**Invitation
for Participation/ Registration
for International Conference on
Digital Libraries (ICDL 2006)
December 5-8,
2006 – India Habitat Center, New
Delhi, India
www.teriin.org/events/icdl
ICDL is a major international
forum focusing on digital
libraries and related issues. It
aims to consolidate and expand
concerted efforts to bridge the
digital divide. ICDL2006
proposes to focus on Information
Management for Global Access
through the creation, adoption,
implementation and utilization
of DLs. It also intends to offer
a common platform to put forth
innovative ideas, discuss
classical knowledge management
and DL concepts in an open
forum, and promote closer
cooperation between experts and
end- users. About 40 renowned
and experienced speakers from
India and abroad will be sharing
their experiences. For detail
information about the conference
please visit the website
www.teriin.org/events/icdl
As you may be
aware that TERI had earlier
organized the ICDL
(International Conference on
Digital Libraries) 2004,
in partnership with Department
of Culture, Ministry of Tourism
and Culture, Government of India
from 24 to 27 February 2004. The
conference was inaugurated by
Hon'ble President of India. More
than 750 participants from 36
countries and 55 invited
speakers from 16 countries and
80 contributed speakers shared
their experiences on a single
platform.
The conference was able to
create awareness and enthusiasm
within the community which
afterwards witnessed several
digital library and knowledge
management initiatives in India.
Registration Information
:
For details about the conference
registration fee for all
presenters and participants and
other registration information,
please refer to the conference
website (www.teriin.org/events/icdl
)
Sponsorship details, Products &
Services Exhibitors and business
sessions
For details visit conference
website (www.teriin.org/events/icdl)
or e-mail at icdl@teri.res.in
For any queries contact at –
Debal C Kar
Organising Secretary
ICDL2006 Conference Secretariat
TERI,
(The Energy
Research Institute)
Darbari Seth
Block
IHC Complex, Lodhi Road
New Delhi - 110 003, India
Phone - 91-11-24682141, 24682111
or 24682100
Fax - 91-11-24682144, 2468 2145
E-mail
ICDL@teri.res.in
**DVD
Debate: Fiscal Prudence or
Censorship?
Charlie Jackson
-- An effort to remove Braveheart, The Passion of the Christ, Saving
Private Ryan, various
Shakespeare adaptations and any
other R rated DVD from public
libraries hit a wall last week
when the Loudoun Library Board
of Trustees rejected a request
from county supervisors to stop
purchasing adult-oriented
videos.
Read on …
Librarians
an endangered species
04.02.2006 (Queensland Times)
KATE GASTEEN
FORGET the chronic doctor shortage and shrinking tradie quotas, it's librarians
that experts are warning will be the new endangered species of professionals.
With recent figures pointing to an anticipated shortage of 10,800 public library
staff in the United Kingdom by the year 2010, the Australian Library and
Information Association (ALIA) this week signalled a campaign to promote
careers in libraries. Executive director Sue Hutley said the organisation
was looking to improve its recruitment and retention strategies in the face of
an ageing workforce dominated by librarians over the age of 45. Ms Hutley
attributed part of the reluctance of young people to take up librarianship
degrees to the stereotypical image of a librarian as a bookish woman spending
her days shelving books and hissing "sshhh". "People don't just shelve books
anymore," Ms Hutley said. "One of the things ALIA is trying to do is point
towards the future and what we are about is linking people with ideas whether it
be a child reading a book, or a person with a research idea from full text or an
oral history." Information technology, research and service are the skills
of the modern librarian who can specialise in different fields, Ms Hutley said.
University of Queensland Social Sciences and Humanities Library manager Bill
Beach was optimistic about the future for librarians noting it was a profession
that many adopted after opting out of one career. Mr Beach said a broader
base of skilled professionals serviced modern libraries. "You can liken
libraries to the military in that for every person on the frontline
there's at least 10 people behind them," Mr Beach said. Ipswich Grammar School's
David Cunningham studied part-time after work for 10 years to fulfil his
dream of becoming a teacher librarian. "It was because my Dad had a wall full of
books and whenever I had a question he could go to the shelves and find the
information I needed," Mr Cunningham said. "It inspired me to! help people
in that same way. "You have got to have a passion! for service." Mr Cunningham
said the information revolution had ensured librarians had an important role in
teaching others to access information. "We are an information centre and we are
teaching people to find the information that they need. "I am disappointed more
people aren't involved." But it's a role he is passionate about and
believes men have a duty to embrace particularly in schools. "So boys realise
that books aren't just for girls," he said.
