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Weekly News Digest
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October 7, 2013 — 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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Government WNC Feed Shuts Down
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) announced the termination of the World News Connection (WNC) newsfeed effective Dec. 31, 2013.The Open Source Center, the U.S. government agency that provides the feed’s content, reached an agreement with NTIS to forgo an immediate shutdown and instead enter into a transition period until Dec. 31. During this time, NTIS will continue to publish the feed of global, English-language daily news. NTIS offers monthly subscriptions for WNC to vendors through its dissemination service. It does not have the authority to reverse the decision for permanent shutdown, according to an email from John W. Hounsell of the NTIS Office of Product and Program Management. In 2014, vendors will be allowed to offer the feed only as an archive. NTIS will pay royalties to the feed’s sources until March 31, 2014; on that date NTIS will end all agreements with customers. Source: National Technical Information Service
PsycTESTS Increases Record Collection
The American Psychological Association’s database PsycTESTS recently reached a milestone: It surpassed 15,000 test records. According to the website, it currently holds 16,213 master profiles and 12,197 actual tests or test items. The database of psychology tests, measures, scales, and surveys launched in 2011 as a hub for global psychology students, faculty, and professionals. Users can access test instruments and network with others studying in similar fields, such as psychiatry or social work. PsycTESTS includes commercial tests that link to the test’s publisher as well as research tests that are not commercially available; most test records feature the actual test instrument. PsycTESTS records contain indexes, summaries, and background information in the form of articles, technical reports, dissertations, and other peer-reviewed literature. Source: American Psychological Association
EBSCO Partners With German Library Network
EBSCO Information Services and Gemeinsamer Bibliotheksverbund (GBV), Germany’s Common Library Network, agreed to a partnership that integrates EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) with GBV’s VuFind. GBV libraries that use VuFind now have access to expanded EBSCO content. With the modular, open source portal VuFind, library users can browse resources such as catalog records and institutional repository items outside the traditional OPAC. Its integration with EDS helps libraries acquire EBSCO materials from one comprehensive platform. GBV serves 250-plus academic libraries in seven German states, as well as the Foundation of Prussian Cultural Heritage. Its services include cataloging, automation, online interlibrary loan, and document delivery using Subito. Source: EBSCO Information Services
VitalSource Bookshelf Opens British E-Store
Vital Source Technologies, Inc., Ingram Content Group, Inc.’s etextbook solution, recently launched an e-store in the U.K. for VitalSource Bookshelf ebooks.Key features in the new e-store include a selection of free trial books, collections organized by category (ranging from antiques and collectibles to true crime), a best-seller list, recently viewed items, and featured titles. VitalSource Bookshelf has more than 3 million users at 6,000 universities worldwide and offers content in 25 languages from 350-plus publishers. Customers can choose a purchase option, such as direct sale to a student or sale through an institution’s virtual learning environment. Instructors have access to tools for measuring student engagement, improving accessibility, and managing classrooms, while students can search, annotate, and share notes in the text. “More educators and students now have access to the latest interactive e-textbooks and tools, in addition to having more choice when purchasing their course materials,” says Kent Freeman, Vital Source Technologies’ COO. Source: Ingram Content Group, Inc.
Film Critic Archive Debuts at Columbia Library
Prolific film critic Judith Crist’s papers are the newest additions to Columbia University Libraries/Information Services’ Rare Book & Manuscript Library.Crist’s works encompass 135 linear feet of material, all written during her career as a journalist, critic, exhibitor, and teacher. Crist taught journalism at Columbia for more than 50 years. Her son Steven donated the papers to the library. Crist wrote for a wide range of publications, from TV Guide Magazine to Gourmet. She joined the TODAY show as its first regular movie critic in 1963 and was the founding film critic of New York Magazine. The Columbia University Libraries/Information Services are composed of 22 libraries that house more than 12 million volumes, 160,000-plus current journals and serials, and collections of electronic resources, manuscripts, rare books, microforms, maps, and graphic and audiovisual materials. “One of the joys of criticism is in wanting to share discovered pleasure,” Crist once said. “You can’t kill the trash, but at least you can give the good a push and pass it on.” Source: Columbia University Libraries/Information Services
Thomson Reuters Launches Audit Essential
Thomson Reuters introduced PPC’s SMART Practice Aids - Audit Essential, a simplified audit workflow tool designed to make conducting audit engagements easier. It is integrated with Thomson Reuters’ productivity suite Checkpoint for tax and accounting professionals.“In the current industry environment, audit firms face increased competition and pressure to reduce fees while navigating complex audit standards that are time-consuming to incorporate into processes,” says Scott Spradling, vice president of audit and accounting. Audit Essential helps firms “that are currently using static practice aids” engage with PPC’s SMART Practice Aids, according to Spradling. SMART Practice Aids provide content expertise and automation tools. When professionals begin an audit engagement, they can access Audit Essential to create a plan, assess risk, tailor engagements, and complete the audit program. Simple audits can use one of the tool’s predefined engagements, while more complex audits will need custom engagements. Audit Essential offers both. Audit Essential is integrated with other Thomson Reuters auditing tools, including PPC’s SMART Practice Aids - Disclosure, Engagement CS, and AdvanceFlow. Source: Thomson Reuters
ACP Smart Medicine Joins OvidSP
Wolters Kluwer Health expanded its partnership with the American College of Physicians (ACP), making ACP Smart Medicine available on Wolters Kluwer Health’s OvidSP medical research platform. ACP’s peer-reviewed clinical journal Annals of Internal Medicine and Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (EBMR) database are also accessible on OvidSP.ACP Smart Medicine, an evidence-based clinical reference tool, is searchable with EBMR, MEDLINE, and other Ovid resources using a single search query with a single results list. In ACP Smart Medicine, users can search 500-plus original diagnosis and treatment recommendations for common conditions in internal medicine. Features include instructions on diagnosis, differential diagnosis tables, therapy recommendations, follow-up procedures, and patient education information. “With content developed and reviewed by actual physicians, the ACP is highly regarded as one of the world’s most reliable sources of information,” according to Andrew Richardson, vice president of business development at Wolters Kluwer Health Medical Research. ACP Smart Medicine is “particularly relevant for internal medicine physicians and other practitioners and students for clinical recommendations, while working within OvidSP.” Source: Wolters Kluwer Health
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Brandi Scardilli
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