Featured Link

Featured Link: World Book Trade (e-books, awards, videos)

Saturday, February 28, 2009

The Endocrine Legacy for Libraries and Institutions

The Endocrine Society now offers online access to every issue of four top-cited journals in endocrinology. With a subscription to The Endocrine Legacy, librarians and researchers can easily browse and search more than 275,000 pages of historic content dating back nearly 80 years in:

* Endocrine Reviews - Now Available
* Molecular Endocrinology - Now Available
* The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) - Coming May 2009
* Endocrinology - Coming June 2009

Royal Society Journals live on Highwire

"The Royal Society of London has announced the launch of its new online journal delivery platform hosted by HighWire Press and a new domain http://royalsocietypublishing.org, replacing the site on MetaPress. The platform delivers the Royal Society's internationally-renowned science journals, including the longest scientific journal archive, back to 1665. It provides dramatically enhanced Web 2.0 functionality and library-friendly features."

Federal Depository Library of the Year award (USA)

The Federal Depository Library of the Year award provides special recognition for a library that furthers the goal of the Federal Depository Library Program by ensuring that the American public has free access to its Government's information. Nominated libraries should demonstrate creativity and innovation in developing specific community programs for use of Federal government information or cause a dramatic increase in their community's usage of this valuable resource. Nominations for Library of the Year typically run from January through late June or early July. The winning library will be notified by the end of July each year. The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) provides travel and lodging to the conference for the depository coordinator and the library director from the winning library

Shortcovers from Indigo

Indigo Books and Music has launched its Shortcovers service which will enable users to buy and download e-books to their wireless smart phone or computer via the Internet. For its launch, Shortcovers is offering 50,000 book titles for sale, priced from $4.99 to $19.99, as well as individual chapters of books for 99 cents each. In addition, an estimated 200,000 sample chapters will be available free for potential users. US version is at www.shortcovers.com. Canadian version is at www.shortcovers.ca

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Brazilian Journalism Research

Psihologija

Geoecomarina

Advances in Condensed Matter Physics

International Journal of Dentistry

Geoadria

Southern African Business Review

Investigación y Ciencia de la Universidad Autónoma de Aguascalientes

Verniana : Jules Verne Studies/Etudes Jules Verne

Calendar of Close Rolls complete

From British History Online: "The 62 volumes of this key series are now live. Covering three centuries from Henry III to Henry VII, they are a fundamental source for the history of medieval government. They are available as part of our premium content service"

The PROSE Awards 2008

The PROSE Awards annually recognize the very best in professional and scholarly publishing by bringing attention to distinguished books, journals, and electronic content in over 35 disciplines. Judged by peer publishers, librarians, and medical professionals since 1976, the PROSE Awards are extraordinary for their breadth and depth. The 2008 recipients are listed here

E-News for ARL Directors - February 27, 2009

E-News for ARL Directors, February 27, 2009 is now available online

ALPSP Seminar: eBook Publishing - what's next?

"This ALPSP one-day seminar provides a unique view of eBooks in the academic publishing environment. The morning session has a strong strategic focus and gives industry leaders the opportunity to take a look into the future of eBook publishing. This will be followed by with a practical 'eBooks clinic' in the afternoon where delegates can bring specific questions to be answered by experts. The meeting will be of interest to all publishers, whether just starting out in the eBooks market or already well established and keen to keep abreast of developments." - 12 May 2009 - London, UK

Digital Humanities, Digital Libraries and Digital Museums calendar

A Digital Humanities, Digital Archives, Digital Libraries, and Digital Museums: Conferences and Events Calendar is now available. Created by Amanda French of New York University

Museums and the Web 2009

"Museums and the Web 2009 addresses the social, cultural, design, technological, economic, and organizational issues of culture, science and heritage on-line. Taking an international perspective, senior speakers with extensive experience in Web development review and analyze the issues and impacts of networked cultural, natural and scientific heritage." - April 15-18, 2009 - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Cornell University Library Historical Mathematics Monographs

The Cornell University Library Historical Mathematics Monographs is a collection of selected monographs with expired copyrights chosen from the mathematics field. These were monographs that were brittle and decaying and in need of rescue. These monographs were digitally scanned and facsimile editions on acid free paper were created

32nd annual National Magazine Awards (Canada)

The National Magazine Awards Foundation is a bilingual, not-for-profit institution whose mission is to recognize excellence in the content and creation of Canadian magazines through an annual program of awards

MagNet: Canada's Magazine Conference

MagNet: Canada's Magazine Conference - 2-5 June 2009 - Toronto, Canada

Friday, February 27, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

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

1. Actions speak louder than (what?).
2. One man's meat is another man's (what?).
3. Nothing is certain but (what?).
4. (What) is the spice of life?
5. A bird in the hand is worth (what?).
6. The English poet and clergyman John Donne said: "No man is (what?)".
7. In the Bible, the book of Proverbs, chapter 29, verse 18, says: "Where there is no (what?), the people perish".
8. This proverb is adapted from a line by the author William Congreve: "Hell hath no fury like (what?)".
9. Tell the truth and shame the (what?).
10. Parkinson's Law says that "Work (does what?)".

Charles Darwin in the archives (1809 - 1882) (UK)

With the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth celebrated this month, The UK National Archives looks at some of the documents and resources held on the pioneering naturalist.

London Book Fair Podcast Series - Paul Marsh

Paul Marsh, Literary Agent, The Marsh Agency Ltd gives his views on the current conditions of the Foreign rights market, how agents are dealing with the digital rights issues and the opportunities that exist for agents from Market Focus India:



Books' free-for-all in UK warehouse

Books' free-for-all in UK warehouse "People in Bristol, UK, have been invited to help themselves to free books at a warehouse which were left behind when the owners left the site. Bookbarn's lease on the premises in Arnos Vale recently expired and when the firm moved out it left behind thousands of books. Managers of the Paintworks site have invited people to help themselves. This Bookbarn is in no way connected to the company BookBarn International at Hallatrow in North Somerset." - BBC

The 50-year overdue library book (UK)

The 50-year overdue library book"Returning overdue library books is not normally a stressful experience - but you could forgive Highgate's Tom Stephenson for being a little worried. On Saturday, he handed back a novel exactly half a century late. Accompanied by his daughter Lucy, Mr Stephenson walked into Kentish Town library to give back a copy of Holy Disorders - 50 years to the day since his father John first took it out on loan. But thankfully he didn't need to get out his credit card after surprised staff decided to relinquish any windfall they could have made through a hefty fine." - Ham&High

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - February 26, 2009

AALL Tools for Success Wiki

In response to the U.S. recession and its impact on law libraries, the American Association of Law Libraries has created a wiki of Tools for Success in Today's Economy

Mendeley

Mendeley"Mendeley is free social software for managing and sharing research papers. It is also a Web 2.0 site for discovering research trends and connecting to like-minded academics. To achieve our long-term vision of a 'Last.fm for research', we're working with the former founding engineers of Skype and Last.fm's former chairman"

2009 Annual SIIA Codie Awards finalists

The finalists of The 2009 Annual SIIA Codie Awards have been announced

Essex Book Festival 2009 (UK)

The Essex Book Festival 2009 will be launched March 5 at the Chelmsford Library. "A host of Essex authors will be helping to celebrate this 10th anniversary so come along and meet Barbara Erskine, Martin Newell, Michael Foley, Sylvia Kent, Julia Jones and various writers groups. BBC Essex will be there too, broadcasting live thoughout the morning with Ray Clark and Angela Lodge"

