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

Re: [LIS-Forum] Reg.CLARIFICATION
by Mailing List Manager 11 May '05

11 May '05

Date: 10 May 2005 09:05:22 -0000 From: Bukhari <bukhari_786(a)rediffmail.com> Dear Jaya � Let me answer your question in this way LIBRARIANSHIP IS MORE CHALLENGING THAN OTHER PROFESSIONS Why? In other professions the professional is the authority whereas the clients are ignorant (eg doctors/lawyers/engineers etc). For example, when a doctor gives you a medicine you dare not ask him why he has given a particular medicine to you! Because the professional(doctor) is the final authority and the client(patient) is ignorant. But in Librarianship it is the reverse (clients possess the final authority while the librarian may not know the subject). That means a librarian tries to meet the needs of subject experts. It becomes more important for the librarian to precisely understand the requirements of his clients which in-turn implies a bit of subject understanding (because a librarian who understands the subject of his clients can add more value to the job) Therefore, preference is given to those who possess science background especially in organizations like ISRO, NAL, Medical Libraries etc. And secondly, the person with a science background may drive more satisfaction by working in scientific library. We should be proud that we are doing a more challenging job than others! Warm regards S. A. A. Bukhari Librarian Shantha Biotechnics Ltd www.shanthabiotech.com On Mon, 09 May 2005 Mailing List Manager wrote : >Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 09:22:48 +0100 (BST) > From: jaya kgowda <jaya_kgowda(a)yahoo.co.in> > > >QUESTION: WHY SOME OF THE LIBRARIES RESTRICT ONLY SCIENCE BACKGROUND LIBRARIANS. > >EXAMPLE: ISRO,ASTRO PHYSICS NAL E.T.C > >Library Science is a universal of Knowledge. > > Jaya >_______________________________________________ >LIS-Forum mailing list >LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in >http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum

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Re: [LIS-Forum] Reg.CLARIFICATION
by Mailing List Manager 11 May '05

11 May '05

Date: 10 May 2005 11:43:30 -0000 From: Amitava Bhattacharyya <amitava_77(a)rediffmail.com> Dear All, I have another question qith respect to this question (which may be the answer) why several historical and social science organization restrict to arts background librarians. Even the advertisements also coming specifically for arts background professionals. But even the interviewers also aware that the library science is an universal of knowledge. Even I found in the advertisement it is not mentioned that specifically for arts background professional, still they are asking an interviewee is from arts background or not. I would like to request to all senior professonals to dive us in a proper lane. with regards, Amitava SNBNCBS, Kolkata On Mon, 09 May 2005 Mailing List Manager wrote : >Date: Fri, 6 May 2005 09:22:48 +0100 (BST) > From: jaya kgowda <jaya_kgowda(a)yahoo.co.in> > > >QUESTION: WHY SOME OF THE LIBRARIES RESTRICT ONLY SCIENCE BACKGROUND LIBRARIANS. > >EXAMPLE: ISRO,ASTRO PHYSICS NAL E.T.C > >Library Science is a universal of Knowledge. > > Jaya >_______________________________________________ >LIS-Forum mailing list >LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in >http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum

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Fwd: To International Paper Contest Winners
by Smita Chandra 11 May '05

