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Weekly News Digest
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February 23, 2004 — In addition to this week's NewsBreaks article and the monthly NewsLink Spotlight, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) offers Weekly News Digests that feature recent product news and company announcements. Watch for additional coverage to appear in the next print issue of Information Today.
CLICK HERE to view more Weekly News Digest items.
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Bowker Launches PatronBooksInPrint.com
R.R. Bowker introduced PatronBooksInPrint.com, a new "patron-focused version" of the traditional booksinprint.com. Current customers of booksinprint.com will receive PatronBooksInPrint.com as a complimentary upgrade to their present subscription. The new offering includes a customized search feature that enables faster database queries, the ability to browse by fiction and non-fiction genres, as well as the ability for library users to find works featuring their favorite series or recurring fictional characters. The company says it is more than a new product introduction from Bowker; it is actually part of an aggressive strategy to re-introduce library patrons to the value of professional librarians and the power of their local libraries.The site uses language that is easy for library users to understand and that allows them to quickly navigate the database. For patrons who are unsure of what they're seeking, there are two options—one featuring a "type and go" quick search and the other is a multiple browsing tool feature that allows them to search by subject, author, or book industry award. For patrons who know exactly what they're looking for, an advanced search function allows them to search by more than 30 different criteria, including reviews, awards, media mentions (such as Oprah's Book Club), fictional genre, and author. Patrons can personalize the site for their own needs, including the creation of a personal reading or research list, the option of saving specific search criteria for future reuse, and signing up for free e-mail alerts. Source: R.R. Bowker
LC Database Implements OpenURL Linking
The Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS) Online, edited by the Library of Congress Hispanic Division, is the first LC database to implement the "OpenURL" protocol. OpenURL provides a standardized mechanism for linking from citations and bibliographic records to Web services, such as full text, library catalogs, and Web search engines. Institutions with a local link resolver—Web-linking software—may now link directly from HLAS Online records to the Web resources of their choice.This project is the result of the collaborative efforts of the Library of Congress and the Princeton University Library. Updated weekly, HLAS Online, available at http://memory.loc.gov/hlas, contains more than 300,000 bibliographic citations, annotations, and bibliographic essays on works published from 1935 to the present. OpenURL links are available for the Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC 21) bibliographic records from Vol. 50 (1990) forward. At this time, non-MARC records from Vols. 1-49 do not contain sufficiently structured metadata to generate useful OpenURLs. Source: Library of Congress
HP Creating Digital Archive of Time Magazine
Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) announced it is creating a digital archive containing every issue of Time magazine published, which Time will then make freely available to subscribers on its Web site. The archive will total more than 4,000 issues from 1923 to the present and be available in May. HP will scan every page of every issue of the magazine published by Time Warner, Inc., optimize the material, and store it using HP technology. The archive will use HP's Proliant servers, HP StorageWorks data storage gear, its OpenView management software, special software developed by HP labs, and professional services.Time said it looked at other companies to build the archive but decided on HP because of its consulting, hardware and software offerings, and because of its scanners and printers. HP is the world's largest maker of computer printers. In January, HP said it was working with Getty Images, Inc. to digitally archive its more than 70,000 film clips, and would provide its HP OpenView software, servers, storage gear, and services for the archiving of Getty's digital content. Source: Hewlett-Packard Co.
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Brandi Scardilli
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