ARROW Discovery Service

"ARROW Discovery Service - where you can search 258,671 Australian research outputs, including theses; preprints; postprints; journal articles; book chapters; music recordings and pictures. The service is provided by the National Library of Australia. The records are harvested from the hosting repositories via the Open Archives Initiative-Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH). Each record found through this service will link back to a record in the original repository. The contents of the ARROW Discovery Service are also indexed by Google, increasing the visibility of Australian research throughout the world"

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 170

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 170 - March 2009 - edited by Roddy MacLeod, Heriot-Watt University, is now available

2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

Joseph O'Neill's novel Netherland (Pantheon Books) has been selected as the winner of the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction

The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2009 longlist

The longlist for The Independent Foreign Fiction Prize 2009 has been announced:

* Voiceover by Celine Curiol
* A Blessed Child by Linn Ullman
* The Blue Fox by Sjon
* Friendly Fire by A.B. Yehoshua
* My Father's Wives by Jose Eduardo Algualusa
* The White King by Gyorgy Dragoman
* The Informers by Juan Gabriel Vasquez
* Homesick by Eshkol Nevo
* Beijing Coma by Ma Jian
* The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa
* Novel 11, Book 18 by Dag Solstad
* The Director by Alexander Ahndoril
* The Armies by Evelio Rosero
* How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone by Sasa Stanisic
* The Siege by Ismail Kadare
* Night Work by Thomas Glavinic

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Plustek BookReader

The Plustek BookReader will convert printed text into high quality speech with a lifelike voice, which can then be saved in MP3 format for future access. The BookReader comes with Optical Character Recognition (OCR), and Text to Speech (TTS) software, to copy and "read" the documents scanned into the BookReader. The user places a book or document on the screen and at the press of a button, the book is scanned for reading pleasure. The BookReader also comes with bundled software

Map Cataloguing for the Terrified

The Map Curators' Group of the British Cartographic Society has announced its next training event for map librarians, curators, archivists, cataloguers and all those charged with caring for or cataloguing cartographic materials. Map Cataloguing for the Terrified - 23-24th April 2009 - University of Liverpool, UK

Herdict Web

"Herdict is a project of the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University. Herdict is a portmanteau of 'herd' and 'verdict' and seeks to show the verdict of the users (the herd). Herdict Web seeks to gain insight into what users around the world are experiencing in terms of web accessibility; or in other words, determine the herdict. The brainchild of Professor Jonathan Zittrain, Herdict Web is a natural progression from the OpenNet Initiative. Whereas OpenNet views Internet filtering through an academic lens, Herdict uses crowdsourcing to learn about and present a real time view of the experiences of users around the globe."

Five M.E. Sharpe multi-volume encyclopedias added to Credo Reference

"Credo Reference recently signed an agreement to integrate five key M.E. Sharpe multi-volume encyclopedias into the Credo General Reference collection. M.E. Sharpe publishes in the social sciences and humanities, including titles in economics, political science, management and public administration, history and literature. The handsomely illustrated Sharpe Reference titles feature numerous maps, photographs, timelines, charts, lists, tables, bibliographies, glossaries and indexes that lend impact and immediacy to the information they provide - all of which will be available to Credo users from these five highly-reviewed and awarded titles:

* Encyclopedia of Emancipation and Abolition in the Transatlantic World, 2007 [3 vols.]
* Encyclopedia of Intelligence & Counterintelligence, 2005 [2 vols.]
* Encyclopedia of World Trade From Ancient Times to the Present, 2005 [4 vols.]
* A Financial History of the United States, 2002 [3 vols.]
* The Underground Railroad: An Encyclopedia of People, Places, and Operations, 2008 [2 vols.]"

Project Gutenberg February 2009 Newsletter

The Project Gutenberg February 2009 Newsletter is now available online

Fanzines enter pages of history

Fanzines enter pages of history"They were invented by fans of trashy science fiction novels in the 1930s before their hand-written Xeroxed pages chronicled the birth of punk. But as the internet threatens to condemn them to history's shredder, traditional music fanzines - amateur magazines written, edited and produced by fans - have found an unlikely saviour. The National Library of Scotland is to embark on the laborious task of tracking down and cataloguing the countless thousands of fanzines published in the UK over the past 70 years. The library has enlisted the help of Chris Atton, a professor of media and culture at Napier University who has written both for and about fanzines for almost 30 years." - BBC

The Orwell Prize 2009 longlists announced

The longlists for The Orwell Prize 2009 have been announced - "18 books are on the Book Prize longlist, 12 journalists are on the Journalism Prize longlist, and 12 bloggers have made our first ever Blog Prize longlist. All of the longlists will be whittled down to six entries each for the shortlists. The shortlists will be announced at a special Shortlist Debate at Reuters, 'Are political parties bankrupt? The economic emergency and the next election', on 25th March 2009"

The Reading Festival of Crime Writing 2009

This year's Reading Festival of Crime Writing takes place 11-13 September in Reading, UK. Tickets will be available from Reading Arts from mid 2009. Speakers include: M. C. Beaton, Stephen Booth, Christopher Brookmyre, Elizabeth Corley, Ruth Downie, Simon Hall, Charlie Higson, Simon Kernick, John Macken, Zoe Sharp, Simon Beckett, Gyles Brandreth, Chris Carter, Judith Cutler, Kate Ellis, Sophie Hannah, Jane Hill, Patrick Lennon, Edward Marston, Andrew Taylor, Mark Billingham, Simon Brett, Natasha Cooper, Colin Dexter, Frances Fyfield, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, Peter James, Peter Lovesey, Andrew Martin, and more

Naomi Klein wins Warwick Prize for Writing

Naomi Klein was announced as the winner of the first Warwick Prize for Writing for The Shock Doctrine at an event on 24 February 2009:

ACRL Podcast: 2009 Vice President/ President-Elect Candidates Talk

ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss talks with Lisa Janicke Hinchliffe of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Kelly Janousek of California State University-Long Beach, 2009 candidates for ACRL Vice President/ President-Elect

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Wellcome Film channel on YouTube

"Wellcome Film has launched its YouTube channel, with more videos to be added soon. Watch, rate and comment on the Wellcome Library's Moving Image and Sound Collection's fascinating selection of archive films, or subscribe to the channel to get regular updates. The most popular video so far is Childbirth as an Athletic Feat (1939), a delightful film showing a class of expectant mothers performing antenatal exercises"

2009 Patent Focus Report

The Healthcare and Science business of Thomson Reuters has released its 2009 Patent Focus Report. Authored by Joff Wild, editor of Intellectual Asset Management magazine, and published in the Thomson Reuters KnowledgeLink eNewsletter, this report explores recent activities at each of the world's major patenting authorities (USA, Europe, Japan, China and India

'Bothersome' books shelved by library in novel initiative

A radical Bodmin (UK) librarian has come up with a novel idea for getting people to read more interesting books - by letting them know the ones he can't stand. Books That We Hate, Books to Help You Fall Asleep and Great Classics or Boring Books are some of the new sections dreamed up by library manager Jesse Foot. Books he can't stand include those by chef Gordon Ramsey, The Insider by Piers Morgan, Michael Barrymore's autobiography and a thick tome devoted to garden gnomes. Books to nod off to include a huge volume on world politics, The Gold Book and the mammoth 825-page Building Regulations in Brief by Ray Tricker. Mr Foot said the new sections were intended to make people think about what they were reading and he hoped his innovative approach would be adopted by other libraries in Cornwall. He said he felt people would be able to get more out of books if they altered their reading habits and avoided titles like 101 Things to Do in a Shed. - thisiscornwall.co.uk

New community tools on Intute

Intute have introduced a new comments and ratings facility to its Internet Resources Catalogue to encourage our users to share and comment on their favourite sites and sources for use in education

Spain via Exact Editions

Spain is now available for reading on the Exact Editions platform. In the trial issue Jonathan Holland chats to Estrella Morente on singing for Penelope Cruz and following in her father's footsteps; Liz Silvester investigates saying 'I do' in the sun and why fight over sun loungers at a hotel when you can rent some of the most fabulous villas in the Balearics?

