The published proceedings contain the keynote address by Daniel Greenstein, director of the digital library federation; a case study of Louisiana State University's Digital Library; a progress report on content, standards, and "best practices" at the Florida Center for Library Automation; a case study on GALILEO (Georgia Library Learning Online); a discussion on assessing virtual reference in a digital library; and a talk on the future of the virtual library.

The proceedings may be viewed or printed in their entirety from SOLINET's Web site at http://www.solinet.net/presvtn/vl/vlibraries.htm.

Founded in 1973, SOLINET is a nonprofit membership organization serving more than 2,100 libraries of all types and sizes in 10 southeastern states and the Caribbean.

Source: SOLINET, Atlanta, 800/999-8558; http://www.solinet.net.
 

ALA Announces AccessAbility Program
As part of The Campaign for America's Libraries, the American Library Association (ALA) is pleased to announce AccessAbility @ your library, a recently launched national program, developed by Easter Seals and ALA. The goals of the program are to educate children and adults about people with disabilities and to promote the library as a community resource where people of all ages and abilities can obtain information about disabilities.

ALA has compiled reading lists for children and adults to use in the AccessAbility program. The lists were prepared by members of the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA), divisions of ALA. The lists will be made available through Easter Seals affiliates to local libraries participating in AccessAbility @ your library, and also can be accessed on ALA's Web site at http://www.ala.org/news/v7n10/adult.html and http://www.ala.org/news/v7n10/children.html.

Easter Seals will be approaching approximately 20 libraries in targeted areas to pilot the program, which may expand to additional sites. For more information, please contact Joan Fishman in the Easter Seals national office at 312/551-7136. Program information can also be obtained from the Easter Seals Web site, http://www.easter-seals.org.

AccessAbility @ your library is one way in which ALA is working to implement its new Library Services for People with Disabilities Policy, which was passed in January 2001.

Source: American Library Association, Chicago, 800/545-2433; http://www.ala.org.
 

Heritage Preservation Conducts Survey to Evaluate Condition of U.S. Collections
Heritage Preservation, Inc. has announced the Heritage Health Index, which will for the first time measure the condition of the nation's archival collections. This survey is being developed by Heritage Preservation in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and with funding from the Getty Grant Program.

Through the Heritage Health Index, the condition of collections in the nation's museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies will be measured every 4 years. According to the press release, no national survey is conducted regularly to produce credible statistics regarding the condition of the nation's artistic, historical, and scientific collections. This new data will facilitate long-range collections planning, indicate where funding and resources are needed, prioritize the areas of need, and educate the public at large.

Heritage Preservation is a national organization dedicated to preserving U.S. heritage. Its members include libraries, museums, archives, historic preservation organizations, historical societies, conservation organizations, and other professional groups concerned with saving the past for the future.

Source: Heritage Preservation, Inc., Washington, DC, 202/634-0033; http://www.heritagepreservation.org.
 

CAS Announces SciFinder 2001, Content Agreements with InfoChem and Spotfire
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has announced a new release of its SciFinder desktop research tool. SciFinder 2001 uses the Basic Local AlignmentSearch Tool (BLAST) algorithm to aid researchers in exploring biotechnology literature. According to the press release, its BLAST capability enables scientists to explore publicly disclosed DNA or protein sequences. The new version introduces a "Keep Me Posted" capability for user-defined research updates, increased property values for more than 3 million substance records, and citation searching.

The company has also announced the addition of calculated property data from Advanced Chemistry Development, Inc. (ACD) and another 10 years of reaction information back to 1975 provided by InfoChem GmbH in the CASREACT file. Information will be added for more than 750,000 single- and multi-step reactions.

In another agreement, CAS has announced that it will cooperate with Spotfire, Inc. to couple SciFinder's advanced chemical substance Explore capabilities with Spotfire DecisionSite eAnalytic applications. Customers who subscribe to both products can find answers, and then use DecisionSite's ability to analyze and refine them. In DecisionSite, users can also visualize and analyze the physical properties available with the CAS answer set of substances transferred from SciFinder.