Scholarship winner
The Management Committee of the Marion E
Robertson Children's
Literature Award is pleased to announce that
the winner for 2006 is
Teneille Bush from the Blue Mountains City
Library. Teneille's
commitment to the field of children's
literature is commendable and she
is a most worthy winner. Teneille will be
sponsored to attend the CBCA
8th National Conference and Expo from 4 - 6
May 2006.
Lorraine Janson
For the Management Committee of the Marion E
Robertson Children's
|
Storm over gay kindergarten books
NSW Premier Morris Iemma has criticised a Sydney kindergarten for
teaching very young children about gay and lesbian families.
Mr Iemma said toddlers were being confronted with adult issues at an
age when they should just be having fun.
"Personally, I believe it's inappropriate for a childcare centre to
be a battleground for gender politics,"
But Marrickville Mayor Sam Byrne said books used in the kindergarten
were approved.
Read on ...
|
Auto-Graphics First-to-Market with Book-Buying Functionality through
AGent Platform of Library Automation Solutions
POMONA, CA. – March 13,
2006 –
Auto-Graphics, Inc. (AUGR.PK), a technology innovator providing library
automation solutions for over 35 years, today announced an industry first – the
ability for libraries to offer online book-buying functionality to their
patrons, while sharing in the sales revenue generated through the company’s
AGent™ platform of products including VERSO™ ILS, Search and even the ILL
Resource Sharing products. This groundbreaking program has been developed in
partnership with Baker & Taylor – a worldwide distributor of books, video,
music, and games – with the vision to provide public libraries a powerful
revenue generating opportunity that supports the ongoing needs of their
libraries, while increasing community awareness through word-of-mouth referrals
and a library-branded website. This novel technology will significantly change
the library market, expanding the library’s role from a borrowing entity to an
online destination where patrons can easily and immediately purchase items.
Read more
The
Vacuum blog, written by Edward Vielmetti,
announced that the ILL system, MiLE, in
Michigan has been "irrevocably" hacked. He
includes a number of links that discuss the
issue in his post, if you want more
information on that particular incident. The
larger problem is that the culture of
openness and access that libraries embody is
being put to the test by hackers (or
crackers) who use that open access to
destroy our resources.
Post continues
Libraries fear digital lockdown
Libraries have warned that the rise of digital
publishing may make it harder or even impossible to access items in their
collections in the future.
Many publishers put restrictions on how digital books and
journals can be used.
Such digital rights management (DRM) controls may block some
legitimate uses, the British Library has said.
And there are fears
that restricted works may not be safe for future generations if people can no
longer unlock them when technology evolves.
Article continues
H.W. Wilson’s Book Review Digest
Turns 100
Book Review Digest
now joins the company of reference icon Readers'
Guide to Periodical Literature, as an
H.W. Wilson product in service to library users
for more than 100 years.
Introduced in 1905, Book Review
Digest is now available in both the familiar
print form and on WilsonWeb online, as Book
Review Digest Plus
http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/brdig.htm
and Book Review Digest Retrospective: 1905-1982
http://www.hwwilson.com/databases/
brdig_retro.htm
NLS2006 Call for Papers
The ALIA New Librarians' Symposium 2006 Call for Papers is closing at the end
of this month!
This is your chance to present to an enthusiastic and engaged audience of your
peers. If you've never presented before, this is a great place to start, and
we're offering a peer review process for those who do submit. If you've
ever considered presenting at a conference, but were too intimidated by the idea
of hundreds of big wigs staring at you up on stage, NLS is for you. If, however,
you know what you're doing, you're an old hand at this - come and show the rest
of us how it's done. We welcome submissions for non-traditional delivery methods
as well - workshops and other types of interactive presentations are welcome.
Submitting is easy - you don't need a complete paper (yet!), just an abstract.
For all your guidelines, visit us at
http://conferences.alia.org.au/newlibrarian2006/
- and while you're there you might like to sign up for our mailing list, to get
all the NLS news, announcements, and, coming up, some nifty competitions.
