Library Blogs Buzz Weekly

Weekly Overview Of Library and Technology Blogs

Archive: March 2012

Week 12: Britannica On EBSCO, Proquest Saves Statistical Abstract, Bilbary Goes Live Un The U.S, Wolfram|Alpha Adds Data From USDA

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This week is somewhat quieter and uneventful.

EBSCO Discovery Service Adds Britannica to List of Content Providers (ResourceShelf)
Britannica's content is now part of EBSCO databases.

ProQuest To Begin Publishing “Statistical Abstract of the United States” (Print & Electronic Versions) ( INFOdocket)
Starting next year Proquest will begin publishing the print and online edition of the “Statistical Abstract of the United States” .

A Consortium of Italian Universities Will Add 11 Million Records to WorldCat ( INFOdocket)
11 university libraries in Northern and Central Italy are adding 11 million records to WorldCat.

eBooks: Bilbary Goes Live For U.S. Users, More than 340,000 Titles Currently Available For Purchas(INFOdocket)
"Bilbary.com, the international e-bookstore launched by former Waterstones head Tom Coates, went live with a beta test this morning with 340,000 titles from about 2,300 publishers." ( and approximately another 300 000 titles on their way)

Wolfram|Alpha Adds Plant Data from USDA (INFOdocket)
If you haven't used the Wolfram Alpha computational and data search engine, I strongly advise that you do, especially now that is has added data from the USDA.

California: Libraries: “The Califa eBook Journey: Introduction( INFOdocket)
So Califa ( who represents 220 multi-type libraries in California) is working towards creating their own e-books platform with e-books from publishers who are willing to work with libraries wit the goal to own the majority of its digital collection.

Week11:Gale Gateways Launched, Google Begins With Semantic Search, Encyclopedia Britannica Stops With Print,

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Week 11 has some unique and intriguing posts.

Gale Aims to Transform the Online Library Experience with Gateways (ResourceShelf)
Gale decided to organize its databases in thematic groups, called Gale Gateways to help customers navigate the information better.

New York Public Library and FIT Archives Launch Digital Archive of Historic Fashion Drawings and Sketches ( INFOdocket)
"After two years of planning, the Picture Collection of the New York Public Library and the Special Collections & FIT Archives of the Fashion Institute of Technology Library have recently started a digital archive of fashion drawings and sketches by André Fashion Studios"

An Unprecedented Video Glimpse Into How Google Crafts Its Search Results(Search Engine Land)
Very interesting video on how Google tweaks search results and auto complete.

Ray Kurzweil: “You Are What You Think (TechCrunch)
I have always been a sucker for sci-fi technology theories and here is an interesting one from Ray Kurzweil, founder of Kurzweil companies.

Google Search Changes In A Nutshell: Please Stop Talking Trash About SPYW, We Have Semantic Search! ( TechCrunch)
"According to statements from Amit Singhal, SVP of Search at Google, the changes primarily involve the introduction of semantic search capabilities and instant answers – yes, two things that Microsoft is already doing (and has been doing for some time) with Bing."

Google Expands Flight Search Outside US To 500 Cities (Search Engine Land)
Google Flight Search is now available in 500 cities outside of US.

Denver Public Library Launches New Site to Digitize Neighborhood Histories ( INFOdocket)
New social networking site at Denver Public Library will allow users to upload their own photos and materials online to add them to the digital archive.

Reference: World Trade Organization Launches New Database on Preferential Trade Arrangements (INFOdocket)
Business librarians will surely welcome the new database on preferential trade arrangements by WTO members.

Death By Wikipedia: Encyclopedia Britannica Stops Printing (ReadWriteWeb)
In an expected move,Encyclopedia Britannica decided to stop its print issue after declining sales.

Douglas County Libraries' DIY E-Book Hosting (ALA TechSource Blog )
Douglas County Libraries are building their own e-book platform to offer more choices to their customers, breaking away from restrictive publishers licensing contracts.



Week 10: EBSCO Starts eBook Subscription Collection, The New iPad With 1 Million More Pixels Than HDTV, Ethics.gov Launched

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Week 10 is not offering too many events, but some of them, created quite a buzz.

