January 2005 - LIS-Forum - ncsi.iisc.ernet.in

Saarc TKDL
by Rajeev Sharma 04 Jan '05

04 Jan '05

SAARC to set up traditional knowledge digital library URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=78706 Rajeev Transport Corporation of India Ltd. Gurgaon SAARC to set up traditional knowledge digital library URL: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=78706 http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=78706 Rajeev Transport Corporation of India Ltd. Gurgaon

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Pew Internet Survey: State of Blogging (and RSS!)
by Gerry Mckiernan 03 Jan '05

03 Jan '05

Colleagues/ Jan 2005 Pew Internet & American Life Project Blog readership shoots up 58% in 2004 6 million Americans get news and information fed to them through RSS aggregators By the end of 2004 blogs had established themselves as a key part of online culture. Two surveys by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in November established new contours for the blogosphere and its popularity: * 7% of the 120 million U.S. adults who use the internet say they have created a blog or web-based diary. That represents more than 8 million people. * 27% of internet users say they read blogs, a 58% jump from the 17% who told us they were blog readers in February. This means that by the end of 2004 32 million Americans were blog readers. Much of the attention to blogs focused on those that covered the recent political campaign and the media. And at least some of the overall growth in blog readership is attributable to political blogs. Some 9% of internet users said they read political blogs "frequently" or "sometimes" during the campaign. * 5% of internet users say they use RSS aggregators or XML readers to get the news and other information delivered from blogs and content-rich Web sites as it is posted online. This is a first-time measurement from our surveys and is an indicator that ***_this application is gaining an impressive foothold_***. * The interactive features of many blogs are also catching on: 12% of internet users have posted comments or other material on blogs. * At the same time, for all the excitement about blogs and the media coverage of them, blogs have not yet become recognized by a majority of internet users. Only 38% of all internet users know what a blog is. The rest are not sure what the term "blog" means. 1 [ http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_blogging_data.pdf ] Blog On! (with RSS!) /Gerry BTW: "Our first query on the use of RSS aggregators and XML readers shows that 5% of online Americans have RSS aggregators or XML readers that feed them content. They are classic early adopters: veteran internet users, well-educated, and relatively heavy online news consumers" (p. 4) /Gerry Gerry McKiernan RSS Librarian Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 gerrymck(a)iastate.edu

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Scientific
by nazim malik 03 Jan '05

03 Jan '05

Dear colleagues, Where can I find the information about scientific and technical libraries in India Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your life partneronline. Dear colleagues, Where can I find the information about scientific and technical libraries in India http://in.rd.yahoo.com/specials/mailtg/*http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matri… Yahoo! India Matrimony : Find your life partner http://in.rd.yahoo.com/specials/mailtg2/*http://yahoo.shaadi.com/india-matr… online .

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A news story on NALLAVADU
by Subbiah Arunachalam 03 Jan '05