IFLA 2005: Report of
Achievements
14 December 2005
Dear Colleagues
This year, 2005, was an exciting and productive
year for IFLA. Dominated by
engagement with the World Summit on the
Information Society (WSIS -
http://www.itu.int/wsis), it was also a most
successful year in many other respects
including professional work, membership services
and addressing the governance and
administration of the Federation.
The Three Pillars, adopted by
the Governing Board in December 2004,
provides a powerful framework for both the
presentation and the reconsideration of
IFLA's activities and priorities. Its
elements - Society, Profession, Members -
identify the domains of IFLA's work for
libraries and information services world wide,
which are supported by IFLANET, IFLA HQ,
the regional and core activity offices, and the
Governing Board. A number of initiatives
have been taken to strengthen the
alignment between IFLA's operations and its
priorities including the re-presentation
of the budget in terms of the three pillars and
the initiation of a strategic plan which
will be considered by the GB at its March
meeting. The Board has also established
the Working Party on Governance to review
the operation of IFLA's statutes, which were
approved in 2000. Some ideas from
the Working Party will be circulated for comment
early in 2006. This may result in some
changes to the Statutes being put to the
members this year and others being considered at
a later date.
The Society Pillar recognises
the vital role of libraries and information
services in building strong and healthy
communities, nations and organisations.
Our WSIS advocacy, over the last four years
through the Geneva phase and to this
November's Summit meeting in Tunis, highlighted
the important role that libraries play in
creating an information society for all (a
report will shortly appear on IFLANET). We
must now hold the governments to the
commitments they made in the WSIS process.
Our success in this process, including our very
successful pre Summit conference at the
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt, is the result of
coordinated work by many colleagues including
national associations, individuals and
those who were able to join national WSIS
delegations. It has been a
demonstration of the strength and importance of
our Members Pillar - which we have also
strengthened this year by implementing the new
national association fee structure and by
introducing the new "other associations"
category. And, to encourage rejuvenation
of the profession and IFLA, the December
Governing Board meeting confirmed the
continuation of the Student Affiliate
category.
IFLA's commitment to societal issues was also
demonstrated in the continuing work of
FAIFE, which included an investigation and two
statements on the human rights situation in
Tunisia (the host of WSIS), and the dedicated
advocacy of CLM, which extended its work on IP
policy from WIPO to the WTO ministerial meeting
this month. These core activities project
our professional interests in regard to society,
tackling many of the contextual issues which
affect the operations of libraries and
information services around the world.
In addition, IFLA responded to the dreadful
Tsunami, which hit several nations around the
Indian Ocean twelve months ago, and to the
following disasters in other regions. We
drew attention to the importance of libraries
and information services, offered support to our
colleagues in difficulty and established the
IFLA Relief and Development Partnership (IRDP)
together with several major national library
associations. IRDP will enable us to
provide some assistance in response to future
disasters, mainly to help the assessment of the
damage and planning for the future but also to
promote disaster preparedness.
Through this initiative we help to build, and
rebuild when necessary, the strong professional
structures which are the emphasis of the
Profession Pillar. Other professional
activities this year have included: the very
successful World Library and Information
Congress in Oslo; the programs of IFLA's
sections and divisions; and three very important
meetings, the Interlending Conference in Tallinn
in September, the High Level Colloquium on
Information Literacy and Lifelong Learning at
the Bibliotheca Alexandrina last month and the
IFLA Meeting of Experts on an International
Cataloguing Code (IME ICC3) in Cairo this month.
These and the work of PAC, ALP, ICABS and
UNIMARC contribute to the vitality and relevance
of our global profession. Their programs often
result in publications, such as the very timely
Preparing for the Worst, Planning for the Best:
Protecting our Cultural Heritage from Disaster (ed
Nancy Gwinn and Johanna Wellheiser, IFLA
Publications no. 111, Munich, Saur, 2005), as
well as articles in IFLA Journal which moved to
Sage Publications in 2005, laying the foundation
for a higher quality and more attractive
journal.
