2009 News
SLA Name Will Stay: Alignment of Association to Continue
The Special Libraries Association (SLA) announced the results of its association-wide vote on a new name today. Voting in record numbers, SLA members failed to approve a proposal to change the organization's name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals. 50 percent of those members eligible to vote participated in the referendum, with 2071 voting YES and 3225 voting NO. Read more in the SLA Press Release.
Challenging Kirk Cameron on Evolution
An anti-evolution group — backed by the actor Kirk Cameron — has been spending time this week handing out copies of The Origin of Species that feature an introduction that undercuts Darwin's analysis. Cameron helped with the effort at the University of California at Los Angeles, but some students there challenged him, questioning whether the project was deceptive and whether there was scientific validity for his views. And this being a college campus, students filmed the discussion and posted it online. Read more.
New Online Programs in Library Science to be offered by the University at Buffalo
The University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education (GSE) is offering a new online program to make it easier for professionals to pursue education in library science.
The Master of Library Science program, delivered entirely online, will give students the chance to earn a degree in the rapidly changing and dynamic world of library science. GSE's Department of Library and Information Studies is accepting students through Feb. 1 for fall 2010 admission. Read more.
The Master of Library Science program, delivered entirely online, will give students the chance to earn a degree in the rapidly changing and dynamic world of library science. GSE's Department of Library and Information Studies is accepting students through Feb. 1 for fall 2010 admission. Read more.
E-vote for Proposed New Name for SLA
The SLA Board of Directors is excited to propose that SLA change its name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals. SLA members will have an opportunity to voice their opinion on this proposal by e-vote in November. SLA's Leadership proposes that SLA change its name to the Association for Strategic Knowledge Professionals, or ASKPro. We encourage all SLA members to voice their opinion on this proposal by casting an electronic vote in a special referendum that will begin on 16 November and end 9 December. The result will be announced on 10 December.
Member-only access to additional information:
Read the announcement at:
Read about the Alignment Project
SLA Blog: Naming Research Results Posted
Name Change Discussion Blogs
How We Got Here... from Gloria Zamora, SLA President
Visions: Lynne McCay: Looking Back--Looking Ahead
Visions: Janice R. Lachance: Towards More Powerful Information Professionals
Member-only access to additional information:
Read the announcement at:
Read about the Alignment Project
SLA Blog: Naming Research Results Posted
Name Change Discussion Blogs
How We Got Here... from Gloria Zamora, SLA President
Visions: Lynne McCay: Looking Back--Looking Ahead
Visions: Janice R. Lachance: Towards More Powerful Information Professionals
Google Wave
On September 30, 2009, Google offered Google Wave, to some 100,000 people. Billed as a revolutionary way to collaborate online, Wave is also the product of a new, more structured approach to innovation within the company.
Jens and Lars Rasmussen, the brothers who created what has become Google Maps, have spent the last couple of years holed up in Google's offices in Sydney, Australia, dreaming up this new tool for communicating over the Web. In simple terms, Google Wave is like a cross between email, instant messaging and wikis.
Research Library Issues no. 266 Now Online
Formerly known as ARL: A Bimonthly Report, you can view the current copy here.
Educause Releases Annual Campus IT Study
The Higher Ed Technology Group "Educause" released its based on the results of its "Core Data Service Fiscal Year 2008 Summary Report," annual survey of 930 colleges and universities. This year's installment focuses on information technology trends on campuses between 2004 and 2008.
Primate evolution claim challenged
An analysis of 37 million year old primate fossils is fueling a debate over the existence of an evolutionary link between lemur-like and monkey-like primates -- a link that could more fully explain human evolution. The study, published in this week's issue of Nature, challenges the claim that Darwinius -- a rare, almost-complete skeleton whose unveiling caused a media firestorm last May -- is the possible stem species to today's anthropoid primates, which include monkeys, apes, and humans (1) Full story.
(1) Erik R. Seiffert, Jonathan M. G. Perry, Elwyn L. Simons, Doug M. Boyer. (22 October 2009). Convergent evolution of anthropoid-like adaptations in Eocene adapiform primates. Nature 461, 1118-1121 doi:10.1038/nature08429 Letter
(1) Erik R. Seiffert, Jonathan M. G. Perry, Elwyn L. Simons, Doug M. Boyer. (22 October 2009). Convergent evolution of anthropoid-like adaptations in Eocene adapiform primates. Nature 461, 1118-1121 doi:10.1038/nature08429 Letter
Advice for Libraries on Journals and Digitization
With journals -- including back issues -- widely available in digital form, many college and university libraries are weighing whether they need to devote extensive shelf space to print copies. A new report -- "What to Withdraw: Print Collections Management in the Wake of Digitization" -- offers advice on the issue, analyzing the qualities of various journals that may make many of them appropriate to remove from shelves without endangering access. The report is from Ithaka, a research organization that focuses on technology and scholarly communication. Read more.
Libraries of the Future
The university library of the future will be sparsely staffed, highly decentralized, and have a physical plant consisting of little more than special collections and study areas.
That's what Daniel Greenstein, vice provost for academic planning and programs at the University of California System, told a room full of university librarians.
“We're already starting to see a move on the part of university libraries... to outsource virtually all the services [they have] developed and maintained over the years,” Greenstein said. Now, with universities everywhere still ailing from last year's economic meltdown, administrators are more likely than ever to explore the dramatic restructuring of library operations.
“I think that's not a very accurate depiction of what I see happening at research libraries,” said Deborah Jakubs, vice provost for library affairs at Duke University. “I see the exact opposite happening, that libraries are taking on new roles — [such as] working with faculty in introducing technology into teaching... there's a lot more intersection with libraries and faculty than he would lead you to believe.”
Jakubs added that universities have already equipped libraries to provide the whole buffet of services at the level of individual campuses. It does not make sense, she said, to abandon that infrastructure and rely on outsiders.
Read more.
That's what Daniel Greenstein, vice provost for academic planning and programs at the University of California System, told a room full of university librarians.
“We're already starting to see a move on the part of university libraries... to outsource virtually all the services [they have] developed and maintained over the years,” Greenstein said. Now, with universities everywhere still ailing from last year's economic meltdown, administrators are more likely than ever to explore the dramatic restructuring of library operations.
“I think that's not a very accurate depiction of what I see happening at research libraries,” said Deborah Jakubs, vice provost for library affairs at Duke University. “I see the exact opposite happening, that libraries are taking on new roles — [such as] working with faculty in introducing technology into teaching... there's a lot more intersection with libraries and faculty than he would lead you to believe.”
Jakubs added that universities have already equipped libraries to provide the whole buffet of services at the level of individual campuses. It does not make sense, she said, to abandon that infrastructure and rely on outsiders.
Read more.
U.S. Should Launch a 'New Biology' Initiative
According to a new report from the National Research Council, the emergence of "New Biology" -- where scientists and engineers from many disciplines collaborate on ways to take advantage of dramatic recent advances in biology, such as the ability to sequence entire genomes -- offers an opportunity to solve some of society's most pressing problems. The report recommends a National New Biology Initiative to accelerate such research and apply it to our greatest challenges. More information.
Best Book Websites
On 12th July, The Sunday Times Ingear section listed 10 best book websites. They were:
Futurity, an online science news source
Last year, CNN announced that it was going to eliminate its entire reporting team focused on science and technology. So a consortium of library administrators decided to create a Web site in which they could distribute writing about their researchers and their work directly to the public -- without counting on journalists. The result is Futurity, an online news source featuring the latest discoveries in science, engineering, the environment, health, and more from North America's leading research universities (all of them members of the Association of American Universities). Each university contributed $2,000 to help get the site off the ground, and the goal is to build traffic through viral (and largely free) techniques.
The goal of the Web site is not to compete with Science and Nature, but rather to reach interested members of the general public. While the articles are in some ways similar to those produced by university news offices for press releases or articles in faculty/staff newsletters, some of the Futurity articles are edited to have fewer mentions of university names and the kinds of references that shout "press release." There is no advertising on the site. Read more.
The goal of the Web site is not to compete with Science and Nature, but rather to reach interested members of the general public. While the articles are in some ways similar to those produced by university news offices for press releases or articles in faculty/staff newsletters, some of the Futurity articles are edited to have fewer mentions of university names and the kinds of references that shout "press release." There is no advertising on the site. Read more.