Source: Chemical Abstracts Service, Columbus, OH, 800/753-4227, 614/447-3731; http://www.cas.org.
 

ALA Offers Second $25,000 Research Grant
The American Library Association (ALA) is seeking proposals for the second year for the $25,000 ALA Research Grant to support problem-based research for the profession. The Research Grant is a response to recommendations made by the Congress on Professional Education (COPE) in April 1999. Research proposals should address one of the following questions recommended by the ALA Committee on Research and Statistics (CORS): 1) In what ways do the services of libraries have a positive impact on the lives of users? or 2) What is/should be the role of librarians in adding value to electronic information?

Proposals focusing on a specific type of library or a specific type of library service are encouraged, as long as they relate to one of these broad questions. Proposals are due by December 15, 2001, and results will be announced by February 1, 2002. For more information contact Mary Jo Lynch, director, ALA Office for Research and Statistics, at 800/545-2433, ext. 4273 or mlynch@ala.org. Proposals should be organized according to a list of criteria that is found at http://www.ala.org/alaorg/ors/research_grant.html. Also located on the Web page is a payment and reporting schedule and outlines for required reports.

Source: American Library Association, Chicago, 800/545-2433; http://www.ala.org.
 

Brarydog.net Adds Live Homework Help
The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County has announced the addition of "Live Homework Help," an online tutoring service, to its Web portal for students. The service, available at "brarydog" (http://www.brarydog.net) and provided by Tutor.com, will provide students with the chance to chat live and online with a tutor about tough homework problems.

Students with a brarydog ID and password can access the homework service for free. After they specify their grade level and the subject area of their question, Tutor.com connects each student to a tutor who is an expert in that area for one-to-one help. The service uses a national network of tutors in English, math, science, and social studies. Tutors' backgrounds range from schoolteachers to professors at MIT. To protect students, identities of both the student and tutor are kept anonymous.

Students can also access the service directly through the Tutor.com Web site for an hourly rate of $25-$60.

Source: Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, NC, 704/336-2074; http://www.plcmc.org.
 

High-Tech Facilities

High School Receives Cutting-Edge Library
Glenn R. Jones, founder/CEO of Jones Knowledge, Inc., has announced the dedication of the Jones Library at Hickory High School in Hermitage, Pennsylvania. According to the press release, the library is one of the most technologically advanced in the country.

The library, funded by Jones, features individual cyber modules that provide private work space for students; a distance learning room, where cameras and microphones allow students and instructors in different locations to interact in real time; an information wall, where specialists located anywhere in the country can lead a library class via a large screen; workstation controls that allow the librarian to monitor, assist, and broadcast to or from any workstation in the environment; and automated camera tracking, which keeps the librarian or instructor in view of all the students. The library's workstations feature Jones e-global library interfaces.

Source: Jones Knowledge, Inc., Englewood, CO, 800/453-5663; http://www.jonesknowledge.com.
 

PL Improves Advanced Technology Center
The Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County has announced improvements to its Virtual Library, an advanced computer technology facility founded in 1994. The Virtual Village Communication Center (V2) received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

V2 is equipped with devices that have highly specialized, adaptive functions for disabled patrons: It features Cyberlink, an interface that uses three sensors mounted in a headband that respond to the user's brain waves and facial muscle signals; Eyegaze, a state-of-the-art system that allows a user to run a computer solely by eye movement; Jouse, a system that uses a mouth-controlled joystick to perform mouse functions; and Tracker 2000, an optical tracking device that controls a mouse cursor by tracking a small dot on the user's eyeglasses or forehead. Fifteen adaptive workstations are equipped with ergonomic keyboards, mouse pads with wrist rests, and adjustable-height tables. Visually impaired patrons can use text-to-speech, text-to-Braille, and screen-magnification software; a Braille embosser; large-type keyboards; and scanners combined with scan-and-read software.