11 May '05

Dear Colleagues : I take this opportunity on behalf of Dr. P.R.Goswami and Ashish Sharma, also winners of the contest, to forward the following information about an International Paper Contest, by ASIST (American Society for Information Science and Technology), for 2005. Best wishes and hope the Society receives a huge chunk of participant papers from the Indian subcontinent. Smita-- Smita Chandra Librarian Indian Institute of Geomagnetism New Mumbai INDIA Yin Zhang <yinzhang(a)slis.kent.edu> wrote: Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 14:37:28 -0400 From: "Yin Zhang" <yinzhang(a)slis.kent.edu> Subject: To International Paper Contest Winners To: International Paper Contest Winners Dear International Paper Contest Winners, Please help promote the International Paper Contest by forwarding this year's announcement to listservs and newsgroups that reach potential participants. Also, as the previous winners of this paper contest..... Thanks! Yin Yin Zhang, Ph.D. SIG III Chair Associate Professor School of Library and Information Science Kent State University Kent, OH 44242 USA email: yinzhang(a)slis.kent.edu phone: 330-672-0010 fax: 330-672-7965 --------------------- 2005 INTERNATIONAL PAPER CONTEST on International Digital Libraries and Information Science & Technology Advances in Developing Countries More information is available from the Paper Contest page at http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/papercontest.htm The American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST), International Information Issues Special Interest Group (SIG-III), is pleased to announce its sixth competition for papers to be submitted for the 2005 Annual Meeting, which will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 28-November 2, 2005. The theme of the paper is: "Bringing Research and Practice Together - the Developing World Perspective." The paper topic may address either the country or regional level issues. Papers could discuss issues, policies and case studies on specific aspects of this theme, such as, but not limited to, the following: . Social, ethical, political, legal, and economic and cultural issues: issues related to the role of information in society, such as information policy, access, security, privacy, and intellectual property, as well as the social uses and abuses of information technologies such as the Internet and World Wide Web in bridging or separating diverse communities. . Information organization, management, access, and retrieval. . Information seeking and use: the role of information in professional and daily lives, use of various types of information technology, and social contexts of information seeking. . Information technology, social equity and development: IT and governance, IT & and the new economy, including the future of work and implications of technological hardware and software developments; the role of ICTs in conflict management, etc. There will be six winners. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges including Liwen Vaughan (chair), Yunfei Du, Yin Zhang, Duncan Omole, Merlyna Lim, Julian Warner, and Nathalie Leroy. The prize for each winner is a two-year individual membership in ASIST. In the case of multiple authors, the principal author will be awarded the ASIST membership. In addition, depending on SIG III fundraising this year, the first place winner will be rewarded a minimum of $1,000 toward travel, conference registration, and accommodations while attending the ASIST Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 28-November 2, 2005. Publishing opportunities Submitted papers will be considered for posting on the SIG III web site as pre-publications. In addition, they will also be considered for inclusion in a special issue of the International Information and Library Review, subject to the usual peer refereeing process. Information for authors Only papers by a principal author who is a citizen of, and resides in a developing country are eligible. Winners in the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 or 2004 contests are not eligible. The papers should be original, unpublished, and in English. We encourage submissions from librarians, information and network specialists, and educators involved in the creation, representation, maintenance, exchange, discovery, delivery, and use of digital information. ASIST Copyright Policy ASIST will have the non-exclusive right to publish any of the papers submitted on its web site or in print, with ownership and all other rights remaining with the author. Deadline for submission of full papers Authors are invited to submit manuscripts, not to exceed 5000 words, by June 30, 2005, to Duncan Omole at domole(a)worldbank.org. Please check the SIG III website (http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/) for more information about the SIG III International Paper Contest, including Frequently Asked Questions, past CFPs, previous winners and winning papers, and success stories from previous winners. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com Dear Colleagues : � I take this opportunity on behalf of�Dr.�P.R.Goswami and Ashish Sharma, also winners of the contest, to forward the following information about an International Paper Contest, by ASIST (American Society for Information Science and Technology), for 2005. � Best wishes and hope the Society receives a huge chunk of participant papers from the Indian subcontinent. � Smita-- Smita Chandra Librarian Indian Institute of Geomagnetism New Mumbai INDIA Yin Zhang <yinzhang(a)slis.kent.edu> wrote: Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 14:37:28 -0400 From: "Yin Zhang" <yinzhang(a)slis.kent.edu> Subject: To International Paper Contest Winners To: International Paper Contest Winners Dear International Paper Contest Winners, Please help promote the International Paper Contest by forwarding this year's announcement to listservs and newsgroups that reach potential participants. Also, as the previous winners of this paper contest..... Thanks! Yin Yin Zhang, Ph.D. SIG III Chair Associate Professor School of Library and Information Science Kent State University Kent, OH 44242 USA email: yinzhang(a)slis.kent.edu phone: 330-672-0010 fax: 330-672-7965 --------------------- 2005 INTERNATIONAL PAPER CONTEST on International Digital Libraries and Information Science & Technology Advances in Developing Countries More information is available from the Paper Contest page at http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/papercontest.htm The American Society for Information Science & Technology (ASIST), International Information Issues Special Interest Group (SIG-III), is pleased to announce its sixth competition for papers to be submitted for the 2005 Annual Meeting, which will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 28-November 2, 2005. The theme of the paper is: "Bringing Research and Practice Together - the Developing World Perspective." The paper topic may address either the country or regional level issues. Papers could discuss issues, policies and case studies on specific aspects of this theme, such as, but not limited to, the following: . Social, ethical, political, legal, and economic and cultural issues: issues related to the role of information in society, such as information policy, access, security, privacy, and intellectual property, as well as the social uses and abuses of information technologies such as the Internet and World Wide Web in bridging or separating diverse communities. . Information organization, management, access, and retrieval. . Information seeking and use: the role of information in professional and daily lives, use of various types of information technology, and social contexts of information seeking. . Information technology, social equity and development: IT and governance, IT & and the new economy, including the future of work and implications of technological hardware and software developments; the role of ICTs in conflict management, etc. There will be six winners. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges including Liwen Vaughan (chair), Yunfei Du, Yin Zhang, Duncan Omole, Merlyna Lim, Julian Warner, and Nathalie Leroy. The prize for each winner is a two-year individual membership in ASIST. In the case of multiple authors, the principal author will be awarded the ASIST membership. In addition, depending on SIG III fundraising this year, the first place winner will be rewarded a minimum of $1,000 toward travel, conference registration, and accommodations while attending the ASIST Annual Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, October 28-November 2, 2005. Publishing opportunities Submitted papers will be considered for posting on the SIG III web site as pre-publications. In addition, they will also be considered for inclusion in a special issue of the International Information and Library Review, subject to the usual peer refereeing process. Information for authors Only papers by a principal author who is a citizen of, and resides in a developing country are eligible. Winners in the 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 or 2004 contests are not eligible. The papers should be original, unpublished, and in English. We encourage submissions from librarians, information and network specialists, and educators involved in the creation, representation, maintenance, exchange, discovery, delivery, and use of digital information. ASIST Copyright Policy ASIST will have the non-exclusive right to publish any of the papers submitted on its web site or in print, with ownership and all other rights remaining with the author. Deadline for submission of full papers Authors are invited to submit manuscripts, not to exceed 5000 words, by June 30, 2005, to Duncan Omole at domole(a)worldbank.org. Please check the SIG III website (http://www.asis.org/SIG/SIGIII/) for more information about the SIG III International Paper Contest, including Frequently Asked Questions, past CFPs, previous winners and winning papers, and success stories from previous winners. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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RE: [LIS-Forum] Library science -universe of knowledge
by HENAG 11 May '05