Breakthrough on Open Access
Five leading universities (MIT, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University and the University of California at Berkeley) announced a new "Compact for Open Access Publishing Equity" in which they have pledged to develop systems to pay open access journals for the articles they publish by the institutions' scholars.
By embracing a new model, the institutions say, they hope to shift away from a system in which rising journal prices have frustrated librarians, and the lack of free access has frustrated those whose institutions can't afford many journals.
A statement from L. Rafael Reif, provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: "The dissemination of research findings to the public is not merely the right of research universities: it is their obligation. Open access publishing promises to put more research in more hands and in more places around the world." Read more.
By embracing a new model, the institutions say, they hope to shift away from a system in which rising journal prices have frustrated librarians, and the lack of free access has frustrated those whose institutions can't afford many journals.
A statement from L. Rafael Reif, provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said: "The dissemination of research findings to the public is not merely the right of research universities: it is their obligation. Open access publishing promises to put more research in more hands and in more places around the world." Read more.
Google Book Search Bibliography, Version 5
Version 5 of the Google Book Search Bibliography is now available from Digital Scholarship.
This bibliography presents selected English-language articles and other works that are useful in understanding Google Book Search. It primarily focuses on the evolution of Google Book Search and the legal, library, and social issues associated with it. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet, including e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories.
For a discussion of the numerous changes in my digital publications since my resignation from the University of Houston Libraries, see Digital Scholarship Publications Overview.
This bibliography presents selected English-language articles and other works that are useful in understanding Google Book Search. It primarily focuses on the evolution of Google Book Search and the legal, library, and social issues associated with it. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet, including e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories.
For a discussion of the numerous changes in my digital publications since my resignation from the University of Houston Libraries, see Digital Scholarship Publications Overview.
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) adds Article-Level Metrics
The Public Library of Science is "delighted to announce that all seven PLoS journals will now provide online usage data for published articles. With this addition, the suite of metrics on PLoS articles now includes measures of: online usage; citations from the scholarly literature; social bookmarks; blog coverage; and the Comments, Notes and 'Star' ratings that have been made on the article." Read the entire post from Mark Patterson, Director of Publishing.
NCBI's mailing lists for announcing changes
NCBI now has three mailing lists for announcing changes. The URLs below link to forms that can be used to subscribe, if you or others in your scientific community are interested:
Molecular Modeling Database (MMDB) of 3D structures mailing list
Conserved Domain Database (CDD) mailing list
BioSystems Database, and associated resources (Cn3D, VAST, CD-Search, CDART, CDTree, etc.) mailing list
Molecular Modeling Database (MMDB) of 3D structures mailing list
Conserved Domain Database (CDD) mailing list
BioSystems Database, and associated resources (Cn3D, VAST, CD-Search, CDART, CDTree, etc.) mailing list
SLA Changes Member Dues
In order to continue to deliver the services members expect, the SLA Board of Directors has voted to increase dues by 15 percent for most members and add a new dues tier for members with an annual income of US$75,000 or greater, effective 1 January 2010.
Dues rates will be as follows:
Category of Membership 2010 Dues
Student/Retired Members US$40.00
Full Members
Annual Salary under US$18,000 US$40.00
Annual Salary US$18,000-US$34,999 US$114.00
Annual Salary US$35,000-US$74,999 US$185.00
Annual Salary US$75,000 or greater US$200.00
Organizational Members US$750.00
Honorary/Life Members $0.00
Retired Members/45 Years $0.00
Extra chapter/division fee US$20.00
Caucus US$12.00
SLA has created a Web page with questions and answers about the dues increase and more information about membership finances. We will add answers to new questions as they emerge.
Category of Membership 2010 Dues
Student/Retired Members US$40.00
Full Members
Annual Salary under US$18,000 US$40.00
Annual Salary US$18,000-US$34,999 US$114.00
Annual Salary US$35,000-US$74,999 US$185.00
Annual Salary US$75,000 or greater US$200.00
Organizational Members US$750.00
Honorary/Life Members $0.00
Retired Members/45 Years $0.00
Extra chapter/division fee US$20.00
Caucus US$12.00
SLA has created a Web page with questions and answers about the dues increase and more information about membership finances. We will add answers to new questions as they emerge.
Poison on Pets II: Toxic Chemicals in Flea and Tick Collars
The April 2009 paper Poison on Pets II details a first-of-its-kind study by The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) showing that high levels of pesticide residue can remain on a dog's or cat's fur for weeks after a flea collar is put on an animal. Residue levels produced by some flea collars are so high that they pose a risk of cancer and damage to the neurological system of children up to 1,000 times higher than the EPA's acceptable levels. Read the Issue Paper.
The Evidence on Online Education
Online learning has definite advantages over face-to-face instruction when it comes to teaching and learning, according to the “Evaluation of Evidence-Based Practices in Online Learning: A Meta-Analysis and Review of Online Learning Studies” released by the U.S. Department of Education.
The study found that students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through face-to-face instruction. Further, those who took "blended" courses -- those that combine elements of online learning and face-to-face instruction -- appeared to do best of all. That finding could be significant as many colleges report that blended instruction is among the fastest-growing types of enrollment. Read more.
The study found that students who took all or part of their instruction online performed better, on average, than those taking the same course through face-to-face instruction. Further, those who took "blended" courses -- those that combine elements of online learning and face-to-face instruction -- appeared to do best of all. That finding could be significant as many colleges report that blended instruction is among the fastest-growing types of enrollment. Read more.
SPARC introduces centralized resource and advisory groups
SPARC has introduced a new suite of Web-based tools, “Campus Open Access Policies” to facilitate fact-based campus policy discussions on Open Access, including hot-button topics such as copyright, journal sustainability, disciplinary differences, and author rights. Readers are invited to:
1. Learn about campus open-access policies implemented to date, including that of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, through videos and white papers publicly available online.
2. Request copies of offline documents, including a list of “Responses to Common Misconceptions” related to open-access policies and “Choice Points” to be addressed in policy development.
3. Request support from a group of expert advisers who helped to develop these resources, have experience with gaining faculty acceptance for an institutional open-access policy, and who stand by to answer questions that remain after examining available tools.
The SPARC campus open-access policy advisory group includes:
• Hal Abelson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michael W. Carroll, American University
• Ray English, Oberlin College
• John Palfrey, Harvard University
• Stuart Shieber, Harvard University
• Peter Suber, Earlham College
• John Willinsky, Stanford University
• Heather Joseph, SPARC Executive Director
1. Learn about campus open-access policies implemented to date, including that of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, through videos and white papers publicly available online.
2. Request copies of offline documents, including a list of “Responses to Common Misconceptions” related to open-access policies and “Choice Points” to be addressed in policy development.
3. Request support from a group of expert advisers who helped to develop these resources, have experience with gaining faculty acceptance for an institutional open-access policy, and who stand by to answer questions that remain after examining available tools.
The SPARC campus open-access policy advisory group includes:
• Hal Abelson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Michael W. Carroll, American University
• Ray English, Oberlin College
• John Palfrey, Harvard University
• Stuart Shieber, Harvard University
• Peter Suber, Earlham College
• John Willinsky, Stanford University
• Heather Joseph, SPARC Executive Director
Issues encompassed by Google Books settlement
The Public Index is a project of the Public-Interest Book Search Initiative and the Institute for Information Law and Policy at New York Law School. This is a group of professors, students, and volunteers who believe that the Google Book Search lawsuit and settlement deserve a full, careful, and thoughtful public discussion. The Public Index is a site for people from all points of view to learn from each other about the settlement and join together to make their voices heard in the public debate.
Linus Pauling Online
Collection of resources on Linus Pauling (1901-1994), "the only recipient of two unshared Nobel Prizes, (Chemistry, 1954; Peace, 1962) [who] undertook a wide range of studies during his seventy-year career as a scientist, humanitarian and peace activist." Features online exhibitions focusing on Pauling's research (blood, quantum mechanics, and DNA) and his work in the peace movement. Also includes a timeline, blog, and other material on Pauling. From Oregon State University Libraries Special Collections. Resource recommended by the Librarians' Internet Index.
Gene expression atlas
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) have launched a freely accessible database, the Gene Expression Atlas, which allows scientists to compare gene expression data at an extraordinary level of detail.