The Virtual Village Communication Center contains 100 Macintosh computers and PCs.

Source: Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, Charlotte, NC, 704/336-2074; http://www.plcmc.org.
 

Company News

SIRS Mandarin Becomes Two Corporations
SIRS Mandarin, Inc. has announced that it has reorganized into two separate corporations. The library automation division is now Mandarin Library Automation, Inc. (Mandarin); the electronic and print databases division is now SIRS Publishing, Inc. (SIRS). Both corporations are under a common corporate umbrella.

According to the press release, SIRS Publishing, Inc. will continue to host and publish its print and electronic reference databases, SIRS Enduring Issues, SIRS Researcher, SIRS Government Reporter, SIRS Renaissance and SIRS Discoverer Deluxe, SIRS NetSelect, and SIRS eCurriculum.

Source: SIRS Mandarin, Inc., Boca Raton, FL, 800/232-7477; http://www.sirs.com.
 

SIRSI Completes Its Acquisition of DRA
SIRSI Corporation has announced that it has completed its acquisition of Data Research Associates (DRA) for $51.5 million. The new SIRSI-DRA company is now the second-largest vendor in the library automation industry, based on number of installed systems, according to data SIRSI compiled and published in March 2001. The combined company offers a wide range of library management and public interface systems for all types of libraries, including the Unicorn Library Management System, TAOS, the iBistro Electronic Library, Web2, and the Hyperion Digital Media Archive.

SIRSI provides library management software and services; DRA is a systems integrator for libraries and other information providers.

Source: SIRSI Corp., Huntsville, AL, 256/704-7000; http://www.sirsi.com.
 

Content Agreements

Gale Hosts Electronic Archive Program
Librarians' concerns about the temporary nature of licensing electronic databases are being addressed in a new Electronic Archive Program developed by the Gale Group. The pioneering plan allows libraries to purchase, rather than lease, electronic archives of Gale content such as Contemporary Authors, Dictionary of Literary Biography, the Biography Resource Center, and Literature Resource Center.

Customers of the Gale Electronic Archive Program will pay a one-time fee to purchase available backfile content through the end of the previous year. Gale will deliver the content in a standard tagged format via CD-ROM or ftp. Customers will also have the option to access their archive on a Gale Group server. As the information is dynamic, customers will also be able to purchase annual updates for their archive.

Gale is launching the Electronic Archive Plan with a Charter Club that provides a 25-percent discount on archive orders placed before December 1, 2001.

Gale Group provides e-reference publishing for libraries, schools, and businesses. The company creates and maintains more than 600 databases that are published in electronic form, as well as in print and microform.

Source: Gale Group, Farmington Hills, MI, 800/877-4253; http://www.galegroup.com.
 

Infotrieve Increases Full-Text Offerings
Infotrieve has announced accords with seven publishers to expand its articles available via electronic delivery. The new content agreements with Oxford University Press, Arnold Publishers, American Meteorological Society (AMS), Bentham Science Publishers, Ltd., Royal Society of Medicine, Portland Press, Ltd., and CABI Publishing bring Infotrieve's total number of full-text documents available for immediate download through its Web site to over 1.3 million.

Source: Infotrieve, Inc., Los Angeles, 310/234-9480; http://www.infotrieve.com.\
 

Alacra Teams with 'Perfect Information'
Alacra, a global provider of business and financial information, has announced that it has added content from Perfect Information's Pioneer database to its product range.

Perfect Information is an online global provider of original company documents to the Corporate Finance and Advisory Sectors, including investment banks, corporate stockbrokers, consulting, fund management, and law and accountancy firms. The database, Pioneer, is a specialist Corporate Finance and Debt Capital Markets tool with a search engine that can access more than 3 million scanned images.

Pioneer provides access to scanned business-critical documents with an archive stretching back to 1982. Alacra customers can search across a global collection of Company Report and Accounts, Eurobond prospectuses and pricing supplements, Company Circulars, and the London Stock Exchange Regulatory News Service.

