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NEWS FROM THE FIELD

C&RL News, February 2005
Vol. 66, No. 2

by Stephanie Orphan

NetLibrary and Baker & Taylor partner to provide e-content

Baker & Taylor and NetLibrary have expanded on their existing partnership to increase the scope of e-content delivered to customers. Through the partnership, more than 80,000 NetLibrary e-book titles will be available through Baker & Taylor and incorporated into its current collection development programs and approval plans. NetLibrary e-books allow patrons to access library books through their Web browsers and conduct full-text searches across titles. The two companies established an electronic distribution relationship in 2001; the processes in place for this initial partnership will enable the companies to launch the new alliance with minimal transitional requirements.

Univ. of Buffalo provides tsunami information through Web site

Librarians at the University of Buffalo have created a Web site to help the public keep informed about the recent tsunami disaster in Southeast Asia. The Web site provides links to news on the situation from the United Nations, CNN, the BBC, the New York Times, and Reuters; background information on the seismology of earthquakes and resulting tsunamis; and links to reputable disaster-relief organizations, among other items. "Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster December 2004: A Select Guide to Information" is available at ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/asl/guides/indian-ocean-disaster.html.

Nature changes self-archiving policy

In an effort to extend the reach of scientific communications and better meet the needs of authors, Nature Publishing Group (NPG) has changed its self-archiving policy. As of January 2005, authors of original research papers published by NPG are being encouraged to submit the author’s version of accepted, peer-reviewed manuscripts to their relevant funding body’s archive, for release six months after publication. In addition, authors will be encouraged to archive their version of the manuscript in their institution’s repositories and on their personal Web sites, also with a six-month delay.

ebrary offers print-on-demand service through partnership with BookSurge

ebrary has partnered with BookSurge, an inventory-free international book distributor, to develop a print-on-demand product that will initially be focused on the library market. The initiative will enable libraries worldwide to order print product from publishers without high shipping costs or long delivery lead times. BookSurge will merge its Global Publishing System with ebrary’s Dynamic Content Platform (DCP). Libraries subscribing to the DCP will have the option of allowing patrons and staff to order select ebrary titles in print through BookSurge’s print-on-demand facilities. BookSurge has a mission "to print any book in any language and in any geography within two business days or less."

Thomson Scientific names high-impact journals

The January/February issue of Science Watch, the bimonthly newsletter published by the Thomson Corporation’s Thomson Scientific unit, includes a report on six-year data gathered from the Thomson Web-based evaluation tool, Essential Science Indicators (ESI). ESI measures scientific trends and ranks the performance of journals, institutions, counties, and researchers by specific fields. According to the data, Nature and Science top the lists of high-impact scientific journals in 11 broad scientific categories. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA was in third place in four fields and ranked in the top 10 in five other fields. A full list of the top 10 rankings is available at www.sciencewatch.com.

Sirsi acquires Docutek

Sirsi Corporation has acquired e-resource and e-learning solution provider Docutek as part of its strategy to meet the comprehensive information management needs of 21st-century libraries. Docutek will continue to design, develop, sell, and support its ERes, VRLplus, and atSchool products, and its day-to-day operations are expected to remain unchanged. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Sirsi, Docutek will be an independent business unit reporting to the Sirsi board of directors and chief executive officer.

Furman celebrates library completion

Furman University’s James B. Duke Library celebrated the completion of a $25 million construction and renovation project with a dedication ceremony in October. The renovated library has expanded from fewer than 70,000 square feet to more than 120,000 square feet, and its book capacity has doubled to more than 800,000 volumes.

The library features study space that includes 25 group study rooms, more than 900 seats, and wireless access throughout. It is home to the new Multimedia Computing Commons, the Computer Help Desk, the office of Academic Assistance, and the Center for Collaborative Learning and Communication. The cost of the project includes a $3.5 million endowment that will ensure the building’s future maintenance and operations.

The Blackwell Atrium of Furman University’s James B. Duke Library during the October dedication ceremony.