Directory of Open Access Books Launches in UK (ResourceShelf)
The OAPEN (Open Access Publishing in European Networks)is launching the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) in UK with searchable index to peer-reviewed books.

How People Spend Time Online (Daily Bits)
Not necessarily a post about technology in libraries, but an interesting glimpse into the online habits of users worldwide.

Video: Columbia U. Libraries“Free Your Metadata” Seminar Now Available (INFODocket)
Metadata librarians, this must be your free You Tube webinar.

EBSCO Publishing Releases First eBook Subscription Offering( Library Technology Guides automation update)
EBSCO started its first full text subscription eBook collection called Academic Subscription Collection with 70,000 titles.

The New iPad is a Minor Update, But You'll Buy it Anyway ( ReadWriteWeb)
"The new iPad, which ships on March 16, will come equipped with a faster processor, high-resolution retina display, better camera and support for 4G LTE wireless networks."

Espresso Book Machine Now Available at Brooklyn Public Library(INFOdocket)
BPL is offering a book machine, which prints out of copyright or self published books on demand and interestingly enough the machine will be managed by the vendor staff On Demand Books.

3M Cloud Library announces integration with Polaris ILS (Library Technology Guides)
The 3M Cloud Library eBook Lending Service is going to be integrated with the Polaris ILS, allowing customers to checkout both traditional materials and digital collections on PCs or apps from the same interface.

Reference: White House Launches Ethics.gov (INFOdocket)
Are you curious about White House business, then use the new Ethics.gov site to get records for campaign finance, lobbying, and White House visitor records.

Serials Solutions greatly expands German content coverage in the Summon Service( Library Technology Guides)
"Serials Solutions has greatly expanded coverage of German-specific content within the Summon service including millions of catalog items, journal articles and specialized repositories."

Week 9:IFLA Electronic Resource Guide, Google Enforces New Privacy Policy,Random House Charges 300% More,Toronto Public Will Sell Ads

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Lets take a look at what week 9 has to offer:

New from IFLA: “Key Issues for e-Resource Collection Development: A Guide for Libraries” (The Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian's Weblog)
Electronic resource librarians need to take a close look at this guide which reviews the selection and management of electronic resources.

Libraries & the Post-PC Era (The Proverbial Lone Wolf Librarian's Weblog)
Interesting podcast presentation by Jason Griffey on the library present and future.

Innovative expands ArticleReach direct's E-delivery options ( Library Technology Guides)
Innovative's ArticleReach Direct is now integrated with interlibrary loan software Odyssey and Dropbox.

A Guide to Publishers in the Library Ebook Market(ResourceShelf)
The post focuses on ebook library lending policies of the Big Six publishers.

Pew: 53% of U.S. Cellphone Owners now Have Smartphones ( ReadWriteWeb)
when nplanning online services for libraries it is good to remember that of the 88% cell phone users in the USe, only half of them own smart phones
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Google Is Watching You (Or Not): New Privacy Policy Takes Effect Today (Search Engine Land)
Google's new privacy policy in effect now, forces users to allow information sharing across all Google products without the ability to opt out and has been strongly criticized by consumer watchdogs.

Graphicly Opens Publishing Platform To Everyone, Looks Beyond Comics(TechCrunch)
Graphicly is offering creators the tools they need to publish their work on a broad swath of platforms, including the iBookstore, the Kindle store, the Android Market, and Barnes & Noble’s Nook

Your ebook rent just went up 300%( David Lee King)
Random House decided to charge libraries 300% more for ebooks, let's hope other publishers don't follow.

OCLC and Bibliotheek.nl to Include Complete Collections of Dutch Public Libraries to WorldCat.org( INFOdocket)
OCLC and Bibliotheek.nl, the organisation of Dutch public libraries, have signed an agreement to include the complete collections of public libraries in the GGC, the Dutch shared cataloguing system

Toronto Public Library Approves Plan to Begin Selling Advertisements, First Up Will Be Ads on Due-Date Slips ( INFOdocket)
The library board at Totonto Public decided to start selling ads,printed on the backs of due-date slips.

New Online Research Resource: Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium (TRAC) Released By The Beacham Group (INFOdocket)
TRAC is one of the most comprehensive terrorism analysis and research database.