Featured Link

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

Monday, August 31, 2009

International Conference on Learning 2010

International Conference on Learning 2010 - 6 to 9 July - Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong

Safari Books Online adds training videos

Safari Books Online adds training videos"Safari Books Online has announced that it is offering more than 250 new training videos from top training video companies such as Total Training, Talented Pixie, Class On Demand, Skill-Pill, and PeepCode. Many of the videos are available now with the rest coming online over the next month"

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #84

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #84. "This week's episode has an oblique reference to Gilligan's Island in it. First up is a discussion of the intricacies of the ITU regulatory processes on the planetary scale. After that is a Linux news brief. Following on the Linux news brief, a discussion of an angle to net neutrality arises. The episode wraps up with a call for submissions". Previous Podcasts can be found here

The new AcqWeb

The new version of AcqWeb is now available. It is still a work in progress but certainly worth a look

Sunday, August 30, 2009

emtacl10 - emerging technologies in academic libraries

emtacl10 - emerging technologies in academic libraries - 26-28 April 2010 - Trondheim, Norway

E-JASL - Summer 2009

E-JASL: The Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship - v.10 no.2 (Summer 2009) is now available

Census of Ireland 1911

"The household returns and ancillary records for the censuses of Ireland of 1901 and 1911, which are in the custody of the National Archives of Ireland, represent an extremely valuable part of the Irish national heritage. Read more about their digitisation. All thirty-two counties for 1911 are now available on this site. We have decided to make the material immediately available, in the knowledge that the vast majority of our users will be able to find what they want. Corrections and improvements will be ongoing, and we are very grateful to all users who have submitted corrections to us"

BookZone shuts down

"BookZone, a Web hosting and digital publishing services vendor that targeted independent publishers, is selling off its assets and will shut down operations. Launched in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1994 by founder and chairman Mary Westheimer, BookZone started as an early online book retailer before adding a full range of electronic publishing, e-commerce and back-office software services. Westheimer blamed personal health problems for her decision to shut the business. She said she was selling major assets of the firm, including its Web hosting services, to Aesir Networks of Longview, Texas. BookZone executive managers have already left the company and, Westheimer said, only technical staff remained" - Publishers Weekly

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Sex: A Victorian Mystery - Wellcome Library, UK

"The Victorian era was full of contradictions about sex and sexual health. Join us for an evening of titillation as we consider the attitudes of the time as well the mistruths that history creates. We'll bring together visual, historical and literary perspectives to explore this complicated story." - 24 September 2009 - Wellcome Library, London, UK

Glyndwr University in Wrexham, Wales, to launch degree in librarianship

Glyndwr University in Wrexham, Wales, is to offer a new Foundation Degree in Library and Information Practice thanks to a new partnership between experts in computing and librarianship. The first intake for the new Foundation Degree will start at the university this Autumn

Twentieth Century British History Essay Prize 2009

The aim of the Twentieth Century British History Essay Prize 2009 is to encourage a high standard of scholarship amongst postgraduate research students in Britain and abroad. The prize:

* Publication of the winning essay in Twentieth Century British History
* A cash prize of £300
* £200 worth of OUP books
* One year's free subscription to Twentieth Century British History

Word limit: maximum of 10,000 words
Closing date for submissions: 15 October 2009

NewsInHistory.com

NewsInHistory.com"NewsInHistory.com offers the most comprehensive digital archive of historical American newspapers available. With thousands of titles and hundreds of millions of newspaper articles, we have the information to satisfy a range of interests - whether you are doing scholarly research, exploring history as a hobby, interested in local or personal history, or simply enjoy a good story from the past. Local historic newspapers help you track events, issues, first-hand opinions, discoveries, people, companies, social and cultural history, and more. Our wide-ranging collection, with papers from all 50 states, provides first-hand accounts and a variety of perspectives on issues and events as they were happening. Every paper is searchable by keyword, date, title and location, and all articles and pages can be saved and printed" - RSS Feed

Podcast: Forgeries in the archives (UK)

"Forgery has always been a major problem to archivists and librarians - from the great 19th century Shakespearean forgers to more recent examples in the 21st century of people who forged letters about the murder of Himmler and the social life of Noel Coward" - UK National Archives

NRC-CISTI: Discover

The NRC's Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information Discover is a new service for finding articles. Discover puts millions of peer-reviewed scientific, technical, medical and some business journal articles at your fingertips. Discover also offers clients the ability to create alerts

ProQuest launches 'Dissertations and Theses - UK & Ireland'

"ProQuest has announced that institutions can now subscribe to the entire bibliographic record of dissertations written in the United Kingdom and Ireland from as far back as 1716, with full abstracts for titles available from 1986 in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - UK & Ireland. Originally published by Expert Information's Index to Theses, these new additions to ProQuest's dissertations and theses portfolio reflect the scholarly output of some of the world's leading research universities"

OCLC eNews - August 2009

OCLC eNews: Newsletter for Europe, Middle East & Africa - August 2009 now available

Spezify

"Spezify is a search tool presenting results from a large number of websites in different visual ways. We take web search further, away from endless lists of blue text links and towards a more intuitive experience. We want you to get a good overview of a subject, find useful information and be inspired with Spezify. We mix all media types and make no difference between blogs, videos, microblogs and images. Everything communicates and helps building the bigger picture. We collect websites and are aiming to use as many relevant, free and open API:s as possible to generate extensive and diverse search results"

Primary Source - August 2009

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

InSITE - August 24, 2009

InSITE: A Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library - Vol. 15, No. 1, August 24, 2009 is now available

European Library Directors Conference 2009

European Library Directors Conference - 22-23 October, 2009 - European University Institute Florence, Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Open Medical Education Journal

Journal of Lightning Research

Open Gene Therapy Journal

Open Electrochemistry Journal

Open Medical Devices Journal

Revista Argentina de Historiografía Lingüística

Rheumatology Reports

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques Discussions

Journal of Dental Research, Dental Clinics, Dental Prospects

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques

Civil Engineering Dimension

Open Circulation & Vascular Journal

Open Surface Science Journal

Technologies de Laboratoire

Türk Patoloji Dergisi

PLATFORM : Journal of Media and Communication

Open Environmental Engineering Journal

Open Stem Cell Journal

Interdisciplinary Bio Central

International Journal of Quality, Statistics, and Reliability

International Journal of Spectroscopy

International Journal of Transdisciplinary Research

Journal of Probability and Statistics

montesquieu.it : Biblioteca Elettronica su Montesquieu e Dintorni

Google Books: one million books available in EPUB format

"Google Books will offer free downloads of more than one million more public domain books in an additional format, EPUB. By adding support for EPUB downloads, we're hoping to make these books more accessible by helping people around the world to find and read them in more places"

10 more volumes of the Journal of the House of Lords

10 more volumes of the Journal of the House of Lords are now live. These new volumes cover the period 1718 to 1764, and thus the end of the reign of George I, the whole of that of George II, and the very beginning of the reign of George III. Four more volumes will be added to the site in the coming months - British History Online

Libraries Prosper - A Guide to Using the PLA Advocacy Toolkit

"Libraries Prosper: A Guide to Using the PLA Advocacy Toolkit," by Sandra Nelson, is now available for purchase from the Public Library Association. The first in PLA's new 'Train the Trainer series,' this electronic publication supports "Libraries Prosper with Passion, Purpose, and Persuasion: A PLA Toolkit for Success."