Living Abroad via Exact Editions

Living Abroad is now available for reading on the Exact Editions platform. The trial issue features a look at the Scates' move to the Caribbean, the Welsh family talk of their decision to head Down Under to Western Australia and finding out about the challenges and rewards of living overseas; Mark Sell and Clare Wood talk of their new life in Dubai with their newborn baby

Tim O'Reilly shares his thoughts on Open Publishing

O'Reilly Tools of Change 2009: Tim O'Reilly makes the argument for Open Publishing:


O'Reilly Tools of Change 2009: Tim O'Reilly makes the argument for Open Publishing from Open Publishing Lab @ RIT on Vimeo.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Lost pages of Buck's 'Good Earth' return to PA

The long-lost handwritten manuscript of Pearl S. Buck's classic novel "The Good Earth" is set to go on display next month at the late author's home outside Philadelphia. The Pearl S. Buck House, in Hilltown Township, will display the 400 hand-edited pages for six months, beginning March 3. It will be the first time since May 1930 that the manuscript will be reunited with the desk, chair and typewriter that Buck used when she wrote the novel, said Donna Rhodes, a curator at Buck's home. - AP

HerStoria magazine

"Look at history from a female perspective and everything changes. HerStoria magazine and Discover Women's History Web will entertain, inform and create a community. We'll turn a kaleidoscope on the past to uncover a different history - women's history - and celebrate the women who made it. Published in the UK, with 4 issues each year, out February, May, August and November"

OCLC and ALISE announce 2009 Research Grant Award recipients

OCLC Programs and Research and the Association for Library and Information Science Education (ALISE) announce research grant awards to Kathryn La Barre and Carol Tilley of the University of Illinois, Michael Khoo of Drexel University, and Bill Kules of The Catholic University of America. The awards were presented in January at the ALISE 2009 Annual Conference Awards Reception in Denver, Colorado

eSafety and Young People

eSafety and Young People: The Issues for Museums, Libraries, Archives and Schools - 16 March - Leeds City Museum, UK. A free, regional conference to raise awareness and discuss the issues surrounding eSafety and young people. For those involved in Museums, Libraries and Archives Services to schools and young people, and others involved in education

Robert Burns at 250: Poetry, Politics & Performance

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's national poet, the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, in collaboration with the Scottish Government, will present a free public symposium on Burns’s life and work, as well as his impact on America and American culture. Leading scholars, poets, and musicians from Scotland and the United States will join experts from the Library of Congress in the two-day event. The symposium will be produced by the Library's American Folklife Center, in cooperation with the Library's Center for the Book, the Library's Poetry and Literature Center, and the Scottish Government as part of Homecoming Scotland 2009. Symposium: February 24-25, 2009, Mumford Room, 6th Floor, James Madison Memorial Building, Washington, DC

William James Topley: Reflections on a Capital Photographer

The William James Topley photographic collection is one of the most important visual records of Canada during the first 50 years after Confederation. The photographs produced by the Topley Studio provide a vivid documentation of the political, social, cultural, economic, technological and architectural changes during the first fifty years of Canada after Confederation. The collection documents life in the Ottawa area-as well as people and events in other regions of the country-between 1868 and 1923. The photographs produced by the Topley Studio vividly portray Canadian life in all its facets-political, social, economic, technological and architectural-during a time of rapid change. These images help us to envision Canada's past by capturing the construction of the Parliament Buildings; social occasions including the Governor General's balls; street scenes in Ottawa and landscapes farther afield; and portraits of our political leaders and average Canadians - Library and Archives Canada

The TriUniversity Group of Libraries goes live with the Primo discovery and delivery solution from Ex Libris

Ex Libris Group has announced that the TriUniversity Group of Libraries (TUG) in Ontario, Canada, has gone live with a public beta version of the Primo discovery and delivery solution. TUG is a consortium of three university libraries - the University of Guelph, the University of Waterloo, and Wilfrid Laurier University - and is a member of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) consortium and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN)

Primary Source - February 2009

Primary Source - February 2009 issue now available from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, DC, USA

Monday, February 23, 2009

PEER - Website now live

PEER (Publishing and the Ecology of European Research), supported by the EC eContentplus programme, will investigate the effects of the large-scale, systematic depositing of authors' final peer-reviewed manuscripts (so called Green Open Access or stage-two research output) on reader access, author visibility, and journal viability, as well as on the broader ecology of European research. The project is a collaboration between publishers, repositories and researchers and will last from 2008 to 2011

Cites & Insights 9:3 (March 2009)

Cites & Insights 9:4 (March 2009) is now available for downloading

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #61

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #61. "In this week's edition of LISTen, we have no interviews. In lieu thereof, we deal with topical matters. First off is a commentary relative to the Topeka-Spokane County Library situation that takes a seemingly counterintuitive view of things while looking for a silver lining. After that is a report on recently introduced legislation in the United States Congress that looked at implications for libraries the original CNET piece forwarded by the ALA's Washington Office didn't consider. Following on the heels of that, a brief discussion of the new network's background is presented with the aim of answering some questions raised. The episode wraps with a look ahead at the week's programming in the LISNews Netcast Network". Previous Podcasts can be found here

The Education Show 2009

The Education Show 2009 is the UK's largest showcase of educational resources of all kinds. It enables educators to see what is new, try out resources and take part in free CPD so that they can teach and manage learning more effectively. In order to enable this, the Show will focus on key themes such as:

* The core curriculum subjects of English, mathematics, science and ICT
* Leadership and management
* Curriculum change at all stages

IFLA Journal - March 2009

IFLA Journal - Volume 35, Number 1, March 2009, is now available

Sunday, February 22, 2009

The Art Fund helps British Library acquire Futurist metal book 100 years after the founding of Futurism

A rare metal book, Parole in Libertà…, produced in 1932 by Italian avant-garde artists Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876-1944) and Tullio D'Albisola (1899-1971) has been bought by the British Library with help of independent charity The Art Fund. Its acquisition comes 100 years after Marinetti provocatively called for the destruction of museums, libraries and academies in artistic movement Futurism's founding manifesto. The Art Fund, which is funded by its 80,000 members and donations, gave the British Library £18,000 towards the £83,000 cost for Parole in Libertà. Friends of the British Library gave £5,000. Parole in Libertà Futuriste Olfattive Tattili Termiche (Words in Futurist, Olfactory, Tactile, Thermal Freedom) is made from tin and consists of 27 lithographed pages filled with words, poetic phrases and brightly coloured graphic images. It captures the dynamism and energy of Futurism - launched by Marinetti in a manifesto published on the front page of French newspaper Le Figaro on 20 February 1909 - which urged artists to rid themselves of the past and embrace aggression, speed and technology

Transforming Public Libraries Conference

Transforming Public Libraries ConferenceA one-day conference for council leaders on how local authorities with the responsibility for public libraries are tackling change. The conference will provide an opportunity to consider how the political leadership of local authorities, together with senior managers, can best articulate and contribute to the Government's Review of Public Libraries - 25 February 2009 - Winchester, UK. There is also a conference Twitter stream

America's Star Libraries

Library Journal's new national rating of public libraries, the LJ Index of Public Library Service, identifies 256 "star" libraries. Created by Ray Lyons and Keith Curry Lance, it rates 7,115 public libraries. The top libraries in each group get five, four, or three Michelin guide-like stars. All included libraries, stars or not, can use their scores to learn from their peers and improve service to their communities:

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2009 winner

The winner of the Waterstone's Children's Book Prize 2009 is Michelle Harrison for "The Thirteen Treasures."

