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Vol. 24 No. 1 — January 2004

Innovative Security Products has released a new security lock for laptops, notebooks, computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and flat-screen monitors designed to prevent snatch-and-grab theft. The Secure Notebook is a one-piece, industrial-strength security device that uses the security retention socket found on nearly all portable computers, flat-panel monitors, and most PDAs. For those without a security retention socket, a low-profile adapter plate is available as an option. It's priced at $19.95; quantity discounts are available.

Source: Innovative Security Products, Inc., Overland Park, KS, 913/385-2002; http://www.wesecure.com.

YOUR DIGITAL LIBRARY

ProQuest/UMI Dissertation Archiving

ProQuest Information and Learning has announced the launch of the UMI Dissertation Digital Archiving and Access program, a new comprehensive service for accredited institutions in North America. The service provides an institution with a lasting, accessible, and complete record of its doctoral dissertations and master's theses on microfilm or fiche.

Once filmed, the dissertations and theses are digitized, creating both an archival record and a Web-accessible version of the resources. The program includes bibliographic citation information for all titles (with free MARC records), an archival microfilm copy for all dissertations, and access to all dissertations in print, microform, and digital formats.

All titles are included in the ProQuest Digital Dissertations database. The database provides free 24-page previews of any digitized dissertation—nearly 435,000 titles—as well as Web access to the full text of those titles and 2 million citations. Each institution receives free online access to its dissertations.

Source: ProQuest Information and Learning, Ann Arbor, MI, 800/521-0600; http://www.il.proquest.com.

Gale Agrees to Provide Access to Google Image Search Service

Gale and Google announced that they have signed an agreement that will allow users of selected products on Gale's InfoTrac Web platform to link to the Google Image Search service while searching within the premium databases.

To ensure that inappropriate images are not returned, Gale has chosen to automatically default to the Google SafeSearch "strict" filtering option. Customers have the option of turning off the embedded link to the image search.

Customers can search more than 425 million images in the following InfoTrac Web products: Academic ASAP and Backfile, Business and Company ASAP and Backfile, Business and Company Profile Intl and Backfile, Computer Database, Contemporary Authors, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Canadian Periodical Index, European Business ASAP, Expanded Academic ASAP and Backfile, General Academic ASAP, General BusinessFile ASAP and Backfile, General BusinessFile Intl and Backfile, General Reference Center and Backfile, General Reference Center Gold and Backfile, Health Reference Center Academic, Informe, InfoTrac OneFile, InfoTrac Junior Edition, National Newspaper Index, Newsletters ASAP, PROMT, InfoTrac Student Edition, and The Times Digital Archive.

Source: Gale, Farmington Hills, MI, 800/877-GALE; http://www.gale.com.

Gale to Provide COUNTER-Compliant Usage Reports Now

Gale announced that it is now an official voting member of Counting Online Usage of NeTworked Electronic Resources (COUNTER) and has been added to the Register of Vendors providing COUNTER-compliant Usage Reports. COUNTER is an international organization recognized for its efforts in developing standards to measure and report usage statistics.

Gale supplies 98 percent of the statistical usage data required for compliance with Level 1 COUNTER reports. The company was putting its data in the format that COUNTER recommended and said it planned to complete its formatting efforts before the end of 2003.

Source: Gale, Farmington Hills, MI, 800/877-GALE; http://www.gale.com.

The 2004 O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference

O'Reilly & Associates has announced that the third annual O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference will be held Feb. 9—12, 2004, at the Westin Horton Plaza in San Diego. Among the themes to be explored are social software, representing and supporting groups of people; mobility in terms of data, devices, and communication; the untethered world of ad hoc networking; post-browser interfaces to data and services using rich Internet applications; navigational devices, geospacial annotation tools, visualization software, and proximity sensors; and hardware and how it's being examined, and re-purposed by hackers.

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

PARTNERSHIPS

SPARC and PLoS Partner to Advocate for Open Access Publishing

The Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), an academic and research libraries initiative, has announced its partnership with the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the organization of scientists and physicians committed to making scientific and medical literature freely available on the Internet. The alliance aims to broaden support for open-access publishing among researchers, funding agencies, societies, libraries, and academic institutions through cooperative educational and advocacy activities.

PLoS's first journal, PLoS Biology, introduced in October 2003, employs a new model for scientific publishing in which peer-reviewed research articles are freely available to read and use through the Internet. The costs of publication are recovered from publication fees paid by authors out of their grant funds and from other revenue sources, and not from subscription fees that limit information access and use. Backing for the new open-access author fee publishing model is growing, particularly in biomedical fields.