Library Card Sign-up Month 2009 (USA)

Library Card Sign-up Month 2009"This September, the American Library Association and libraries throughout the country will celebrate Library Card Sign-up Month. It is a time when libraries remind parents and caregivers to bring their school-age children to the library to get the most important school supply of all - a library card"

Banned Books Week 2009: Celebrating the Freedom to Read

"Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read is observed during the last week of September each year. Observed since 1982, this annual ALA event reminds Americans not to take this precious democratic freedom for granted. BBW celebrates the freedom to choose or the freedom to express one's opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them". See also the Book Bans and Challenges, 2007-2009 Google map

ACRL seeks nominations for 2010 awards

"For more than three-quarters of a century, the Association of College and Research Libraries has been committed to celebrating the achievements of academic and research librarians through the presentation of awards, grants and fellowships. With almost $37,000 donated annually by corporate sponsors, ACRL has, and will continue to, nominate, select and honor the very best in academic librarianship. Members are an integral part of ACRL's successful awards program. ACRL urges members to nominate colleagues whose work has influenced their thinking and growth as an academic librarian and whose contributions merit recognition by the profession. Member nominations will ensure that the pool of candidates for each award remains both competitive and distinguished. Nominations and supporting materials for most awards must be submitted by December 4, 2009"

Books 'n' Balls 2009 (UK)

Books 'n' Balls 2009"Books 'n' Balls 2009 is a charity netball tournament and after-party for the book publishing industry. Booktrust and Cancer Research UK are delighted to be the two beneficiaries of this year's Books 'n' Balls tournament. The tournament is for mixed abilities, so if you want to take part, but are worried about your level of fitness - don't be! Meet other industry professionals in the bar at the after-party. Goodie bags of women's treats and other freebies will be given out on the day. The Books 'n' Balls tournament takes place on 12 September 2009"

The Nation's Favourite Poet - vote closes on Tuesday 1 September (UK)

"You can have your say in the vote to find the Nation's Favourite Poet now. The shortlist was compiled in consultation with The Poetry Society and The Arts Council. The vote closes at midday on Tuesday, 1 September 2009 and the result will be announced on the Poetry Season website on National Poetry Day on Thursday, 8 October 2009"

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - August 27, 2009

Friday, August 28, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Alcohol. One of the new texts recently added to the Credo Reference database is "Alcohol and Temperance in Modern History: An International Encyclopedia", which contains all kinds of fascinating facts. It includes the answers to all these questions. Answers here.

1. "Scrumpy" is a type of which drink?
2. The YWCA is a worldwide organization stressing the traditional Christian values of sexual propriety, temperance, and proper female behavior. What do the letters "YWCA" stand for?
3. It is predicted that, by 2010, which drink will be number one among the distilled beverages in Mexico?
4. What has been the single most widely banned alcoholic beverage in Western society?
5. Name Billy Wilder's 1945 film about alcoholism, which starred Ray Milland and won four Academy Awards.
6. "CAMRA" is a British campaigning group founded in 1971 as a reaction to the consolidation of the brewing industry. What does the word "CAMRA" stand for?
7. In the 18th century, "geneva" was an alternative name for which drink in London and Holland?
8. Prohibition (or National Prohibition) lasted in the United States from 1920 until which year?
9. Which organization was founded in 1935 by "Bill W." and "Dr. Bob"?
10. Name the brewery established on a hill overlooking Copenhagen, by Jacob Christian Jacobsen and named after his son

'In a Bloomsbury Square': T.S. Eliot the Publisher

'In a Bloomsbury Square': T.S. Eliot the PublisherOpening on 14 September in the Folio Society Gallery at the British Library, 'In a Bloomsbury Square': T.S. Eliot the Publisher sheds new light on T.S. Eliot's roles as publisher, editor and author. Bringing together for the first time material from the British Library's collections along with items from the Faber Archive and the Eliot Estate, the exhibition includes original manuscripts, correspondence, art-works and unique audio recordings, some of which have never been on public display before

ACRL Podcast: The Library Instruction Cookbook

ACRL Content Strategist Kathryn Deiss talks with Doug Cook and Ryan Sittler - editors of the ACRL publication The Library Instruction Cookbook - about the editing process, humor in library literature, and their new book

Ignatz Awards 2009 from Small Press Expo

The Ignatz Awards, named for the character in the classic comic strip Krazy Kat by George Herriman, is a festival prize that recognizes outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning. The ballot is created by a panel of five cartoonists and is then voted on by the attendees at the event. This offers a unique reflection of the views the professionals and their fans. The award winners will be announced at the awards gala on September 26, 2009 - Bethesda, Maryland, USA

Astana National Library by BIG

Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group have won an international competition to design the Astana National Library in Astana, Kazakhsta

Granta celebrates Chicago Writers

Granta celebrates Chicago authors with its fall edition devoted to those who write in or about Chicago. John Freeman, editor of Granta, hosts an evening of readings and discussion by the Chicago writers who have contributed to this special edition, including Stuart Dybek, Alex Kotlowitz and Maria Venegas. September 17, 2009, Chicago, USA

New Blog: Preservation & Conservation Administration News

New Blog: Preservation & Conservation Administration News by Beth Doyle and Holly Robertson. RSS Feed

LibraryNext.com

LibraryNext.com - connecting libraries, librarians & those associated with libraries

Encyclopedia of Life Images

Encyclopedia of Life Images - Flickr group for the Encyclopedia of Life. Collection of photos, videos, and scientific illustrations of organisms or their signs (tracks, nests, etc.).

Full-text ARSC journals available free online

"The ARSC Journal is a semi-annual, peer-reviewed publication that serves to document the history of recorded sound and includes original articles on many aspects of research and preservation. Back issues of the Journal are available free of charge as full-text PDFs. Over 5,000 scanned pages contained in the first 25 volumes (1967 through 1994) can be accessed"

100 Useful Online Libraries for Nurses and Nursing Students

100 Useful Online Libraries for Nurses and Nursing Students from Nursing Schools.net

Monday, August 24, 2009

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #83

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #83. "This episode is a short one. It has been another slow news week with few noteworthy items. The top stories of the past week and a couple briefs are presented in this example of brevity". Previous Podcasts can be found here

Computers in Libraries 2010

Computers in Libraries 2010 - April 12-14, 2010 - Arlington, Virginia

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 175 - September 2009

Internet Resources Newsletter - Issue 175 - September 2009 - edited by Roddy MacLeod, Heriot-Watt University, is now available

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Fourteen new publishers participate in ebrary's half-off sale

"ebrary has announced that 14 new publishers have joined its Half-Off Sale, bringing libraries, corporations, and other institutions the best cost savings of the year on full-text e-books. To date, more than 21 publishers have signed up to participate in ebrary's new program including Cambridge University Press, Elsevier, IGI Global, Springer, Taylor & Francis, and Wiley, and others are expected to sign up shortly"

Finalists announced for 2009 Canadian Children's Book Centre Awards

The Canadian Children's Book Centre has announced the finalists for the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, Prix TD de littérature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse, Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction and Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People. The winners of the English-language awards will be announced at an invitation-only gala event at The Carlu in Toronto on November 19, 2009. The winners of the Prix TD de literature canadienne pour l'enfance et la jeunesse will be announced at an invitation-only gala event at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal on November 3, 2009. Overall, $110,000 in prize monies will be awarded

Rapid Research Notes (NCBI/NLM)

"The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), a division of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at NIH, is a national resource for molecular biology information and as such has a mandate to develop new products and services to meet the needs of the biomedical research community. Upon the recommendation of public advisors, NCBI developed an archival service to support research shared through new venues for rapid communication enabled by the internet. Introduced in August 2009, the archive, called Rapid Research Notes (RRN), allows users to access and cite research that is provided through participating publisher programs designed for immediate communication"

The Byron Journal via Project Muse

The Byron Journal, published by Liverpool University Press, is now available via Project Muse

PLA 2010 National Conference

PLA 2010 National ConferenceThe PLA 2010 National Conference will be held March 23-27, 2010 in Portland, Oregon, USA. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Nicholas D. Kristof will keynote the Opening General Session