In February, we welcomed Dr Peter
Lor as our Secretary General, launching him into
a very busy program of work with the Governing
Board, the Professional Committee, the staff and
other colleagues to streamline the operations of
IFLA. Peter commissioned an external
review of IFLA's business processes which was
considered by the GB in December resulting in
the implementation of some of its
recommendations and further consideration of
others. It is clear that the highest
priority is to renew IFLA's IT systems, both
IFLANET and the 'back end' business systems, so
as to make the organisation more responsive and
efficient. The 2006 budget makes provision
for the first stage of this renewal, the
detailed project planning, but it is evident
that additional resources will be needed to
complete the project without delay.
Support from members for this enhancement and
for the continuing work of IFLA, and especially
the core activities, will be essential if we are
to fulfil our mission fully. To that end,
the GB approved the creation of an IFLA Fund,
which has already raised some money to assist
our advocacy efforts. The membership
renewal form will include opportunities for
members to contribute further to advocacy and
the core activities. We encourage you and
your organisations to contribute so that IFLA
can continue to be the strong global voice for
libraries and information services.
Our heartfelt thanks to all who have contributed
so much to our success this year: members,
officers, staff and supporters.
We wish you
all the best for 2006 - Happy New Year!
Alex Byrne Claudia Lux Peter Lor
President
President-elect Secretary General
Open Content Alliance Expands Rapidly; Reveals
Operational Details
Just a few
weeks after its launch, the Open Content Alliance (http://www.opencontentalliance.org)
has already added dozens of new members to its Open
Library project (http://www.openlibrary.org).
Twenty-four new participants have joined the initial
10 founding members. All contributors have committed
to donating services, facilities, tools, and/or
funding. Microsoft Corp. has joined the effort with
the announcement of MSN Book Search, a new mass book
digitization project. The Research Libraries Group (RLG;
http://www.rlg.org),
a major library bibliographic utility, has also
joined OCA, contributing its bibliographic metadata.
In contrast with Google Print’s close-mouthed policy
toward its proprietary digitization equipment, the
Open Content Alliance has released extensive details
on its Scribe system, as well as other options for
participants and users.
Article
continues
Just a few weeks after its launch, the Open Content Alliance
(http://www.opencontentalliance.org)
has already added dozens of new members to its Open Library
project (http://www.openlibrary.org).
Twenty-four new participants have joined the initial 10
founding members. All contributors have committed to
donating services, facilities, tools, and/or funding.
Microsoft Corp. has joined the effort with the announcement
of MSN Book Search, a new mass book digitization project.
The Research Libraries Group (RLG;
http://www.rlg.org), a major library
bibliographic utility, has also joined OCA, contributing its
bibliographic metadata. In contrast with Google Print’s
close-mouthed policy toward its proprietary digitization
equipment, the Open Content Alliance has released extensive
details on its Scribe system, as well as other options for
participants and users.
Article continues
" Lorcan
Dempsey has posted an announcement on his (Ed. note:
originally stated as "her", see comments) blog about the
inclusion of user-provided reviews in the Open World Cat
Catalog. This new feature uses "Wiki-like" technology to
store the reviews on the backend and allows anyone who
is interested to post their thoughts on the book in
question. The comments on his post are arguably more
interesting than the post itself, however. I especially
liked the idea presented by Fiona about making reviews
published in professional journals available in this
way. She makes a great point that they are not always
accessible if you don't have the hard copy of the
journal in your hands. While the addition of user
reviews is a great start, a collaboration between a
professional journal and this service might be even more
useful." --
Robin Hasting
Author,
David Bergen wins the 1005 Scotiabank Giller Prize
Toronto, ON
(November 8, 2005) - David Bergen has been named the 2005 winner of The
Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s premier literary prize for fiction, for his
novel The Time In Between, published by
McClelland & Stewart.
MSN Book Search, launched earlier this month, to deliver
search results.
Microsoft continues to work with the British Library on its development of the
infrastructure for the National Digital Library.
Microsoft and the British Library today announced a strategic
partnership to digitise 25 million pages of content from the Library's
collections in 2006, with a long term commitment to digitise still more in the
future.
|
**An
International Training Program on
"INFORMATION":
STIMULATE
= Scientific and Technological
Information Management in Universities
and Libraries:
an Active Training Environment
(Edition 6)
Information about this training program
can be found on the WWW starting from:
http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/itp/
The program is planned to take place
mainly in Brussels, Belgium,
from Monday morning October 2 to
Thursday evening December 21, 2006.