Source: Alacra, London, 011-44-20-7398-1300; http://www.alacra.com.
 

Factiva Business Information Is Added to Epicentric Foundation Server 3.5 Portal
Factiva has announced an agreement with Epicentric, Inc. to integrate its global news and business information within the Epicentric Foundation Server 3.5. Epicentric Foundation Server is a business portal platform designed to help companies deploy and manage targeted Web services.

According to the company, business users will be able to research and track Factiva content from more than 6,000 world-class news and business information sources—including content in 12 languages from 118 countries—without leaving the portal interface. With minimal development, Epicentric customers can integrate Factiva's global content collection into their portal interface using Factiva Search Module and Factiva Track Module.

Source: Factiva, Princeton, NJ, 800/369-7466, 609/627-2000; http://www.factiva.com.
 

Automation News

VTLS Partners with Syndetic Solutions
VTLS, Inc. has announced an agreement with Syndetic Solutions, Inc. to offer the Chameleon Gateway XBS, an OPAC with extended bibliographic services (XBS) for Virtua Integrated Library Systems. XBS is seamlessly integrated with VTLS' Web-based Chameleon Gateway. By simply clicking on an icon or link in the Web OPAC, library patrons can access a variety of content relating to a particular title. XBS content enhances current records by offering book cover images, tables of contents, summaries and annotations, excerpts, book reviews, authors' notes, fiction and biography profile data, and external resources (such as Web browsers and online bookstores) through the Chameleon Web Gateway.

According to the company, libraries already using the Virtua Integrated Library Systems with Chameleon Gateway can quickly install and activate XBS content.

Source: VTLS, Inc., Blacksburg, VA, 800/468-8857, 540/557-1200; http://www.vtls.com.
 

Brodart Acquires Media Minder System
Brodart Automation has announced its acquisition of the Media Minder product line from its longtime business partner, CRS, Inc. Media Minder for Windows is a PC-based reservation and tracking system that conducts all media center operations. Media Minder's catalog and booking features allow media center staff and teachers to search and reserve material, even months in advance.

Source: Brodart Co., Williamsport, PA, 800/233-8467; http://www.brodart.com.
 

Inmagic Integrates Web Cataloging Tools
Inmagic, Inc. has announced its new database product, DB/TextWorks v5.1, in conjunction with Inmagic.NET, its Web content integration technology. The new software allows its customers to catalog Web content directly from an Inmagic.NET menu item on the DB/TextWorks menu bar. Users can open a database, and then by clicking on the Inmagic.NET menu item, surf the Web, highlight text on a Web page, and drop it into a field for the record referencing that page.

Source: Inmagic, Inc., Woburn, MA, 800/229-8398; http://www.inmagic.com.
 

On Point Upgrades TLC, Releases Version 3
On Point, Inc. has announced additional features, an upgraded user interface, and several "under the hood" improvements to its integrated library automation system, Total Library Computerization (TLC). TLC version 3 allows users to search a library's holdings on its local area network and also with any Web browser via the Internet.

TLC is a library application of FileMaker Pro database software and includes its Web capabilities, ODBC compliancy, and database management. The new release permits users to set options for searching databases, sorting retrieved records, and showing or printing reports quickly. Then you can reuse them with a single mouse click until a change is selected. Web features include FileMaker Pro's built-in Instant Web Publishing and also TLC's Custom Web Publishing, modifiable Web pages that users can edit to suit their libraries' individual needs.

TLC is intended for smaller libraries in any organization or office with a collection of print and/or non-print materials too large for each item to be located easily.

Source: On Point, Inc., Washington, DC, 202/338-8914; http://www.onpointinc.com.
 

Endeavor Announces ENCompass Upgrade
Endeavor Information Systems has announced the availability of ENCompass 1.1, the second release of the digital management, searching, and linking tool. According to the company, it is the only fully integrated system for accessing the local library catalog, local and remote electronic databases, and digital collections with combined results sets and relevance feedback.

