Free Databases @ EbscoHost

While reading through UKSG Serials E-News in early April, I found that EbscoHost offers three free databases. After contacting Ebsco representatives, we have these databases ADDED to the UJ Library EbscoHost list (find them at the end of the list).
* GreenFile
GreenFILE offers well-researched but accessible information covering all aspects of human impact on the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles include content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done on each level to minimize negative impact. Topics covered include global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. GreenFILE is multidisciplinary by nature and draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology.The database provides indexing and abstracts for approximately 295,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,600 records.
* Teacher Reference Center
Provides indexing and abstracts for more than 270 of the most popular teacher and administrator journals and magazines to assist professional educators.
* Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA)
Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts,(LISTA) indexes more than 690 periodicals, plus books, research reports and proceedings. Subject coverage includes librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management and more. Coverage in the database extends back as far as the mid-1960s. It is EBSCO Publishing’s intention to provide access to LISTA on a continual basis at http://www.libraryresearch.com/.

DO YOU KNOW!
EbscoHost have added some new options for searching. If you are either in the Basic or Advanced Search Screens, you can select from the option "Specific Databases" a SUBJECT group databases to search:
- General/News databases
- Computer Science/Engineering Databases
- Earth/Environmental Databases
- Health Sciences Databases
- Life Sciences Databases
- EJS E-Journals

EbscoHost 2.0: New Interface comming in July 2008

This post is just an alert about the upcoming next generation EbscoHost user interface in July 2008. According to information from their website the new interface is " based upon results gathered from extensive user testing. EBSCOhost 2.0 offers a clean new look and feel, for a technologically sophisticated, yet familiar search experience, with the built-in flexibility to provide individual user customization options".
Click on the post TITLE for details and screen shots on the functionality of the redesign. Click on any of the icons and see what is coming soon:
- Basic Search Screen 2.0
- Advanced Search Screen 2.0
- Result List 2.0
- Branding 2.0
- My EbscoHost 2.0
- Image Quick View 2.0
- Visual Search 2.0
- Improved Bibliographic Functionality
Click on the link to view the new User Guide and relevant FAQ:

http://0-support.ebsco.com.ujlink.uj.ac.za/ebscohost2/

Open Science Directory: New Open Access Initiative for Developing Countries

EBSCO has recently joined forces with Hasselt University Library, Belgium, and the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange programme of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to develop a global Open Science Directory which is available via the Internet at no charge. The Open Science Directory provides developing regions with a comprehensive search tool for all open access and special programme journal titles. The Open Science Directory offers immediate access to approximately 13,000 scientific journal titles, with an objective of 20,000 titles midway through development.
Access to scientific literature is very important for the scientific work in developing countries. As a result of different projects a large collection of e-journals is now available for researchers in developing countries. The number of Open Access Journals is growing steadily as we can see in the Directory of Open Access Journals (http://www.doaj.org/). Major UNO organizations like WHO, FAO and UNEP have their specific programs for the scientific institutions in low-income countries. Finally a lot of universities, institutes and other organizations are supporting access programs. The most important are INASP, eIFL and eJDS.
The Open Science Directory is creating a unique access point to all the journals contained in the different programs.
Searching Options:
* From the home page, click on Open Science Directory
* The Portal is an A-to-Z journals list ( as in UJ A-to-Z)
* You can either search directly for specific journals
OR
* Select - Journal Collections - to view all Providers of the Journals, with links to the title lists
* Select - Subjects - to view the journals per specific subject area
* Select - Search - to view the Advanced search screen
* Select - Custom Google Search - to search either Scholar Google (academic articles) or Google Custom Search (Search in: DOAJ - OpenDOAR - HINARI - OARE - AGORA - INASP - eJDS - Ingenta Connect)
* Select - Links - to have access to journals portals, useful websites to different organisations
* Select - About the Site - to view more information about this site
Once you access the journal of interest, there is an option to search within this journal for articles.
I hope you will find this Open Science Directory very useful.

New interface @ JSTOR

Welcome to the new JSTOR interface!

From the first sight I looked at the new JSTOR website I loved it. It is wonderful that JSTOR finally took under consideration the users needs. To make it easy to use, more tools and capabilities for users have been integrated. Now, with just one click you can have the full-text article.
I have looked at the training presentation from JSTOR and these are some of the TIPS on what is new and how to do a successful searching. One new feature to consider using is MyJSTOR. It will help you personalise your searches and export citations to RefWorks or EndNote (see below for more information).

Home page features:
• Basic search box
• News & Notices
• Links to translated information
• Menu bar, Login, Help, and Contact Us list

SEARCHING
Basic search interface:
• Searches all full-text data for articles
• Search can be limited by discipline
• Select a recent search option
• Search for links to recent content outside of JSTOR by checking the box
Advanced search:
• Enter multiple terms/keywords
• Select to search in full-text, article title, author, caption, or abstract options
• Select AND, OR, NOT, or Near 5, Near 10 and Near 25 words

• Limit to type (article, review, editorial & other), publication date range, language (8 options), limit to specific journal title, or discipline(s) - you can select more than one discipline.