The Atlas collates data from over 1,000 independent studies, mainly microarray experiments, with more than 30,000 samples in total. Using the advanced search function, scientists can query gene information for various situations, including, but not limited to, specific organisms, cell lines, cell types, developmental stages, organs and disease states and stages. An online tutorial is available to help you get started. Read more.
The Atlas collates data from over 1,000 independent studies, mainly microarray experiments, with more than 30,000 samples in total. Using the advanced search function, scientists can query gene information for various situations, including, but not limited to, specific organisms, cell lines, cell types, developmental stages, organs and disease states and stages. An online tutorial is available to help you get started. Read more.
Maintaining Research Integrity
The digital era provides researchers with greatly enhanced ability to analyze and share data, but a new report warns that technology also makes it easier for data to be distorted. The report, from the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and Institute of Medicine, recommends that research institutions ensure that every investigator receives appropriate training on managing data responsibly. Further, the report urges these institutions, along with professional societies, journals and research sponsors, to develop standards for ensuring the integrity of research data and specific data-management guidelines to account for new technologies.
The report “Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age” can be ordered from The Academies Press, ISBN-10: 0-309-13684-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-309-13684-6 for $26.95 or read it online for free.
The report “Ensuring the Integrity, Accessibility, and Stewardship of Research Data in the Digital Age” can be ordered from The Academies Press, ISBN-10: 0-309-13684-9 ISBN-13: 978-0-309-13684-6 for $26.95 or read it online for free.
Nature Genetics will publish Methods online
.Starting this month, the Nature Genetics journal offers a new section called “Online Methods, combining previously published sections: “Methods” and “Supplementary Methods” (1).
“Online Methods” fully edited and hyperlinked in the new format will be present on the journal's website and reprints, and can be downloaded in PDF format. Readers of the monthly print journal will now be directed to find the Methods online.
This initiative was taken “to remove print-imposed limitations on numbers of cited references with the benefit that we can enable correct citation of primary research papers for the data, conclusions and methods they contain”.
1. “Editorial: Online Methods.” Nature Genetics, July 2009, 41(7): 763.
“Online Methods” fully edited and hyperlinked in the new format will be present on the journal's website and reprints, and can be downloaded in PDF format. Readers of the monthly print journal will now be directed to find the Methods online.
This initiative was taken “to remove print-imposed limitations on numbers of cited references with the benefit that we can enable correct citation of primary research papers for the data, conclusions and methods they contain”.
1. “Editorial: Online Methods.” Nature Genetics, July 2009, 41(7): 763.
U.S. House of Representatives passed on June 26, 2009 one of the most critical bills in conservation history.
This legislation--known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act--is an unprecedented plan to address the single greatest threat to our nation's wildlife and natural resources.
In addition to putting a cap on global warming pollution, the Clean Energy and Security Act will make critical investments in clean energy solutions and invests billions to help safeguard America's wildlife and wild places for future generations.
Read more.
In addition to putting a cap on global warming pollution, the Clean Energy and Security Act will make critical investments in clean energy solutions and invests billions to help safeguard America's wildlife and wild places for future generations.
Read more.
Kyoto prize for evolution
A husband-and-wife team of British evolutionary biologists, and Professor Emeriti, Princeton University, Peter and Rosemary Grant, were awarded the Kyoto prize in basic science on June 19th. Through the long-term field study more than 35 years on Darwin's finches on the Galápagos Islands, the Grants demonstrated that morphology and behavior of organisms are altered rapidly by natural selection in response to recurrent environmental changes. Their work has not only made enormous contributions to evolutionary biology and ecology, but also has had a profound influence on the general public through demonstrating the evolution by natural selection in the field.
Peter Raymond Grant brief biography
Barbara Rosemary Grant brief biography
About the Kyoto Prize.
Peter Raymond Grant brief biography
Barbara Rosemary Grant brief biography
About the Kyoto Prize.
Treasures move to iPhone With New DukeMobile Applications
Although a growing number of scholarly institutions offer images and other material online, Duke is the first to offer collections that take advantage of the iPhone's design, navigation and other features.
With the launch of DukeMobile 1.1, the Duke University Libraries now offers the most comprehensive university digital image collection specifically formatted for an iPhone or iTouch device. It includes thousands of photos and other artifacts that range from early beer advertisements to materials on San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene in the 1960s.
A brief video describing the new gateway to the collections is available. Read full story.
With the launch of DukeMobile 1.1, the Duke University Libraries now offers the most comprehensive university digital image collection specifically formatted for an iPhone or iTouch device. It includes thousands of photos and other artifacts that range from early beer advertisements to materials on San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury scene in the 1960s.
A brief video describing the new gateway to the collections is available. Read full story.
What the Libraries Want
The annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses took place in Philadelphia, PA on June 18-21, 2009. The meeting came at a time when at least two university presses are facing threats of closure (e.g. Louisiana State University Press) or budget cuts so severe that they would effectively be unable to function.
The press directors received an overview of why they can’t count on book orders anymore from Beth Jacoby, collection development librarian at York College of Pennsylvania, a primarily undergraduate, teaching-oriented institution. She opened by talking about formats of communication that are dead (the 8-track), “on life support” (print newspapers and journals), and those that are thriving (e-journals, e-reference books, databases, etc.) Read full story.
The press directors received an overview of why they can’t count on book orders anymore from Beth Jacoby, collection development librarian at York College of Pennsylvania, a primarily undergraduate, teaching-oriented institution. She opened by talking about formats of communication that are dead (the 8-track), “on life support” (print newspapers and journals), and those that are thriving (e-journals, e-reference books, databases, etc.) Read full story.
Production of transgenic marmosets with green feet!
Nature published a paper heralding the birth of the first transgenic non-human primates - in other words a genetically modified adult marmoset gave birth to offspring that inherited the modification (1). The marmosets have been born expressing the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP). The neat thing about GFP is that it’s easy to spot – the marmosets have green feet under UV light.
The successful creation of transgenic marmosets provides a new animal model for human disease that has the great advantage of a close genetic relationship with humans. This model will be valuable to many fields of biomedical research.
(1) Sasaki, E. et. al. (May 28, 2009) “Generation of transgenic non-human primates with germline transmission.” Nature, 459(7246):523-7
The successful creation of transgenic marmosets provides a new animal model for human disease that has the great advantage of a close genetic relationship with humans. This model will be valuable to many fields of biomedical research.
(1) Sasaki, E. et. al. (May 28, 2009) “Generation of transgenic non-human primates with germline transmission.” Nature, 459(7246):523-7
SLA Conference — Spotlight Sessions
These sessions are collaboration among SLA divisions to bring attendees targeted, high-quality learning opportunities:
Monday, 15 June 2009
Presented by: Leadership and Management Division
Presented by: Solo Librarians Division and Transportation Division
Presented by: Education Division and Leadership and Management DivisionM
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
Presented by: Leadership and Management Division
Presented by: Museums, Arts & Humanities Division and Retired Members Caucus
Presented by: Business and Finance Division, Knowledge Management Division, Leadership and Management Division, Legal Division, and Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Division
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Presented by: Legal Division and Solo Librarians Division
Monday, 15 June 2009
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Social Networking: The Essence of InnovationPresented by: Leadership and Management Division
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
How Do You Move Up the Ladder if There Is No Ladder to Climb?Presented by: Solo Librarians Division and Transportation Division
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The Library of the Future: Discovery in the RoundPresented by: Education Division and Leadership and Management DivisionM
Tuesday, 16 June 2009
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Transformational Leadership: Inspirational LanguagePresented by: Leadership and Management Division
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
SLA at 100: From Putting Knowledge to Work to Building the Knowledge CulturePresented by: Museums, Arts & Humanities Division and Retired Members Caucus
1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Practical Strategies for Improving ROIPresented by: Business and Finance Division, Knowledge Management Division, Leadership and Management Division, Legal Division, and Pharmaceutical & Health Technology Division
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Creating Groupies: How to Add Value, Make Yourself Irreplaceable & Beat the Pants Off GooglePresented by: Legal Division and Solo Librarians Division
Wireless Connectivity and Cyber Connection at 2009 SLA Conference
Free Wireless connectivity will again be available throughout the convention center in Washington, D.C.