PLoS Currents: Influenza

"The current epidemic of swine-origin H1N1 influenza A virus highlights the need for the rapid exchange of scientific results and ideas. PLoS Currents: Influenza aims to enable this exchange by providing an open-access online resource for immediate, open communication and discussion of new scientific data, analyses, and ideas in the field of influenza. All content is moderated by an expert group of influenza researchers" RSS Feed available

NASIG call for 2010 proposals

NASIG 25th Annual Conference: An Oasis in Shifting Sands: NASIG at 25 - June 3-6, 2010 - Palm Springs, California. The 2010 Program Planning Committee invites proposals and/or program ideas for pre-conference, vision, strategy, and tactics sessions

Scholas - social file-sharing for academics

"Scholas is a service that enables academics to list their publications and share work quickly and easily via the web. This can be a list of existing publications including journal articles, books etc. As well as any other items, such as research notes, presentations, posters and data-sets"

Angus Book Award 2009 shortlist

The shortlist for the Angus Book Award 2009 has been announced

Berg Journals 2010 prices

Berg Publishers has announced that 2010 prices are now available for all Berg journals

New journals from Academic Journals

Clinical Reviews and Opinions

Journal of AIDS and HIV Research

Journal of Brewing and Distilling

Journal of Fine and Studio Art

NetLibrary catalog reaches 200,000-title milestone

"NetLibrary has achieved a groundbreaking milestone by being the first eContent platform to offer academic, public, special and school library users access to more than 200,000 eBook and eAudiobook titles. 'Reaching the 200,000-title mark shows OCLC's continued commitment to electronic content and is a testament to the depth of our collections,' said Suzanne Kemperman, OCLC Director of Publisher Relations. NetLibrary now offers more than 190,000 eBooks and 12,000 eAudiobooks from more than 500 publishers worldwide"

The final balance: researching families and wealth in the 19th century using the death duty records

This presentation explores how The U.K. National Archives' collection of death duty records can be used to research families and wealth-holding in 19th century Britain. The talk unravels some of the complexities of working with the records and explains how the different records can be linked with other sources of interest to those researching families and wealth

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Woman, 91, believed to be UK's most prolific library book borrower

A 91-year-old woman from Stranraer in south-west Scotland is believed to be Britain's most prolific library book reader after staff at her local library realised she is on the brink of borrowing her 25,000th book. Louise Brown, who borrowed her first book from Castle Douglas library in 1946, now reads about 12 books every week - chiefly Mills & Boon romances, war stories and historical dramas - and has never had a fine for returning a book late. Janice Goldie, of Dumfries and Galloway Libraries, said: "The staff at Stanraer library think she is a remarkable lady and look forward to her weekly visits." - Guardian

August 2009 Early Reviewer Books at LibraryThing

The August 2009 batch of Early Reviewer books is now available at LibraryThing. There are 1585 copies of 64 books available this month

Collaborative Librarianship - Volume 1, Number 3, 2009

Collaborative Librarianship - Volume 1, Number 3, 2009 is now available. The journal is sponsored by: Colorado Academic Library Consortium, Colorado Library Consortium, Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries, Regis University, and the University of Denver

EDUCAUSE Quarterly - Volume 32, Number 2 2009

EDUCAUSE Quarterly - Volume 32, Number 2 2009 is now available

EDUCAUSE Review July/August 2009

EDUCAUSE Review July/August 2009EDUCAUSE Review Volume 44, Number 4, July/August 2009 is now available online. Follow EDUCAUSE Review on Twitter

Google Insights for Search

"With Google Insights for Search, you can compare search volume patterns across specific regions, categories, time frames and properties"

Inside Google Books: Judging a book by its (pretty) cover

Google Books: Judging a book by its (pretty) cover"Library books often contain beautiful drawings and illustrations. Unfortunately, their book covers can often be dark and plain, hiding all this wonderful content from unsuspecting eyes. Over time, we've tried a bunch of different approaches for getting better covers, for example, using the book's title page or recreating a simple book cover by featuring the book's title and author. Finally we hit upon an idea that we like -- why not surface the illustrations inside the book to be its front cover?"

The Athletics Weekly Branded App

"Earlier this week Exact Editions released through the Apple iTunes App store a branded magazine App for the UK's leading sporting periodical Athletics Weekly. If you have an iPhone and work in the magazine business you really need to treat yourself to a short subscription to this publication"

EBSCO Publishing introduces Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Reference Center

"EBSCO Publishing has released a new resource for corporations looking for information in the areas of business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR). Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Reference Center™ is a comprehensive full-text database covering all aspects of BC/DR-creating the premier dedicated resource available covering this critical topic. This convenient, expert collection provides unmatched full-text coverage of information relevant to many areas that are integral to BC/DR management"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Balıkesir Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

Open Drug Metabolism Journal

Información Filosófica

Annals of the University of Petrosani : Economics

Psikiyatride Guncel Yaklasimlar

Lecturae tropatorum

Open Nuclear Medicine Journal

ROMAI Journal

School of Doctoral Studies Journal

Signs : International Journal of Semiotics

Cardiovascular Psychiatry and Neurology

Advances in Operations Research

Advances in Physical Chemistry

Journal of Environmental and Public Health

British Library seeks support to keep English naval explorer's journal from sailing abroad

British Library seeks support to keep English naval explorer's journal from sailing abroad"The UK Culture Minister has placed a temporary export bar on the previously unknown journal of British naval pioneer, Sir John Narbrough, giving the British Library its only chance to save it for our nation's seafaring heritage. This rare manuscript provides the fullest known account of Narbrough's voyage to South America from 1669-71 and contains unrecorded maps and unresearched information on British exploration and social and political history. It also includes an account of Narbrough's earlier voyage to the Caribbean in the heyday of the buccaneers. Narbrough was the first British sailor to navigate the Strait of Magellan from West to East. This appeared to make trade in the Pacific (and all the potential wealth associated with it) possible and set the direction of British foreign policy for the next half century, culminating in the financial disaster known as the South Sea Bubble of 1720-21"

Booklist revamps Quick Tips E-Newsletter

"Quick Tips, the popular free monthly e-newsletter for youth librarians and teachers, is growing, relaunching in September 2009 with additional features and enhanced content. Renamed Booklist's Quick Tips for Schools and Libraries, the newsletter will take greater advantage of Booklist Online's extensive youth content, drawing from thousands of feature articles and more than 125,000 reviews from both Booklist and Book Links magazines"

I Love My Librarian Award 2009

I Love My Librarian Award 2009"Librarians in our nation's 123,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day. Now is your chance to tell us why we should shine the spotlight on a librarian at your public, school, college, community college or university library. Nominate your librarian for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award! Up to ten librarians will be honored. Each will receive $5,000 and be recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by The New York Times at TheTimesCenter in December 2009. Nominate a librarian in one of three categories: public librarians; school library media specialists; or college, community college, or university librarians. Nominations close Oct. 9, 2009. All winners will be announced in early November"

Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon band together to oppose Google Books settlement

"Three powerful technology companies have banded together to oppose Google's proposed settlement with the Authors Guild and the Assn. of American Publishers over the Mountain View, Calif., search giant's book scanning project. Microsoft, Yahoo and Amazon have signed on to a coalition being assembled by the Internet Archive and Gary Reback, a Silicon Valley antitrust lawyer, said Peter Brantley, director of the Internet Archive, a San Francisco nonprofit that works to build a free digital library of Internet content. Though the coalition has not been formally announced, several participants have already agreed to take part, including the New York Library Assn., the Special Libraries Assn. and the American Society of Journalists and Authors. The group is expected to issue a joint statement next week" - LA Times

Friday, August 21, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Geography. One of the new reference sources added to Credo Reference is "Geography of the World". All the answers to these questions can be found there. Answers here.