Article search results:

• Click on "Page of first match" to read the article first page, Click on "Article information" to view the article bibliographic information, the References list & articles citing this article, if you need to view the full-article Click on "PDF" option.

• Option "Go to page" of search results to navigate ahead
• Search results can be displayed: 10, 25, 50 and 100 per page
Images in JSTOR tab:
•Search is run again on image captions
•Page thumbnail is a link to that page
Search: Refining Article Results
•Enter term in box and select to “search within these results” or "modify" the search strategy.
•Results can be sort by relevance or publication date (oldest to newest; newest to oldest)
Search: Results: Viewing Article
•The search terms are highlighted
•Available buttons for going back to search results, previous result, and next result
•Link to view list of page with search term(s)

BROWSE
Browse (provide exact year coverage, for each options)
- by Discipline (Disciplines are listed alphabetically)
- by Title (Jump to the required journal title)
- by Publisher. You can find the following information:
• Journals listed under Publisher’s names
• The Publisher name is a link to information about the publisher, contact details and which journals are covered in JSTOR
• The Journal title is a link to the information and to browse the journal content
Browse: Navigation: List of all Volumes
• Journal information
• Box to search within this journal
• Issue thumbnail imageBrowse: Navigation: Volumes/Issues List
• Box to search within this journal
• Issue thumbnail image
Browse: Navigation: Issue Table of Contents
• Box to search within this journal
• Issue thumbnail image
• Check boxes to save citations
• Article information and PDF
• Stable URL for linking

Article Navigation: Page view:
• Citation at top of page
• Buttons to save citation, see article information, and retrieve PDF file
• Side bars to flip to next or previous page
• Links to run relevant searches within JSTOR - other articles by that author AND Scholar Google - related articles, articles citing this article, articles by that author
Article Navigation: Print or Download PDF
• JSTOR cover page with citation and links
• Print or save using PDF reader software (Adobe shown)

MyJSTOR
Citation Management: Login to MyJSTOR
• To save citations, login to MyJSTOR first
MyJSTOR Registration
To register:
• Enter required information
• Check the box to accept the JSTOR Terms and Conditions (you won’t be prompted again)
• Citations will be saved for as long as the account is kept
Citation Management: Sort Citations
• Select from date saved or publication date sort options
Citation Management: Export Citations
To export citations:
• Check the box next to the citations to be exported
• Click the “Export article citations” button
Chose export option:
• E-mail
• BibTex file
• Directly export into RefWorks, EndNote, ProCite, or Reference Manager
• Printer-friendly version

For help access Tutorials and MyJSTOR Help.
Any remarks on this new interface are welcomed.
Just Click on "Comments" under this post and type your notes.

Copyright Blog @UJ

Good news!
We have in the Library another blogger. Our Copyright officer Thapelo Mashishi has created a Copyright blog: http://copyrightuj.blogspot.com/. As he says in his welcome note "this publication will provide UJ academic staff with copyright information as it relates to the University and educational environment in general". Good luck Thapelo.

Direct link to the blog is available under "UJ Librarians Blogs"

LIASA Tenth Annual Conference - 2008

The Tenth Annual LIASA Conference provides an opportunity to debate, share and learn about the changing roles of LIS in South Africa, Africa and globally in the new millennium. In South Africa, different LIS sectors have experienced the South African Society in transition. LIASA is entering into its second decade of existence. Funding has been finally made available to the public libraries and will relieve some of the pressure that public librarians have carried for a decade.

Academic libraries have gone through a series of changes as a result of the mergers. How well has the LIS sector fared in contributing to a democratic South Africa, nation building and the creation of a society that values and respects diversity? How does the LIS sector position itself for the next decade in the transformed society of South Africa? What is the role of LIS on the African continent in the second decade of the new millennium? What is the role of South African and African LIS in the global space and how can it be realized?

Local and international professional colleagues and partners are invited to participate in discussions and workshops around the proposed topics.

