News & Events > NewsBreaks Back Index Forward

Weekly News Digest

January 30, 2014 — 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.

Credo Facilitates Information Literacy Instruction

The module, part of Credo’s Literati Academic suite of education solutions, has dozens of instruction and assessment components such as videos, tutorials, interactive activities, course notes, and guides, for in-person or online teaching. Its learning objectives adhere to ACRL standards, and it can serve as a ready-to-use course or act as a course supplement.

Source: Credo

Dow Jones' CEO Resigns

“We thank Lex for his time and energy at the helm of Dow Jones, and in particular for his original vision of [the information service] DJX as an innovative way to integrate content and deliver it to customers in a timely manner,” says Robert Thomson, chief executive of News Corp.

According to Thomson, one of the ways News Corp will review its strategy is to offer more flexibility in DJX’s products. It will also discuss ways to improve The Wall Street Journal and its digital properties around the world.

Source: News Corp

Getty Publications Offers Free Titles

Users can search the Virtual Library by title, author, or keyword. Search results include a description, table of contents, and author biographies for most titles. There are also links to WorldCat for finding print editions in libraries and links to purchase books. However, many of these backlist titles are out of print, according to James Cuno, the J. Paul Getty Trust’s president and CEO.

“We are committed to sharing our educational resources as part of our mission to promote knowledge and understanding of the visual arts in all their dimensions,” he says. The Virtual Library contains books published by the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Getty Conservation Institute, and the Getty Research Institute. Books will be added as they become available.

Source: Getty Publications

EBSCO Acquires Plum Analytics

Plum Analytics will become a wholly owned subsidiary of EBSCO and retain its own products and management, including the PlumX metrics-gathering tool. Researchers, administrators, librarians, and funders can use PlumX to track the mentions, usage, social media, captures, and citations for a range of research artifacts, from articles and presentations to interviews and patents.

“Teaming up with the leading content and analysis provider for libraries and scholarly publishers in order to move to a new era of scholarly impact metrics helps us take the power of PlumX to the next level and realize new ways of assessing and analyzing research,” says Andrea Michalek, Plum Analytics’ co-founder. “With EBSCO’s deep content assets and usage data, this is a natural enhancement to the data that PlumX collects around research.”

Source: EBSCO Information Services

Augmented Reality Book Debuts

“AR has the ability to change the way people discover and interact with useful and educational information. By including videos of experts for example, who describe their theoretical framework and reasons for using said applications, this unique aspect differentiates this book from similar works,” says Bryan W. Carter, the book’s author.

Each chapter is available for purchase as HTML, PDF, and EPUB files on Emerald’s website. To view the AR content, readers must download the free Layar app for iOS or Android devices and then scan the appropriate book sections.

Source: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd.

Duke University Press Ebooks Find New Home

This ebook platform allows users to read, search, and share Duke University Press’ 1,600-plus titles, with options for integrated search and linking across ebook and journal content. Libraries can purchase the existing collection as well as the 2014 collection, which debuts on the new platform.

Powered by HighWire’s Folio ebook solution, the platform was developed by HighWire to include responsive design to any device, content without DRM (digital rights management), individual chapter downloads, and social-sharing features.

“HighWire designed the Folio eBooks product to make it easy to find connections between scholarly content, regardless of whether the relevant information is published in journal articles or in book chapters,” says Tara Robenalt, HighWire’s director of product management.

Source: Duke University Press

Swets and Ex Libris Group Collaborate on Library Operations

By mid-2014, all print and electronic purchases made through SwetsWise or other Swets channels will automatically update in Alma. After this project is completed, Swets and Ex Libris Group intend to streamline workflows and processes. For example, workflows that begin in Alma will automatically update in SwetsWise.

“Leveraging the system’s open interfaces, we can integrate Alma with Swets and expand the value of Alma,” says Dvir Hoffman, Ex Libris Group’s director of product management and marketing. “The integration will help Alma libraries avoid duplication and enable staff to dedicate their time to providing valuable services to end users.”

Source: Swets