1. Which island has the nickname "The Emerald Isle"?
2. Which city is the center of government of the USA?
3. Which country is cut through by the equator, after which it is named?
4. What is the currency of Greece?
5. Which country is also known as Myanmar?
6. In 1971, East Pakistan broke away from West Pakistan to become an independent country called...what?
7. Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, lies on the banks of which river?
8. Which Central American country has had no army since 1948?
9. Democratic elections in 1990 led to Czechoslovakia's split into two countries - the Czech Republic and which other country?
10. What is the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

50 exercises you can do at the library (without looking foolish)

With library shifts easily running eight hours and over, does that time have to be wasted sitting or stacking books? The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is: 'check out these top 50 exercises you can do at the library, office, or just about anywhere' - From Accredited Online Degrees

Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Library History Round Table announces 2009 Dain Award Recipient

The Library History Round Table has announced the 2009 winner of the Phyllis Dain Library History Dissertation Award, which recognizes outstanding dissertations in the area of library history. The 2009 recipient is Karen J. Cook for her essay "Freedom Libraries in the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project: A History." Ms. Cook's dissertation was submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Communication and Information Sciences in the Graduate School of the University of Alabama. She was recognized at the LHRT Research Forum at this year’s past Annual Conference in Chicago

Video appears in paper magazines (USA)

"The first-ever video advertisement will be published in a traditional paper magazine in September. The video-in-print ads will appear in select copies of the US show business title Entertainment Weekly. The slim-line screens - around the size of a mobile phone display - also have rechargeable batteries. The chip technology used to store the video - described as similar to that used in singing greeting cards - is activated when the page is turned. Each chip can hold up to 40 minutes of video. The first clips will preview programmes from US TV network CBS and show adverts by the drinks company Pepsi." - BBC

Forgotten Agatha Christie novel discovered 30 years after her death... in the attic of her holiday home

"Author and dedicated Agatha Christie enthusiast John Curran has painstakingly threaded together the secret notes and handwritten ingredients of an unseen story that eventually became a typed script. The jottings were scattered with other notes throughout some of the 73 exercise copybooks found 30 years after Christie's death among possessions in her seaside home." Daily Mail

Energy Citations Database (USA)

The Energy Citations Database (ECD) provides free access to over 2.6 million science research citations with continued growth through regular updates. There are over 221,000 electronic documents, primarily from 1943 forward, available via the database. Citations and documents are made publicly available by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). ECD includes scientific and technical research results in disciplines of interest to DOE such as chemistry, physics, materials, environmental science, geology, engineering, mathematics, climatology, oceanography, and computer science. It includes bibliographic citations to report literature, conference papers, journal articles, books, dissertations, and patents"

2009 German Book Prize longlist

The longlist for the 2009 German Book Prize has been announced

Reader's Digest eyes bankruptcy

"The US publisher of Reader's Digest magazines has said it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as it looks to get rid of up to 75% of its debts." - BBC

Peer 2 Peer University

Peer 2 Peer University"The Peer 2 Peer University (P2PU) is an online community of open study groups for short university-level courses. Think of it as online book clubs for open educational resources. The P2PU helps you navigate the wealth of open education materials that are out there, creates small groups of motivated learners, and supports the design and facilitation of courses. Students and tutors get recognition for their work, and we are building pathways to formal credit as well."

FreePint Newsletter 284

FreePint Newsletter 284 - 20 August, 2009 now available

Talis Incubator for Open Education

"Aimed at individuals or small groups, the Talis Incubator for Open Education provides angel funding and other forms of assistance for ideas and projects that have the potential to further the cause of Open Education through the use of technology. All we ask in return is that you donate or 'open source' the intellectual property generated back to the communities that could benefit most from your work"

2010 CILIP Health Libraries Group Conference 2010

2010 CILIP Health Libraries Group Conference - 19-20 July, 2010 - Manchester, UK

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Cambridge Library Collection

"The University Library and Cambridge University Press have recently embarked on a joint business venture. Over the next three years, CUP's Cambridge Library Collection will digitise important works from the Library's holdings, with writings by Charles Darwin and his circle, studies on Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Handel and Wagner. The selected out-of-print and out-of-copyright books span the 'long nineteenth century from the late 1780s to the early 1900s, including works of the greatest nineteenth-century mathematicians, and a range of books on Cambridge from the serious to the scandalous. The titles have been selected by academic experts as monographs that are still used by scholars or recommended to students. 'Cambridge Library Collection' was officially launched by CUP on 29 July 2009 with an initial 475 titles. The books, which have been digitised to 'good as new' standards, are now available for purchase worldwide using the latest 'print-on-demand' technology. Each paperback has received a new cover design and includes information about its relevance to today’s reader"

CLA/ACB 2010 National Conference and Trade Show

The 65th Canadian Library Association National Conference and Trade Show will be held in Edmonton, Alberta, from Wednesday, June 2 to Saturday, June 5, 2010

New Search for a Library feature on WorldCat provides location, maps & visibility

New Search for a Library feature on WorldCat provides location, maps & visibilityA library search feature is now available to WorldCat users. Users can search for libraries by name/keyword, location or zip/postal code - and refine their search results by library type, such as Public Library or Academic Library

San Jose Library launches Text a Librarian service (USA)

San Jose Library launches Text a Librarian service (USA)Text a Librarian is a service which enables you to use the text message feature of your mobile phone to send questions to and receive answers from San José Public Library and San José State University librarians.

Roberta I. Shaffer appointed Executive Director of FLICC and FEDLINK

Roberta I. Shaffer has been named executive director of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee (FLICC) and the Federal Library and Information Network (FEDLINK) at the Library of Congress

2009 Booktrust Early Years Awards shortlists

The shortlists for the 2009 Booktrust Early Years Awards have been announced:

Baby Book Award
Chick by Ed Vere (Puffin)
The Big Night-Night Book by Georgie Birkett (Red Fox)
Baby Loves: Tiger by Claire Dowe (Scholastic)
Five Little Ducks by Francesca Stich & Jemima Lumley, illus. Jason Chapman (Simon & Schuster)
Baby's Very First Outdoors Book by Stella Baggott (Usborne)
That's Not My Frog by Fiona Watt, illus. Rachel Wells (Usborne)

Pre-School Award
If I Were You by Richard Hamilton, illus. Babette Cole (Bloomsbury)
Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide by Mara Bergman, illus. Nick Maland (Hodder Children's)
Sylvia and Bird by Catherine Rayner (Little Tiger Press)
Wow! Said the Owl by Tim Hopgood (Macmillan)
The Tail of the Whale by Ellie Patterson, illus. Christine Pym (Meadowside)
Miaow Said the Cow by Emma Dodd (Templar Publishing)

Best Emerging Illustrator
The Grump by Sarah Garson (Andersen Press)
Toot Toot Beep Beep by Emma Garcia (Boxer Books)
Box of Tricks by Katie Cleminson (Jonathan Cape)
Small Mouse Big City by Simon Prescott (Little Tiger Press)
The Haunted House by Kazuno Kohara (Macmillan)
Peas! by Andy Cullen, illus. Simon Rickerty (Puffin Books)

Monday, August 17, 2009

Newly released UFO files from the UK government - August 2009

The files contain a wide range of UFO-related documents covering the years 1981-1996. Find out more about close encounters, stray satellites, bright lights and Britain's very own Roswell - Rendlesham Forest in Suffolk. The National Archives (UK)

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #82

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #82. "This week's episode is short as we are still ironing out technical issues on the farm. Not all systems are working right when it comes to broadband. The episode attempts to serve as a quick round-up". Previous Podcasts can be found here

Teen Librarian Monthly August 2009

Teen Librarian Monthly August 2009 is now available for download

RECAP: Firefox extension for PACER

RECAP is a free extension for Firefox that improves the experience of using PACER, the electronic public access system for the U.S. Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Alzheimer's Research & Therapy via PubMed