Book Video Awards 2009

Play.com in association with the Random House Group, The Bookseller and the National Film and Television School present the Book Video Awards 2009. Three exciting young directors were selected to make trailers for three children's/young adult titles: Heroes of the Valley, Double Cross and My Sister Jodie"

Podcast: Royal Air Force service records

"Last year saw the 90th anniversary of the establishment of the Royal Air Force. The records of thousands of men (and women) who served in the RAF and its predecessors during the First World War are held by The National Archives. This talk will demonstrate how you can use these records to find out more about your ancestors' lives in this pioneering branch of the armed services." - UK National Archives

Uncontrolled Vocabulary #71

Uncontrolled Vocabulary #71 is now available for download. Topics:

1. Most State Library jobs could be history (pennlive.com)

2. Why aren't ebooks taking off? Not enough pirates (The Guardian)

3. Doomed: why Wikipedia will fail (ars technica)
Why Wikipedia's Policy to Blacklist Blogs is Outdated and Wrong (ReadWriteWeb)

4. In Web Age, Library Job Gets Update (New York Times)

5. A Dirty Little Secret: Self-Censorship (School Library Journal)

6. Is Your Library a Star? LJ Launches the Index of Public Library Service (Library Journal)

Wowbrary

Wowbrary"Wowbrary was created to make public libraries more visible and accessible to everyone. Wowbrary regularly informs you by email and/or RSS about your chosen public library’s newest books, movies and music. We make it easy for you to browse through the latest additions and place a hold on a new title. This is a free user service supported by grants, donations, sponsorships, book sale commissions and volunteers. Wowbrary is the brainchild of Jeff Levinsky and Torben Gronning, both avid library fans. It is a special project of Interactive Sciences, Inc., a California nonprofit 501(c)(3) public-benefit corporation that uses technology to help with social needs"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Gender Forum

Citius Altius Fortius

Journal of Public Transportation

Public Space: The Journal of Law and Social Justice

Thémata. Revista de Filosofia

Current Cites - February 2009

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

102nd AALL Annual Meeting & Conference

102nd American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting & Conference - July 25-28, 2009 - Washington, DC, USA

Arcade - New York Art Resources Consortium

"Arcade is the catalog for the New York Art Resources Consortium (NYARC). Arcade unites the collections of the Frick Art Reference Library and the libraries of the Brooklyn Museum and The Museum of Modern Art. Arcade is made possible through the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation"

Friday, February 20, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Fashion and Fashion Designers. Answers here.

1. Which British photographer/designer created the costumes for the films "Gigi" and "My Fair Lady"?
2. Which designer uses a double-G intertwined trademark?
3. Which English designer, whose original name was Vivienne Isabel Swire, opened a shop with Malcolm McLaren in London's King's Road in the early 1970s?
4. "DKNY" is the name of which American fashion designer's ready-to-wear line?
5. Which British vocalist married fashion designer Jeff Banks in 1968?
6. Complete the phrase "United Colors of..." for a fashion-wear company which gained notoriety by its controversial advertisements with its logo affixed to giant photographs.?
7. Name the Spanish shoe designer who in 1974 became the first man to appear on the cover of "Vogue". Pop star Madonna famously referred to his shoes as "better than sex", and popular television shows, particularly "Sex and the City", helped to make him a household name.
8. Which French luggage-designer used a brown and beige LV monogram pattern created by his son, Georges?
9. Name the design firm founded by two Italians whose first names are Domenico and Stefano. In 1991, Madonna popularized their rhinestone-covered bodice.
10. Which American designer created the "Polo" brand of clothing?

March is Women's History Month

March is Women's History Month, and Gale has a free Web site, Women's History Month, packed with history, biographies, literature and free activities to help families and students celebrate the month

Physiopedia

"Physiopedia is an ambitious project which aims to eventually offer an evidence-based knowledge resource for rehabilitation professionals throughout the world. Through utilising collaborative wiki technology Physiopedia is a place where all physiotherapists can participate by contributing, sharing and building knowledge to develop a global understanding. For educators Physiopedia offers an opportunity to involve their students in this knowledge creation process as part of an educational program. This project is currently being developed with universities from the UK and the USA and we are keen to establish further partnerships with other institutions from around the world. We are also seeking input from physiotherapy and physical therapy experts who will add great value to this resource."

2009 MLA Awards

"Each year, the Medical Library Association gives a variety of awards, grants, and scholarships to individuals to recognize and support the valuable contributions they have made to the health sciences librarianship profession. From research and instruction to outstanding service and leadership, MLA's professional recognition program supports and encourages the best and brightest in the field"

IMLS announces 2009 award of 23 Connecting to Collections: Statewide Planning Grants

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (USA) has awarded 23 Connecting to Collections: Statewide Planning Grants that will be used to create statewide conservation plans for collections held in libraries, museums, and archives

Lisjobtemps.com (UK)

Lisjobtemps.com"Having spoken with many employers The Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (CILIP) is now launching a web only advertising job board for temporary jobs in the Library and Information sector, Lisjobtemps.com, to give employers the faster turnaround time in recruiting temporary staff they frequently require. Starts Monday March 23, 2009"

Libcasts from Dalhouse University Libraries

LibCasts are instructional videos that you can access from a browser or in some cases download to your ipod or handheld device. They cover many different topics relating to research and many are generally less than 2 minutes long - Dalhouse University Libraries, Nova Scotia, Canada

The global economic crisis and its effect on publishing and library subscriptions

The Association of Research Libraries has released a statement on the current global economic crisis and its effect on publishing and library subscriptions. The ARL statement, which is aimed at scholarly publishers and vendors, reinforces some of the key points in a recent statement by the International Coalition of Library Consortia (ICOLC) and offers additional observations and recommendations from the perspectives of ARL member libraries

ACRL Podcast: Gender, Generation, and Toxicity

In this podcast, ACRL 14th National Conference panelists Mollie Freier and Ann Campion Riley talk with Virtual Conference Committee Co-Chair Scott Walter about Gender, Generation, and Toxicity: The Implications for Academic Librarians of Gender and Generational Attitudes Towards Competition and Workplace Behavior. Freier and Riley will be joined by Terrence Bennett in Seattle for a panel session on the topic taking place from 9-10 a.m. on Sunday, March 15

18th International World Wide Web Conference

18th International World Wide Web Conference - 2-24 April, 2009 - Madrid, Spain

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Digital Information Management (DigIn) Certificate

"The University of Arizona School of Information Resources and Library Science has announced that openings are available in the school's graduate certificate program in Digital Information Management (DigIn), and that scholarships are available for students entering the program in 2009. The DigIn program features hands-on experience and focused instruction supporting careers in libraries, archives, records management, museums, as well as in the private sector. The certificate includes six courses covering a wide range of topics relevant to today's digital information environment, including digital collections, applied technology, technology planning and leadership, policy and ethics, digital preservation and research data curation"

Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship - Winter 2009

Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship - Number 56, Winter 2009 - is now available

SPARC e-news - February 2009

SPARC e-news - February 2009: a bimonthly newsletter features the latest SPARC activities, an industry roundup, upcoming workshops and events, as well as articles related to developments in scholarly communication

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #130

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #130 - February 2, 2009 is now available

Millions find their 1911 ancestors online (UK)

Over 1.5 million people visited the new website 1911census.co.uk in its first four weeks. The website is run by findmypast, in association with The National Archives. Over 27 million English 1911 census entries - 80 per cent of the English records - are online. In most cases you can view the householder's entry in their own handwriting. Records from the remaining counties of England, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, as well as the naval and overseas military records, will be made available over the coming months