Date: 6-10 October 2008
Venue: Cape Town, Cape Town Convention Centre
Theme: Looking ahead: the changing role of LIS

You are invited to submit proposals for papers & posters that will focus on areas related to the theme of the conference. The deadline for receipt of proposals/abstracts is 28 March 2008. Topics such as the following will be considered for inclusion in the conference programme:
* Partnerships for the future
* The future role of national libraries
* The future role of public libraries
* The future role of academic libraries
* The future role of special libraries
* The future role of school libraries
* The future role of LIS associations
* Libraries and preservation of national heritage
* Access to information and freedom of expression
* Information literacy
* Indigenous knowledge systems
* Knowledge management
* Nation building and development: the role of libraries
* Education and training
* Reference in digital environments (Instant Messaging, Text Messaging (SMS), and other emerging modes for offering reference services and Web 2.0 applications)
* Digital Library applications in e-science, e-learning, e-government, cultural heritage, etc.
* Bridging the digital divide
* Service delivery in challenging environments, especially where the infrastructure may be sub-optimal as in some developing countries, or where the user group represents particular challenges
* Electronic Theses and Dissertations: Current status and strategy
* The future role of ethics in the management of libraries
* Institutional repositories/ self-archiving
* The future role of standards in the management of libraries
* Research agenda in LIS

WorldCat @ Facebook

WorldCat Facebook application now available

The new WorldCat Facebook application provides access to WorldCat searches and user-created lists from personalized pages within a Facebook account.The application includes a home screen with the WorldCat search box, as well as quick links to WorldCat searches based on topics listed in a Facebook profile as personal interests.

The application also includes:
* a built-in, advanced WorldCat search;
* a panel that allows users to invite other Facebook friends to install WorldCat;
* a "Something to Read" panel that displays books recently added to WorldCat lists; and
* a "Favorite WorldCat Lists" panel where users track their own lists or those of other WorldCat users. OCLC (eNews Issue 2, 21 February 2008) Contribution: Dr. Anette van Vuren

Google Sky @ your Browser

It is Saturday morning and I have been reading "Sky and Telescope newsletter" on my e-mail, when I saw the announcement of the new Google development - Google Sky. I click on the link and the sky came directly in front of me. For those like me, who love watching the evening sky & what is out there, I'm providing some additional information on this new web tool.
Google has unveiled a browser version of its Google Sky application on Thursday, 13th March for people who don't want to download the Google Earth software. Prior, to access "Sky", users needed to download and install the "Google Earth" application - the Web-based mapping software. "Google Sky" was introduced as an additional feature to "Google Earth" (version 4.2) in August last year.This browser version of Google Sky allows you to zoom in and out the celestial bodies, search for planets, constellations and galaxies and view the sky through infrared, x-ray, ultraviolet, and microwave views. There are also galleries of some of the best pictures from the Hubble telescope and others. You can also listen to podcasts and look at historical maps of the sky.
Enjoy the exciting sky world through Google.

ISI Web of Science: New Interface

The ISI Web of Knowledge databases have been given a "makeover" - a new interface!

Personally, I find this new interface user-friendly and easy to use and navigate. ISI is yet another Publisher who has implemented the RSS feeds as means to provide current information.

The availability of simultaneous search of all subscribed ISI databases will save time and provide one portal to find the latest information.

We can access the following databases:

- Current Content Conect databases

- SSCI, SCI and A&HCI

- Journal Citation Report (JCR)

The main features of ISI new interface are:

1. You have an option to either search:

>ALL DATABASES
>SELECT A DATABASE ( Science Citation Index, Currents Contents Connect & Journal Citation Report: JCR) or search
>ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ( Web search tools - Thomson Scientific WebPlus; Web sites - ISIHighlyCited.com, Biology Browser, Index to Organism Names, in-cites, ResearcherID.com, Science Watch, Special Topics & Thomson Scientific). These products and Web sites provide a variety of data and analysis relevant to research.

2. Advanced Search Option

> You have three fields where you can type your: TOPIC/KEYWORD, TITLE, AUTHOR, PUBLICATION NAME or YEAR PUBLISHED. These you select from the drop down menu next to the search box. You can add additional fields if you need more.
> To help you find the right TOPIC/KEYWORD next to the search box have an icon "magnifying glass" or TOPIC INDEX. If you CLICK on that it will take you to the next screen where you can use the browse feature to locate terms to add to your query. Instructions are available.
> You can LIMIT your search to specific years requirements - Latest (current) week, all years, latest 5 years, etc.

> On the RIGHT side of the searching screen you can find more information on the available databases, you can CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE - once you register you can save and manage your references, save and run searches, create alerts and RSS feeds, choose your start page. My ResearcherID is a website where invited researchers can register for a unique researcher ID number. At this site, users can:

* Update their profile information

* Build their publication list using Web of Science search services or uploading a file

* Select to make their profile public or private.

3. Search Results Screen

>Sort Results option: Publication Date, Relevence, First Author & Source Title

>Number of Results per page option (find it at the bottom of the results page): 10, 25, 50

>Refine Results option -If there are too many results you can narrow your search by typing additional keyword. You can also refine your search by: General Categories; Subject Areas, Document Type, Author, Source Title, Publication year & Language. For more REFINE search options use: Analyse Results. The system produces a report showing the values in ranked order.