Alzheimer's Research & Therapy is now available via PubMed

Library + Information Gazette 14-27 August 2009

Library + Information Gazette, the fortnightly magazine for the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, is now available online to everyone. Latest issue: 14-27 August 2009

Ariadne - Issue 60, July 2009

Ariadne - Issue 60, July 2009 is now available. Ariadne is targeted principally at information science professionals in academia, and also to interested lay people both in and beyond the Higher Education community. Its main geographic focus is the UK, but it is widely read in the US and worldwide

Sony Reader and OverDrive sign library marketing agreement

OverDrive has announced a joint marketing agreement with Sony Electronics, Inc., developer of the Sony Reader Digital Book. OverDrive and Sony will cross-market OverDrive's library network and the Reader, the eBook device that is compatible with industry standard eBook formats offered by libraries

Saturday, August 15, 2009

mydigitalnewspaper

"mydigitalnewspaper is the world's first website designed specifically for you to search, read, review, share, save and enjoy leading international, national and regional digital newspapers. Mydigitalnewspaper is powered by PageSuite whose titles are read by over a million unique visitors per month. mydigitalnewspaper went live in August 2009, with over 520 titles from 60 newspaper publishers, from all over the world. Mydigitalnewspaper will keep growing, with more titles, more archives and more publishers going live very soon"

Overseas marriage records go online (UK)

The overseas marriage records of more than 38,000 people have been added to the online service at BMD Registers. Searching the records is free, but there is a charge to download images of the original documents. The records cover British subjects marrying abroad and come from various sources worldwide. They include marriage registers from British churches abroad and records of marriages of British soldiers in France, Flanders and Holland during and after the First World War, many of whom had been prisoners of war. The records were previously only viewable on microfilm at The National Archives as the RG 34 series. UK National Archives

JSTOR and University of California Press announce current scholarship program

"University of California Press and JSTOR have announced that they will work in partnership – and encourage others to join them – to make current and historical scholarly content available on a single, integrated platform, to provide a single point of purchase and access for librarians and end users around the world, and to ensure its long-term preservation. Beginning in 2011, current content from all University of California Press published journals, including those from scholarly societies, will be hosted on a re-designed JSTOR platform. Faculty and students around the world will be able to access all licensed content on JSTOR – current issues, back issues, and a growing set of primary source materials from libraries – easily and seamlessly. JSTOR's nearly 6,000 library participants worldwide will be able to license the Press’s current journals, either individually or as part of current issue collections, together with JSTOR back issue collections in a single transaction. The journals will also continue to be preserved in Portico, the digital preservation service that is also part of ITHAKA."

2009 Recipient of the John Cotton Dana Award

The Special Libraries Association has awarded Richard Geiger the 2009 SLA John Cotton Dana Award citing Geiger's leadership in the information profession and volunteer work at all levels of the association during more than 30 years of membership

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Revista Eletrônica Patrimônio : Lazer & Turismo

Ajis : Australian Journal of Information Systems

Espaço Ameríndio

Revista Investigación Operacional

Forestry Studies

Winners of Islamic Studies funding for digitisation

"JISC has announced the two winners of its call for Islamic Studies Catalogue and Manuscript Digitisation, who are the Wellcome Library and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The Wellcome Library will be digitising and cataloguing 500 Arabic-language manuscripts from their collection. They will be doing with assistance with the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, in Egypt. This project will also be creating software for managing descriptive metadata for non-European manuscripts - a much-needed tool for those working in this field. The second project is a joint venture between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge and will be digitising around 10,000 records from their card catalogues of Islamic Studies manuscripts and making them available via a searchable interface. These projects will be starting in September 2009, and due to finish in February 2011"

Google Books adds Creative Commons license options

"Google has launched a program to enable rightsholders to make their Creative Commons-licensed books available for the public to download, use, remix, and share via Google Books. The new initiative makes it easy for participants in Google Books' Partner Program to mark their books with one of the six Creative Commons licenses (or the CC0 waiver). This gives authors and publishers a simple way to articulate the permissions they have granted to the public through a CC license, while giving people a clear indication of the legal rights they have to CC-licensed works found through Google Books"

ALPSP Awards 2009 finalists announced

The judges for the ALPSP Awards 2009 have selected the shortlists for the Best New Journal, Publishing Innovation and Best eBook Publisher Awards. The winners will be announced on 10 September at the ALPSP International Conference

Friday, August 14, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference - this week: Blends. Blends (also known as portmanteau words) are words created by joining words together - usually parts of two words. For example, a "sitcom" on television is a blend made from "situation comedy". Try to decide which pairs of words make up the following blends. Definitions are supplied in brackets when a word's meaning may be unclear. Answers here.

1. Motel
2. Brunch (a meal eaten late in the morning)
3. Benelux (three countries)
4. Bollywood
5. Emoticon
6. Avionics (equipment for aircraft and space vehicles)
7. Bit (a unit of information or memory)
8. Transistor
9. Blunge (to mix clay, etc. with water)
10. Electret (a permanently polarized dielectric material)

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Making 'Search' work

Making 'Search' work - 10 November 2009 - London, UK. "Many organisations are finding that the search application on their web site and intranet, or even a more comprehensive enterprise search, is not providing the expected benefits. Finding a solution to the problem is not easy as there are so many variables. Is the search engine unsuitable for the task, are expectations too high, or is the way that the search engine has been implemented not best practice? The objective of this workshop is to help delegates analyse the nature of the problem that they are facing, and then to provide a range of solutions for consideration" - Presented by Martin White, Managing Director, Intranet Focus Ltd, author of 'Making Search Work' and co-author of 'Successful Enteprise Search Management'

Tell-a-Story Day (Scotland)

"Tell-a-Story Day is the national celebration of oral storytelling, and the perfect opportunity to hold your own DIY storytelling event - big or small - and tell your own tales, or encourage and enable other people to share their stories, experiences and memories" - 30 October 2009

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week

Librarians' Internet Index - New This Week - August 13, 2009

The Review of English Studies (RES) Essay Prize

The editors of the Review of English Studies invite contributions on any topic of English literature or the English language from medieval times to the twentieth century. The winner will receive:
- Publication of the winning essay in The Review of English Studies
- A cash prize of GBP250
- GBP250 worth of OUP books
- A free year's subscription to The Review of English Studies

Peace and War in the 20th Century - McMaster University, Canada

"This interactive, thematic website on Peace and War in the 20th Century has been designed to be informative, educational and engaging. Its major themes have been organized into the opposing paths of Waging Peace and Waging War. Within the themes, case studies provide context and insights. International conflicts are represented by the images and official records available in McMaster University Library's archives. However, there are many collections of letters, photographs and other materials which tell compelling, personal stories. It is these stories which enable us to approach a deeper understanding of the greater issues concerning peace and war: the causes underlying the two world wars and the many other conflicts of the century; the role of governments and of war resisters in influencing public opinion; the unexpected heroism of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, both those who fought in and supported the wars as well as the many voices of pacifists, conscientious objectors, and others in determined opposition"

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog update

The August 12, 2009 edition of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Weblog from Charles W. Bailey, Jr. is now available

Public Access Policies, SPEC Kit 311, Published by ARL

The Association of Research Libraries has published Public Access Policies, SPEC Kit 311, which explores the role ARL member libraries are playing in supporting public access policies in their institutions

100 Terrific Tips & Tools for Blogging Librarians

100 Terrific Tips & Tools for Blogging Librarians from Online College

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

The Tom Eckersley (1914-1997) Archive

The Tom Eckersley (1914-1997) Archive is housed at the University of the Arts London Archives and Special Collections Centre. The collection contains posters produced by Eckersley that reflect the range of his work from propaganda posters to his post-war posters. Eckersley used bold simple designs, often resembling collage. The collection shows the development of his style and poster art more generally. Eckersley was also a teacher of poster arts and established the first graphic design course in Britain at the London College of Printing (now College of Communication, part of University of the Arts London). The collection was formed by Eckersley, and as well as printed posters, it includes other work such as magazine covers, and original artwork that shows his work processes