ENCompass integrates information from a variety of metadata types, including Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Dublin Core (DC), or locally developed metadata types. The press release states that version 1.1 brings expanded options for researchers to navigate results sets, including visual representation of Endeavor's proven relevance ranking, a "jump" feature to allow researchers to move deeper into results sets, and simultaneous relevance ranking of all search sources, including Z39.50 databases.

Endeavor also announced it will continue integrating XML and XSL for displaying metadata and related holdings for individual records, as well as for improving user customization, in its release of ENCompass 2.0 in winter 2002.

Source: Endeavor Information Systems, Des Plaines, IL, 847/296-2200; http://www.endinfosys.com.
 

TLC/CARL Offers 'CARLweb Japanese'
The Library Corporation (TLC)/CARL has announced that the company has introduced a Japanese-language version of CARLweb, a Web-based public access interface that provides a gateway to a library's OPAC, other Z39.50 catalogs, external Web sites, and electronic resources.

CARLweb Japanese features a "tool tip" function; when positioned over any link, it displays the English version of that particular item. In this way, non-Japanese-speaking library staff can demonstrate catalog searching to Japanese-speaking patrons. CARLweb is also available in Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Polish, and Russian.

CARLweb is one component of CARL•Solution, an automation system that offers public access interfaces and management software for library staff.

Source: The Library Corporation, Inwood, WV, 800/325-7759; http://www.tlccarl.com.
 

Enhanced Databases

LexisNexis Enhances Research Offerings with Release of Current Issues Universe
LexisNexis has introduced LexisNexis Current Issues Universe (CIU), a Web-based research tool designed to provide students access to documents not commercially published. The new database makes available difficult-to-find documents covering contemporary issues, such as reports, theses, and conference proceedings. In addition to these sources, students can also search for editorials, newspaper articles, and public-opinion polls from additional LexisNexis databases. According to the announcement, CIU's release marks the first time students will have online access to these important documents through one research tool.

The new database features a "Current Issues List," a growing collection of more than 2,000 questions focused on key areas of interest and controversy. Questions are arranged by subject category. Each question in the Current Issues List directs students to relevant, full-text source documents. CIU delivers access to the complete text of documents from more than 8,000 gray literature sources, and is continually updated.

Source: LexisNexis, Dayton, OH, 800/227-4908; http://www.lexisnexis.com.
 

Euromonitor Adds Consumer Lifestyles Module to Its Global Market Database
Euromonitor International has enhanced its Web-based Global Market Information Database (GMID) with the addition of the new Consumer Lifestyles module.

This added component offers analysis of consumer preferences and key market drivers across 60 countries worldwide. The database features improved functionality with the new "key word search" function and the capacity for users to compile their own reports based on search results. It indicates which factors are affecting consumer decision-making and spending habits, and provides analysis of the factors that will determine future expenditure patterns.

GMID is a business intelligence tool that makes current, vital research and analysis available on any desktop. Its coverage of over 200 countries (with detailed coverage of 52 core countries) constitutes 90 percent of the world's population and 95 percent of worldwide consumer expenditure.

Source: Euromonitor International, Chicago, 800/577-EURO, 312/922-1115; http://www.euromonitor.com.
 

TheScientificWorld Expands sciBASE
TheScientificWorld, Inc., an electronic collection of scientific literature and research information, has announced that, through agreements with The British Library, IOS Press, and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), almost 4 million records have been added to the company's core database of scientific information, sciBASE.

Citations to conference papers and abstracts, held by The British Library and summarizing 100,000 meetings, conferences, and symposia since 1993, are now available through sciBASE to TheScientificWorld members at http://www.thescientificworld.com. Approximately 3,000 new conference citations will be added each day. In addition, members can access single articles dating back to January 1998 from the 30 journals of IOS Press, as well as articles published since January 2001 in Pure and Applied Chemistry, published by IUPAC.

Source: TheScientificWorld, Boynton Beach, FL, 561/742-0068; http://www.thescientificworld.com.
 