If you don't want to take your laptop, don’t worry! Cyber Connection, sponsored by Elsevier, will also be available:
Cyber Connection is located at the SLA Registration Center and near the INFO-EXPO entrance
If you don't want to take your laptop, don’t worry! Cyber Connection, sponsored by Elsevier, will also be available:
| Friday, 12 June Saturday, 13 June Sunday, 14 June Monday, 15 June Tuesday, 16 June Wednesday, 17 June |
7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. 7:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M. 7:00 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. 6:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. 6:30 A.M. - 5:00 P.M. 6:30 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. |
The Evolving Google Library
Google's agreement to digitize millions of books in the University of Michigan library collections. provides ways for people at libraries nationwide to have access to the Michigan books in various ways. Read how the system will work.
Human Metabolome Database (HMDB 2.0)
In 2004, with funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and Genome Canada, David Wishart, a computational biologist at the University of Alberta, began the Human Metabolome Database (HMDB) part of Genome Canada's Human Metabolome Project (1). It contains over 7100 metabolite entries, and has been cited as a resource in over 100 papers. Monthly hits have doubled since the beginning of 2007, from about 50,000 per month to over 100,000. With Disease Browse, users can scroll through tables of diseases to find associated metabolites. Read more.
(1) D.S. Wishart et al., "HMDB: a knowledgebase for the human metabolome," Nucleic Acids Res, 37:D603–10, 2009.
(1) D.S. Wishart et al., "HMDB: a knowledgebase for the human metabolome," Nucleic Acids Res, 37:D603–10, 2009.
Tenure in a Digital Era
Modern Language Association (MLA) and Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) are preparing guides (in the form of a wiki) but which will move to the MLA site) that will offer guidance for departments on approaches used by various colleges to evaluate digital scholarship, resources available to scholars wanting to get a take on some project, and policies that could be adopted to assure the fair treatment of those coming up for tenure. Read more.
One reason for the new effort is that shifts in publishing may make it impossible for a growing number of academics to submit traditional tenure dossiers. We as librarians will benefit from this work, since many of our projects are in digital form.
Although the MLA/HASTAG wiki is a work in progress one aspect “The Evaluation of Digital Work” by members of the MLA Committee on Information Technology has been completed. It lists “Types of Digital Work” including Research Tool, Research Blog; “Short Guide to Evaluation of Digital Work” including a set of questions; and much more.
One reason for the new effort is that shifts in publishing may make it impossible for a growing number of academics to submit traditional tenure dossiers. We as librarians will benefit from this work, since many of our projects are in digital form.
Although the MLA/HASTAG wiki is a work in progress one aspect “The Evaluation of Digital Work” by members of the MLA Committee on Information Technology has been completed. It lists “Types of Digital Work” including Research Tool, Research Blog; “Short Guide to Evaluation of Digital Work” including a set of questions; and much more.
Wolfram Alpha: The first computational knowledge engine
Wolfram Alpha actually computes the answers to a wide range of questions — like questions that have factual answers such as “What country is Timbuktu in?” or “How many protons are in a hydrogen atom?” or “What is the average rainfall in Seattle?” Basically it means that you can ask it factual questions and it computes answers for you.It doesn’t simply return documents that (might) contain the answers, like Google does, and it isn’t just a giant database of knowledge, like the Wikipedia. It doesn’t simply parse natural language and then use that to retrieve documents. Read more from one of these sites: Techcrunch, Cnet, or Youtube
Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE)
The Science Prize for Online Resources in Education (SPORE) has been established to encourage innovation and excellence in education, as well as to encourage the use of high-quality on-line resources by students, teachers, and the public. In 2009, the prize will recognize outstanding projects from all regions of the world that bring freely available online resources to bear on science education. More information.
Common Chemistry
Common Chemistry from Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) is a web resource that contains CAS Registry Numbers for approximately 7,800 chemicals of widespread general public interest. Common Chemistry is helpful to non-chemists who know either a name or CAS Registry Number of a common chemical and want to pair both pieces of information. These substances are of global commercial use or importance and have been cited 1,000 or more times in the CAS databases. Examples of substances included are aspirin, biotin, benzoyl peroxide, and boric acid. The Common Chemistry database also includes all 118 elements of the Periodic Table, although not all of the elements may meet the 1,000 references threshold. Links to Wikipedia records (when available) have been provided by the Wikipedia Chemicals WikiProject in collaboration with Chemical Abstracts Service.
Lab Safety Training Guide
Created by Princeton University's Environmental Health & Safety division, this extensive lab safety training guide provides basic information for working safely with laboratory chemicals and equipment. The "Introduction" to the site contains information specific to doing such work at Princeton, so visitors should direct their attention over to the left-hand side of the page. Here they will find sections that cover basic procedures regarding the use of flammable liquids, compressed gases, fume hoods, peroxides, and about a dozen other things that one might encounter in such a setting. Along with offering some lists of instructions, each area also has some helpful graphics that will help those just getting started in a lab identify key procedures and commonly-encountered pieces of equipment. Resource from The Scout Report, Volume 15, Number 13, April 3, 2009.
NCBI BioSystems database is now public
NCBI BioSystems database is now public. The "about" page gives a bit of background information. The database can be searched directly or accessed via links from databases such as Entrez Gene, Protein, PubChem Compound, and more. The BioSystems database page footer contains a link to the Help Desk, where questions can be sent.
Other helpful links: How to use BioSystems Database
NCBI BioSystems Database Help
BioSystems FAQ
Other helpful links: How to use BioSystems Database
NCBI BioSystems Database Help
BioSystems FAQ
FDA Approves New Influenza Vaccine Production Facility
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that it has approved a new manufacturing facility used to produce influenza virus vaccines. The facility is approved for seasonal influenza vaccine production and could be used for the production of vaccine against the new 2009 H1N1 influenza strain.
The facility, located in the United States, is owned and operated by sanofi pasteur, which manufactures Fluzone Influenza Virus Vaccine. This new facility will greatly increase sanofi pasteur’s production capability. More information.
The facility, located in the United States, is owned and operated by sanofi pasteur, which manufactures Fluzone Influenza Virus Vaccine. This new facility will greatly increase sanofi pasteur’s production capability. More information.
Amazon introduces Kindle DX
Amazon Inc. unveiled on May 6, 2009 a new version of its Kindle e-book reader with a larger screen ( 9.7-inch display) and other features designed to appeal to periodical and academic textbook publishers Amazon has worked out a deal with several textbook publishers to make their materials available for the device and with universities, Pace, Princeton, Reed, Darden School at the University of Virginia, and Arizona State.
Read more
** Amazon to Launch Kindle for Textbooks
** Looking to Big-Screen E-Readers to Help Save the Daily Press
** Amazon Reportedly Plans Textbook-Friendly Kindle
** Amazon's newest Kindle takes aim at newspaper
Read more
** Amazon to Launch Kindle for Textbooks
** Looking to Big-Screen E-Readers to Help Save the Daily Press
** Amazon Reportedly Plans Textbook-Friendly Kindle
** Amazon's newest Kindle takes aim at newspaper
Swine Flu Virus: CDC Confirms 91 Swine Flu Cases in 10 States & First U.S. Death; Urges Health Habits
The outbreak of disease in people caused by a new influenza virus of swine origin continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today, CDC reports additional confirmed human infections, hospitalizations and the nation’s first fatality from this outbreak. The more recent illnesses and the reported death suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging in the U.S. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks.
CDC has implemented its emergency response. The agency’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by the new virus. Yesterday, CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with this virus. Young children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.
For information about investigation into cases outside the United States, see the World Health Organization website.
CDC has implemented its emergency response. The agency’s goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by the new virus. Yesterday, CDC issued new interim guidance for clinicians on how to care for children and pregnant women who may be infected with this virus. Young children and pregnant women are two groups of people who are at high risk of serious complications from seasonal influenza. In addition, CDC’s Division of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) continues to send antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to all 50 states and U.S. territories to help them respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.
For information about investigation into cases outside the United States, see the World Health Organization website.
What You Can Do to Stay Healthy
- Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.
- Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
- Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
- Develop a family emergency plan as a precaution. This should include storing a supply of food, medicines, facemasks, alcohol-based hand rubs and other essential supplies.
- Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information.
For more information on what you can to stay safe and healthy, check the CDC Swine Flu website.
Additional Updates on the CDC Swine Flu Website
To learn about other updates made to the CDC Swine Flu Website in the past 24 hours, please check the What's Newpage on the CDC Swine Flu website.
