NewsLink Issue 5/March 2000 ============================================================= NewsLink is a free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring news and resources for the information industry. If you are receiving this issue as a forward and would like to become a subscriber, please visit our Web site at https://www.infotoday.com or send a blank e-mail to join-infotoday@lists.infotoday.com. ============================================================= IN THIS ISSUE ============================================================= 1) WELCOME 2) NEWSLINK MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT 3) NEWSBREAKS 4) FEATURED ARTICLES 5) CONFERENCE CONNECTION 6) BOOKSHELF ============================================================= 1) WELCOME ============================================================= Welcome to the March issue of NewsLink, Information Today, Inc.’s FREE e-mail newsletter for library and information professionals. This month, in our NewsLink Monthly Spotlight, Marshall Breeding takes a look at some portals that have sprung up to serve the library community. This is also a busy month in the conference calendar. Besides Information Today's own events, the annual conferences of the PLA and AIIP (Association of Independent Information Professionals) are rapidly approaching. This is the beginning of a busy spring for library show goers and exhibitors. We hope it is productive as well. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions on how to improve this newsletter and the information held in it, please reply to newslink@infotoday.com. All the best, Tom Hogan, Jr. ============================================================= 2) NEWSLINK MONTHLY SPOTLIGHT ============================================================= Spotlight on Library Portals and News Sites By Marshall Breeding Portals seem to be sprouting all over the Web these days. Not surprisingly, a number have emerged under the library theme, among them LibraryHQ, which I reported on 2 weeks ago in a February 14 NewsBreak (https://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb000214-2.htm). Some aim directly for librarians, while others target the much larger audience of library users. This month’s NewsLink Spotlight highlights some of these library-oriented Web portals. As noted in my NewsBreak, LibraryHQ (http://LibraryHQ.com) is a new commercial endeavor that aims to be a Web portal for librarians. Billing itself as offering "resources for the wired librarian," it contains resources of special interest to the profession, including news items, threaded discussion forums, a database of cataloged Internet resources, and resources on library automation and digital library technologies. With financial backing from SIRSI Corp. and CEA Capital Partners, the site is currently focusing on building interesting content as it develops a business model to sustain the site. LibrarySpot (http://www.libraryspot.com) is a commercially developed information portal developed by StartSpot Mediaworks, Inc. This company develops portals for a variety of consumer groups, or vertical markets. LibrarySpot brings together a wealth of resources under the general headings of libraries, reference, and reading room. Under each of these categories, visitors to the site will find a number of selected resource lists. LibrarySpot does not provide original content, but selects and organizes resources in a way specially tailored for the library user or library worker. The site presents banner ads on each resource page. Auto-Graphics, a veteran library automation and publishing company, recently launched its LibraryCard.com (http://www.librarycard.com) spin-off and Web site. LibraryCard’s mission is to "make bibliographic and other reference-type information and services available to the public." The site presents well-organized lists of relevant Web-based resources for a large variety of reference topics. According to the "company information" page on the site, LibraryCard.com plans soon to incorporate various e-commerce capabilities, offering products and services of interest to its library-oriented audience. Another worthy library portal site is the Librarians’ Index to the Internet (http://www.lii.org). This site currently provides access to about 5,800 resources, and is maintained by a team of 95 California librarians. The site traces its beginnings to 1990 as a listing of Gopher references. This evolved into Berkeley Public Library Index to the Internet by 1993, and it eventually migrated to the Digital Library SunSITE at Berkeley. The site benefits from a grant funded by the Federal Library Services and Technology Act awarded by the California State Library. Along the same lines, there are also new sites emerging that specialize even more than the portals, focusing directly on presenting news and current information in a given field. These sites have recently become known as "Weblogs." This relatively new genre of Web media lists and describes events related to a particular area of interest. Current information is the hallmark of a Weblog, and most are updated daily. Lots of Weblogs have sprouted for the library crowd, including these: Liblog, (http://www.redwoodcity.org/library/news/liblog/index.html), a library Weblog created and maintained by the Redwood City, California, public library that focuses on "current Web sites and stories dealing with the interface between technology and libraries"; AcqWebLog (http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/law/acqs/ms_acqs.html), which chronicles events related to library acquisitions and publishing; librarian.net (http://www.librarian.net), published by librarian Jessamyn West and presenting another detailed account of library-oriented news. LISNews (http://lisnews.com) is a new site that offers news and feature stories related to libraries and information science. LISNews launched in November 1999 and already underwent a major redesign just last month. Unlike other library-oriented Web sites, LISNews does not attempt to list all library-related resources on the Web, but focuses on delivering up-to-date news. The site contains content from a variety of sources, including summaries created by LISNews staff and links to full-text stories from online newspapers and publications. This site also includes a regularly updated poll that queries visitors on their opinions on timely topics, and forms for contributing stories or story ideas. The site is archived and indexed. The business model of LISNews isn’t readily apparent. All these sites work hard to attract the library-oriented visitor. As with