Captain Scott's Antarctic expedition: Rarely-seen pictures to go on display

Rarely-seen pictures showing the daily life of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated expedition to the South Pole are to be put on public display for the first time

Podcast: Kapow! Fifties Britain versus the comics menace

"In the mid 1950s Britain woke up to the threat of an invasion. "American style" comics were accused of ruining the reading habits of vulnerable children across the country and even inciting racism and violence. Could Captain Marvel cause crime? See the comics condemned as harmful and find out what action the government took to stamp out the comics menace" - From UK National Archives

Workshop for new Living Library organizers in Edinburgh

Workshop for new Living Library organizers in Edinburgh"Do you want to know more about hosting a Living Library at your institution? And are you interested in maybe becoming a local Living Library organizer?. Then you may want to join the upcoming workshop for new organizers in Edinburgh, Scotland. This workshop will take place on March 19th, from 10 a.m. at Nelson Hall, McDonald Road Library in Edinburgh, Scotland. The all day workshop with lunch included will be facilitated by experienced organizers responsible for the CILIP local level Living Library project in the UK last year. In cooperation with staff behind last years succes at the Edinburgh Festival of Libraries"

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - February 19, 2009

2009 Audies

The 2009 Audies competition drew in a record 1000 entries from audiobook publishers this year. Sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association and running since 1998, the Audies is the only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken-word entertainment. Last year, submissions numbered 807; in 2007, they totaled 794.

Nashville Public Library director Donna Nicely wins national award

Donna NicelyThe Public Library Association has named Donna Nicely, director of Nashville Public Library, winner of the 2009 Charlie Robinson Award. Established in 1997, The Charlie Robinson Award honors a public library director who has been a "risk taker, innovator and change agent in a public library." Nashville's public library system includes the downtown Main Library and 20 branch libraries where a collection of 2 million items including books, periodicals, DVDs, CDs and downloadable audio books and movies are available. The library also offers more than 600 public-use computers, free art exhibits, cultural and educational programs, a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week online "Ask a Librarian" service, online databases to assist in everything from genealogical to market research and an active interlibrary book loan program - The Tennessean

DMOZ/ODP fan page on Facebook

DMOZ/ODP fan page on Facebook - "The Open Directory Project is the largest, most comprehensive human-edited directory of the Web. It is constructed and maintained by a vast, global community of volunteer editors"

New ALA division blends two strong voices for advocacy

"On February 1 2009, the Association for Library Trustees and Advocates (ALTA), a division of the ALA, and Friends of Libraries U.S.A. (FOLUSA) joined forces to form a new American Library Association division, the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations, or ALTAFF for short. This new division brings together Trustees and Friends into a partnership that promises to extend the association's advocacy efforts, boost membership and grow revenues."

FreePint Newsletter 271

FreePint Newsletter 271 - 19 February, 2009 now available

15th Annual Virginia Festival of the Book

"The mission of the Virginia Festival of the Book is to bring together writers and readers and to promote and celebrate books, reading, literacy, and literary culture. As the largest gathering of authors, writers, and readers in the Commonwealth, and, indeed, the Mid-Atlantic region, the Book Festival has become an integral part of the community and is presented in a unique partnership of contributors that includes the VFH, foundations, corporations, bookstores, schools, libraries, area businesses and organizations, and committed individuals. This partnership results in programs in a wide range of topics set among a variety of venues throughout the City of Charlottesville, County of Albemarle, and the University of Virginia" - March 18-22, 2009

Publishing for Social Change

"Publishing for Social Change is a one-day conference for people who write and publish for a fairer, more inclusive, peaceful and sustainable world. Whether you produce leaflets, books, blog posts, magazines, news-sheets, research reports aimed at influencing policy, or email postings to internet news groups, we hope you will come and share your experiences and ideas" - 12 March 2009 - Oxford, UK

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

2009 Midwinter: Meeting Overview

"From Denver comes coverage of ALA's 2009 Midwinter Meeting. Included are the announcement of this year's Newbery Medal-winning book, sights from the exhibit hall, the annual "View from the Top" discussion panel, conversations with former ALA President Carol Brey-Casiano and former Colorado State Senator Ken Gordon, and ALA Immediate Past President Loriene Roy discussing the forthcoming PBS series We Shall Remain"

SLA 2009 Annual Conference

"The Special Libraries Association will hold its Annual Conference in Washington, DC, USA at the Washington Walter E. Washington Convention Center 14-17 June 2009. The conference will create an environment for networking, communication, learning and other developmental opportunities for information professionals"

2009 Bath Literature Festival

The 2009 Bath Literature Festival takes place 28 February to 8 March 2009 in Bath, UK. "Starting in 1995, the Bath Literature Festival has become a well established ten days of literary events, encompassing writing in all its forms. The festival is fast gaining a reputation for presenting the very best in local, national and international writers to an ever-increasing audience"

2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize regional shortlists

The regional shortlists for the 2009 Commonwealth Writers' Prize have been announced

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The European Library updates website

The European Library has announced a new site release of TheEuropeanLibrary.org, a free resource to discover the extensive learning and research materials, covering all subjects, from 38 national libraries across Europe. Originally developed as a central point of access to Europe's library material, the website now combines multilingual search functionalities with several online exhibitions and web2.0 tools

Encore: new catalogue search at the Wellcome Library

Encore, the new catalogue search at the Wellcome Library, has:

* Google-like single search box
* Relevance-ranked results
* An easy way to improve your search with a single click
* Topic tag clouds
* Links to books, journals, databases, pictures, films and more

Library Management Competencies

WebJunction has released Library Management Competencies, a guide to courses and resources to help current and aspiring library managers to be more successful in their work.

Library 2.0: Jump start your library with blogging and Twitter

A presentation given to Drake University's Cowles Library by Lava Row:

National Media Council launches online library service (UAE)

"UAE Interact, the website of the National Media Council, has launched a new online resource of books on the United Arab Emirates and related subjects. Announcing the event, an NMC spokesman said the aim is to make a greater volume of up-to-date information on the UAE available to both national and international readers, free of charge, utilising the latest e-books technology. At present, 'netizens' who click on UAE Interact can access the 2009 UAE Yearbook in English and French editions, together with a smaller guide on the country, 'UAE at a Glance', and a major book on the UAE's wildlife, 'The Emirates - A Natural History'. Arabic editions of these titles will be uploaded to the site in the near future."

JISC Conference 2009

The JISC Conference 2009 is a one day event will be of interest to all those in post 16 and higher education and research involved in planning for and supporting the use of ICT - 24 March 2009 - Edinburgh, Scotland

2009 NFAIS Annual Conference

2009 NFAIS Annual Conference: Barbarians at the Gate? The Global Impact of Digital Natives and Emerging Technologies on the Future of Information Services - February 22-24, 2009 - Philadelphia, PA, USA

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Optimum Online : Journal of Public Sector Management

Revista de Contabilidad : Spanish Accounting Review

Caucasian Review of International Affairs

The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal

Carnets : Revue Electronique d'Etudes Françaises

ILIG Informal - Extremism and the Destruction of Libraries Worldwide

Rebecca Knuth from the University of Hawaii will discuss the motivation behind groups with extreme agendas who destroy libraries through acts of commission (ethnic nationalists, religious fundamentalists like the Taliban, and political radicals of both the left and right) and omission (the Allies in World War II and the Bush administration in 2003). Professor Knuth is the author of Libricide: The Regime-Sponsored Destruction of Books and Libraries in the Twentieth Century (2003) and Burning Books and Leveling Libraries: Extremist Violence and Cultural Destruction (2006) - 8 April 2009 - CILIP, London, UK