Swine Flu Virus: A Public Health Emergency
HHS issued a nationwide public health emergency declaration today, April 26, 2009, in response to recent human infections with a newly discovered swine influenza A (swine flu) virus.
To date, there have been 20 confirmed cases of swine Influenza A (swH1N1) in California, Texas, Kansas, New York, and Ohio. No deaths in the U.S. have been reported due to the illness. Additional cases of the virus have been confirmed in Mexico and Canada.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans; however, human infections with swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses have been documented.
Public health emergency declaration.
For information on swine flu, visit www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
This site is kept updated with recent facts and status on Swine Flu. There is a link on the page to the facts and figures about the current investigation.
For those of you who follow events on social media sites, CDC has a Twitter feed that contains updates on the Swine Flu.
You can also add this RSS feed on Swine Flu to your feed reader to get regular updates.
Plus:
Latest CDC Health Advisory
Information updates from World Health Organization
From NYC Health Dept - Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine flu
CDC Releases Guidance for Reducing People’s Exposure to Swine Flu
HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu (April 26)
WHO Update on Swine Flu in the United States and Mexico (April 26)
Statement By Secretary Of Agriculture Vilsack Regarding Human Cases Of Swine Influenza A (April 26)
White House Press Briefing on Swine Flu (April 26)
To date, there have been 20 confirmed cases of swine Influenza A (swH1N1) in California, Texas, Kansas, New York, and Ohio. No deaths in the U.S. have been reported due to the illness. Additional cases of the virus have been confirmed in Mexico and Canada.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza among pigs. Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans; however, human infections with swine flu do occur, and cases of human-to-human spread of swine flu viruses have been documented.
Public health emergency declaration.
For information on swine flu, visit www.cdc.gov/swineflu.
This site is kept updated with recent facts and status on Swine Flu. There is a link on the page to the facts and figures about the current investigation.
For those of you who follow events on social media sites, CDC has a Twitter feed that contains updates on the Swine Flu.
You can also add this RSS feed on Swine Flu to your feed reader to get regular updates.
Plus:
Latest CDC Health Advisory
Information updates from World Health Organization
From NYC Health Dept - Chart: steps required to confirm suspected cases of swine flu
CDC Releases Guidance for Reducing People’s Exposure to Swine Flu
HHS Declares Public Health Emergency for Swine Flu (April 26)
WHO Update on Swine Flu in the United States and Mexico (April 26)
Statement By Secretary Of Agriculture Vilsack Regarding Human Cases Of Swine Influenza A (April 26)
White House Press Briefing on Swine Flu (April 26)
Library and Information Science Editors Website
"Reflecting the efforts of an informal group of editors serving the discipline, this site provides a public and easily discoverable resource for editors working in the LIS field. The content you find here has been collected and provided by editors to support each other and assist anyone taking on the role of LIS editor for the first time. Many resources here will be useful to editorial board members, reviewers, and authors as well.”
World Digital Library launched in April, 2009
A digital repository of some of the most important documents in world history was launched this week by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The World Digital Library makes maps, pictures, texts and other cultural artifacts freely available on the Internet.
U.S. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington proposed the establishment of the WDL in a speech to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO in June 2005. The basic idea was to create an Internet-based, easily-accessible collection of the world's cultural riches that would tell the stories and highlight the achievements of all countries and cultures, thereby promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding.
The public version of the site features high-quality digital items reflecting the cultural heritage of all UNESCO member countries. The WDL will continue to add content to the site, and will enlist new partners from the widest possible range of UNESCO members in the project.
U.S. Librarian of Congress James H. Billington proposed the establishment of the WDL in a speech to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO in June 2005. The basic idea was to create an Internet-based, easily-accessible collection of the world's cultural riches that would tell the stories and highlight the achievements of all countries and cultures, thereby promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding.
The public version of the site features high-quality digital items reflecting the cultural heritage of all UNESCO member countries. The WDL will continue to add content to the site, and will enlist new partners from the widest possible range of UNESCO members in the project.
GPeerReview, a web-based peer review tool
Google has launched GPeerReview, a web-based peer review tool. Here's an excerpt from the project page: “With GPeerReview, you can: Publish immediately (and get reviews later), Seek an unlimited number of reviews, Verify the integrity of the reviews, Verify the credibility of the reviewers, Publish without limitation on format, style, or number of pages, Maintain complete copyright ownership of your works, and Enhance the acclaim of your already-published works."
First undergraduate program in biomedical informatics
Arizona State University will offer the nation’s first comprehensive undergraduate degree program in biomedical informatics, beginning in the 2009 fall semester. The program is designed to educate students and pursue research in specialties considered critical to fulfilling the promise of “personalized” or “customized” medicine – in which medical care is tailored to specific health profiles of individual patients. Undergraduates can expect a hands-on, interdisciplinary course load culminating in a senior-year research project. They will work in teams to apply knowledge learned in the classroom in a real-world environment to expand their core skills and experience.
ASU established a master’s degree program in the field in 2007 and a Ph.D. program in 2008. Biomedical informatics students already are benefiting from collaborations with the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Banner Health, Barrow Neurological Institute, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and ASU’s Center for Health Information and Research.
More information.
ASU established a master’s degree program in the field in 2007 and a Ph.D. program in 2008. Biomedical informatics students already are benefiting from collaborations with the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Banner Health, Barrow Neurological Institute, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and ASU’s Center for Health Information and Research.
More information.
New global map and database of advanced biofuels plants
The International Energy Agency has completed its mapping of global second-generation biofuels demo plants and projects, now available. The interactive map allows for searching by type of plant (biochemical, thermochemical or hybrid), scale (pilot, demo or commercial) and status (planned, on hold, under construction, under commissioning, or operational).
Biomedical Database Webinar
Medical Devices Database, from ATM International is offering a FREE 45-minute web seminar on Thursday, May 7, 2009 and Friday, May 15, 2009. Additional information.
Analysis of web-based tutorials created by academic libraries
A new paper has evaluated a sample of 180 tutorials created by academic libraries by applying thirty basic indicators referring to general characteristics, content, teaching methodology, usability and technology (1)
(1) Somoza-Fernándeza, Marta and Ernest Abadal. March 2009. “Analysis of web-based tutorials created by academic libraries.” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35( 2): 126-131.
(1) Somoza-Fernándeza, Marta and Ernest Abadal. March 2009. “Analysis of web-based tutorials created by academic libraries.” Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35( 2): 126-131.
Map of Knowledge
A new map of knowledge has been assembled by scientists at the research library of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (1). It is based on electronic data searches in which users moved from one journal to another, thus establishing associations between them.
In the map, published in the PLoS One, the journals are color-coded as follows: physics, light purple; chemistry, blue; biology, green; medicine, red; social sciences, yellow; humanities, white; mathematics, purple; and engineering, pink. The interconnecting lines reflect the probability that a reader will click from one journal to another on the computer screen. The article is available open-access.
(1) Bollen J, Van de Sompel H, Hagberg A, Bettencourt L, Chute R, et al. (2009) Clickstream Data Yields High-Resolution Maps of Science. PLoS ONE 4(3): e4803,
In the map, published in the PLoS One, the journals are color-coded as follows: physics, light purple; chemistry, blue; biology, green; medicine, red; social sciences, yellow; humanities, white; mathematics, purple; and engineering, pink. The interconnecting lines reflect the probability that a reader will click from one journal to another on the computer screen. The article is available open-access.
(1) Bollen J, Van de Sompel H, Hagberg A, Bettencourt L, Chute R, et al. (2009) Clickstream Data Yields High-Resolution Maps of Science. PLoS ONE 4(3): e4803,
Biznar: Innovative Business Search
Using state-of-the-art federated search technology from Deep Web Technologies, Biznar accelerates your search by returning the most relevant results from across the World Wide Web, including blogs, wikis, mainstream searches and deep web sources to one, easily navigable page. Each search is done in real-time, searching the sources you select as if you were entering the search term on each individual website yourself. Duplicates are removed, the results weighed for relevance and then ranked according to how closely it matches your search word or phrase. Clicking on any of the results will take you directly to the source website where you can view your information directly. More information.