>Print, E-mail, Add to Marked list, Save to EndNote options options

>If you Click on the TITLE of the individual record you can read the Abstract; have an interactive links to the Author's works; Cited by option; Related Records; Record References, View Additional Information; You can EXPORT the record to EndNote and other Reference software. Under each record you can see options: Links & Full-text.

4. Search History option

You can view your previous search results. You can combined the with the Boolean Operators (AND & OR) to narrow your results to suit your search query.

5. Marked List option
You can view a list with your MARKED records

6. My Cited Articles Alert
In order to create/access My Cited Articles List, you must sign in or register. Benefits of creating My Cited Articles List:

* You will receive an e-mail alert each time an article on the list is cited in a new article

* You will be able to receive an RSS feed to view new articles that cite articles on the list

* You can add an article to the list from its full record page

* You will be able to access your selected articles from any computer at the institution

7. My Journal List

In order to create My Journal List, you must sign in or register. Benefits of creating My Journal List:

* You can receive e-mail alerts of the latest Table of Contents for your selected journals.

* You will be able to receive RSS feeds of the latest Table of Contents for your selected journals.

* You will be able to access your selected journals from any computer at the institution.

* You can open the latest Table of Contents for your selected journals directly from the ISI Web of Knowledge home page.

8. My Saved Searches
In order to access your Search Histories saved to the ISI Web of Knowledge Server, you must sign in. Benefits of saving search histories on the ISI Web of Knowledge Server:

* E-mail alerts can be created from your saved search histories.

* RSS feeds can be created from your saved search histories.

* You will be able to access your saved histories from any computer at the institution.

* You can open saved histories directly from the ISI Web of Knowledge home page.

9. My EndNote Web (RefWorks is not available)
In order to create and access your EndNote Web Library, you must sign in or register. Benefits of creating an EndNote Web Library:

* You can add references to your EndNote Web Library directly from Web of Science and other ISI Web of Knowledge products.

* You can organize references in folders for access and use at any time--collections are retained between sessions.

* You can create formatted reference lists in a variety of publishing styles.

* You will be able to access your EndNote Web Library from any computer at the institution.

10. Help menu
Every time you need help with searches or any other menu option, click on HELP ( top right on the screen).

Collaboration, Sharing, Knowledge @ VUMA Portal

I have attended a workshop, where we had been introduced to the latest project from FOTIM (Foundation of Tertiary Institutions of the Northern Metropolis) - the VUMA! Portal (http://www.vuma.ac.za). The purpose of the workshop was also for FOTIM to learn more on: How to enhance this Portal, how to promote, etc.

Below I'm giving you a short explanation about this initiative and how can be used by students and academics.VUMA is an initiative of FOTIM. The members of FOTIM are: University of Limpopo, North-West University, University of Johannesburg, Tshawane University of Technology, University of Witwatersrand, Vaal University of Technology, University of Venda, University of Pretoria and University of South Africa. The first phase of the Vuma! Portal was launched in October 2007.

To succeed at university, students are expected to show proficiency in many skills, including language and literacy, thinking skills, numeracy, communication and presentation skills, study skills, computer skills and others.

The Vuma! Portal is FOTIM’s attempt to pool the information and resources of its member institutions to support students in their university lives. Through partnerships formed with students, universities, funders and other providers, FOTIM aims to support the VUMA! Community growth as open, free environment, that gives students the opportunity to explore responsibly the many issues relating to university life and entering the workplace.

The Portal is intended to serve the collaborative needs of tertiary institutions, enabling them to enhance the learning experience of current and prospective students while creating a platform for academic collaboration and support. The Vuma! Portal space can be used by students to meet other students, seek peer advice, talk to experts and share university experiences, upload resources and contribute to a growing body of knowledge.

Build on the Web 2.0 platform, the Vuma! Portal relies on the contribution of users to grow the online space. The many tools available on the Portal are:

- blogs

- discussion forums

- polls

- wikis, aimed at encouraging collaboration and sharing

Through VUMA! students will have the unique opportunity to collaborate with students from other universities, share their views, submit content, and become active contributors in building this community.

The VUMA! Portal will be a source of advice and support to teachers and parents on the challenges and pressures facing university students, and the roles that they can play in supporting students.

The VUMA! Portal university staff facility aims to become the premier location for online collaboration amongst university staff in their professional pursuits. Its core purpose will be to create a formal and informal space focused on stimulating collaborative efforts in curriculum design, materials development, resource sharing and student support.

The VUMA! Portal space for prospective students will provide a mechanism for supporting students in making the right choices as they consider their options in higher education and future careers.

How to join the Vuma! Portal?

* From the main VUMA web page, Click on the preferred option: Students, Parents & Teachers, Prospective Students, University Staff

* Create your own account

* You can access through the Navigation option: available blogs, discussion forums, polls, etc.

* You can participate with your ideas and inputs that can help students to enhance their learning, research & thinking styles by using the various wikis.