ALA News on Twitter

ALA News now has a feed on Twitter

Monday, February 16, 2009

Louis Riel's handwritten poems displayed for the public

Louis Riel's handwritten poems displayed for the publicA series of poems penned by Métis leader Louis Riel while he awaited execution for treason were unveiled by the Manitoba Métis Federation in Winnipeg on Monday, February 16. Riel gave the poems to his jail guard, who had provided him with the two notebooks in which to write, as a gift shortly before he was hanged in Regina for his part in the 1885 Northwest Rebellion. Wrote Riel in one of the four poems: "I must speak of God in Whom I trust; In Him I have room to hope. The rope threatens my life; But thank God I fear not." The poems came to light when the descendants of the jail guard, North West Mounted Police Const. Robert Hobbs, decided to put them up for auction in 2008. Expected to fetch $5,000, the Métis federation ended up paying $32,000 for the poems. Federation president David Chartrand says the Métis have watched many of their historical artifacts wind up on eBay, and they were determined to capture the poems. Although long considered an enemy of the state, public opinion has changed in recent years and Riel is now respected for the role in played in bringing Manitoba into Confederation. Monday's provincial holiday is named Louis Riel Day in his honour - CBC

AuthorsPlace from Random House

AuthorsPlace is a new website from Random House. "We've invited our authors to create their own unique profile pages on AuthorsPlace, the first of which are now live. Find out more about the authors and their books, read interviews, watch videos, browse picture galleries, and talk to them on their blogs and message board"

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #60

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #60. "This week we talk to Dr. Stevan Harnad about Open Access and a challenge posed by a bill submitted in the US Congress by Detroit Democrat John Conyers". Previous Podcasts can be found here

Harper's Index open for searching

"In celebration of its 25th year, the Harper's Index - 12,058 lines spanning 300 issues - is now open to all for searching and browsing, with more than one thousand linked categories"

MedLib's Round

MedLib's Round is a blog carnival of the "best blog posts in the field of medical librarianship." The first edition is now available on Laika'sMedLibLog. The submission form for future issues is here

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Updated SAGE librarian resource centre

"The new site from SAGE features the most current journals price list, new journals and changes, and information on subscription options; News and Announcements, including press releases and archives of SAGE Librarians' Newsletters; Information on SAGE's electronic products, including title lists and brochures for SAGE Premier, the SAGE Deep Backfile Package, and SAGE eReference; Special page highlighting SAGE's offerings for medical and hospital libraries; Instructions for managing online subscriptions on SAGE Journals Online; Promotional tools, including training materials for new customers and usage driving materials for current customers; Contact information for regional Library Consortia/Sales managers and Technical Support, and more..."

ILDS 2009

11th Interlending and Document Supply Conference - 20-22 October, 2009 - Hannover, Germany

The Readers' Voice

The Readers' Voice: a Convention for Readers and Reading Groups. The full programme of talks, workshops, debates and other events is led by 15 expert speakers, who not only share a passion for reading, but the desire to bring its benefits to the community. Groups with a reading list to share or a project to air are cordially invited to bring these to the attention of the meeting. - 4 April, 2009 - Jesus College, Oxford, UK

Informa Pharmaceutical Science

"Informa Pharmaceutical Science - a division of Informa Business Information - has launched a new web platform for its 40 highly respected titles, providing readers with a high-tech one-stop-shop for drug discovery and development scientific news and research. The new Atypon-hosted platform provides access to all Informa Pharmaceutical Science content, including the following key journals: Current Medical Research and Opinion, the Critical Reviews and Expert Opinion series, Drug Metabolism Reviews, Xenobiotica and the Journal of Medical Economics. Amongst the many new features offered by the platform, end users have the option of table of contents alerts, online
trials, single article purchase and subscription opportunities"

Getting to grips with developing and managing e-book collections: an introduction

Getting to grips with developing and managing e-book collections: an introduction - 27 October 2009 - Newcastle, UK. "This course opens the door to a new electronic format and is designed to support librarians who are beginning to set up e-book collections"

InPress from Professional Engineering Publishing

InPressProfessional Engineering Publishing has announced that researchers can now access new papers from its journals much earlier than ever before. Papers accepted for publication are now made available online as uncorrected proofs. Each paper has a DOI and is fully searchable and citable; papers are assigned to an issue upon publication in print. InPress therefore allows the publication of fully citable articles up to 8 weeks or more before
publication in a printed journal issue

SLA Europe Information Professional award 2009

SLA Europe invites applications for the SLA Europe Information Professional Award 2009. The Award recognises outstanding achievement in the information profession. Nominees must demonstrate (in writing) the contribution they have made to the profession, for example by developing an innovative concept or a new service, or by authoring a major paper, which has led to a better appreciation of the role of information among users of their service or a wider audience. Deadline is 28 February 2009

Geological Society of America journals on HighWire Press

The Geological Society of America and HighWire Press have announced the launch of GSA's newest journal sites Geology, Geological Society of America Bulletin, and Geosphere

MIMAS-ZETOC e-mail list

MIMAS-ZETOC@JISCMAIL.AC.UK - for all aspects of the Zetoc service providing access to the British Library's Electronic Table of Contents (ETOC). The service is hosted and supported by Mimas, The University of Manchester

Essential Evidence Plus

Essential Evidence Plus "is a richly integrated, online decision-support system focused on improving patient care and increasing clinical efficiency that incorporates reviews from the Cochrane Library. It filters for relevance and usefulness, and grades the evidence for accuracy and validity" - From John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

New journals from SAGE Publications

Biblical Theology Bulletin: A Journal of Bible and Theology

Conflict Management and Peace Science

Emotion Review

Family Business Review

Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

International Journal of Bilingualism

Language and Speech

Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach

International Journal of Toxicology

ICAN: Infant, Child, & Adolescent Nutrition

Biblio Tech Review - February 2009

The February 2009 issue of Biblio Tech Review is now available. This issue includes:

* OCLC Forms Review Board to Examine Principles for Sharing Library Data
* ProQuest Announces Shibboleth Support for the ProQuest Platform
* Modeling Software for New RFID for Libraries Standard Available
* Leicestershire (UK) Libraries Choose to Stay with Talis

From Hadyn to Hip Hop: Music at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - video

"The story, told with a sense of humor, follows two library patrons wandering through the Music Department, meeting local musicians and discovering resources the library has to offer. The video is narrated by a well-known announcer from the local classical music station:

Saturday, February 14, 2009

23rd Annual Preservation Conference

23rd Annual Preservation Conference - Digitizing for Preservation and Access: Past is Prologue - March 26, 2009 - Washington, DC, USA

60 second tutorials available online from Iowa

"The University of Iowa Libraries now has 60 Second Tutorials available online. From the tutorials, you can learn how to use InfoLink, request article delivery, request books from other libraries, and much more. The condensed tutorials include audio and graphics that are easy to use and follow"

Southworth Library earns $3 million from Lincoln manuscript sale

The Southworth Library, which serves the small town of Dryden, NY, and environs, has $3 million for a building addition and endowment, thanks to a record-breaking sale of a hand-written manuscript of an 1864 Abraham Lincoln speech, sold on the bicentennial of his birth

First Monday - February 2009

First Monday - Volume 14, Number 2, 2 February 2009 now available

Udate - Henry VIII: Man and Monarch

David Starkey, guest curator of the exhibition Henry VIII, Man and Monarch at the British Library from 23 April to 6 September 2009, introduces the exhibition, and talks about the extraordinary man behind the legends and stories:





London Book Fair Podcast Series - Simon Juden

Simon Juden, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association, gives his views on why London is a growing centre for world-beating publishers; The role of the Publishers Association and the challenges the Publishing industry faces in the year ahead. Click on play button below to view the interview

Library Camp Kansas 2009

Library Camp Kansas 2009 will be held on Wednesday, March 18 2009 at the Hale Library on Kansas State University's Manhattan campus

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Abraham Lincoln. Answers here.