Source: Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition, Washington, DC, 202/296-2296; http://www.arl.org/sparc.

MuseGlobal Introduces New Content Partner Program

Metasearch technology firm MuseGlobal, Inc. has announced a Content Partner Program designed to strengthen technology relationships with content providers for the mutual benefit of users and publishers. MuseGlobal works with content partners such as ProQuest, H.W. Wilson, OCLC, and others to provide access to electronic content needed by libraries, information centers, and knowledge management services.

Source: MuseGlobal, Inc., Salt Lake City, 801/208-1880; http://www.museglobal.com.

Two Databases from H.W. Wilson Now on EBSCOhost

EBSCO has announced that two H.W. Wilson databases, the Biological & Agricultural Index and the Essay and General Literature Index, are available via EBSCOhost.

Biological & Agricultural Index provides access to more than 1 million citations from agricultural and biological literature. This database indexes articles, reports of meetings, review articles, special supplements, and book reviews, dated 1983 to the present. More than 350 periodicals are covered, most peer-reviewed. Also included are a range of scientific journals from publishers such as the U.S. Department of Commerce, Annual Reviews, Inc., and American Journal of Botany.

Essay and General Literature Index cites records contained in collections of essays and miscellaneous works published in the U.S., Great Britain, and Canada. More than 320 single- and multi-authored volumes are indexed annually along with more than 20 selected annuals and serial publications. The index covers nearly 65,000 essays found in more than 5,300 printed anthologies and collections dating back to 1985.

Source: EBSCO Publishing, Ipswich, MA, 800/653-2726; http://www.ebsco.com.

NEW/ENHANCED DATABASES

ContentScan Introduces NeuroDome Information Service

ContentScan has announced the launch of NeuroDome, the latest in the Dome line of discipline-specific online information services. NeuroDome was developed to meet the specific information needs of researchers, educators, students, and clinicians in the growing fields of neuroscience and neurology. This service provides access to a network of information resources including journal articles, books, institutions, scholars, and Web sites.

The resources included are refereed and selected based on their relevance to the fields using both advanced statistical analysis and expert mediated editorial processes. NeuroDome is continuously updated and all its information can be accessed either from a library's local collection using OpenURL and SFX linking, or from direct links to content providers. Users are able to organize and share their findings with faculty, students, colleagues, and bibliographers using the Dome's proprietary Save & Share technology.

NeuroDome is available to libraries and individuals by annual subscription. Site licenses and specialized pricing packages are available.

Source: ContentScan, Inc., San Diego, 858/452-1264; http://www.contentscan.com.

Gale Adds to Its Spanish ¡Informe! Database

Gale announced that its full-text electronic reference tool created for Spanish-speaking users, ¡Informe! Mas de Cien Revistas y Periódicos, now includes the full text of more than 130 popular Hispanic magazines and newspapers. Designed for both public and academic libraries, it includes images plus indexing using a specially created Spanish vocabulary. The product also offers an English interface to help non-Spanish-speaking staff assist users.

Source: Gale, Farmington Hills, MI, 800/877-GALE; http://www.gale.com.

LTA Announces the Launch of BooksandPeriodicals.com

Library Technology Alliance, Ltd. has announced the launch of BooksandPeriodicals.com. Subscribers to the site can access the same information collected in the print edition of Books and Periodicals Online using a database search engine. The 2003 edition includes an additional 10,000 sources, bringing the total coverage to more than 106,000 books, magazines, journals, law reviews, treatises, and newsletters. This edition also covers six new databases, including Alt Press Watch. The publication catalogs abstracts and indexed articles as well as full-text sources. The print edition mirrors the content available in the searchable online database. Visitors to the Web site can sign up for a 15-day trial membership.

Source: Library Technology Alliance, Ltd., New York, 212/686-8816; http://www.booksandperiodicals.com.

USEFUL TOOLS

Bowker Offers Consortia Reports Module for Ulrich's Serials Analysis System

Bowker, LLC announced the introduction of a customizable consortia reports module for Ulrich's Serials Analysis System, a management tool that provides detailed analytical reports about a library consortium's print and electronic serials collections. The new module was created to assist administrators of library consortia with the task of identifying strengths, weaknesses, quality, and costs within their member libraries' collections.