What I like most is the option : WIKIS

There are three wikis options:
* The Study Center gives an opportunity for:
- Students to collaborate with other students on topics relevant to their studies and university life.
- Academics to add useful information under the different entries. Vuma! Portal can be used to TUTOR students.
- Librarians to add their knowledge of literacy instructions
There is already information available in this space to help students with their:

- Study Skills (learning styles, critical thinking, problem-solving, mind mapping, self-confidence, reading confidence, handling lectures, etc.)
- Exam Skills (essay style, open book exam, exam preparation, etc.)

* Life Hub ( enhance your university life)

* Writing Center (basics of good writing, avoiding Plagiarism, Writing Scientific Essay, etc.)

Many LINKS are available to useful website, under each of the entries.

P.S. You can EDIT these articles & ADD NEW CONTENT!

What should the Libraries and the Academics do?

* Participate actively in this project to enhance the quality of their students' knowledge

* Promote this initiative as widely as possible

* Make sure that LINKS to the VUMA! Portal are easy to access ( EduLink, Departments web pages, Library web page, etc.)

* The Library should provide additional trainings to students on “How to use VUMA! Portal", " Web 2.0 technological tools", etc.

This PORTAL is about: Collaboration, Sharing, building Relationships, creation of new Knowledge. There are already over 1000 subscribed users. The vision of Vuma! Portal is embedded in three year strategy.

A number of issues were raised at the workshop:
- If students contribute Lectures notes, what are the implications - Intellectual property issues?
- There will be standartisation of Information literacy materials. All participating University libraries will be involved.
- It were raised questions about links to Career Information, so students can easily find jobs after their university degree is completed

This project is open to changes and will adapt to the needs of its users.

Go and have a look at this portal, get the feel of it, test it and then give us your opinion. The initiators behind this Portal (FOTIM) will greatly appreciate your comments (mail@fotim.ac.za).

Wiley-Blackwell @ UJ Library

Mathew Crook from Wiley-Blackwell visited the UJ Library on 3rd of March. We discussed the current BlackwellSynergy subscription, the upcoming integrated platform for Wiley & Blackwell titles and the available e-books collections. I have looked at the Wiley InterScience web site and added some useful links.

1. BlackwellSynergy & Wiley InterScience Journals Collections
(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/home)- During 2008 these two collections are still separate (pricing, licensing, and access options).
- In July 2008, BlackwellSynergy will be integrated into Wiley InterScience for 6 months. We will have the opportunity to search both databases, but full-text access to the journals is only for BlackwellSynergy journals.
- Trial to Wiley InterScience will be arranged for a month during May/June for UJ user to get acquainted with the platform. - As from 2009 there will be one portfolio subscription and one unified platform to search. The new platform will have the best features of the former two.- The BlackwellSynergy journals are available full-text as from 1997+
- Full-text access to Blackwell Synergy is available through the Library Databases
- If we would like to subscribe to the Wiley journals, the current licensing agreement will be: Current print Wiley journals price + flat rate of $ 10,000 + e-access.
Here is an overview of the online journals offered by Wiley-Blackwell in 2008: * Journals on Wiley InterScience

- 472 total journals- 9 new journals- 7 transfers from other publishers- 16 offering opt-in access- 6 ending opt-in access period- 3 ceasing publication
The new journals are self sustainable. They are excluded from the current subscriptions. They are available for FREE in their 1st year of publication.

View the 2007 & 2008 Wiley new journals on:

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/aboutus/new_journals_opt-in_form.html

Wiley InterScience: BackFile journal Collections:
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/browsebycollection

* Journals on Blackwell Synergy- 927 total journals
- 797 journals included in the licensed Blackwell Full Collection
- 424 journals in the Blackwell STM Collection
- 373 journals in the Blackwell SSH Collection- 15 new journals offering free access for their first year- 56 transfers from other publishers

- 5 transferring to other publishers

2. E-Books (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=BOOK) :In a previous post, I have mentioned that Wiley InterScience will reach the mark of 5000 e-books. Approximately 1500 books from the former Blackwell Publishing will be incorporated. The Purchasing options are:- for individual titles- purchase in bulkThere will be: flexi subscriptions (pay for 3 years) and once off payment. Price will be based on hard cover. Restriction: 1st time e-books customers will need to purchase 20 or more books. Number of discounts are available.

NEW! Wiley Books Series (21 series – 750 volumes)
(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/aboutus/olb_series.html)

Wiley InterScience: Current Protocols Online: Current Protocols contains the largest collection of authoritative, peer-reviewed, regularly-updated research methods and topical overviews available. The library has in print “ Current Protocols in Cell Biology”. Electronic access will be more convenient to access as we experience problem with preserving the print.