1. What phrase is normally used for the famous speech which Abraham Lincoln gave at a Civil War memorial on the 19th of November, 1863? The speech ended: "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth".
2. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin - true or false?
3. Who assassinated Lincoln in 1865?
4. Was Abraham Lincoln the first, second or third American president, elected in the nineteenth century, to be assassinated?
5. Prior to Lincoln's inauguration as President, how many southern states proclaimed their formal secession from the Union and formed their own government (the Confederacy) - was it five, seven or nine?
6. In 1860, Lincoln became the presidential nominee for which new anti-slavery political party?
7. In a speech on 19 May 1856, Lincoln said that the ballot is stronger than...what?
8. Lincoln's most enduring monument, the Lincoln Memorial, was dedicated on what holiday in 1922?
9. What was the title of the play that Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated?
10. What is the name for the medical condition that Lincoln was said to have, which made him tall and thin?

Bards in the Bog (Scotland)

A new initiative aimed at promoting poetry in the community will see poems displayed in public toilets around Shetland. The Bards in the Bog scheme is the latest idea from Shetland's Poet Partner project, in collaboration with poet Jen Hadfield. Local poets are invited to submit poems, with six of the best will being chosen each quarter to display in public toilets around Shetland. Ms Hadfield, who will make the selection, said: 'I've always loved the idea of sneaking poetry into unexpected places...proving that poetry's place is in the real world, in real time.'"

Show Us The Data: The Most Wanted Federal Government Documents

"Show Us The Data: The Most Wanted Federal Government Documents is collecting examples of government documents and data that are unclassified and should be easily available to the public online, but are not. Show Us the Data is a collaboration between OpenTheGovernment.org and the Center for Democracy and Technology. We hope to encourage open government and citizen participation in democracy through full disclosure of unclassified government documents in open, interoperable formats"

BBC to put downloads into libraries

"BBC Audiobooks are to be made available as free downloads for libraries in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa that have access to digital lending through the US-based distributor OverDrive. Initially 1,500 books will be made available, with evergreen titles such as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Dick King-Smith classic The Water Horse alongside Radio 4 dramas and 'hundreds' of unabridged recordings. Following the launch, a rolling programme will introduce all future frontlist titles to the libraries that have signed up" - The Bookseller

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - February 12, 2009

Current Energy Legal Literature

The Current Energy Legal Literature website is a resource for keeping informed of current articles concerned with development and regulation of energy resources and related policy, primarily in the United States. The emphasis is on renewable and alternative energy sources and new developments in traditional sources, including articles about directly applicable environmental law. Articles are selected from all English language law reviews and journals received by the Law Library, both domestic and foreign. This service is edited by Nolan Wright, reference librarian at the Tarlton Law Library

The Cochrane Library - Issue 1, 2009

"The Cochrane Library contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. It includes reliable evidence from Cochrane and other systematic reviews, clinical trials, and more. Cochrane reviews bring you the combined results of the world's best medical research studies, and are recognised as the gold standard in evidence-based health care"

YouTube tests download and Creative Commons license options

From the YouTube blog: "We are always looking for ways to make it easier for you to find, watch, and share videos. Many of you have told us that you wanted to take your favorite videos offline. So we've started working with a few partners who want their videos shared universally and even enjoyed away from an Internet connection. Many video creators on YouTube want their work to be seen far and wide. They don't mind sharing their work, provided that they get the proper credit. Using Creative Commons licenses, we're giving our partners and community more choices to make that happen. Creative Commons licenses permit people to reuse downloaded content under certain conditions"

Is Copyright fit for purpose in the Information Age?

"CILIP's annual eCopyright Executive Briefing is recognised as an essential information source and a prime discussion forum by delegates, who have rated previous events 95% Good to Excellent. In 2009, CILIP will present two of these Briefings - one in London and one in Manchester, with the support of the Society of Archivists. Is Copyright fit for purpose in the Information Age? is this year's theme, with a strong and relevant programme developed by Tim Padfield, Chair of LACA - The Libraries and Archives Copyright Alliance. He has identified key issues affecting all those dealing with digital copyright, and acquired an unmatched speaker panel to discuss and debate them with delegates. London date sold out. Places still available for Manchester on 28 April, 2009

150 Books for Oregon's Sesquicentennial

150 Books for Oregon's Sesquicentennial"To help commemorate Oregon's sesquicentennial, the State Library is pleased to announce the Oregon 150 Booklist. The list consists of 150 books for children, teens and adults that describe the Oregon experience, including fiction, non-fiction, history, and poetry. The books are available in libraries and bookstores and are highly recommended for all Oregonians to read during the sesquicentennial. The books present a comprehensive view of the Oregon experience, including the stories and voices of the tribes that inhabited Oregon for millennia to those of the many cultures that live here today. The oldest book on the list is Astoria: or, Anecdotes of an Enterprize Beyond the Rocky Mountains by Washington Irving, originally published in 1836. The newest book is Oregon at Work: 1859-2009 by Art Ayre and Tom Fuller, that will be published this spring by Ooligan Press"

Thursday, February 12, 2009

American Film Scripts Online

"American Film Scripts Online contains 1,009 scripts by 1,062 writers together with detailed, fielded information on the scenes, characters and people related to the scripts. In addition, the database includes facsimilie images for more than 500 of these screenplays. Most of the scripts have never been published before, and nowhere else are they available online. American Film Scripts Online uses PhiloLogic software, developed at the University of Chicago, to enable in-depth browsing and searching of both the bibliographic and the full-text elements within the database. We have recently upgraded the PhiloLogic software, enhancing performance and giving the collection a fresh new look. We have improved the search engine for better performance and introduced new toolbar navigation for easier browsing, but all other functionality of the collection remains the same. The previous version of the site will remain active until May 1, 2009" - Alexander Street Press

24 Hour Museum website re-launches as Culture24

The new Culture24 site will be live as a BETA site for three months. This trial period will allow for 'realtime' testing so that any problems can be ironed out before the official launch in May 2009, timed to coincide with the organisation's tenth birthday

Library of Congress Digital Preservation Newsletter - February 2009

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

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2008 Annual Edition

The Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography 2008 Annual Edition is now available from Digital Scholarship

Uncontrolled Vocabulary #70

Uncontrolled Vocabulary #70 is now available for download. Topics:

1. Libraries can keep books with lead-containing ink (USA Today)

2. Rutgers Faculty Agrees To Drop "Library" from SCILS Name (Library Journal)

3. ALA Urges Library Advocates To Lobby Now on Stimulus Bill (Library Journal)
Day 5: Get Ready for Major Economic Stimulus Vote Tomorrow (District Dispatch)
Portion of the Senate stimulus related to broadband expansion (readthestimulus.com)
URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Protect Library Funding in the Economic Stimulus Package (District Dispatch)

4. Palinet and Solinet Teaming Up to Become Lyrasis (LISNews)
OCLC and NEBASE's future (N3)

5. Author’s Guild calls Kindle 2's text-to-speech software illegal (CrunchGear)
Neil Gaiman waxes sensible on Kindle Audiobooks and the redonkulous Author's Guild (BoingBoing)

6. Sony works with Netlibrary to offer Mobile Collections for the Reader Digital Book (OCLC)
Sony Reader Mobile Collections (OCLC)
O'Reilly Challenges Proprietary eBook Standards With Bookworm (ReadWriteWeb)

7. 'Wall Street Journal' Librarian Laments Shutdown (Editor & Publisher)