Digital Information Management (DigIn) Certificate
University of Arizona Digital Information Management (DigIn) Certificate program admission is open for 2009-10. Scholarships are available. Review of applications for admissions and financial aid for Summer 2009 has been extended to April 15.
DigIn was developed in cooperation with the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records and the University of Arizona Outreach College. Major funding for the program comes from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which has also provided scholarship funding.
The program is delivered 100% online and has no residency requirements. Students generally complete the certificate in four or six semesters (15 months or 27 months).
Additional details on the program including course descriptions, admissions requirements and application forms may be found on the program website.
DigIn was developed in cooperation with the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records and the University of Arizona Outreach College. Major funding for the program comes from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), which has also provided scholarship funding.
The program is delivered 100% online and has no residency requirements. Students generally complete the certificate in four or six semesters (15 months or 27 months).
Additional details on the program including course descriptions, admissions requirements and application forms may be found on the program website.
The State of the Birds
The State of the Birds is a website for "the first ever comprehensive report [released March 2009] on bird populations in the United States, showing that nearly a third of the nation's 800 bird species are endangered, threatened or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats." Find the report, maps, data, and suggestions for how to get involved in bird population studies. Produced for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
The genomics of ethnicity
Researchers have assembled the first-ever map of copy number variants (CNV)-- duplications, deletions or rearrangements in the genome that result in different gene copy numbers -- in African Americans. The study, appearing in BMC Genetics, also identified two CNVs that differed in frequency between African American genomes and those in people of European descent (1).
Joseph McElroy, a postdoc in the lab of neurologist Jorge Oksenberg at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author, said that the study will provide a baseline informing his lab's future investigations into the genetic underpinnings of multiple sclerosis in African Americans. "The reason we wanted to [compare CNVs in African Americans and whites] is because most of the literature on this has been done in whites," he said. "On a genome-wide level, African Americans haven't been studied for diseases that are present in African American populations."
(1) McElroy, J.P. et.al. March 2009. "CNVs in African Americans." BMC Genetics 2009, 10:15 Available.
Joseph McElroy, a postdoc in the lab of neurologist Jorge Oksenberg at the University of California, San Francisco, and lead author, said that the study will provide a baseline informing his lab's future investigations into the genetic underpinnings of multiple sclerosis in African Americans. "The reason we wanted to [compare CNVs in African Americans and whites] is because most of the literature on this has been done in whites," he said. "On a genome-wide level, African Americans haven't been studied for diseases that are present in African American populations."
(1) McElroy, J.P. et.al. March 2009. "CNVs in African Americans." BMC Genetics 2009, 10:15 Available.
MIT Faculty Adopt Open Access Policy for Scholarly Articles
MIT's faculty members last week decided on a new policy to make all of their scholarly articles available free to the public online. Articles will be disseminated using an open source platform called DSpace, which was developed by the MIT Libraries and HP.
Full story,
Full story,
Elsevier Grand Challenge
Elsevier, a leading global healthcare and scientific publisher, had invited researchers to participate in the Elsevier Grand Challenge, a competition inviting researchers to develop prototype tools dealing with the ever-increasing amount of online life sciences information.
The four finalists chosen from 72 contestants by the panel of judges represent the tools thought to be most innovative and implementable:
** Vit Novacek, Tudor Groza, Ioana Hulpus, and Siegfried Handschuh, Ireland, "CORAAL - Dive into Publications, Bathe in the Knowledge"
** Seán I. O' Donoghue, Lars Jensen Heiki Horn, Evangelos Pafilis, Michael Kuhn, Nigel P. Brown, and Reinhard Schneider, Germany, for "Reflect: Automated Annotation of Scientific Terms"
** Amr Ahmed, Andrew Arnold, Luis Pedro Coelho, Joshua Kangas, Abdul-Saboor Sheik, Eric Xing, William Cohen and Robert F. Murphy, USA, "Structured Literature Image Finder"
** Stephen Wan, Cecile Paris, Robert Dale, Michael Muthukrishna, Ilya Anisimoff and Julien Blondeau, Australia, "Citation Sensitive In-Browser Summarisation of Cited Documents"
The finalist will present their work at a scientific session at Experimental Biology Conference (April 18-22, New Orleans) as well as via a live free webinar on 21 April 2009, 3:00 - 4:00pm U.S. central time.
More information.
Register for the free webinar.
The four finalists chosen from 72 contestants by the panel of judges represent the tools thought to be most innovative and implementable:
** Vit Novacek, Tudor Groza, Ioana Hulpus, and Siegfried Handschuh, Ireland, "CORAAL - Dive into Publications, Bathe in the Knowledge"
** Seán I. O' Donoghue, Lars Jensen Heiki Horn, Evangelos Pafilis, Michael Kuhn, Nigel P. Brown, and Reinhard Schneider, Germany, for "Reflect: Automated Annotation of Scientific Terms"
** Amr Ahmed, Andrew Arnold, Luis Pedro Coelho, Joshua Kangas, Abdul-Saboor Sheik, Eric Xing, William Cohen and Robert F. Murphy, USA, "Structured Literature Image Finder"
** Stephen Wan, Cecile Paris, Robert Dale, Michael Muthukrishna, Ilya Anisimoff and Julien Blondeau, Australia, "Citation Sensitive In-Browser Summarisation of Cited Documents"
The finalist will present their work at a scientific session at Experimental Biology Conference (April 18-22, New Orleans) as well as via a live free webinar on 21 April 2009, 3:00 - 4:00pm U.S. central time.
More information.
Register for the free webinar.
2009 SLA Biomedical and Life Sciences Division Student Travel Stipend
The Biomedical and Life Sciences Division of SLA will award a travel stipend of $1000 a library and information science student who wishes to attend the 2009 Annual Conference in Washington, DC in June. Applicants must be or become members of both SLA and its Biomedical and Life Sciences Division (DBIO) and, if awarded the stipend, must agree to serve on a DBIO committee for one year.
Nominations for the stipends should include contact information for the nominee, a brief statement about his or her interest in and potential for serving SLA and/or the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division, and interest in pursuing a career as an information professional in the subject field of Biomedical or Life Sciences. Self-nominations will be accepted.
Nominations must be received via email or regular mail at the address below no later than 5:00pm EDT on April 10th. A winner will be notified by Friday, April 17th.
Brian Winterman
Jordan Hall A304
1001 E. 3rd St.
Bloomington, IN 47405
Nominations for the stipends should include contact information for the nominee, a brief statement about his or her interest in and potential for serving SLA and/or the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division, and interest in pursuing a career as an information professional in the subject field of Biomedical or Life Sciences. Self-nominations will be accepted.
Nominations must be received via email or regular mail at the address below no later than 5:00pm EDT on April 10th. A winner will be notified by Friday, April 17th.
Brian Winterman
Jordan Hall A304
1001 E. 3rd St.
Bloomington, IN 47405
You've been plagiarized
Harold Garner, a physicist-turned-biochemist and software engineer, along with colleagues at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, identified more than 200 pairs of manuscripts that had "signs of potential plagiarism" from the millions of biomedical research citations listed on Medline. Garner then contacted and compiled responses from anonymous plagiarizers, those they plagiarized, and the journal editors who published the manuscripts. He published his findings in journal Science (1). To track down the cases used in his latest survey, Garner used a biomedical literature search engine called eTBLAST and a publically accessible database called Déjà vu both developed in his lab. There are several other similar tools and databases -- such as iThenticate and CrossCheck available to journal editors and reviewers, and some journals have implemented regular text scans for plagiarized passages as part of the routine reviewing process.
Read full story.
Long, Tara C., Mounir Errami, Angela C. George, Zhaohui Sun, Harold R. Garner. 6 March 2009. "Scientific Integrity: Responding to Possible Plagiarism." Science, 323(5919): 1293 - 1294.
Read full story.
Long, Tara C., Mounir Errami, Angela C. George, Zhaohui Sun, Harold R. Garner. 6 March 2009. "Scientific Integrity: Responding to Possible Plagiarism." Science, 323(5919): 1293 - 1294.
ACRL Science Information Literacy wiki
The Information Literacy Committee of the Science and Technology Section (STS) of ACRL invites you to review and contribute to its new Science Information Literacy wiki.
The wiki was created as a place for science and technology librarians to examine, review, and collect relevant science resources that can be used as part of information literacy instruction to science students and faculty. Users will find literature reviews, bibliographies, subject guides, tutorials, and suggested teaching techniques mapped to the Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology. There is also an Open Forum where users can post and solicit feedback on their own instruction projects.