03 Jan '05

Friends: Mr Vijayakumar (in the following news story) was a former volunteer of the Nallavadu knowledge centre. Nalladu is one of a dozen infomation villages in Pondicherry where MSSRF has set up knowledge centres. There is a marked difference in the way coastal villages coped with the recent tsunami disaster - In Nagapattinam and Karaikal there was very little coordination and considerable chaos, whereas the four coastal knowledge centre villages presented a picture of orderliness. The villagers used the databases stored in the knowledge centre computers in organizing relief measures and for distributing aid and material received from government and other sources. In two villages, Nallavadu and Veerampattinam, the local people used the public address system not only to warn people about the disastrous vents but also to announce relief measures. Often people criticise these knowledge centres as donor-supported and unlikely to be sustainable. On the tragic 26th of December, the knowledge centres proved their great value. Especially, newspaper after newspaper criticised the government for not having an early warning system as some of the Pacific rim countries have. Arun ----- PHONE CALL SAVED SCORES OF INDIAN VILLAGERS FROM TSUNAMI By Chin Saik Yoon in Penang, Malaysia. December 2004 The tsunami that struck the coastal communities of several Asian countries on 26 December has been made even more tragic as news begin to break of how a small number of technicians, monitoring the progress of the waves across the seas using the latest ICT systems, had found themselves unable to warn communities standing in harms way. This was not the case with Vijayakumar Gunasekaran, a 27-year old son of a fisherman from Nallavadu village, Pondicherry on the eastern coast of India, who works in Singapore. He had access only to a radio and television on the morning of 26 December. Vijayakumar followed the news of the earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia as it unfolded over the radio and television in Singapore. As the seriousness of the disaster in Aceh sank in he began to worry about the safety of his family living along the Indian coastline facing Aceh. He decided to phone home. Muphazhaqi, his sister answered the phone. She told him that seawater was seeping into their home when he asked what was happening in Nallavadu. Vijayakumar realised at once that his worst fears were rapidly materialising. He asked his sister to quickly leave their home and to also tell other villagers to evacuate the village. I said to her: "Run out and shout the warning to others" he told the Digital Review of Asia Pacific over the telephone from his apartment in Singapore. Her warning reached a couple of quick-thinking villagers who broke down the doors of the community centre set up by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) where a public address system used routinely to announce sea conditions to the fishermen was housed. The warning from Vijayakumar, collaborated at this time by a second overseas telephone call from Gopu, another villager working abroad, was broadcasted across the village using the loud-speaker system. The village's siren was sounded immediately afterwards for the people to evacuate. No one was killed in this village as a result of the timely warnings. Nallavadu is home to 500 families and about 3,630 people. While all lives were saved, the tsunami destroyed 150 houses and 200 fishing boats in the village according to MSSRF. [This report was first published at http://www.digital-review.org on 1 January 2005] Friends: Mr Vijayakumar (in the following news story) was a former volunteer of the Nallavadu knowledge centre. Nalladu is one of a dozen infomation villages in Pondicherry where MSSRF has set up knowledge centres. There is a marked difference in the way coastal villages coped with the recent tsunami disaster - In Nagapattinam and Karaikal there was very little coordination and considerable chaos, whereas the four coastal knowledge centre villages presented a picture of orderliness. The villagers used the databases stored in the knowledge centre computers in organizing relief measures and for distributing aid and material received from government and other sources. In two villages, Nallavadu and Veerampattinam, the local people used the public address system not only to warn people about the disastrous vents but also to announce relief measures. Often people criticise these knowledge centres as donor-supported and unlikely to be sustainable. On the tragic 26th of December, the knowledge centres proved their great value. Especially, newspaper after newspaper criticised the government for not having an early warning system as some of the Pacific rim countries have. Arun ----- PHONE CALL SAVED SCORES OF INDIAN VILLAGERS FROM TSUNAMI By Chin Saik Yoon in Penang, Malaysia. December 2004 The tsunami that struck the coastal communities of several Asian countries on 26 December has been made even more tragic as news begin to break of how a small number of technicians, monitoring the progress of the waves across the seas using the latest ICT systems, had found themselves unable to warn communities standing in harms way. This was not the case with Vijayakumar Gunasekaran, a 27-year old son of a fisherman from Nallavadu village, Pondicherry on the eastern coast of India, who works in Singapore. He had access only to a radio and television on the morning of 26 December. Vijayakumar followed the news of the earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia as it unfolded over the radio and television in Singapore. As the seriousness of the disaster in Aceh sank in he began to worry about the safety of his family living along the Indian coastline facing Aceh. He decided to phone home. Muphazhaqi, his sister answered the phone. She told him that seawater was seeping into their home when he asked what was happening in Nallavadu. Vijayakumar realised at once that his worst fears were rapidly materialising. He asked his sister to quickly leave their home and to also tell other villagers to evacuate the village. I said to her: "Run out and shout the warning to others" he told the Digital Review of Asia Pacific over the telephone from his apartment in Singapore. Her warning reached a couple of quick-thinking villagers who broke down the doors of the community centre set up by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) where a public address system used routinely to announce sea conditions to the fishermen was housed. The warning from Vijayakumar, collaborated at this time by a second overseas telephone call from Gopu, another villager working abroad, was broadcasted across the village using the loud-speaker system. The village's siren was sounded immediately afterwards for the people to evacuate. No one was killed in this village as a result of the timely warnings. Nallavadu is home to 500 families and about 3,630 people. While all lives were saved, the tsunami destroyed 150 houses and 200 fishing boats in the village according to MSSRF. [This report was first published at http://www.digital-review.org on 1 January 2005]

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Digital Library of Mathematics
by Krishnamurthy M 03 Jan '05

03 Jan '05

Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore Center Library (http://library.isibang.ac.in:8080/dspace) is pleased to announce that digital library of mathematics and statistics to provide an open platform and make access to digital information. Dspace helps create, design, index and retrieve digital information. Dspace allows scientists and faculties to upload digital information from any corner. So, in this context we offer those who are interest to upload their literature, abstract and article paper to our digital library of mathematics are welcome. Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore Center Library focuses on Mathematical Statistics, Quality Management, Economic Analysis, Documentation and Information Science.(http://www.isibang.ac.in/library) M.Krishnamurthy -- Dr.M.Krishnamurthy Librarian Indian Statistical Institute 8th Mile Mysore Road R.V.C.E. Post Bangalore 560059 Ph:91-80-8483002/3/4/4 Fax: 91-80-8484265