2009 Romantic Novel of the Year winner

Julia Gregson's "East of the Sun", a story about love, friendship and adventure, has won the Romantic Novel of the Year 2009

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring

Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions

FORMakademisk

Journal of Medical Sciences

Open Social Science Journal

Open Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Journal

BuR : Business Research

Penn Libraries and Kirtas Technologies team up to make more than 200,000 books available for research and purchase

Kirtas has announced a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania Libraries to make over 200,000 titles available to the public in a unique way. "Using existing information drawn from Penn's catalog records, Kirtas is able to offer out-of-copyright books for sale through its own retail site, www.kirtasbooks.com. What makes this initiative unique is that the books can be offered for sale before they are ever digitized, so there is no up-front printing, production or storage cost"

Diagram Prize for Oddest Title of the Year longlist

"The Large Sieve and its Applications", "F**k It", and "Baboon Metaphysics" are just three of the titles that have made it on to the 18-strong longlist for the Diagram Prize, The Bookseller's hugely popular odd titles award. Publishers Jessica Kingsley Publishers (All Dogs Have ADHD), Woodhead Publishing (Techniques for Corrosion Monitoring), Routledge (The Industrial Vagina), and Cambridge University Press (The Large Sieve and its Applications) each have an entry on the longlist. The shortlist will be revealed on 20th February, when the public will be allowed to vote for the winner

The Preservation challenge: basic concepts and practical applications

"DigitalPreservationEurope (DPE), Preservation and Long-term Access through Networked Services (Planets), Cultural, Artistic and Scientific knowledge for Preservation, Access and Retrieval (CASPAR) and Network of expertise in Digital long-term preservation (nestor) have announced that they will be delivering the latest in a series of collaborative training initiatives to introduce the Preservation Challenges. This event will be held in Barcelona, Spain from March 23-27 2009. This event is being organised in cooperation with the 'WePreserve' Forum"

Midwinter 2009: Youth Media Awards winner phone calls

"Before the Newbery, Caldecott, King, and ALA's other prestigious youth media awards were announced at the Midwinter Meeting in Denver, the selection committees crowded into tiny private rooms to call the honorees. This year, AL Focus was invited to capture some of those happy calls and reactions."

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Manitoba Libraries Conference 2009

Manitoba Libraries Conference 2009: Future Generations, Evolving Services - 6-9 May, 2009 - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

OUP Book Sale

OUP Book SaleThe Oxford University Press Book Sale is underway until March 3, 2009, with 50-75% savings on selected titles

Information Today February 2009 issues

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

Canada Reads 2009 update

"Canada Reads is a week-long show hosted by Jian Ghomeshi. In this annual literary bun-fight, five celebrity panelists are asked to defend their favourite Canadian work of fiction. Day by day, books are voted off the list, until one panelist triumphs with the book for Canada to read this year. The half-hour debates will air on CBC Radio One from March 2 to March 6, 2009, at 11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. (half an hour later in Newfoundland). The program will also air on Sirius 137 and will be available online or via podcast" - CBC. February update: Canada Reads 2009 has a Facebook Fan Page and an account on Twitter

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

New edition of the Atlas of endangered languages

"Why do languages disappear? Which parts of the world are most affected? What can be done to save them? The new edition of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger of Disappearing aims to answer these questions. It will be presented to the press at UNESCO Headquarters on 19 February, on the eve of International Mother Language Day (21 February)."

Thomson Reuters launches Liquent PublishPerfect

"The Healthcare and Science business of Thomson Reuters has announced the introduction of Liquent PublishPerfect, an enterprise publishing product that enables the efficient, integrated, and compliant publishing of reports. The seamless document management system integration provides an uninterrupted user experience from compilation to approval"

The 2nd Annual Web 2.You Conference

The 2nd Annual Web 2.You Conference - February 13, 2009 - hosted by the McGill School of Information Studies, Montreal, Quebec

Archives accepted in lieu of tax (UK)

From The National Archives: "The UK government has recently accepted two separate collections in lieu of tax. The first collection is papers of the architect William Hayward Brakspear (1818-1898), and the second is a volume of papers believed to have been collected by Sir Thomas Henry Browne (1787-1855), relating mainly to Napoleon and the Duke of Wellington."

February 2009 Early Reviewer books at LibraryThing

The February 2009 batch of Early Reviewer books is now available at LibraryThing. There are 1760 copies of 68 books available this month

JISC Podcast: Information literacy the 'democratic right' of every learner, say Scottish experts

"Information literacy has become a key concern of many in the education sector and beyond. In this podcast interview John Crawford and Christine Irving, of the Scottish Information Literacy project, talk to Philip Pothen about their work in the education sector, in the workplace, with libraries, and with government agencies and argue that information literacy is the 'democratic right' of every learner, and a central element of lifelong learning"

Discovering American Women's History Online

Discovering American Women's History Online provides access to digital collections of primary sources (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that document the history of women in the United States. These diverse collections range from Ancestral Pueblo pottery to Katrina Thomas's photographs of ethnic weddings from the late 20th century. From Middle Tennessee State University

JISC Digital Media launches

JISC Digital MediaJISC Digital Media (formerly known as TASI) is a JISC Advisory Service, which provides advice, guidance and training to the UK's Further and Higher Education community on:
* Creating digital media resources specifically still images, moving images and sound resources
* Delivering digital media resources to users
* Using digital media resources to support teaching, learning and research
* Managing both small and large scale digitisation projects

JISC Digital Media is hosted at the Institute for Learning and Research Technology (ILRT) at the University of Bristol.

Digital Britain: The Interim Report

Digital Britain: The Interim ReportThe UK Government has published a plan to secure Britain's place at the forefront of the global digital economy. The interim report contains more than 20 recommendations, including specific proposals on:
* next generation networks
* universal access to broadband
* the creation of a second public service provider of scale
* the modernisation of wireless radio spectrum holdings
* a digital future for radio
* a new deal for digital content rights
* enhancing the digital delivery of public services

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Journal of Medicine

Zeitschrift Schreiben

Journal of Nepal Paediatric Society

Sæculum - Revista de História

GPeerReview from Google

GPeerReview is a command-line tool that makes it simple to write a review of someone's work and digitally sign them together.

Midwinter 2009: Steve Vander Ark interview

"AL Focus caught up with Steve Vander Ark, author of The Lexicon: An Unauthorized Guide to Harry Potter Fiction and Related Materials, and co-author Lisa Bunker, in the exhibit hall at the 2009 Midwinter Meeting"

C&RL News - February 2009

C&RL News Volume 70, No. 2, February 2009 is now available from ACRL

Monday, February 09, 2009

Census of Canada, 1891

Census of Canada, 1891"The 1891 Census offers a rich source of information about Canada and Canadians. Through this research tool, you can access digitized images of original census returns which list the name, age, country or province of birth, nationality, religion, and occupation of Canada's residents at the time of the 1891 Census. Library and Archives Canada gratefully acknowledges the contribution of Ancestry.ca (www.ancestry.ca) without which this project would not have been possible"

Why reading matters (BBC Four)

"Science writer Rita Carter tells the story of how modern neuroscience has revealed that reading, something most of us take for granted, unlocks remarkable powers. Carter explains how the classic novel Wuthering Heights allows us to step inside other minds and understand the world from different points of view, and she wonders whether the new digital revolution could threaten the values of classic reading"
Broadcasts:

1. 09 Feb 2009 21:00
2. 10 Feb 2009 00:00
3. 10 Feb 2009 03:00
4. 16 Feb 2009 01:05

Brainify

Brainify is academic social bookmarking and networking for college and university students

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #59

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #59. Previous Podcasts can be found here

Cites & Insights 9:3 (February 2009)

Cites & Insights 9:3 (February 2009) is now available for downloading