Bloomsbury backs down over book cover race row

Australian author Justine Larbalestier has won a battle with her American publishers to feature a black girl on the cover of her new book, after the original jacket featuring a white girl provoked controversy from bloggers and commentators across the internet - The Guardian

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

London Museums of Health and Medicine website re-launched

"From rare plants, heart surgery, illuminated manuscripts, and helicopter emergency services, to pharmacies, false teeth and Freud, the exhibits in London's museums help to place the history and development of medicine and health care in its widest context:

# Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum
# Anaesthesia Heritage Centre
# Bethlem Royal Hospital Museum & Archives
# BDA Dental Museum
# British Optical Association Museum
# British Red Cross Museum & Archives
# Chelsea Physic Garden
# Florence Nightingale Museum
# Foundling Museum
# Freud Museum
# Great Ormond Street Hospital Museum
# Museum of the Order of St John
# Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
# Royal College of Physicians Museum
# Royal College of Surgeons Hunterian Museum
# Museum of Royal Pharmaceutical Society
# Old Operating Theatre & Herb Garret
# Royal London Hospital Museum & Archives
# Science Museum
# St Bartholomew's Hospital Museum & Archives
# Veterinary Museum
# Wellcome Collection
# Wellcome Library
# Worshipful Society of Apothecaries

New online tools point researchers in the right direction - UK National Archives

The UK National Archives has launched an innovative online tool to point researchers directly to the historical resources they are looking for. Known as 'research signposts', the first set of guides - 'Looking for records of a person?' - simplify the process of researching an individual's history by drawing together all useful research resources in one place. The signposts indicate whether the information being researched exists, and where to find it - be it online, as original documents or from external sources. 'These "research signposts" will guide researchers through the minefield of information out there,' Jeff James, Director of Operations and Services at The National Archives, said. 'As the first port of call, the online tools pull everything together in one place and will give people greater confidence to find the answers for themselves.' Complementing the research signposts are a series of two minute animated guides, collectively entitled 'Understand the archives in minutes'. These have been designed to develop researchers' skills so they can explore the archives more effectively. The new tools are the first in a series of online investments The National Archives is making in its website over the next year. Two further sets of research signposts, 'Looking for a place?' and 'Looking for a subject?', are currently in development and will be available on the website from September

IFLA Presidential Newsletter No. 6 June/July 2009

IFLA Presidential Newsletter No. 6 June/July 2009 from Claudia Lux, President of IFLA 2007-2009

InSITE - August 10, 2009

InSITE: A Current Awareness Service of Cornell Law Library - Vol. 14, No. 24, August 10, 2009 is now available

The new Copac interface is now live

The new Copac interface is now live. You can now search Copac quickly from the basic Copac interface, without logging in. Search and export records using the basic Copac interface, incorporating book and journal table-of-contents where available. You can export records directly into EndNote and Zotero. The Copac library catalogue gives free access to the merged online catalogues of major University, Specialist, and National Libraries in the UK and Ireland, including the British Library

2009 Hugo Award winners

The winners of the 2009 Hugo Awards have been announced. The Hugo Awards, given annually since 1955, are science fiction's most prestigious award. The Hugos are voted on by the thousands of members of the current Worldcon which is also responsible for administering them

Monday, August 10, 2009

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #81

LISTen: The LISNews.org Podcast - Episode #81. "This episode starts off with a segment-sized edition of Tech for Techies in which the program's western engineer spoke about the new production arrangements. After that an essay is presented as an initial look at alternative ways libraries can help bridge the digital divide. Such is only a start and another essay is expected in the following episode. After that the zeitgeist review over LISNews for the previous week is given. The episode wraps up with a discussion of the new recording arrangements while also explaining how submissions can be made for air. Due to the restrictions present in rural broadband in Ohio's largest rural county, a shift to physical media exchange is required". Previous Podcasts can be found here

Philippa Gregory to Tweet next novel

Philippa Gregory to Tweet next novel"Philippa Gregory will serialise her latest novel on Twitter in the week preceding The White Queen's publication later this month. Gregory has written the tweets of Elizabeth Woodville, the main protagonist of the novel. The tweets can be viewed at twitter.com/ElizWoodville with the first being posted at 5pm on 11th August. Between then and 17th August, "Woodville" will be tweeting between 5pm and 8pm. Simon & Schuster will publish the novel on 18th August. There will also be an RSS Feed of the tweets" - The Bookseller

Skype an Author Network

The mission of the Skype an Author Network is to provide K-12 teachers and librarians a way to connect authors, books, and young readers through virtual visits

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Faber links up with GoSpoken

Faber's 200 e-books are to be made available to all UK mobile phone subscribers through GoSpoken.com, the mobile platform founded by author Andy McNab. Mobile users will be able to browse and buy the titles in text format and download the book over any operator's network, with most priced between £7 and £10

Resource of the Month from Ovid - August 2009

Each month, Ovid provides you with the opportunity to "test drive" a sampling of its content, tools and services - free of charge - through its Resource of the Month program. August Resource of the Month is the INSPEC

Top 20 most-viewed items on WorldCat - July 2009

Top 20 most-viewed items on WorldCat, from OCLC - July 2009

Alexander Street Press search widgets

Subscribers can now embed the Alexander Street Press search widgets on their library Web page, course homepage, blog, or anywhere HTML code can be placed. The search widget allows authenticated users to search specific Alexander Street online collections from anywhere on the Web. The example below is the embeddable search widget for American History in Video


Alexander Street Press: American History in Video
Search hundreds of hours of newsreels and documentaries in streaming video






Embedding the search widget requires access to the HTML code of your Web page. Simply copy the HTML code from the available downloadable .txt files , and paste it wherever you want the widget to appear. Please note that users must be authenticated to obtain search results. To enable access from off campus, change the URL in the HTML to include your institution's proxy server as a prefix to the URL provided in the HTML code. Advanced HTML users will be able to customize the widget by changing the size, font, border color, and other attributes

The Open Biomedical Engineering Journal via PubMed

The Open Biomedical Engineering Journal is now available via PubMed

The Open Medicinal Chemistry Journal via PubMed

The Open Medicinal Chemistry Journal is now available via PubMed

Free access to the 1930 U.S. Census during August

Footnote.com has announced that its 1930 US Census is available free online through the end of August

CLIR Issues - Number 70, July/August 2009

CLIR Issues - Number 70, July/August 2009 - is now available from the Council on Library and Information Resources

Saturday, August 08, 2009

16th century anatomical sheets - images and animations now online at The Wellcome Library

"The Wellcome Library's rare and important collection of printed anatomical sheets dating from the 16th century are now freely available online via Wellcome Images. These intriguing prints depict the human body through labelled illustrations, often using a three-dimensional 'pop-up' device of superimposed flaps, which can be raised in sequence to display the internal anatomy of the male or female figure. The fugitive sheet thus mimics the act of dissection"

The Access to Research for Development and Innovation (aRDi) program

The Access to Research for Development and Innovation (aRDi) program is coordinated by the World Intellectual Property Organization together with its partners in the publishing industry with the aim to increase the availability of scientific and technical information in developing countries. By improving access to scholarly literature from diverse fields of science and technology, the aRDi program seeks to:

* reinforce the capacity of developing countries to participate in the global knowledge economy; and
* support researchers in developing countries in creating and developing new solutions to technical challenges faced on a local and global level.