Language used is English.
**RIVER
OF OPPORTUNITIES IV
ALBURY, NSW
November 11-12th 2006.
The 4th River of Opportunities, a joint
workshop from the Victorian
ALIA Library Technicians Group and the NSW
ALIA Library Technicians
Group, will be held at the Sundowner Hovell
Tree Inn, Albury
NSW,11-12th November 2006.
Commencing with registration at 8:30am on
Saturday 11th November, we
are offering a full program on informative
speakers in the morning
with library tour(s) in the afternoon.
A dinner will be at a local venue on the
Saturday evening. This will
be at your own expense.
Sundays program will include "a word from
our sponsor" RAECO, topical
issues, more speakers and time for
"communities of interest" and
general group discussion.
We aim to finish at noon, followed by lunch
before heading home.
The cost will be
ALIA Members $115
Non Members $150
This includes morning teas and lunch.
Accommodation is at own cost. Bookings at
the Sundowner Hovell Tree
Inn are now being taken. You can choose
from room only or include
breakfast in your tariff. Ph 02 6042 3900
to book.
Accommodation and registration must be
confirmed by 6th October 2006.
Watch this site for further developments.
Cheers
Clare Bristow and Libby Brackenridge
CONVENORS
: E-mail:
clare.bristow@deakin.edu.au
: Website:
http://www.deakin.edu.au
Joan
Brewer Award - SA School Library
Association.
http://www.slasa.asn.au/
Congratulations
to Award Winner Helen Richter of Barmera Primary School.Helen has been a teacher librarian for
many years. She was joint founder of the
Riverland Hub Group and has been its coordinator
for 20 years. Helen provides students with an
excellent basis in information literacy and
actively promotes and shares her ideas.
Well done Helen!
The Astrid Lindgren Memorial
Award 2006 goes to the American author
Katherine Paterson.
The jury's motivation is as follows:
"Katherine Paterson (USA) is a brilliant psychologist who gets right under the
skin of the vulnerable young people she creates, whether in historical or exotic
settings, or in the grim reality of the USA today. With a deft aesthetic touch
she avoids simple solutions, building instead on the inner strength and courage
of her main characters."
Press photographs and information about the award winner can be found at the
Memorial Award website,
www.alma.se and Katherine Paterson's own website,
www.terabithia.com.
H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria will present the award at a ceremony at Skansen
in Stockholm on 31 May 2006. The ceremony is open to the general public.
Two
new qualifications, the Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Applications of ICT in
Libraries.
The qualifications are based on the
Peoples's Network training and were developed by the Scottish Library and
Information
Council (SLIC) (http://www.slainte.org.uk)
and validated by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) (
http://www.sqa.org.uk). The qualificationsare applicable across the UK and
may also be of interest to library staff elsewhere.
Millennium City Academy, an associate college of London Graduate School
ofManagement, has now been approved by SQA to offer these awards, which willbe
delivered on a Distance Learning basis.
Please see
http://www.lgsm.ac for full details, or checkhttp://www.ictl.org.uk
for a look at the online course materials.
Literature Award
PLA Announces 2006 Award Winners
The Public
Library Association (PLA), a division of the American Library Association (ALA)
has announced the winners of seven distinguished service awards.
*Is
GOOGLE Being a Fair Use
User?*
by
Bessie Mayes
Technical Service Senior Advisor/Cartographic Consultant
SPAWAR Systems Center, Pacific
bessie.mayes@navy.mil
Some technology revolutions can be very subtle in the
beginning. Perhaps you have noticed that the number of computer commercials
outnumber commercials for television products, with the exception of the Super
Bowl season of course. The technology markets are driven by the consumer’s
desire for convenience, relaxation, and saving time. There are many new
technological surprises these days to accommodate those masses too. For
instance, Sony Corporation has a new product that may change the way we
read books in the future. You are familiar already of course with email,
e-journals, and e-commerce, but are you aware of e-paper? Sony’s new device will
allow the user to read up to eighty books on a device they call the Sony
Reader. The company developed this reader last year, and is now marketing it
to the public. The device weights only 9 ounces, and looks just like a book with
a LCD screen. The Sony Reader
is adjustable, meaning you can manipulate fonts, and is easy to carry around.