(http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=CURRENT_PROTOCOL)

Wiley InterScience: Reference Works: View the available reference works per subject area.
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/browse/?type=MRW

Wiley InterScience: Author Resources: Guidelines for submitting Journal articles or Books
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/authorservices

Wiley-Blackwell Library Newsletter; March 2008

Keep abreast with the latest Wiley-Blackwell news, by reading through this newsletter:

* View the latest news in Key Subject Areas
* New Titles online from Wiley-Blackwell (journals, books – some highlighted titles of interest)
* Platform Updates
* Conference shedules (for librarians)
* Just for fun (statistics show….; quotes about statistics)

IFLA: Introducing ResearchTrail

IFLA would like to announce a new service for information professionals and librarians – ResearchTrail.

ResearchTrail has two aims:
* To be a community and a meeting-place where those of us whose job it is to find information can interact with, collaborate with, and help the people who need that information, and also help each other.
* To provide a marketplace where businesses and individuals can find professional searchers, and info-pros looking for clients can advertise their services.

Since ResearchTrail is a free-access website, it's truly global – no matter where you live, you can interact with other information professionals, get help, and find work through ResearchTrail's marketplace.

ResearchTrail goes online in March; but you can register now at http://www.researchtrail.com/.

A week before we open, we'll send everyone who registered a personal username, so you can get a sneak preview. Then we open with a search competition (with prizes) for information professionals – to encourage as many of you as possible try us out and comment on what we're doing right and wrong and what you'd like to see there. Everyone who's registered is eligible to take part in the competition too.

ResearchTrail is built by info-pros for info-pros. We look forward to seeing you all on-site and hearing what you think.

Knowledge Management & Innovation Conference: 9 & 10 April 2008

The Knowledge Management & Innovation Conference will be held on 9 & 10 April 2008.

Venue: Premier Regent Hotel, Cape Town

Presentations will be from the following organizations:

o South African National Centre for Informatics Knowledge Management and Knowledge Economy - SANCIKMKE

o Development Bank of South Africa - DBSA

o Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability - RIIS

o University of Witwatersrand o Datacentrix

o Knowledge Integration Dynamics

o I-Kno

o Steve Bayhegyi & Associates

o Suritec

o IBM

o Symbiosys Consulting

Objectives

o To establish the relationship between knowledge management and organizational transformations.

o To harness expertise to effectively implement knowledge management strategies.

o To apply knowledge management principles, techniques and tools into leadership.

o To structure the storing of information using knowledge management systems.

o To learn and understand technologies that support knowledge management initiatives Audience Individuals and teams with a serious business interest in knowledge management and the knowledge-based economy. Executive who are especially interested in new ideas on how to get a better return on their investments. Knowledge managers, creative strategist, architects, and executives who seek faster, smarter, better and most cost effective ways to generate optimum knowledge performance

TO REGISTER CALL TEL: +27 11 472 5388 - FAX: +27 11 472 5304 Email: info@ingwecom.co.za

Wiley InterScience: 5000 online books in 2008

Wiley-Blackwell is pleased to announce that over the next few months approximately 1500 books from the former Blackwell Publishing will be incorporated into the OnlineBooks™ program on Wiley InterScience. This milestone in the integration of content from the two publishing operations will dramatically expand the scope of the online book offering on Wiley InterScience, and enable your library and user community to search and access, on one platform, a vast repository of prestigious monographs across the sciences and humanities:

The Blackwell Publishing books will include:
* 600 books in Social Science and the Humanities
* 300 books covering many Medical disciplines, including evidence-based medicine
* 650 books in Life Science, Construction, Nursing, Food Science and Technology, Agriculture and Forestry, Aquaculture, and Applied arts

In addition, in early 2008 another 400 titles from Wiley-VCH will be added to Wiley InterScience, predominantly in physics, chemistry, material sciences and life sciences.

Your institution can license OnlineBooks for a subscription or for a one-time fee, on a title-by-title basis, with a custom starter package of 20 titles.
DOWNLOAD SPREADSHEETS:
>> List of Blackwell and Wiley-VCH books coming to Wiley InterScience
>> All Wiley InterScience OnlineBooks - Full Title List with Pricing Information

SLIS Workshop on Reference Interview: 18 March 2008

Grab your diary and immediately book a date with SLIS for a great tutoring and learning opportunity!

Our first workshop of the year is around conducting successful reference interviews. The reference interview is an art and forms the basis for information provision in all types of libraries. You as an information professional need to understand exactly what the user is asking for to be able to know which information sources to consult, how much information to provide, on which level it should be, and to evaluate the information before supplying it.

The workshop will be conducted at entrance level for students of Library and Information Science, information professionals who just started their career and who do information retrieval. There will be practical examples and the opportunity to practice with other delegates. It is not going to be theoretical.

Workshop Presenter: Louise Mitchell, ATD Tech-Know Link

When: Tuesday 18 March 2008, 9h30 - 12h00.