The module works in four stages: It 1) creates a Consortium Catalog of member libraries' collective files by integrating the various data files uploaded to the Ulrich's Serials Analysis System, 2) compares the Consortium Catalog to Ulrich's comprehensive "Universe" and more selective "Core" databases of serials across more than 900 Ulrich's subject classifications, 3) compares individual member libraries' files to the Consortium Catalog to measure relative collection strength, and 4) produces system-wide, title-level reports of serials by subject and library-specific location information for titles held by multiple members.

The Ulrich's Serials Analysis System brings together the library's serials holdings with the multiple layers of subject coverage and content from the Ulrich's Periodicals Directory database and Bowker's ulrichsweb.com.

Source: Bowker, LLC, New Providence, NJ, 888/269-5372; http://www.bowker.com.

Dialog Introduces Content Options for Enterprise Portals

The Dialog Corporation has announced that it is offering Dialog Portals, an information service that allows business news, research, and competitive intelligence to be integrated into enterprise portals. Content categories include news, market research, and business and financial information, as well as science, technology, and medical (STM) information and intellectual property records gathered from around the world.

The information is gathered by Dialog from tens of thousands of publishers and information providers worldwide, and can be customized for individual access by different offices, business units, or departments across a subscribing enterprise.

Dialog Portals is compatible with systems offered by nine leading portals software and applications providers: ATG Portal, BEATM WebLogic Portal, Computer Associates CleverPath Portal, IBM Websphere Portal, Microsoft SharePoint Portal, Oracle 9iAS Portal, Plumtree Portal, Sun ONE Portal, and Vignette Application Portal (formerly Epicentric).

The first release enables plug-and-play access to a wide range of Dialog news, business, and current awareness content. The next release, expected later this year, will add the STM and intellectual property content.

Source: The Dialog Corp., Cary, NC, 800/3-DIALOG; http://www.dialog.com/products/platform/portals.shtml.

Thomson's New Data Analysis Tool, RefViz

Thomson ISI ResearchSoft announced the release of RefViz, a new visualization tool for the researcher's desktop. Developed in collaboration with OmniViz, Inc., RefViz enables users to explore reference literature visually for major themes and topics. References can be moved between RefViz and any of the ISI ResearchSoft products, including EndNote, ProCite, and Reference Manager.

A text-analysis and visualization software program, RefViz provides a framework for exploring reference collections based on content. Users can orient themselves with the literature to reveal trends and associations in references. The software provides a suite of tools for detailed exploration of bibliographies and online search results.

RefViz is designed for use with Windows NT/ME/2000/XP; the list price is $299.95. A Macintosh OS X version is planned for future release.

Source: Thomson Corp./ISI ResearchSoft, Carlsbad, CA, 760/438-5526; http://www.isiresearchsoft.com; http://www.refviz.com.

Surpass Copycat Provides Access to Free MARC Records

Surpass Software announced the availability of Surpass Copycat, a cataloging tool for downloading free MARC records with no annual database subscription needed. Copycat uses the Z39.50 protocol to allow users to search for records either individually, or in a batch mode (called multi-search), by loading an ISBN list for automatic retrospective conversion.

Multi-search allows the search list to be entered by hand, loaded from a text file, or loaded from a MARC record file. According to the company, Copycat also simplifies the process by allowing users to scan the EAN bar code found on the back of many books and then automatically converts it to the ISBN for searching. Multiple libraries may be selected for searching. When matching records are found at multiple libraries, the program will automatically select the most complete record.

Users can find records, add local holdings information, and import into an automated catalog. A bookbag holds selected records and can be saved to a single MARC file to be imported into any MARC-based automation system or sent directly into Surpass Central. Additional capabilities include full MARC editing, such as adding and deleting fields and subfields. The program is priced at less than $500. A 30-day evaluation version is available online.

Source: Surpass Software, Calhoun, GA, 877/625-2657; http://www.surpasssoftware.com.

COMPANY NEWS

EBSCO Publishing Acquires Cinahl Information Systems

EBSCO Publishing announced that it has completed the acquisition of Cinahl Information Systems, including the nursing and allied health database CINAHL, from Glendale Adventist Medical Center in Glendale, Calif. EBSCO Publishing and Cinahl will continue to provide CINAHL in its current form, and will work together to enhance both the CINAHL database and existing health-related EBSCO Publishing databases. Cinahl Information Systems and its staff will remain in Glendale.

Source: EBSCO Publishing, Ipswich, MA, 800/653-2726; http://www.ebsco.com.