the general search-engine and Web portals, enjoy the content of the site, but beware of any subtle (or not-so-subtle) slant of content driven by underlying business interests. Marshall Breeding is the technology analyst at Vanderbilt University’s Heard Library, a columnist for Information Today, and a writer and speaker on library technology issues. His e-mail address is breeding@library.vanderbilt.edu. ============================================================= 3) NEWSBREAKS ============================================================= For a complete listing of previous NewsBreaks visit the Information Today, Inc. Web site at https://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/breaks.htm. NewsBreaks featured this past Monday, February 28, 2000 in NewsLink NewsBreaks. Use the hot links provided to get the full story. ------------------- Reed Elsevier Announces Major Internet Strategy to Drive Growth By Paula J. Hane --> https://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb000228-1.htm Bell & Howell Information and Learning's ProQuest Academic Edition Brings Articles Directly to Students for a Low Fixed Fee By Barbara Quint --> https://www.infotoday.com/newsbreaks/nb000228-2.htm ============================================================= 4) FEATURED ARTICLES ============================================================= For full-text coverage of the following articles please use the hotlinks provided. ------------------- Information Today Database Review: Kiplinger Brings Its Letters Online By Mick O’Leary Mick O’Leary reports on Kiplinger’s Special Service and Kiplinger.com, two well-organized sources that will prove to be "trustworthy research assistants." --> https://www.infotoday.com/it/mar00/oleary.htm ------------------- Computers in Libraries Reflections on What Happens When Librarians Become Teachers By Kimberley Donnelly When information literacy became part of their college’s curriculum, a group of librarians was forced into serious teaching positions. Now, a few years after the fact, they reflect on the changes, for better and for worse. --> https://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/mar00/donnelly.htm ------------------- Searcher Magazine Oh No! I Can’t Get on the Web: Offline Strategies for Internet Content Presentations By Steven J. Bell If you do presentations that would be enhanced by Internet examples, Steven Bell tells you how you can be sure a techno- glitch won’t leave you high and dry. --> https://www.infotoday.com/searcher/mar00/bell.htm ------------------- MultiMedia Schools Integrating Technology into Instruction By Bill Robertson In the area of integrating computer technology and the resources of the Internet into the curriculum, the information media specialist can be a valuable ally to the classroom teacher. --> https://www.infotoday.com/MMSchools/mar00/robertson.htm ------------------- Link-Up PrimaryDiner.com By J. A. Hitchcock PrimaryDiner.com takes the old-fashioned values of New Hampshire and "dishes" out the information people really want to know about the candidates, issues, latest standings, and anything else to help them make a better decision when it comes time to vote. --> https://www.infotoday.com/lu/mar00/hitchcock.htm ============================================================= 5) CONFERENCE CONNECTION ============================================================= Get the latest event information available for the library and information fields in the Conference Connection. The Conference Report/Update gives you an inside look at the most recent information industry events, while the Conference Calendar is updated monthly to provide you with important contact information for up-and-coming industry events. CONFERENCE REPORT/UPDATE ------------------- Conference Update: Computers in Libraries 2000 March 15-17, 2000, Washington Hilton & Towers. It’s still not too late to register for Computers in Libraries 2000, North America’s largest technology conference and exhibition for librarians and information managers. Visit https://www.infotoday.com/cil2000/default.htm to register online or to get a free ticket to the exhibits! CONFERENCE CALENDAR ------------------- March/April 2000 March 15-17 Computers in Libraries 2000 Washington Hilton & Towers, Washington, DC Contact: https://www.infotoday.com/cil2000/default.htm March 20-22 Internet Librarian International & Libtech Olympia 2, London, England Contact: http://www.internet-librarian.com March 28-April 1 Public Library Association (PLA) National Conference Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, NC Contact: http://www.pla.org/conf00/index.html April 6-9 14th Annual AIIP Conference Georgetown University Conference Center, Washington, DC Contact: http://www.aiip.org For the complete Conference Calendar visit https://www.infotoday.com/calendar.htm. ============================================================= 6) BOOKSHELF ============================================================= Internet Business Intelligence How to Build a Big Company System on a Small Company Budget By David Vine If you’re fed up with Internet hype and looking for information-driven business solutions that really work, you’ll appreciate business intelligence expert, David Vine’s savvy, no-nonsense approach to using technology to stay one step ahead of the competition. In Internet Business Intelligence: How to Build a Big Company System on a Small Company Budget, Vine explains how any firm—regardless of size— can harness the Internet to create and maintain a powerful information edge. Internet Business Intelligence covers all these topics and more: --Business Intelligence—what it is, why you need it, and where to find it today --How to build an easy-to-use Internet Business Intelligence System (IBIS) --How small business owners and entrepreneurs can use IBIS to compete with giants --Key IBIS strategies for business management, marketing, and finance --Using IBIS to launch a business, find customers, test new products, and increase sales --Using IBIS to track competitors, explore markets, and evaluate opportunities and risks Visit http://store.yahoo.com/infotoday//inbusin.html to order online. ------------------- CyberAge Books ISBN 0-910965-35-8/Softbound Regular price: $29.95/Sale price: $23.95 ============================================================= ©2000 Information Today, Inc. all rights reserved. This newsletter is published by Information Today, Inc. Editor in Chief: Tom Hogan, Jr. Managing Editor: Stacey Sochacki Phone: 609-654-6266 Fax: 609-654-4309 Web site: https://www.infotoday.com E-mail: newslink@infotoday.com