Information Science Abstracts Offers Improved Coverage of Journals and Data
Information Today, Inc. has announced that the Information Science Abstracts (ISA) database has been reloaded on both the Dialog and SilverPlatter information services.

Information Science Abstracts covers the world's literature on information science using a variety of resources. Records in ISA, drawn from over 300 journals, are scanned and abstracted.

According to the press release, the new database will feature a number of enhancements: coverage of more than 20 e-journals, more focused journal coverage, and new data fields (including author affiliations; author e-mail addresses; ISBNs; and URLs of journals, authors, publishers, and individual papers).

ISA is available online from Dialog (File 202) and in both online and CD-ROM versions from SilverPlatter.

Source: Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, 609/654-6266; https://www.infotoday.com.
 

ScienceDirect Adds MEDLINE Database
ScienceDirect has announced that it will offer MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database, to all ScienceDirect customers, free of charge.

Both MEDLINE and pre-MEDLINE will be included on the ScienceDirect platform, with records being updated and added four times per week. MEDLINE will use the full-text linking capabilities of the ScienceDirect platform, providing users with seamless linking from abstracts to the full-text articles within ScienceDirect and CrossRef affiliates. The combination of the search tools now provides access to over 40 million abstracts linked to more than 3 million full-text articles.

Source: ScienceDirect, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 011-31-20-485-3767; http://www.sciencedirect.com.
 

New Books

O'Reilly Book Explains Allaire's ColdFusion
Programming ColdFusion, by Rob Brooks-Bilson (ISBN: 1-56592-698-6, $49.95), attempts to cover everything you need to know to create effective Web applications with ColdFusion, a tag-based platform, and includes numerous examples that you can use.

The book starts with ColdFusion basics and quickly progresses to topics like sharing application data, accessing databases, and maintaining state information. It also provides chapters on advanced database techniques, working with the Verity search engine, and interacting with other data sources, including Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) directories, e-mail servers, and other Web servers. Other topics include creating custom tags, Web Distributed Data Exchange (WDDX), and calling external objects.

Source: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol, CA, 800/998-9938; http://www.oreilly.com.
 

Visibooks Publishes Books Free Online
Visibooks has announced that it provides all of its "visual" computer books as free downloads.

With hundreds of large illustrations and very little text, Visibooks employ a visual method of instruction that appeals to beginning computer users. According to the company, Visibooks' Napster-like strategy (it provides free downloads to increase hard-copy sales) is much different from other publishers' plans to charge for downloaded books. Visibooks also combines new print-on-demand technology with direct Web sales. The company claims that, by operating more like Dell Computer than a traditional publisher, it can cut book prices almost in half.

Currently, Visibooks offers books on Dreamweaver 4, FrontPage 2000, HTML, JavaScript, Web project management, and Fireworks 4. New titles on Palm Personal Digital Assistants and PocketPCs are scheduled to be published before the end of the year. Paperback copies can be purchased for $19.95, shipping included, at visibooks.com.

Visibooks can be downloaded free at http://www.visibooks.com.

Source: Visibooks, Richmond, VA, 804/278-9188; http://www.visibooks.com.
 

O'Reilly Publishes Two Network Guides for Troubleshooting and T-1 Connections
O'Reilly has announced the publication of Network Troubleshooting Tools, by Joseph D. Sloan (ISBN: 0-596-00186-X, $39.95).

This book helps administrators sort through the thousands of tools available to debug TCP/IP networks and choose those that are best for the job at hand. Rather than provide a general overview of all troubleshooting tools, Sloan focuses on a single aspect of troubleshooting that he considers essential to solving any problem: collecting information.

Sloan also provides a general review of troubleshooting techniques. Network Troubleshooting Tools outlines a systematic approach to network troubleshooting, including how to document a network so administrators will know how it behaves under normal conditions, and how to think about problems when they arise in order to solve them more effectively.

