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Weekly News Digest
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September 4, 2007 — 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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Call for Librarians to “Slam the Boards” on Sept. 10
A message has been posted to multiple lists, discussion boards, blogs, etc., calling for librarians to invade the various Web "answer" board sites on Monday, Sept. 10. Librarians are being urged to "slam the boards," such as Yahoo! Answers, Amazon’s Askville, The Wikipedia Reference Desk, and others—answering as many questions as they can using authoritative sources. The goal is to make sure readers know the answer was provided by a librarian and thereby raise awareness of library services. The idea has already gained considerable grass-roots support in the U.S., Canada, and countries across the globe.The idea originated in discussions between Bill Pardue, virtual services librarian at Arlington Heights Memorial Library, Ill., and Caleb Tucker-Raymond, Oregon statewide digital reference project coordinator, Multnomah County Library, Portland. Pardue has started an Answer Board Librarians Wiki (http://answerboards.wetpaint.com) where librarians can sign up as participants, read some tips and tricks, and find a list of answer boards. Here are some of the suggested tag lines/signatures from the wiki: Source: Answer Board Librarians Wiki
ebrary Ebooks Now Available Through YBP Library Services
YBP Library Services (www.ybp.com) and ebrary (www.ebrary.com) announced the availability of ebrary titles through YBP’s GOBI online database. The two companies have integrated ebrary’s platform and its growing selection of ebooks with the GOBI system, providing an easy and efficient way for libraries to preview, order, and manage ebrary titles along with their other print and digital holdings.YBP Library Services, a Baker & Taylor company, provides books and supporting collection management and technical services to academic, research, and special libraries in North America and around the world. GOBI, YBP’s online, interactive bibliographic information service, provides access to 2.0 million titles in an English-language database. YBP customers who order ebrary titles through GOBI benefit from all of the proprietary features of the ebrary platform, including the ability to seamlessly integrate every title with their catalog, other library resources, and information on the Web through ebrary’s InfoTools software. ebrary also provides sophisticated research tools such as personal bookshelves, multiple search and navigation options, and automatic, customizable citations with a URL hyperlink back to the source when text is copied and pasted or printed. ebrary’s ebooks and other content span all academic subject areas. ebrary currently offers a growing selection of more than 120,000 ebooks and other titles from more than 260 publishers and aggregators. Sources: YBP Library Services and ebrary
USPTO Publishes New Patent Application Rules
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has published new rules in the Federal Register (www.uspto.gov/web/offices/com/sol/notices/72fr46716.pdf) that it says will allow the agency to make the patent examination process more effective and efficient by encouraging applicants to use greater precision in describing the scope of their inventions. The new rules will take effect on Nov. 1, 2007. The rules are designed to bring closure to the examination process more quickly, while ensuring quality and maintaining the right balance between flexibility for applicants and the rights of the public.The rules have been modified, relative to the rules that were originally proposed early last year, in response to the extensive comments the USPTO received from the public. Under the new rules, applicants may file two new continuing applications and one request for continued examination as a matter of right. Also, under the new rules, each application may contain up to 25 claims, with no more than five of them independent claims, without any additional effort on the part of the applicant. Beyond these thresholds, however, the new rules require applicants to show why an additional continuation is necessary or to provide supplementary information relevant to the claimed invention to present additional claims. In the coming weeks, the USPTO will be conducting outreach on these new rules to better inform external stakeholders of their content and to answer questions. Source: USPTO
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Brandi Scardilli
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