Innovative partners with Research Libraries Group

Innovative Interfaces is partnering with Research Libraries Group (RLG) to facilitate connections from RedLightGreen to Innovative’s customers. RedLightGreen is a free Web tool that allows students to search millions of relevant scholarly items from RLG’s union catalog, find local libraries where items can be found, and generate citations for research papers in the style of their choice. The agreement between Innovative and RLG enhances current information sharing between the two companies, allowing RLG to connect to new Innovative sites as they come on board.

Open eBook Forum announces top selling e-books

The Open eBook Forum released its annual list of top selling e-books in January. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code topped the list, with three other works by the author coming in second through fourth place. The "2004 eBook Bestseller List" includes the bestselling e-books reported from leading e-book retailers and distributors, including eBooks.com, eReader.com, Fictionwise.com, Mobipocket.com, and OverDrive. A significant number of the e-book bestsellers can also be found on year-end print bestseller lists.

The complete 2004 e-book best sellers list can be found online at www.openebook.org/bestseller/year04.htm.

North Carolina State library begins renovation project

North Carolina State University Libraries will begin the first phase of a master plan to expand and enhance its physical space in early 2005. The plan, developed from input from students and faculty, is geared toward creating a library system that better supports the academic goals of the university and addresses space issues over the next 20 years.

During the first phase of the plan, the east wing of the D. H. Hill Library will be renovated, including an upgrade in infrastructure and complete renovation of the ground and first floors. In later phases, a companion library will be built on the university’s Centennial Campus, the west wing of the Hill Library will be demolished and rebuilt, and additions will be made to the Centennial Campus library. The target date for all phases of renovation completion is October 1, 2006.

Oxford journals receive JISC funding to continue open access

Two journals published by Oxford University Press (OUP), Nucleic Acids Research (NAR) and the Journal of Experimental Botany, have been awarded £30,000 each from the U.K.’s Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) in response to its Open Access Initiative Invitation to Tender. The funds will allow the two journals to continue experimenting with open-access models. NAR is the largest journal published by OUP and had been trialing a partial open-access system in 2004, which it will move to a full open-access model in 2005. The JISC funding will allow NAR to waive its charge per article for member institutions and offer a reduced charge for nonmember authors. The Journal of Experimental Botany had been using previous JISC funding to waive author fees and will use the continued funding to do the same.

UIUC to offer advanced degree and fellowships in digital librarianship

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has announced that it will begin offering a structured certificate of advanced study (CAS) in digital libraries, beginning with the 2005–2006 school year. Five one-year nonrenewable fellowships will also be available to CAS and master’s students wishing to focus on digital libraries. Students may enroll in the CAS program on campus or through the LEEP online education program. The CAS program is aimed at giving students a thorough and technically focused background in digital libraries that will enable them to serve as designers, decision makers, and creators of digital collections.

WSS launches collection development resources Web site for women’s studies

The Collection Development and Bibliography Committee of ACRL’s Women’s Studies Section (WSS) has created a new Web site, "Collection Development Resources," to help librarians develop their women’s studies collections. The site highlights useful resources for collection building and assessment and includes bibliographies, checklists to evaluate women’s studies collections, award-winning or notable titles, film and video resources, and review sources. A convenient publisher list will help librarians assure coverage of the important output from small, independent and scholarly presses that publish materials supporting women’s studies research and teaching. The site is available at www.libr.org/WSS/committees/colldev.html.

For a comprehensive index of online resources available from ACRL’s 17 sections, members may visit www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlproftools/professional.htm and select "Index to ACRL Resources."

CSA acquires PAIS

CSA has acquired the Public Affairs Information Service (PAIS), publishers of the PAIS International and PAIS Archive databases, from OCLC. CSA will continue to publish the products in print and will make the databases available through CSA Illumina. Illumina is CSA’s new platform for online bibliographic and full-text searching. Launched following 18 months of planning and development, the new platform features a completely redesigned user interface and enhanced search capabilities. More than 100 databases are available through the service.

CSA is a worldwide information company specializing in publishing and distributing in print and electronically bibliographic and full-text databases and journals in the natural sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities, and technology.