Royal Swets & Zeitlinger Sells Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers

Royal Swets & Zeitlinger has announced the sale of the publishing business and assets of Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers (SZP) and A.A. Balkema to the Taylor & Francis Group, the publisher of scientific, academic, and professional books and journals. SZP will continue to operate out of its Lisse-based office for up to 6 months before relocating to the Leiden area.

Swets & Zeitlinger Publishers produces English-language journals and books in the areas of engineering, ophthalmology, neuropsychology, as well as the life and social sciences.

Source: Royal Swets & Zeitlinger, Lisse, Netherlands, 011-31-252-435-388; http://www.swets.nl, and Taylor & Francis Group, London, 011-44-20-7583-9855; http://www.tandf.co.uk.

VTRAX Is the New Name for RFID Division at VTLS

VTLS, Inc. has announced the official formation of a separate division devoted to the RFID (radio frequency identification) marketplace. The division, VTRAX, will be solely responsible for the FASTRAC product, an RFID solution consisting of tags, self-check-out stations, standard check-out stations, book drops, inventory, sorting systems, and software that ties all the components together and allows it to work with virtually any ILS product.

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

NEW BOOKS

Neal-Schuman Offers Directory of Management Software

Neal-Schuman Publishers announced the release of the Neal-Schuman Directory of Management Software for Public Access Computers (ISBN: 1-55570-472-7, $99.95), by Michael P. Sauers and Louise E. Alcorn. The directory includes reviews of 40 types of management software, with ratings from the authors' trials in library settings, as well as reviews from library staff across the country. The reviews examine the software's practicality and usefulness in library work, the platforms and pricing (including licensing options), and observations from other librarians, and gives ratings of one to five stars for overall performance, ease of setup, configuration, customization, and the convenience of the end-user interface.

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

Haworth Covers VR and Distance Learning

The Haworth Press announced the availability of Virtual Reference Services: Issues and Trends (ISBN: 0-7890-2045-9, $29.95 soft cover, $39.95 hard cover), edited by Stacey Ellen Kimmel and Jennifer Heise. The book examines virtual reference (VR) services in different types of library settings and discusses the issues, trends, and practices involved in offering this type of service. (This monograph was published simultaneously as Internet Reference Services Quarterly, vol. 8, nos. 1/2.)

Haworth has also released Distance Learning Library Services (ISBN: 0-7890-2075-0, $79.95), edited by Patrick B. Mahoney. Geared toward professionals who provide library instruction and information access to off-campus students, this book covers a broad spectrum of distance learning issues, including evaluating Web resources, changing librarians' perspectives about serving distant learners, and cooperating with faculty to improve these information services. Each chapter was selected by a 24-member board using a juried abstracts process. (This monograph was published simultaneously as the Journal of Library Administration, vol. 37, nos. 1/2 and 3/4.)

Source: The Haworth Press, Inc., Binghamton, NY, 800/429-6784; http://www.haworthpressinc.com.

Intellectual Property Title Published by H.W. Wilson

H.W. Wilson has released Intellectual Property (ISBN: 0-8242-1023-9, $50), the fifth title in The Reference Shelf 2003 book series. It explores the concept of intellectual property, how people are affected by intellectual property laws, and what's being done to protect ideas shared via various kinds of media, including the Internet. The topics include journalistic plagiarism, online file sharing, and bootleg music CDs. It also examines the distinctions between copyrights, trademarks, and patents, as well as the gross violations of copyright made easy online.

According to H.W. Wilson, each book in this series examines a topic in a compilation of approximately 25 articles from respected publications, as well as abstracts of 20 to 30 additional articles and a bibliography of other sources.

Source: H.W. Wilson, New York, 800/367-6770; http://www.hwwilson.com.

Foundation Center's Guide to Online Grantseeking

The Foundation Center announced the publication of the expanded and updated edition of The Foundation Center's Guide to Grantseeking on the Web. The book includes an annotated list of more than 3,000 grantmaker Web sites, a variety of related nonprofit sites of interest, and a new chapter, "E-Learning for the Nonprofit Sector." The book includes: abstracts of more than 3,000 Web sites; corporate grantmaking information; profiles of searchable databases (both free and fee-based); government funding sources; key online journals and newsletters on philanthropy; tips on using message boards, discussion groups, and mailing lists; and a guide to The Foundation Center's Web site. A CD-ROM version with hot links is also available. You can buy the book or CD only for $29.95, or buy a book and CD set for $49.95.

Source: The Foundation Center, New York, 212/807-3677; http://www.fdncenter.org.