Just think, instead of thumbing through a paper copy of your favorite novel, you
now have the luxury of pressing a button to flip to the next page. However, my
question after reading about this new item was how could I acquire a digital
book that could interface with this device and how much would I have to pay?
What if I told you that someday in the future, you may be able to download your
favorite book into your Sony Reader directly from a library’s website?
summarizes findings of an
international study on information-seeking
habits and preferences.
The sixteenth annual report on the provision and
use of library
services to schools and
children in the UK
shows that while more than half of the nation's
children are thought to be public library
members, only around one-third actively use the
library to borrow books. There is a diverse
range of activities and services being developed
by public libraries to cater for children and
children's satisfaction with their local library
is high. The report expresses concern over the
longer term management and strategic planning of
both school library services and public library
services for children. The report summarises
trends over the past five years, examines the
roles and numbers of staff working with children
and considers service provision, resources, and
expenditure. [Claire Creaser and Sally Maynard,
'A survey of library services to schools and
children in the UK 2004-05'. LISU, Loughborough
University, December 2005. ISBN 1901786943]
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/dis/lisu/
pages/publications/sch-chil05.h
THE INFINITE LIBRARY
Researchers are welcoming
Google's plan to digitize millions of books, but
the implications for libraries are profound
 By Devin
Crawley
Read the whole article
Going Digital One Book at Time
The
Wall Street Journal today has an interesting
article about the meticulous and tedious task of
scanning library books for digitization.
Scanners literally pluck one book at a time from
library shelves, bring them to the six-foot
tall, five-foot wide machine, placing the book
on a V-shaped tray with two digital cameras
looming over the right and left side. Once the
picture is taken, the human scanner makes the
necessary adjustments and then turns the page.
This is part of a huge effort by the Internet
Archive to digitize the world's books. The
nonprofit has received funds from Microsoft,
Yahoo!, Hewlett Packard, and Adobe Systems, as
well as several university libraries, to do so.
While Google's efforts have come under fire due
to potential copyright violations, the Internet
Archive's effort, called the Open Content
Alliance, is focusing only on books published
before 1923, which are no longer under
copyright. The process costs nearly 10 cents a
page, but more than that, it takes time; in one
year, just 2,800 books have been digitized. With
Yahoo! and Microsoft recently on board, the
effort will likely broaden and speed up. -
Read the whole story...
The
OTHER Book Projects
by Paula J. Hane
With all the press coverage lately about the
Google Print project, as well as our two
NewsBreaks this week, which cover the Open
Content Alliance and Microsoft MSN Search book
digitization projects, it looks like books may
have achieved the status of "the next big
thing," as Barbara Quint suggested. But, as we
talked about these recent developments, she and
I agreed that many other worthy book search and
access projects seem to be lost from view. So,
here’s a brief roundup of others that deserve
recognition, including homegrown and commercial
efforts.
The volunteer effort Project Gutenberg (http://www.gutenberg.org
) has been around since 1971—it’s the oldest
producer of free e-books on the Internet. On its
site, it now reports 17,405 e-books (that are in
the public domain) and is averaging 250 new
books per month this year. Books may be freely
downloaded. Project Gutenberg is a participant
in Yahoo!’s Content Acquisition Program. This
provides a search of book metadata (author,
title, brief description, keywords). Google
provides a search of approximtely the first 100
KB of the full text. Michael Hart, founder of
Project Gutenberg, has estimated that "there are
already well over 100,000 eBooks already
available free for the taking on various
Internet sites, perhaps 50,000 of them from the
various Project Gutenberg sites."
Other book projects include the California
eScholarship Initiative (
http://www.cdlib.org/programs/
escholarship.html), the Electronic Text
Center at the University of Virginia Library
(
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu),
and the Humanities Text Initiative at the
University of Michigan (http://www.hti.umich.edu
), to name a few. The Online Books Page is a
book index of some 20,000-plus free Web texts
edited by John Mark Ockerbloom; it’s hosted by
the University of Pennsylvania Library
(http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu
).
