Next Evolution of Search Engines will Think with You. search-engines-web.com sent along Seeking Better Web Searches from Scientific American. New search engines are improving the quality of results by delving deeper into the storehouse of materials available online, by sorting and presenting those results better, and by tracking your long-term interests so that they can refine their handling of new information requests. In the future, search engines will broaden content horizons as well, doing more than simply processing keyword queries typed into a text box. They will be able to automatically take into account your location--letting your wireless PDA, for instance, pinpoint the nearest restaurant when you are traveling. New systems will also find just the right picture faster by matching your sketches to similar shapes. They will even be able to name that half-remembered tune if you hum a few bars. So what will this do to the SEO folks? [LISNews.com]
5:10:01 PM    

Talking about Virtual Reference. Anonymous Patron writes "After the little discussion over on mdoneil's Journal you might also be interested in three articles TeleRead Pointed to. To Chat Or Not to Chat—Taking Another Look at Virtual Reference, Part 1, by Steve Coffman and Linda Arret, in Information Today. To Chat Or Not to Chat—Taking Another Look at Virtual Reference, Part II, by the same authors. Virtual Reference: Alive amp; Well, by Brenda Bailey-Hainer, in LibraryJournal. Rothman asked; Might the typical library be better off without IM and other features of a virtual refrence desk--and perhaps simply beef up phone services?" [LISNews.com]
5:09:42 PM    

Academics fight to break 'stranglehold' on journals. Aaron Tunn spotted This Guardian Article a conference at Southampton University held yesterday. The escalating cost of journals - and the rising number published - is a major headache for university libraries, but supporters of open access argue there is a moral case for making findings freely available. They hope it will increase the influence of British science internationally and help researchers in developing countries where expensive journals are hard to access. [LISNews.com]
5:08:52 PM    

GPO to discontinue nearly all print distro by Oct 2005. An ALA Washington Office Press Release is extremely disturbing, if correct: ALAWON: American Library Association Washington Office Newsline Volume 14, Number 6 January 27, 2005 In This Issue: Call for Oversight on GPO Initiatives ACTION: We are writing to ask you to contact your Members of Congress to tell them about GPO's proposed plan that would eliminate almost all print distribution to depository libraries beginning October 1, 2005. Urge them to support a call for an oversight hearing on the impact of the Government Printing Office's (GPO) proposed initiatives and changes to the Federal Depository Library Program and the impact on the public's permanent access to authentic government information. Use our Legislative Action Center http://capwiz.com/ala/home/>; to send a letter, or use the toll-free free number to call members of Congress: 1-800-839-5276. We also urge you to send copies of your letters to Public Printer Bruce James (bjames@gpo.gov / fax: 202-512-1347) and to Superintendent of Documents Judith C. Russell (jrussell@gpo.gov / fax: 202-512-1432). We will send out a separate ALAWON Alert on the GPO budget issue when their budget request is officially submitted. BACKGROUND: The Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP)was established by Congress more than 150 years ago as a geographically dispersed system to provide no-fee public access to government information and has proven to be a very successful partnership among Congress, federal agencies, the courts, the Government Printing Office (GPO), depository libraries, and the American public in ensuring the public's right to know. At ALA's Midwinter Meeting in Boston, GPO informed the library community that their FY 2006 Salaries and Expenses (SE) appropriations request for the FDLP will be for level funding (at the 2005 level), plus cost of living increases. One result of this request will be drastic changes in the distribution of print materials to our Nation's federal depository libraries. These proposed changes would take effect October 1, 2005. Among the changes, the key is that GPO would produce and distribute in print only the 50 titles listed on the "Essential Titles for Public Use in Paper Format." The Essential Titles List http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fdlp/pubs/estitles.html", last revised in 2000, does not include important materials including maps, geological information, administrative decisions and other congressional and legal materials, as well as Senate and House reports, documents, and hearings that inform the citizenry of the workings of Congress. All other agency information will be disseminated only in electronic format to depository libraries - whether they are equipped to handle this format adequately and whether or not this is the most usable format for their publics. This decision, if allowed to go forward, will have a profound negative impact on access to authenticated government information in formats most usable to the American public. Second, to supplement the "Essential Titles" publications, GPO will initiate a Print on Demand (POD) Allowance Program of $500 for selective depository libraries and $1500 for the 53 regional depository libraries for purchase of other titles. GPO is, in effect, asking Congress to support and depository libraries to accept a new fee-based Print on Demand Program that has not yet been established or tested. [LISNews.com]
5:07:56 PM    

The Changing Book: Transitions in Design, Production, and Preservation - University of Iowa Librarie .... The Changing Book: Transitions in Design, Production, and Preservation - University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa - July 22-25, 2005 [Peter Scott's Library Blog]
8:19:37 AM    

Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation white paper titled Academic and Scholar Search Engines .... Internet MiniGuide Annotated Link Compilation white paper titled Academic and Scholar Search Engines and Sources is a 32 page research paper listing selected resources both new and existing that will help anyone who is attempting to find academic and scholarly information and knowledge available on the Internet. Each source is described along with the URL address that can be accessed. It is freely available as a .pdf file authored by Marcus P. Zillman [Peter Scott's Library Blog]
8:19:12 AM