11 May '05

Dear Shantha , You are right, one has to have interest in the subject and inclination towards the service supporting with new technology. Along with this I also wish to expess why other professionals are not able to serve their users of the libraries using new technology, the reason being the lack of opportunity to learn or work with the new technology ,so the ignorance puts them down. Mainly if the person is not from a computer science background will take little time to learn or get adjusted to the computer technology. S/He will not be able to create a database on own will need a guide and that is not possible in an industrial field where the completion of work is the first preference and no one wishes to give time to train and then get the work done.In stead the industry will appoint a new person with wanted knowledge of new technology but will not invest little time and energy to bring up the existing human resource with that new technology. So to see many places a division of Knowledge management is created separately but not involved the library or librarian in this regard. Traditional librarians are suppressed and it is told towards them that Knowledge Management is different from the librarian's job. Knowledge Management is a technical job what traditional librarian cannot do. My suggestion here is towards the Library science schools,colleges to modify their syllabus , please get permission from University to do that and teach library professionals a bit of computer technology , at least how to create Database, how to use Metadata, how to use and serve with content management using the new technology. This will definitely help the suppresed group and will bring up our professionals in to the limelight than that of today. There will be no complaint from the technical group .University and the colleges should also can conduct a lateral programme for this group specially , keeping in mind it should not cross 15 days . Of course it should be hands on machine workshop along with theory. Hope I could express the words of suppressed group. Hena S Gupta Infosys Central Library, Education & Research Department, Infosys Technologies Limited, Electronics City, Hosur Road, Bangalore-560100 Board : (91)-(080)-28520261 Ext 52196 Fax: (91)-(080)-28520742 We enable you to leverage knowledge anytime, anywhere! -----Original Message----- From: lis-forum-bounces(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in [mailto:lis-forum-bounces@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in] On Behalf Of shantha venkatesan Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 11:06 AM To: LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: [LIS-Forum] Library science -universe of knowledge Dear Jaya Library science is pertaining to knowledge management as we all know. However, I feel the answer to your question lies in the book: Foskett: Subject approach to information Even Dr.S.R.Ranganathan has brought out this aspect in his book, I do not recollect the title exactly - but concerning "facets". Subject background does make a difference. You could have seen subject specialists without library science background are also managing their libraries very well when compared to library science graduate without subject knowledge. The other way is also possible. Around 15 years back I got the opportunity to visit CFTRI library Mysore. I could see library science graduates with social science background could give excellent service. In my opinion it all depends on the interest, dedication with which one works. One cannot put hard and fast rule. There are cases where a person has NET,SET,M.Lib.Sc and all qualifications that UGC, AICTE require as per rule. But they are not able to provide the service to readers. Don't you agree with me? -- Shantha Venkatesan. Senior Librarian Prof.M.M.Sharma Library U.I.C.T.Matunga (East) Mumbai400 019 _______________________________________________ LIS-Forum mailing list LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum

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Google Print and EU Digital Library
by Mailing List Manager 11 May '05

11 May '05

Date: Tue, 10 May 2005 05:17:43 -0700 (PDT) From: Jack Eapen <jackachachan(a)yahoo.com> Google Print is a new service from the search engine giant.They partnered with publishers and major libraries to put the books online.Google entered into agreement with Oxford, Harvard,Stanford and the University of Michigan to digitizetheir library collections so that they are available online. The project, whichintends to mark a revolution in the information age, is expected to take up to10 years, with cost estimates ranging from $150 million to $200 million,comprising some 4.5 billion pages of text, would help researchers and give poornations access to global learning. So next time when you search for something,the first links will show a book icon next to them, if your search terms arerelated to a book. If the book is out of copyright, you can read it for free;otherwise, you can read excerpts and will be directed to the publisher�swebsite. Try this for example http://print.google...com/print?q=siddhartha European Union is up-in-arms against this move as they fearthis will create a US-centric knowledge base and downgrade Europe�scultural heritage. Jean-Noel Jeanneney _ who aspresident of the French National Library presented a vision of Googlepotentially hijacking "the thought of the world" in a book hepublished this week entitled, "When Google Challenges Europe.". So 6heads of state of Europe lead byFrench President Jacques Chirac have come forward supporting the creation of a"European digital library" They asked the EU to launch a European digital library after19 national libraries signed a motion urging action against the plans by Google. With Regards, Jack Eapen Environmental Health Project (EHP India) F-9/4, Vasant Vihar New Delhi-57 Ph:011-5101 0920,2614 9771/81 (Ext.245) Fax:011-5166 9281 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ EHP India is the USAID Supported Urban Health Program in India Visit me at http://www.jackeapen.org

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Fw: [LIS-Forum] forum for school librarians
by Mrs. Vaishnav 10 May '05

10 May '05

Dear All, I am surprised that I have not recd. a single reply to this query, So am repeating the request, may be there is really no platform for this category of Libraries. With regards, Vaishnav ----- Original Message ----- From: Mailing List Manager <mailman(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> To: <lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in> Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 3:38 PM Subject: [LIS-Forum] forum for school librarians > > Date: Wed, 30 Mar 2005 12:34:59 +0530 > From: Mrs. Vaishnav <ytv(a)godrej.com> > > Dear All > > Here , in this forum we hv lots of interactions amongst Uni./corporate > Libr= arians. Is there a forum/group interactive for school Libraries? > > if so, pl. send the info. > > Regards, > Mrs. Vaishnav > (Consulting Librarian-Godrej) > _______________________________________________ > LIS-Forum mailing list > LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in > http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum

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RE: [LIS-Forum] InfoQuiz 2005- Grand Finale
by Babu Rajendra 10 May '05