T1: A Survival Guide, by Matthew Gast (ISBN: 0-596-00127-4, $29.95), brings together in one reference all the information that network administrators will need to set up, test, and troubleshoot T-1 lines, including how to deal with routers, serial links, smart jacks, and more.

Today's T-1 lines are the standard for dedicatedbusiness Internet connectivity. The knowledge needed to work with T-1 is specialized and hard to come by in the outside world. T1: A Survival Guide features a glossary of telecom terms to help administrators "speak the language" of the phone company when diagnosing and fixing T-1 problems.

This practical guide covers the following broad topics: What components are needed to build a T-1 line; how to use standardized link layer protocols to adapt the T-1 physical layer to work with data networks; and how to troubleshoot problems and work with the telephone company, equipment manufacturers, and Internet service providers.

Source: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., Sebastopol, CA, 800/998-9938; http://www.oreilly.com.
 

ITI Publishes Quotes from Barbara Quint
Information Today, Inc. has published The Quintessential Searcher: The Wit and Wisdom of Barbara Quint (ISBN: 1-57387-114-1, $19.95). According to the announcement, Barbara Quint, editor of Searcher magazine, is one of the world's most famous online searchers and is widely acknowledged as the most creative, controversial, and influential writer to emerge from the online information industry.

This book is a collection of many of Barbara Quint's most memorable quotes from Searcher, Information Today, Online, Wilson Library Bulletin, and other library and information industry publications.

Source: Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, 609/654-6266; https://www.infotoday.com.
 

Neal-Schuman Releases Net Trainer's Kit
The Library Internet Trainer's Toolkit, by Michael T. Stephens (ISBN: 1-55570-415-8, $149.95),is an easy-to-use toolkit that provides resources you can use to successfully teach others how to navigate the world of online information. The 200-page book comes with a CD-ROM, which includes 12 PowerPoint presentations, detailed scripts, and step-by-step instructions to begin an Internet training program or add to an existing one.

Once saved to your hard drive, these presentations can be customized to include information on your library and to reflect your personality and teaching style. Programs can be presented on their own or combined with others. Along with general guidelines, each module comes with a separate introduction, and hints and tips.

Source: Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc., New York, 212/925-8650; http://www.neal-schuman.com.
 

ITI Publishes Book on Searching the Web for Difficult-to-Find Database Information
Information Today, Inc. has announced the publication of The Invisible Web: Uncovering Information Sources Search Engines Can't See, by Chris Sherman and Gary Price (ISBN: 0-910965-51-X, $29.95).

According to the authors, the current generation of search engines can reveal little or nothing about the data contained in content-rich databases from universities, libraries, associations, and businesses, a phenomenon referred to as "the Invisible Web." According to the press release, this is the first handbook and directory for information users who wish to utilize Invisible Web resources systematically in order to improve the quality and effectiveness of their online research.

In this book, Sherman and Price describe the scope and background of the problem, introduce readers to essential sites and sources, and offer practical tips, techniques, and analysis. The Web directory that the authors have created to support the book (http://www.invisible-web.net) provides updates, news, and links to over 1,000 Invisible Web resources.

Source: Information Today, Inc., Medford, NJ, 609/654-6266; https://www.infotoday.com.
 

Libraries Unlimited Publishes Book That Explains How to Preserve Digital Resources
Digital Preservation and Metadata: History, Theory, Practice, by Susan S. Lazinger (ISBN: 1-56308-777-4, $55), describes the challenges that institutions face as digital preservation becomes morepertinent. Lazinger shows you how to effectively protect your resources—from responsibility to leading-edge methods of preservation, cost considerations, and metadata formats—and describes electronic data archives at U.S. and foreign institutions.

This book offers up-to-date information and guidelines regarding hardware and software selection, storage formats, preservation of the intellectual content, what items to keep, and which elements of the resource should be preserved. It gives you the information you need to be able to face the challenge of effectively protecting your "born-digital" resources and of advancing your digital resources electronically without compromising their integrity.

Source: Libraries Unlimited, Englewood, CO, 800/237-6124; http://www.lu.com.