Please note that you must register on the site to edit any of the pages. Directions on how to register can be found on the wiki's homepage. Comments or questions about the wiki may be directed to the committee co-chairs: Betsy Hopkins or Elizabeth Berman.
The wiki was created as a place for science and technology librarians to examine, review, and collect relevant science resources that can be used as part of information literacy instruction to science students and faculty. Users will find literature reviews, bibliographies, subject guides, tutorials, and suggested teaching techniques mapped to the Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology. There is also an Open Forum where users can post and solicit feedback on their own instruction projects.
Please note that you must register on the site to edit any of the pages. Directions on how to register can be found on the wiki's homepage. Comments or questions about the wiki may be directed to the committee co-chairs: Betsy Hopkins or Elizabeth Berman.
Global Garlic Mustard Field Survey
Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) project is an international collaboration aimed at obtaining much-needed data on the abundance and distribution of an invasive plant across its native and introduced ranges. This collaborative effort will include a large contribution at the grass-roots level by individuals and groups interested in contributing to a large scientific study on invasive species. The sampling protocol, along with contact information is available at the Global Invasions Research Coordination Network (GIN) site. This site is the web home for an international network of scientists supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation addressing the ecological and evolutionary causes of biological invasions.
State Embryonic and Fetal Research Laws
Comparison of state laws relating to embryonic stem cell and fetal research, with charts showing whether each state specifically permits research on a fetus or embryo, restricts research on the aborted fetus or fetus/embryo resulting from sources other than abortion, has consent provisions, and restricts the purchase or sale of human tissue for research. Includes an overview of the issue and links to laws and to related resources. From the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
It is worth mentioning that Georgia's Senate passed on March 12, 2009 a bill that would place a ban on creating human embryos for research. The bill would allow researchers to work with stem cell lines derived pre-2002, as per the Bush regulation, and would also allow researchers to bring newer stem cell lines into the state. The bill still has to pass in the House and get approved by the state's governor, who's said he supports the measure.
A handful of states, of course, already have stem cell research bans in place, and Georgia is sure to be the first but far from the last to pass such a measure. Which states are likely to follow?
It is worth mentioning that Georgia's Senate passed on March 12, 2009 a bill that would place a ban on creating human embryos for research. The bill would allow researchers to work with stem cell lines derived pre-2002, as per the Bush regulation, and would also allow researchers to bring newer stem cell lines into the state. The bill still has to pass in the House and get approved by the state's governor, who's said he supports the measure.
A handful of states, of course, already have stem cell research bans in place, and Georgia is sure to be the first but far from the last to pass such a measure. Which states are likely to follow?
Obama reverses Bush-era stem cell policy
On March 9, 2009 President Barack Obama cleared the way for an increase in federal dollars for stem cell research and promised no scientific data will be "distorted or concealed to serve a political agenda." Read story.
Elsevier Math Editor Controversy
The Elsevier mathematics journal, Chaos, Solitons & Fractals has resumed publishing, although its future remains unclear. The journal halted publication after its editor-in-chief, Mohammed El Naschie, became embroiled in a controversy over publishing his own work. The last issue alone (December, 2008) contained 5 of his articles.
The latest issue released on March 2, 2009 contains no articles from the former-editor-in-chief, although it does include the following publisher's note: The Founding Editor for Chaos, Solitons and Fractals Dr El Naschie has retired as Editor-in-Chief. The publisher will work with the editorial board and other advisors to identify a new editor. This is likely to also lead to revision of the aims and scope of the journal, as well as the editorial policies and submission arrangements. Prospective authors can keep informed of the progress on this through the journal's homepage.
Dr El Naschie had to resigned and Elsevier will revise the editorial scope of this journal. Full story.
The latest issue released on March 2, 2009 contains no articles from the former-editor-in-chief, although it does include the following publisher's note: The Founding Editor for Chaos, Solitons and Fractals Dr El Naschie has retired as Editor-in-Chief. The publisher will work with the editorial board and other advisors to identify a new editor. This is likely to also lead to revision of the aims and scope of the journal, as well as the editorial policies and submission arrangements. Prospective authors can keep informed of the progress on this through the journal's homepage.
Dr El Naschie had to resigned and Elsevier will revise the editorial scope of this journal. Full story.
Project Information Literacy
Project Information Literacy is a national research project, based in the University of Washington's Information School. The project consists in collecting data to understand how early adults conceptualize and operationalize research activities for course work and "everyday use" and especially how they resolve issues of credibility, authority, relevance, and currency in the digital age.
Just released: Progress Report with findings and analysis from the student discussion groups with 86 undergraduates on seven different U.S. campuses.
Just released: Progress Report with findings and analysis from the student discussion groups with 86 undergraduates on seven different U.S. campuses.
Study Suggests $4.38 in Grant Income for Each Library Dollar
The study, "University investment in the library: What's the return?", sponsored by Elsevier, was led by Judy Luther, President, Informed Strategies, with input from project advisor Carol Tenopir, professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (and an LJ columnist) and Elsevier's Lowe and Kira Cooper. It was inspired by an article by Roger Strouse, VP and Lead Analyst with Outsell Inc., who described how corporate and government libraries save users time and help generate income with library resources. Read more.
Journal of Visualized Experiments
Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) is a peer-reviewed video journal for biological research. The focus is on making demonstration of techniques and experimental approaches clear and easy to follow.
Articles published in JoVE are listed in Pubmed and MEDLINE so you can still get your paper cited by other authors. All submissions go through peer review and editorial review and the editorial board consists of 22 distinguished professors from Harvard, Princeton, NIH and other leading institutions in the US, Europe and Japan.
Articles published in JoVE are listed in Pubmed and MEDLINE so you can still get your paper cited by other authors. All submissions go through peer review and editorial review and the editorial board consists of 22 distinguished professors from Harvard, Princeton, NIH and other leading institutions in the US, Europe and Japan.
Social networking sites for scientists
These are several of the social networking sites your scientists use to maintain professional contacts. You need to know about them.
Labmeeting primarily allows you to archive, track and share your literature.
MyNetResearch is a powerful website for finding collaborators for your project. You can also find news, blogs and articles, forums, research tools, and jobs.
Nature Network. Some of the key features of the site are the groups, which allow individual communities to have their own spaces. Each user has a public profile, which tracks their activity on the site and each user has a corresponding page to track the activity of people in their social network. Giving scientists a persistent public profile, which lets them find their own voice, we hope, will raise the visibility of individual scientists and encourage early collaboration and information sharing.“
SciLink is a networking site that actually knows who a lot of your contacts will be before you even sign up. Uniquely, SciLink mines literature databases to build a network of professional relationships that you can slot into (and of course expand further) when you sign up. You can also find jobs, discussion, news, an article database, a tree of science, and a science news section; all are searchable. It is free, but registration is required to get its full benefits.
XTractor helps discovering newer scientific relations across abstracts. It provides manually curated and annotated sentences for the keywords of your choice. Maps the extracted entities (genes, processes, drugs, diseases etc) to multiple ontologies. Just play around with their drug, disease, etc entity types and you can actually track a drug or process across various diseases across abstracts.
Labmeeting primarily allows you to archive, track and share your literature.
MyNetResearch is a powerful website for finding collaborators for your project. You can also find news, blogs and articles, forums, research tools, and jobs.
Nature Network. Some of the key features of the site are the groups, which allow individual communities to have their own spaces. Each user has a public profile, which tracks their activity on the site and each user has a corresponding page to track the activity of people in their social network. Giving scientists a persistent public profile, which lets them find their own voice, we hope, will raise the visibility of individual scientists and encourage early collaboration and information sharing.“
SciLink is a networking site that actually knows who a lot of your contacts will be before you even sign up. Uniquely, SciLink mines literature databases to build a network of professional relationships that you can slot into (and of course expand further) when you sign up. You can also find jobs, discussion, news, an article database, a tree of science, and a science news section; all are searchable. It is free, but registration is required to get its full benefits.
XTractor helps discovering newer scientific relations across abstracts. It provides manually curated and annotated sentences for the keywords of your choice. Maps the extracted entities (genes, processes, drugs, diseases etc) to multiple ontologies. Just play around with their drug, disease, etc entity types and you can actually track a drug or process across various diseases across abstracts.