Lunch will be served Where: Anglo American Auditorium

RSVP: 12 March 2008, christelle.vermaak@fluor.com

Cost: SLIS paid-up members & students (full-time or part-time but not employed) - free of charge

All other attendees: R 50,00
Further detail & workshop programme to be confirmed.

About the presenter: Louise Mitchell has been part of the Anglo American library (ATD Tech-Know Link) team for 10 years and before that has worked in various academic and public libraries. Over the last 20 years it has become her personal challenge and passion to perfect the art of the reference interview and she is still working on it. Understanding and knowing the exact information needs of their user base and being able to match it with the most appropriate information sources, in the right amount, format and time is key to their successes. The secret ingredient? One of many is definitely a well-conducted reference interview!

South African Information Services News: February 2008

What are the latest news from South African Information Services:

* Dialog alerts

As a Dialog customer, you’re eligible for our special alert setup service . Utilize our expert search staff – at no charge – to assist with setting up alerts on your most business-critical strategies. You’ll be the first to know of essential information that will keep you at the forefront of your industry and eliminate hours of research time. You can also have teammates included in your distribution, at your specified frequency, so you’re all in the know. Whether you’re short on time, staff or lack expertise in a specific area, your Dialog search team is ready to help. Visit www.scientific.thomson.com/forms/alerts to request a confidential alert setup consultation -- and, make sure you’re one of the first to know.

* World News Connection
Sign up today for a free trial. World News Connection offers:
• Unique content from hard-to-monitor countries
• Content provided through and in exclusive partnership with NTIS
• Ideal source for the latest information on current developments in over 100 countries
• Receive email updates on specific topics with alerts
• Records from 1995 to present
• Updates daily with from 300 – 1,000 records per day
For a free trial and/or more information (including the source list), please contact Lynne on 011 469 4032 or lynner@saonlinefinfo.co.za

* Training and consultancy
Contact Christa on 083 980 3087 or christaf@soanlineinfo.co.za for any training needs.

UKSG Serials-eNews

Some of the topics in the UKSG Searials-eNews in the last three issues were:

22 Feb 2008, no. 164

* Harvard Faculty adopts open access requirement

Harvard University's arts and sciences faculty has approved a plan that will post finished academic papers online free, unless scholars specifically decide to opt out of the open access programme. While other institutions have similar repositories for their faculty's work, Harvard's is unique for making online publication the default option. The policy will allow Harvard authors to publish in any journal that permits posting online after publication.

* CrossRef launches free citation tool for bloggers

CrossRef has launched the beta version of a plug-in that allows bloggers to look up and insert DOI-enabled citations in the course of authoring a blog. The plug-in, which is available for download, allows the blogger to use a widget-based interface to search CrossRef metadata using citations or partial citations. The results of the search, with multiple hits, are displayed and the author can then either click on a hit to follow the DOI to the publisher's site, or click on an icon next to the hit to insert the citation into their blog entry (as either a full citation or as a short 'op. cit.').

* What does Higher Education want from Publishers?

The purpose of this well-attended conference was to review the future of the textbook - a campaign which the Publishers Association has promoted since 2003. There were a number of highlights to the day, which started with an impressive overview of academic publishing and university concerns. Students and academics from Manchester Metropolitan University gave their views on how they wanted to use textbook material. The presentations from the conference are available online.

8 Feb 2008, no 163:

* Researchers of the future: underskilled?

Discussion on the report about the so-called "Google Generation" - Information Behaviour of the Researcher of the Future http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slais/research/ciber/downloads/

The report counters the common assumption that the 'Google Generation' - young people born or brought up in the Internet age - is the most adept at using the web. "Our verdict: This is a dangerous myth. Digital literacies and information literacies do not go hand in hand. A careful look at the literature over the past 25 years finds no improvement (or deterioration) in young people's information skills."

The report claims that, although young people demonstrate an ease and familiarity with computers, they rely on the most basic search tools and do not possess the critical and analytical skills to asses the information that they find on the web.

The report calls for libraries to respond urgently to the changing needs of researchers and other users and to understand the new means of searching and navigating information. Learning what researchers want and need is crucial if libraries are not to become obsolete - libraries and information services need to become "much more e-consumer-friendly and less stodgy and intellectual".

* Academics want to improve peer review

A study involving 3,000 authors, reviewers and editors has been written up in a new report by Mark Waring Consulting called Peer review in scholarly journals: perspective of the scholarly community - an international study. The full report, Peer review in scholarly journals: perspective of the scholarly community - an international study, can be accessed on the Publishing Research Consortium website. A summary report, Peer review: benefits, perceptions, and alternatives, is also available.

* Swets to act as global sales partner for Wiley's OnlineBooks

Wiley has announced that it has chosen Swets to act as a global sales partner for its range of OnlineBooks. This deal makes the range of electronic book material hosted on Wiley Interscience's web platform available to order directly through Swets.