Currently, 12 publishers provide access to over 50 journals for 107 developing countries through the aRDi program

The Caribbean Newspaper Digital Library

The Caribbean Newspaper Digital Library is a cooperative digital library for newspapers resources from the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean. CNDL provides access to digitized versions of Caribbean newspapers, gazettes, and other research materials on newsprint currently held in archives, libraries, and private collections. CNDL will have on-going newspaper digitization, expanding the geographic, temporal, political and linguistic variety of the newspapers. Currently, this project has been granted permissions to digitize current newspaper issues from The Nassau Tribune, Abaconian (Abaconian Website), Awe Mainta (Awe Mainta Website), and Justice (Justice Website)

Library 2.0 Gang 08/09: Social OPACs

Library 2.0 Gang 07/09: Library Mashups - "There is more to the term Social OPAC than meets the eye, as we found out when we brought together this month's guest Beth Jefferson from Bibliocommons with Gang regular John Blyberg"

TL Infobits - July 2009

The July 2009 issue of TL InfoBits, the information and instructional technology newsletter from the Information Technology Services at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is now available online

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009

Top 100 Tools for Learning 2009 from the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, UK

Internet Librarian International 2009 - full programme available

The full programme for Internet Librarian International 2009 is now available - 15-16 October 2009 - London, UK

The Classical String Quartet, 1770-1840 (Duke University)

"The string quartet, for two violins, viola and violoncello, was one of the most widely-cultivated genres of chamber music during the Classical period, with the Viennese masters Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven all contributing substantially to the literature. The Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library at Duke University has about forty collections of string quartets in parts dating from this time (about 1770-1840), most, though not all complete, and representing composers whose works are rarely found in modern editions. Digitization of these parts makes newly available for performance, study and recording a large and varied repertoire of works for this instrumental ensemble"

Cites & Insights 9:10 (September 2009)

Cites & Insights 9:10 (September 2009) is now available for downloading

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Zeitschrift für die Welt der Türken

Archimaera

Computer and Information Science

Heart International

Mires and Peat

Rare Tumors

Revue Archéologique du Centre de la France

Africa Spectrum

Journal of Politics in Latin America

ALA president Camila Alire releases statement on plan to divide Library of Michigan assets

Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has issued an executive order closing the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries, abolishing the position of state librarian and parceling out its assets. Read ALA president Camila Alire's statement in reaction to this

ALPSP Learned Journals Collection 2010

The Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) and Swets have announced the launch of the 2010 ALPSP Learned Journals Collection. With a total of 824 titles making up the full set - of which 88 titles are new to the collection - and the availability of nine subject-specific collections, the 2010 ALJC offers an unparalleled amount of high quality electronic content in an affordable and flexible manner. Four new publishers have agreed to make their titles available in the 2010 Collection, IM Publications, iMedPub, Lawrence & Wishart and The Way, bringing the total number of participating publishers to 48

Friday, August 07, 2009

The Friday Brain-teaser from Credo Reference

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

1. What is the capital of Canada?
2. What are the two official languages of Canada?
3. Which region of NW Canada, in the Yukon, was the site of rich gold deposits discovered in 1896?
4. Which Canadian writer's works include "The Edible Woman", "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Alias Grace"?
5. The Canadian police force known as the RCMP is often referred to as the "Mounties", but what does "RCMP" stand for?
6. What is Canada's oldest national park?
7. Name the Canadian jazz musician, a virtuoso pianist, who won immediate acclaim upon his US debut at Carnegie Hall in 1949 and was then a regular attraction of "Jazz at the Philharmonic".
8. Which line of latitude forms the boundary between Canada and the USA west of the Lake of the Woods? (Clue: It was used as the title of a 1941 film about five stranded German U-boat men.)
9. On Canada's flag, how many points are there on the maple leaf emblem?
10. Canada is a federation of ten provinces and three territories. What are the names of the three territories?

The 10 best book websites...

The 10 best book websites as selected by The Times Online (UK)

Fifth annual OCLC Digital Forum West

Fifth annual OCLC Digital Forum West - September 16–17, 2009 - Los Angeles, California

Text Messaging, Twitter, and Libraries

Text Messaging, Twitter, and Libraries - Text messaging (also known as SMS) is one of the most popular mobile methods for communication, and our 21st century patrons expect information on the go by SMS. Learn how libraries are leveraging SMS, its various roles in scholarly communication, and its value for libraries - January 15, 2010 - Boston, USA

Thursday, August 06, 2009

EuropeanaConnect

"EuropeanaConnect is a project funded by the European Commission within the area of Digital Libraries of the eContentplus Programme. Its overall objective is to develop key components for the enhancement and improvement of Europeana, the European Digital Library. Thanks to the work of EuropeanaConnect, Europeana will become a truly interoperable, multilingual and user-oriented service for all European citizens. EuropeanaConnect will also add to Europeana the music dimension, by making available through Europeana a substantial mass of audio content"

Fflur Dafydd wins the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize

Fflur Dafydd is the winner of the Daniel Owen Memorial Prize at the Meirion and District National Eisteddfod this year, in a competition that attracted seven litterateurs. The Daniel Owen Memorial Prize is given for an unpublished novel of not less than 50,000 words with a strong story line. The adjudicators this year were John Rowlands, Geraint Vaughan Jones and Rhiannon Lloyd, and the title of the prize-winning novel is Y Llyfrgell

A Woman's Wit: Jane Austen's Life and Legacy

"This exhibition explores the life, work, and legacy of Jane Austen (1775–1817), regarded as one of the greatest English novelists. Over the past two decades, numerous successful motion picture and television adaptations of Austen's novels have led to a resurgence of interest in her life and work. Providing a close-up portrait of Austen, this exhibition achieves tangible intimacy with the author through the presentation of her manuscripts and personal letters, which the Morgan has not exhibited in a generation" - November 6 2009 through March 14 2010 - The Morgan Library & Museum, New York, USA

FreePint Newsletter 283

FreePint Newsletter 283 - 6 August, 2009 now available

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Introducing Twitter as a professional development tool

Introducing Twitter as a professional development tool - 17 September 2009 - The Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Scotland - This session is likely to be of interest to anyone who wants to learn more about Twitter and its practical uses in professional activities including staff development

Wisden on the Ashes via Exact Editions

Wisden on the Ashes: The authoritative story of cricket's greatest rivalry is a detailed chronological journey through the history of this famous English-Australian contest. With Test reports, scorecards, 'Great bowlers of the year' and other fascinating material from the archives, together with new editorial pieces, this is a remarkable record of cricket's most enduring battle

The Alexander Street "50-State-Plus" Advisory Group

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=136911814408"The Alexander Street "50-State-Plus" Advisory Group is a publisher-library dialogue between Alexander Street and interested academic, public, and school libraries. Our goal is to gather solid, actionable knowledge about what works and what doesn't when we work together to drive usage. Over the next year, Alexander Street will offer libraries with a subscription to "American History in Video" dedicated marketing support driven by library input. Participating libraries agree to give us 15 minutes of feedback three times in the year ahead. We'll publish what we learn as we go - for the benefit of all libraries. Any library with a subscription to "American History in Video" is encouraged to participate. Library staff interested in new ways to drive usage of online collections are also welcome"

Wellcome Film

Wellcome Film: A new digital collection of moving images on 20th-century healthcare and medicine is now online. Over 450 titles - 100 hours of film and video - have been transferred and are freely available under Creative Commons licences. The resource has been created by the Wellcome Library in partnership with JISC Collections

Louisville Free Public Library flooded (Kentucky)

The Louisville Free Public Library's Main Branch is closed at least through Wednesday as water swelled into the building's lowest level during Tuesday's storms

Points of View: Capturing the 19th Century in Photographs (British Library)

"170 years since its invention, photography remains the main technology through which we understand and record the world. Camera phones are now ubiquitous, but in its infancy, photography was an expensive, elaborate and experimental pursuit. Points of View - the British Library's first ever major photographic exhibition - will examine the development and influence of photography, from its invention in 1839 up to the growth of a popular amateur market in the early 20th century. Rarely displayed items from the British Library's photography collection will show how photography has played a critical role as the primary means of visual expression in the modern age. 30 October 2009 to 7 March 2010"