Darwin 2009 commemorations
The year 2009 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species (24 November 1859) and the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth (12 February 1809). This page on Darwin Online aims to list the associated worldwide events and publications.
On Darwin's Birthday, Only 4 in 10 Believe in Evolution
On the eve of the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, a new Gallup Poll shows that only 39% of Americans say they "believe in the theory of evolution," while a quarter say they do not believe in the theory, and another 36% don't have an opinion either way. These attitudes are strongly related to education and, to an even greater degree, religiosity. More information.
NIGMS invites biologists to join high-throughput structure initiative
The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, has announced plans for a new direction of the Protein Structure Initiative, a structural genomics effort started in 2000. As suggested by its new name, PSI: Biology, the program will support research partnerships between groups of biologists and high-throughput structure determination centers to solve problems of biomedical importance.
This NIH News Release is available online.
This NIH News Release is available online.
Top 10 Books on the Environment: 2008
Donna Seaman, wrote in Feature: February 15, 2009 (Booklist) that "The first lesson in Ecology 101 is that everything is connected. This means that a book about bees relates strongly to books about ranching, a river in New York, a Wisconsin prairie, and Los Angeles' smog. The best "green" books reviewed in Booklist, over the past year, take distinctive perspectives on the same matrix of forces human and wild, explicating problems, offering solutions, and telling compelling stories of hubris and hope." The annotated list follows.
2009 Horizon Report
From the executive summary: "The annual Horizon Report describes the continuing work of the New Media Consortium (NMC)'s Horizon Project, a long-running qualitative research project that seeks to identify and describe emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, research, or creative expression within learning-focused organizations. The 2009 Horizon Report is the sixth annual report in the series. The report is produced again in 2009 as collaboration between the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), an EDUCAUSE program." Full report.
Life science research funding affected by Madoff Ponzi scheme
Life science researchers are being affected by the alleged Ponzi scheme organized by Bernard L. Madoff, chairman of Madoff Investment Securities. A listing of several philanthropic foundations that fund research and have announced that they were victims of the Madoff Ponzi scheme is available (subscription required). Their grantees in the medical research field, and the amounts granted to each in 2007 are also included. A full list of philanthropic agencies can be found at Bloomberg.com.
Giant panda genome sequenced
Scientists at the Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Shenzhen have completed the de novo sequencing of a giant panda genome. The researchers used Illunima's Genome Analyzer to assemble the 3-Gb genome of the giant panda, named Jingjing, in just one month. Giant pandas are among the world's most endangered animals due to a shrinking habitat. Currently, there are only about 1,590 pandas living wild in China. Read more (subscription required).
Google Book Search Bibliography, Version 3
The Google Book Search Bibliography, Version 3 is now Available from Digital Scholarship. This bibliography presents selected English-language Articles and other works that is useful in understanding Google Book Search. It primarily focuses on the evolution of Google Book Search and the legal, library, and social issues Associated with it. Where possible, links are provided to works that are freely available on the Internet, including e-prints in disciplinary archives and institutional repositories. Note that e-prints and published articles may not be identical.
Academic Division of SLA
The 2008 SLA Board of Directors voted in December to approve the formation of the Academic Division of SLA.
The scope of the Division is to focus on topics of interest to academic librarians from all subject disciplines. This division is committed to improving the quality of teaching and research at academic institutions by promoting collaborative opportunities between information professionals and the larger academic community. While other divisions are concerned with specific subject areas, the Academic Division covers topics of a general nature relevant to all academic librarians from all subject disciplines.
The proposed executive board is comprised of the following members:
Chair - Stacey Greenwell, University of Kentucky Libraries
Chair-Elect - Anna Burke, Babson College
Secretary - Christian Miller, Cornell University
Treasurer - Leoma Dunn, Thomas More College
More information on the scope of the Academic Division is available.
The scope of the Division is to focus on topics of interest to academic librarians from all subject disciplines. This division is committed to improving the quality of teaching and research at academic institutions by promoting collaborative opportunities between information professionals and the larger academic community. While other divisions are concerned with specific subject areas, the Academic Division covers topics of a general nature relevant to all academic librarians from all subject disciplines.
The proposed executive board is comprised of the following members:
Chair - Stacey Greenwell, University of Kentucky Libraries
Chair-Elect - Anna Burke, Babson College
Secretary - Christian Miller, Cornell University
Treasurer - Leoma Dunn, Thomas More College
More information on the scope of the Academic Division is available.
Academic Rank of Authors Publishing in Open Access Journals
An article refutes the idea that authors avoid publishing in Open Access journal for a perceived lack of rigor and reputation (1). In this study, the academic rank of authors publishing in Open Access and commercial scholarly journals was compared. Most authors in both Open Access and for-fee journals were full professors.
(1) Nowick, Elaine A. 2008. "Academic Rank of Authors Publishing in Open Access Journals." Agricultural Information Worldwide, 1 (2): 45-51. More information.
The Disputed Rise of Mammals
A group of researchers from Europe and the United States combined more than 2,500 partial mammalian phylogenies to create a "supertree" including 99% of all living mammals, the most comprehensive tree to date. The resulting supertree suggested two major radiation events for modern mammals: The first at roughly 93 million years ago, with the earliest placental mammals coming on scene, and a second radiation 50 million years ago, marking the emergence of the most modern mammals, more than 15 million years after the death of the dinosaurs. (1)
Only two months later, John Wible, at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, led a team of researchers that offered a counterpoint to the dates on the supertree as they worked to determine where their new fossil of a shrew-like mammal, called Maelestes gobiensis, fell in mammalian evolutionary history. (2)
The supertree is helping to predict which species are most vulnerable to future extinction thanks to natural and man-made threats. Davies and colleagues have extrapolated information about species relationships from the supertree, and identified factors driving living mammals toward extinction: large body size, small geographic ranges, and slow reproduction rate (3). See The Scientist for more information.
(1) O. Bininda-Emonds et al. 2007. "The delayed rise of present-day mammals," Nature, 446: 507-12.
(2) 2. J. Wible et al. 2007. "Cretaceous eutherians and Laurasian origin for placental mammals near the K/T boundary," Nature, 447: 1003-6.
(3) T. Davies et al, "Phylogenetic trees and the future of mammalian biodiversity." Proc Natl Acad Sci, 105: 11556-63, 2008.
Only two months later, John Wible, at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, led a team of researchers that offered a counterpoint to the dates on the supertree as they worked to determine where their new fossil of a shrew-like mammal, called Maelestes gobiensis, fell in mammalian evolutionary history. (2)
The supertree is helping to predict which species are most vulnerable to future extinction thanks to natural and man-made threats. Davies and colleagues have extrapolated information about species relationships from the supertree, and identified factors driving living mammals toward extinction: large body size, small geographic ranges, and slow reproduction rate (3). See The Scientist for more information.
(1) O. Bininda-Emonds et al. 2007. "The delayed rise of present-day mammals," Nature, 446: 507-12.
(2) 2. J. Wible et al. 2007. "Cretaceous eutherians and Laurasian origin for placental mammals near the K/T boundary," Nature, 447: 1003-6.
(3) T. Davies et al, "Phylogenetic trees and the future of mammalian biodiversity." Proc Natl Acad Sci, 105: 11556-63, 2008.
Save $ 45.00 if you register before January 31
The SLA 2009 Annual Conference & INFO EXPO which will take place on 14-17 June at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, DC USA.
You can still save on the registration rate for SLA 2009 with the SLA Stimulus Plan - Part 2! Register online before 31 January and you'll save *US$ 45 off the Member Early Bird rate! Use the discount code below when you register online. Use the Stimulus Plan Discount Code SLA1909.
Registration rates are:
You can still save on the registration rate for SLA 2009 with the SLA Stimulus Plan - Part 2! Register online before 31 January and you'll save *US$ 45 off the Member Early Bird rate! Use the discount code below when you register online. Use the Stimulus Plan Discount Code SLA1909.
Registration rates are:
- Member Early Bird (January - 3 April): US$ 395
- Member Full (4 April - 1 May): US$ 575.00
- Member Full (2 May - Onsite): US$ 675.00
- Member 1 Day (M-W only): US$ 295
- SLA Student/Retired Member: US$ 150
Rev. January 2010