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Weekly News Digest
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November 17, 2011 — 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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New Resources From NoveList to Connect Library Patrons to Services
NoveList, a division of EBSCO Publishing, added more resources for librarians looking for information to help patrons and to publicize their programs. The NoveList website and a corresponding Facebook page have been designed to help librarians connect their patrons to more books and more library services.The website includes features that give librarians more insight into the NoveList team and the resources they are making available to libraries. The new site also highlights the tools librarians are using to enhance the patron experience including a robust support section and success stories. A new Sample Content section provides a glimpse into the products of NoveList and how they can impact librarians and patrons alike. The new Facebook page aims to further empower librarians to engage readers and build community connections by helping librarians connect through social media. The NoveList Facebook page also provides content for readers’ advisors, links to articles, content from NoveList contributors and more—providing ideas that librarians can use to help patrons and promote services. NoveList was created by librarians as a readers’ advisory resource and the NoveList team has continued to expand its scope with the mission of empowering librarians, engaging readers and connecting communities. With the advent of NoveList Select and the newsletter service NextReads, NoveList has moved beyond being a standalone database into being a service for the entire library. Duncan Smith, NoveList vice president, says the community aspects of the new website and Facebook are ways to continue the NoveList mission. “We are connected to the librarians that count on our resources to help readers find that next great book and to introduce great library programs to patrons. We are committed to helping libraries continue to reach out to their communities and we want to begin by reaching out to ours.” In addition to library websites and Facebook, thousands of libraries are reaching out to their patrons, and to other librarians, through Twitter. Librarians and readers can also follow NoveList on Twitter at http://twitter.com/NoveListRA. Source: EBSCO Publishing
Gale Introduces MyGovernment
Gale, part of Cengage Learning, announced MyGovernment, an online subscription-based resource that provides essential information on U.S. elected officials, candidates, and their key issues, and information on how our government functions. It is produced by KnowWho, Inc. and distributed by Gale to the library market.MyGovernment provides detailed information on U.S. political representatives at the federal, state, and local levels. It enables users to easily locate, research, and contact their elected officials, as well as access background and biographical data, committee assignments, photos, news articles, and even campaign contribution sources. MyGovernment also includes a basic guide to U.S. government including how laws are made in Congress, information on becoming a U.S. citizen, voter information, useful links and websites for additional information and more. It claims to be the only resource that teaches users how government works and brings together and organizes the information needed to become a well-informed voter. A Spanish user interface will be available for MyGovernment by the end of the year, as well as a web-based reporting tool for librarians. Information on 2012 presidential candidates and campaign finance applets will be available by April 2012, as the election primaries begin and candidates appear on the ballots. Source: Gale
Alexander Street Press Introduces Academic Video Store
Alexander Street Press announced the launch of the Academic Video Store, with more than 1,400 individual video titles covering a broad range of subjects. Many of the titles have won prestigious awards—Emmys, Oscars, CINE Golden Eagle Awards—and are already frequently used in classrooms across the country. Now, for the first time, they are available in streaming format. The store is expected to grow to more than 7,500 titles by the end of 2012.The store features titles from numerous publishers, including Aquarius, Chip Taylor Productions, and Line of Duty. It is the exclusive source for more than 300 titles from therapy and counseling publisher Microtraining. It also contains more than 1,000 exclusive titles from Filmakers Library such as Stieg Larsson’s Millennium, an inside look at the life and works of Stieg Larsson through his partner, Eva Gabrielsson; and the Cinema for Peace and Justice award winner, Blood in the Mobile, a riveting documentary revealing the link between Congolese mining and mobile phones. The company is adding new titles at a rate in excess of 250 per month. Credit card purchasing and instant access mean that academics and librarians alike can purchase titles in a matter of minutes before showing them in classroom settings. Every sale comes with institutional viewing rights, so an academic who buys a single title does so for the whole of his/her institution. A full suite of online tools makes it possible to link and embed videos in courseware such as Moodle and Blackboard. Libraries and media centers will find that titles purchased in the store are cross searchable with other Alexander Street video collections and titles under a single URL. Alexander Street also provides MARC records and a method for integrating titles into discovery services. Source: Alexander Street Press
IFLA Launches New Webpages on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions
IFLA has created a new set of webpages dedicated to one of the most important policy issues that IFLA is currently dealing with—the issue of copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries. Copyright exceptions enable libraries to preserve and make available works. In many countries they have been established in the print era and not been updated to meet the needs of the digital age. An updated system is needed to enable libraries to provide users with both historical and new services in pace with ongoing technological changes.IFLA is working with Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) to gain support for a binding international instrument on copyright limitations and exceptions to enable libraries to preserve their collections, support education and research, and lend materials. To demonstrate what is needed, IFLA has produced a Treaty proposal (called TLIB) to guide WIPO’s Member States in updating limitations and exceptions for libraries worldwide. Find out more about limitations and exceptions for libraries at http://www.ifla.org/en/copyright-tlib and learn what you can do to get involved supporting an international binding instrument that meets the needs of libraries in the 21st century. IFLA is the leading international body representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library and information profession. Founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1927 at an international conference, it celebrated its 75th birthday at its conference in Glasgow, Scotland in 2002. It now has 1,600 members in approximately 150 countries around the world. Source: IFLA
Springer to Acquire Pharma Marketing and Publishing Services From Wolters Kluwer
Springer Science+Business Media reached an agreement with Wolters Kluwer to acquire the Pharma Marketing and Publishing Services division (MPS) for its Springer Healthcare unit. MPS is one of the five largest global providers of strategic marketing, publishing and business intelligence products and services to the pharmaceutical industry, as well as to medical libraries and academic and research institutions. The announcement follows an earlier announcement by Wolters Kluwer in July that it planned to divest its pharma-related assets. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.The agreement encompasses the Marketing & Publishing Services business unit, part of the Wolters Kluwer Health & Pharma Solutions division. The sale represents about 35% of the company’s pharma-related assets in terms of revenue, with Adis and inScience Communications as the leading brands, and encompasses about 450 employees globally. MPS’s Adis unit publishes a portfolio of 24 highly regarded scientific journals and newsletters specializing in pharmacology and pharmacotherapy. Further MPS services include drug development and drug safety databases, commercial market analysis, strategic medical and marketing communications programs, prescriber and patient education materials, and pharmaceutical sales force training, among others. The company has approximately 450 employees, and its main offices are in Auckland (New Zealand), Chester (U.K.), Yardley, Pa. (U.S.), and Milan (Italy). Derk Haank, CEO of Springer Science+Business Media, said: “This acquisition will significantly strengthen our position in international corporate and healthcare markets, and will also allow us to expand Springer’s STM operations, not only in the Americas and Asia-Pacific regions, but also in parts of Europe where we do not yet have offices. MPS’s high-quality content and services for corporate customers and academics form a perfect complement to our existing portfolio.” Nancy McKinstry, CEO and chairman of the Executive Board of Wolters Kluwer, said, “The sale of our pharma-related business is part of our strategy to focus on our core health markets and accelerate growth by providing innovative solutions to clinicians globally.” Sources: Springer Science+Business Media and Wolters Kluwer
Socialtext 5.0 Now More Accessible and Sociable
Socialtext, an enterprise social software provider, announced that it will soon be launching new features and enhancements for Socialtext 5.0. Significant features—Native Mobile Applications for iPhone, iPad, and BlackBerry and Twitter Integration—will extend the Socialtext 5.0 platform enabling easy access to key features of Socialtext’s enterprise social software platform including, Signals, People, as well as powerful search functionality. New features for Socialtext 5.0 include the following: - Native Mobile Applications for iPhone, iPad, and BlackBerry—help people in the context of how they find information and give users the ability to search on People, Signals, and keywords, rather than going to a mobile site that simply displays information in a format that is not user friendly.
- Twitter Integration—ability to monitor keywords, brands, competitors, and industry indicators; will populate signals and enable fast response and updates.
- Netdocuments Integration and Other Popular Document Management Systems—user friendly connector for document repositories that plugs into any document repository; key benefit is having one repository and one system to seamlessly upload documents to their repository without having to leave the platform.
- Socialtext 360—formally known as SocialRadar, Socialtext 360 supports the vision for Socialtext 5.0 enabling discovery of information in all directions—from facilitating conversations to sourcing project teams. With Socialtext 360, users get an enhanced experience that helps them to find the most relevant people with whom to connect and collaborate.
Source: Socialtext
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Brandi Scardilli
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