100 Best Book Blogs for History Buffs

From Online School - "As a history student, or someone who's just interested in sneaking in a couple of history courses amongst your already packed schedule, you're probably a voracious reader, independent thinker, and someone who's constantly on the lookout for information that can help you with your research. If you're tired of visiting the library and sticking to official reading lists provided by your professors, try directing yourself to these book blogs that offer up all kinds of insight for history buffs, including book reviews and recommendations, military history books, books that deal with history and culture, and more"

OPALescence 2009: A Free Online Library Conference for Everyone

OPALescence 2009: A Free Online Library Conference for Everyone - August 13-24 2009

Crossroads - August 2009

Crossroads: the newsletter of WebJuntion.org - August 2009 issue is now available

Latvia joins the Campaign for the World's Libraries

The Latvian Librarian Association is the newest member of the Campaign for the World's Libraries. The Campaign for the World's Libraries was developed by the America Library Association's Campaign for America's Libraries and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions to showcase the unique and vital roles played by public, school, academic and special libraries worldwide. Established in 1923, Latvian Librarian Association has been a member of IFLA since 1929

Tuesday, August 04, 2009

AdisOnline enhanced version released

An enhanced version of AdisOnline has been released by Wolters Kluwer Health

The HeinOnline Newsletter - July 2009

The HeinOnline Newsletter - July 2009 - Issue #7 is now available online

The Battle of the Haggis (UK)

"Recent historical work casts doubt on the provenance of Scotland's national dish, as reported on the BBC website on Monday 3rd August. Historian Catherine Brown has located a reference to haggis in Gervase Markham's 1615 work The English Hus-Wife, which predates Burns' celebration of the dish by more than a century and a half (and is held in the Wellcome Library)"

UNESCO Literacy Prize winners for 2009 are announced

"A newspaper produced entirely by women in rural India is among the winners of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes this year. Innovative literacy projects in Burkina Faso, Afghanistan and the Philippines have won the other three awards, while a programme in Bhutan received an Honourable Mention. The laureates were proclaimed by the Director-General of UNESCO, Koïchiro Matsuura, on the recommendation of an international Jury"

Children's Bookshow 2009 (UK)

Children's Bookshow 2009 (UK) takes place 25 September to 25 November

Journal of the National Medical Association - scanned archive

The scanned archive is complete for the Journal of the National Medical Association. The archive includes vols. 1-99 (1909-2007). There is no embargo delay for this journal and content for 2008 forward is currently unavailable

Podcast: Dr Williams' Library: an early birth registry

Dr Williams' Library in London is an essential resource for people who are researching the history of protestant nonconformity in England and Wales. But the library has also given its name to an important collection of registers and certificates which were once held there. This talk looks at these fascinating documents which represent an early attempt to introduce a form of civil registration of births. UK National Archives

Library Journal up for sale

"Reed Business Information is putting Library Journal and its affiliated publications, School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, up for sale. The transaction is part of RBI's strategy to divest most of its trade magazines in the United States. A few, including Variety, will not be sold"

Yebol: Knowledge-Based (Semantic) Search

"Yebol's mission is to build human-like world's knowledge base and provide knowledge based search (semantics) and services"

ICE Virtual Library

"ICE Virtual Library, the largest online civil engineering resource in the world. Here you can explore the full archive of the Institution of Civil Engineers back to 1836, browse our internationally renowned journals and books, and take advantage of our powerful searching tools to find the information you need. In mid-August we will be making our full range of journals and ebooks available for purchase, as well as enabling powerful new features for libraries and institutions, such as Shibboleth® access"

New MLibrary web site and catalog

"MLibrary launched its newly designed web site and library catalog Monday, August 3, 2009. We created this new site in response to comments from you, our user community. MLibrary's goal is to provide you with a web environment that makes it easy to find information and even easier to contact our librarian subject experts. In other words, we want to help you find more. Please note that the original Mirlyn catalog is still available, but at a new web address: http://mirlyn-classic.lib.umich.edu. While we're proud of the new site and catalog design, please feel free to provide feedback so we can continue to make it better for you"

Directory of Open Access Journals - recently added titles

Journal of Problem Solving

Neurology International

Revista Mexicana de Analisis de la Conducta

European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context

Open Colorectal Cancer Journal

From Out That Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe

The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, is commemorating the 2009 bicentennial of Edgar Allan Poe, American poet, critic and inventor of the detective story, with the exhibition From Out That Shadow: The Life and Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe. This project draws upon the extensive holdings of the Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the Harrison Institute/ Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia, with additional materials from the Free Library of Philadelphia and other museums. The exhibition is on display at the Ransom Center September 8, 2009, through January 3, 2010

Monday, August 03, 2009

UKSG E-Resources Technical Update: London

The UKSG E-Resources Technical Update course will give you a good understanding of the underlying technicalities involved in e-resource set-up and delivery including e-journals, online databases and e-books, and will help you feel more confident in your day-to-day work - 10 November 2009 - London, UK

Archives Hub Collections of the Month, August 2009

Archives Hub Collections of the Month, August 2009: Pubs and Inns - "This month we're highlighting descriptions for the records of breweries, licensed premises, and trade associations, plus the papers of pub users and temperance campaigners. There are also links to selected websites and suggested reading.". Archives Hub is also on Twitter

The England and Wales Criminal Registers, 1791-1892

From ancestry.co.uk - "The release of this collection marks the completion of the first UK chapter of the Ancestry World Archives Project - our commitment to help preserve the world's historical archives and make them available online. The England and Wales Criminal Registers, 1791-1892 is the first UK collection to be indexed by World Archives Project contributors. All 279 bound volumes of the collection were scanned at The National Archives by a dedicated team of Ancestry technicians - a task which took 616 man-hours to complete. Then contributors from the Ancestry Community transcribed the images, so that the collection could be searched online. Those who worked on this and other Project collections got to enjoy a sneak preview of the records they indexed before they become public. After many thousands more man-hours indexing, the complete collection is now available - and we'd like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work"

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #136

SPARC Open Access Newsletter, issue #136 - August 2, 2009 is now available

Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography: 2008 Annual Edition now available from Amazon.com

The Scholarly Electronic Publishing Bibliography: 2008 Annual Edition, by Charles W. Bailey, Jr., is now available from Amazon.com as a 372-page, 6" by 9" paperback book on white paper

Best Practices Exchange

Best Practices Exchange - a website dedicated to information about the Best Practices Exchange Conferences and an online community for librarians, archivists, records managers and other information professionals dedicated to managing digital information in state government. The forum provides a place for you to discuss issues, challenges, and solutions

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Public Library Journal - Spring 2009 articles available

Turning Japanese: Matthew Imrie introduces the manga phenomenon, offering suggestions for collection development and management, events and running a manga group

Narrowing the gap: Judy Goodson shares the experiences of Bridging the Gap, a unique project run by Staffordshire Library and Information Services which has demonstrated how library services can support young people with learning difficulties in their move to independence

Matches made in Essex: Elaine Adams, June Turner and Annastasia Ward describe how a commissioning process is helping to match capacity for development with service priorities

Raising awareness: Simon Wallace reflects on a series of successful mental health training courses for Southend Libraries staff - and on the wider benefits of partnership work with training provider, Rethink Good Companions

Doom or Bloom - reinventing the library in the digital age

Doom or Bloom - reinventing the library in the digital age. An International Seminar by EUROLIS - 29 October - London, UK. Invitations and application forms will be posted at the beginning of September

Humanities Conference 2010

Eighth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities - 29 June to 2 July 2010 - Los Angeles, USA

NAG Conference 2009

NAG Conference 2009 - When it Comes to the Crunch: Making More of Less - September 9-10 - University of Chester, UK. NAG is the National Acquisitions Group