* The Royal Society chooses HighWire
HighWire Press and the Royal Society have announced a new partnership in the provision of the independent scientific academy's publications online. All content of the Society's eight periodicals, some dating back as early as 1665, will be live on HighWire's e-publishing platform from 2009.

25 Jan 2008, no. 162:

* The issue of identity for institutions and individuals:

Thomson Scientific has launched ResearcherID.com, a web environment which enables researchers to create stable personal identifiers to present their works and manage public presentation of their personal metrics. Each individual identification (ID) number will act as a digital 'calling card' that the researcher can place anywhere, such as a personal home page, a CV, or a university page. The identifier links to a personal workspace that automatically updates citation data, user-generated tags and keywords, and professional information that can be shared with the public or kept for personal monitoring. ResearcherID.com ensures an accurate record of a researcher's output and attribution, providing a gateway for colleagues to pinpoint not only that researcher's published work, but also the researcher as a potential collaborator. Web of Science users will be able to create identifiers and workspaces to share publicly, with wider availability via trusted sponsors in the future.

* IEEE continues to update legacy content

Originally promised to be 180,000 documents large, the IEEE Xplore legacy collection has topped 237,286 documents as IEEE continues to complete its vision to provide the first volume, first issue release of all its technology journals.

Golonka: E-Math, E-Physics, E-Chemistry for Africa

Have you heard about Golonka initiative for Africa?

The aim of the Golonka is to co-ordinate the efforts to make an African consortium for e-journals and databases. The main purpose is to promote the use of Open Access journals and other scientific resources, as well as being a platform for consortia building.

Currently, Golonka provide access to:

* E-Math Africa (http://math.golonka.se)

* E-Physics Africa (http://physics.golonka.se)

* E-Chemistry Africa (http://chemistry.golonka.se)

On these websites you can find information on: Statistical Pan African Society (SPAS); Mentoring African Research in Mathematics; European Math Departments support African colleagues; Free ACD/ChemSketch Licenses to All Academic Institutions. You can subscribe to an e-mail alerts with news about access to databases and journals. The following resources are available on each website:

- Links to: Societies, Academies & Institutions;

- Databases and Search Engines

- Reprints

- E-books ( number of full-text books/textbooks available on the Internet)

- Free Journal Archives, Open access and African e-journals ( 431 journals - Maths, Applied Maths, Statistics, IT, etc.)( 81 journals - Chemistry)(96 journals - Physics)

These "portals" to Maths, Physics & Chemistry resources will definitely be of use to undergraduates and postgraduates students. It will be useful for research, learning & teaching purposes.

Conferences: Call for papers

If you are interested in writing paper for a conference, these are your current opportunities:

NINTH SOUTHERN AFRICAN ONLINE INFORMATION MEETING, 3-5 JUNE 2008
CSIR CONFERENCE CENTRE MEIRING NAUDE ROAD, PRETORIA
Preliminary Announcement and Call for Papers

Suggested Topics for Papers include (but is not limited to):
Web search Federated search Social networking & Global best practices Taxonomies, folksonomies Evidence-based librarianship Information policy Web site usability Needs assessment Collaborative working
Career development talks
Content Management
RSS Feeds
Embedded Librarian
Web search engines
Planning next generation users
Disappearing mouse – touch screens/voice
Knowledge Sharing & Collaboration Training and teaching
Internet resources Managing e-resources Mobile technology Library 3.0 Distance learning, e-learning Multimedia searching Innovative projects Incorporating new technologies Web design Content management Development & Competency issues/skills

Call for Papers: Whilst priority will be given to contributors on the suggested themes, presentations on other relevant topics will also be considered. · Concise papers (20 minutes maximum) based on practical experience or practical applications of information technology are preferred. Supporting and supplementary detail may be included in the complete, written paper. · If you wish to submit a paper, please submit your 250 word detailed abstract by no later that 14 March 2008.
E-mailed to Dr. Glenda Myers: glenda.myers@wits.ac.za
If your paper is provisionally accepted, you will be asked to submit the complete paper in machine readable format by 16 May 2008 at the latest. · The decision of the selectors is final, and no correspondence with regard to acceptance or rejection of submitted papers will be entered into.

10th ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON WORLD WIDE WEB APPLICATIONS: Cape Town (South Africa) Wednesday 3 to Friday 5 September 2008.
Please find the Call for Papers to the 10th annual event at http://www.zaw3.co.za
Topics for the 2008 event can relate to trends and developments over the last ten years; for example the growing number of “foreign” language sites; the politics of the Web; censorship and legal issues; new methods of access and device and network convergence; search engines and search techniques; emerging Web technologies, developments and trends; Web 2.0; in fact e-anything (health, government, commerce, marketing, learning, society, entertainment).