There are also several European library and
publisher initiatives. Reuters recently reported
that the German association of book publishers
plans to build a network by next year that will
allow the full texts of the publishers’ books to
be searched online by search engines, but it
will not provide the texts to Google and the
other engines.
The European Commission adopted an initiative in
June titled "i2010: European Information Society
2010" in which digital libraries are a flagship
goal. On Sept. 30, 2005, at a meeting in
Brussels, Belgium, the commission unveiled a
strategy for making "Europe’s written and
audiovisual heritage available on the Internet."
It presented a first set of actions at the
European level intended to feed into a proposal
for digitization and preservation for
presentation in June 2006. At present, several
initiatives exist in the member states, but they
are fragmented. To avoid creating systems that
are mutually incompatible and that duplicate
work, the commission proposes that member states
and major cultural institutions join the EU
effort.
Other companies serving up access to digital
books include NetLibrary, ebrary, and Knovel, as
well as major publishers like Elsevier,
McGraw-Hill, Oxford University Press, and
others. Services aimed at the library market
tend to focus on providing many value-add
services and tools for users—and don’t forget
these are all available free to library users
with their library card.
OCLC’s NetLibrary recently chose Autonomy as its
technology partner to provide academic, public,
corporate, and special libraries with improved
search and retrieval functionality. Autonomy’s
technology allows NetLibrary to index e-books,
e-journals, and other content types regardless
of format and/or location and make them
available through a single search interface.
Additionally, NetLibrary is using several other
Autonomy features, such as cross-linking of
files, content summarization, content
suggestions, and spell-checking. These and other
features will be part of a major site
enhancement planned for this fall, called
NetLibrary 4.0. NetLibrary currently provides
customers with access to more than 95,000 full
texts of reference, scholarly, and professional
e-books, journals, and audio files.
ebrary has a growing selection of more than
60,000 full-text titles from more than 200
leading academic, STM, and professional
publishers. More than 40,000 of these full-text
titles are books. ebrary also offers users tools
like highlighting, notes, bookmarks, copying,
and printing. The ebrary Reader delivers pages
to a patron’s desktop page-by-page, eliminating
cumbersome downloads. InfoTools gives every
document word-level interaction to link to
additional information.
The bottom line is that all of these projects
and products are complementary. Users benefit by
having book contents searchable and available,
no matter what the source. In fact, content
that’s not digital could be in danger of
extinction. We’re clearly moving to a digital
information world.
Here’s what James Hilton, University of Michigan
associate provost and interim librarian, said in
a statement about the Google Print project
(
http://www.umich.edu/news/index.html?Releases/2005/Sep05/r092105):
"In the future, most research and learning is
going to take place in a digital world. Material
that does not exist in digital form will
effectively disappear. We need to decide whether
we are going to allow the development of new
technology to be used as a tool to restrict the
public’s access to knowledge, or if we are going
to ensure that people can find these works and
that they will be preserved for future
generations."
Paula J. Hane
is Information Today, Inc.’s news bureau chief
and editor of NewsBreaks. Her e-mail address is
phane@infotoday.com. NewsLink is a free
weekly e-mail newsletter featuring news and
resources for the information industry. If you
would like to become a subscriber, please visit
their Web site at
www.infotoday.com
or send a blank e-mail to join-infotoday@lists.infotoday.com.
Random House Goes Hollywood
Random House Goes Hollywood In an effort to optimize the value of its literary
acquisitions, Random House has signed a deal with Focus Features to create films
based on the publisher's titles. Focus, a unit of NBC Universal, will co develop,
co produce, and cofinance the pictures, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The deal reportedly gives Focus access to the back titles of Random's worldwide
imprints, as well as books in current circulation. Under the terms of the deal,
the film company--its recent releases include "The Motorcycle Diaries" and "The
Constant Gardener"--will not have automatic rights to every book from Random
House, as the publisher will still negotiate subrights separately for every
title it buys. Of course this is not the first time a U.S. publisher has
attempted to create a symbiotic relationship with the film industry. Earlier, in
an attempt that ultimately failed, Miramax Books, under the direction of Tina
Brown, was supposed to funnel hit titles to Bob and Harvey Weinstein's
Manhattan-based film company. In the end, there was little to show for the
experiment, and Brown left the company. -
Read the whole story... |
Bronwyn
Ritchie's