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Information.
by Seshu Sripada 03 Jan '05

03 Jan '05

Dear colleagues, Where can I find the information about Seminars/Conference Proceedings/ Technical briefing purely related to IT related (Software Development) session. -----------------------SOFTPRO DISCLAIMER------------------------------ Information contained in this E-MAIL and any attachments are confidential being proprietary to SOFTPRO SYSTEMS is 'privileged' and 'confidential'. If you are not an intended or authorised recipient of this E-MAIL or have received it in error, You are notified that any use, copying or dissemination of the information contained in this E-MAIL in any manner whatsoever is strictly prohibited. Please delete it immediately and notify the sender by E-MAIL. In such a case reading, reproducing, printing or further dissemination of this E-MAIL is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. SOFTPRO SYSYTEMS does not REPRESENT or WARRANT that an attachment hereto is free from computer viruses or other defects. The opinions expressed in this E-MAIL and any ATTACHEMENTS may be those of the author and are not necessarily those of SOFTPRO SYSTEMS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dear colleagues, Where can I find the information about Seminars/Conference Proceedings/ Technical briefing purely related to IT related (Software Development) session. -----------------------SOFTPRO DISCLAIMER------------------------------ Information contained in this E-MAIL and any attachments are confidential being proprietary to SOFTPRO SYSTEMS is 'privileged' and 'confidential'. If you are not an intended or authorised recipient of this E-MAIL or have received it in error, You are notified that any use, copying or dissemination of the information contained in this E-MAIL in any manner whatsoever is strictly prohibited. Please delete it immediately and notify the sender by E-MAIL. In such a case reading, reproducing, printing or further dissemination of this E-MAIL is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. SOFTPRO SYSYTEMS does not REPRESENT or WARRANT that an attachment hereto is free from computer viruses or other defects. The opinions expressed in this E-MAIL and any ATTACHEMENTS may be those of the author and are not necessarily those of SOFTPRO SYSTEMS. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

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WikiBibliography Now Available
by Gerry Mckiernan 02 Jan '05

02 Jan '05

WikiBibliography Now Available Colleagues/ I am pleased to announce the inauguration of a new Web bibliography titled _WikiBibliography_ . _WikiBibliography_ is devoted to significant articles, presentations, reports, as well as audio and video programs, Web sites, and other key "publications" about Wikis in general and their select applications and uses. As defined by the Wikipedia, a 'wiki' is "a website (or other hypertext document collection) that allows a user to add content, * but also allows that content to be edited by anyone. The term Wiki can also refer to the collaborative software used to create such a site * Wiki (with a capital 'W') and WikiWikiWeb are sometimes used to refer specifically to the Portland Pattern Repository, the first-ever wiki. Proponents of this usage suggest using a lower-case 'w' for wikis in general. Wiki wiki comes from the Hawaiian term for 'quick' or 'super-fast'" [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki ]. _WiKiBibliography_ is located at: [ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/WikiBib.htm ] As of this evening, it contains 30 major entries, most linked to their respective full text documents. At this time, I would most appreciate learning of Any and All Other ***significant*** publications for potential inclusion in this compilation. While I am particularly interested in applications and uses of Wikis in corporations, colleges and universities, and libraries, substantial works about Wikis in general as well as applications in other organizations, are also of interest. BTW: I have identified secondary works from database searches that I will review in the coming weeks and add to _WikiBibliography_, if of value. BTW2: WikiBibliography will complement a planned registry titled _SandBox(sm)_ that will be established at [ http://www.public.iastate.edu/~CYBERSTACKS/SandBox.htm ]. [In the near future, I plan to post a call for significant corporate, educational, and/or library Wikis for potential inclusion in _SandBox(sm)_ . However, those Innovators and Early Adopters Amongst Us [:-)] who would like to nominate resources for _SandBox(sm)_ at this time are welcome to do so in response to this posting]. TIA!!! (Again) Happy New Year! Regards, /Gerry Gerry McKiernan WikiLibrarian Iowa State University Ames IA 50011 gerrymck(a)iastate.edu P.S. For those over 50 (such as myself) who enjoyed early TV serials, please click on the SandBox WikiBiliography image for several HighFlyingAdventures [:-)

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