its Moonwalk 6.0 software suite to the U.S. market. The suite automates and proactively manages the migration, copying, and movement of data transparently through an enterprise. ...

NeoFax content and tools added to Thomson Healthcare.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Thomson Healthcare will soon provide NeoFax content and tools. According to a recent study by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, medication errors injure more than 1.5 million people each year, and neonatal drug dosing and...

WilsonWeb adds 120 Springer journals.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... H.W. Wilson announced that WilsonWeb will add 120 Springer journals to its reference database service. The additions join more than 2,100 journals in full text on WilsonWeb art, science, business, education, humanities, law, and social science...

MuseGlobal releases XML Gateway Source Package to ABC-CLIO databases.(Product News & Reviews)(extensible markup language)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... MuseGlobal will release an XML Gateway Source Package for ABC-CLIO's America: History and Life and Historical Abstracts databases. Public, academic, and school library customers licensing these databases from ABC-CLIO will now have the benefits...

Cambridge University Press enhances CJO.(Cambridge Journals Online)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Cambridge University Press enhanced Cambridge Journals Online (CJO), providing improved access to the 220-plus journals in Cambridge University Press' collection. Some developments include an updated site design, including specific sections for...

EBSCO announces alliance, additions to journals service.(Product News & Reviews)(Newstex)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... EBSCO Publishing and Newstex have partnered in an alliance to deliver Newstex Content On Demand and Newstex Blogs On Demand via nearly 100 EBSCO databases worldwide. Full-text blog content from premier blogs with historical archives in several...

SearchInform Technologies adds new functions to SearchInform.(Product News & Reviews)
May 1, 2007... SearchInform Technologies, Inc. introduced a new version of SearchInform, a corporate system of full-text search and search for documents with similar content in large databases. SearchInform 3.3.08 features added support of DjVu format, and...

Walnut Medical offers comprehensive European Hospital Information.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Walnut Medical debuted the European Hospital Register, a source of detailed hospital information across Europe. This tool lets users complete complicated searches of 130 medical and treatment criteria easily as well as create mailing lists,...

Unisfair: a virtual business world.(Product News & Reviews)
May 1, 2007... Move over, Webinars and distance learning, and make room for the virtual events that are coming to a computer near you. Unisfair is launching its Virtual Events for Enterprise, which rolls interactive conferences, trade shows, and online...

Refresh Mobile unveils new mobile publishing channel.(Mobizines)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Refresh Mobile, a London-based mobile media company, rolled out Mobizines, a service that lets content producers publish material to cell phones in the U.S. market. Mobizines are free for the end user to download (only wireless carriers'...

NBC Universal and News Corp. announce deal with Internet leaders.(Product News & Reviews)
May 1, 2007... NBC Universal and News Corp. will launch an Internet video distribution network with content from television and film. The site will debut this summer with thousands of hours of full-length programming, movies, and clips, representing premium...

DYMO launches Desktop Mailing Solution.(Product News & Reviews)
May 1, 2007... DYMO launched DYMO Desktop Mailing Solution, a U.S. Postal Service-approved mailing system with everything users need to streamline the mailing process. The application quickly completes time-consuming tasks such as printing address or shipping...

Nexsan: archiving options for small business.(Nexsan Technologies announced debut of Assureon SA Archive Appliance)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Protecting digital assets isn't an option these days; it's a necessity for companies of all sizes. Nexsan Technologies announced the debut of the Assureon SA Archive Appliance for smaller enterprises, including branch offices or departmental...

Index Data launches new service.(Product News & Reviews)(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Index Data's new service helps librarians expose open content resources to their users. The initial phase of this service offers ebooks, open access digital repositories, encyclopedia articles, and human-reviewed Internet resources. Zebra and...

Universite du Quebec selects ALEPH 500.(Ex Libris Group )(Brief article)
May 1, 2007... Ex Libris Group reported that Universite du Quebec has selected ALEPH 500 as its integrated library management system for eight of its academic libraries. About 37,000 students and 1,300 professors and researchers will use the new system. ALEPH...

Law enforcement turns to face-recognition technology.
May 1, 2007... When the 1950s television hit Candid Camera took America by storm, the outlandish situations captivated viewers in living rooms all over the U.S. A hidden camera captured the victim's reactions, and at some point, the prank was revealed with...