10 May '05

Congratulations to all the winners of the event-:) It was a wonderful experience to attend such an event. All the day, I have enjoyed the insightful talks, expert opinions, Prof. Shalini Urs's open question for the further debate on PMEST (I guess this is the only event which was not planned-:), next came the Quiz, it's simply great (except some noise, which might have triggered hearing problems) and the final winners. To be honest, I was not been able to answer/guess not more than 30% of all the questions (though, I was not there on the stage). The Panel discussion: The real joy started there, as most of my contemporary Library professionals were confused about the topic "Library v/s Google", initially all the speakers started looking like they were favoring Google (adding to my confusion...) later turned the coin towards profession (with a lot of interesting observations such as glamorizing the profession by a statement saying all the Librarians are pretty, hence people walk into the Library and so on, later with a serious justification). The case studies, Examples, Personal experiences, in-depth analysis with numbers provided by Dr. Rajashekar of NCSI, IISc were very insightful and thought provoking. This is another great occasion for me to learn more on the issue. At the end of the day, I felt my day, worth spent for such an eventful occasion. Over all it was nice time we/I had during the event. Thanks again for the organizers for creating such a wonderful occasion for professionals to meet, discuss and learn. Regards, H Rajendra Babu Financial Research Analyst Capco. Bangalore- 560 034 T-+91-80-51997351 -----Original Message----- From: lis-forum-bounces(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in [mailto:lis-forum-bounces@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in] On Behalf Of Mouna Sent: Saturday, May 07, 2005 3:31 PM To: lis-forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Subject: [LIS-Forum] InfoQuiz 2005- Grand Finale InfoQuiz 2005- Grand Finale Congratulations to the winners and the runners up! The Garfield Team of Satya Prasad Acharya of InfoSys and Krishan Kumar of IISc walked away with the beautiful InfoQuiz 2005 trophy and the big bonanza of Rs.50,000 presented by Informatics and other sponsored prizes. The runners-up were the Dewey Team of Nabonita Guha of DRTC, ISI and Prasanna T S of Intel Technologies and they went home with cash prize of Rs 20,000/- (presented by Springer India and Annual Reviews, USA) and other sponsored prizes too. The 2nd runner up - Ranganathan Team of Manpreet Grewal from Infosys and Amar Harish from HP Labs did not have to go back empty handed(though naturally were a little disappointed). Each of the contestants received attractive gifts. The days of anticipation and waiting were finally over on May 5th as the curtains came down on the InfoQuiz 2005. The InfoQuiz was the keenly awaited event of the one day Informatics Silver Jubilee Seminar on "Foots prints in the sands of Info-Times' organised at Hotel Taj Residency, Bangalore. The event that was the talk of the information profession since its announcement on April 6th was a cliff hanger- with the Garfield Team and the Dewey Team racing neck to neck till the very end. By the time of the final Rapid Fire round, there was palpable tension and anticipation in the air, with both the contestants and the audience sitting literarily at the edges of their seats. The InfoQuiz trophy along with the big bonanza of prize monies and other of sponsored prizes added to the excitement and the passions of everyone. Prizes Won: Winners: 1. Trophy from Informatics India Ltd 2. Rs. 50,000/- ( Rs. 25,000 each) cash award 3. A 128 MB Flash Drive with a Digital Camera from Thomson Scientific 1st Runners-Up Team: 1. Rs. 10,000/- ( Rs. 5,000/- each ) cash award from Springer India 2. Rs. 10,000/- (Rs. 5,000/- each) cash award from Annual Reviews Inc 3. A 128 MB Flash Drive with a Digital Camera from Thomson Scientific 4. A Silver Pen by Informatics 2nd Runners-Up Team: 1. A 128 MB Flash Drive with a Digital Camera from Thomson Scientific 2. A Silver Pen by Informatics We thank everyone for their participation and support The InfoQuiz Team and Informatics _______________________________________________ LIS-Forum mailing list LIS-Forum(a)ncsi.iisc.ernet.in http://ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/mailman/listinfo/lis-forum ************************************************************************ The information in this email is confidential and is intended solely for the addressee(s). Access to this email by anyone else is unauthorized. If you are not an intended recipient, please notify the sender of this email immediately. You should not copy, use or disseminate the information contained in the email. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender specifically states them to be the views of Capco. http://www.capco.com/ ************************************************************************

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Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly Library open for Students & Researchers
by Vyasamoorthy＠icicikp.com 10 May '05

10 May '05

Dear Friends: Please read the News (extract) below. Kudos to Librarian Shaheena. How about pressurising other State Assembly Libraries to join the good move? Vyasamoorthy, P =================== Library of Assembly open for students http://www.greaterkashmir.com/full_story.asp?ItemID=4069&cat=21 Srinagar, May 9: Speaker of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, Tara Chand accompanied by the Secretary,Legislative Assembly, Mohammed Iqbal Ganai,Deputy Secretaries M.Ramzan and Sami Ahmed and other senior officers, the speaker inspected a well- equipped Library in the Assembly premises. Tara Chand expressed satisfaction over the clean environment in and around the library and also the facilities being provided to legislators and officials of Assembly. On this occasion , the Speaker directed the Librarian , Shaheena to allow the student community, lawyers and other enthusiastic readers to avail the facilities of this library for research work and higher studies . Shaheena informed the speaker that around 25,000 books on constitution , law, science, politics , various religions , social science and languages are available in the library. She informed that several modern and latest dictionaries and encyclopedias have also been kept available for the enthusiastic readers. =========sent by ============ Dr.P.Vyasamoorthy, Advisor, Virtual Information Centre, ICICI Knowledge Park, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet Mandal, RR District, Hyderabad 500078 INDIA Email: vyasamoorthy(a)icicikp.com Phone - Office: +91(40)23480053 Fax: +91(40)23480007 Phone Residence: +91(40)27846631

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Fwd: ASC- refresher course in LIS at University of Hyderabad
by Mailing List Manager 10 May '05

10 May '05

Academic Staff College, University of Hyderabad is organizing a "Refresher Course in Library & Inoformation Science". We are inviting applications from the eligible staff members working in the Depts. of LIS or Libraries. can you please place this information on the lis-forum, nmlis etc. for wide publicity. Participants can use our University URL to download the application from www.uohyd.ernet.in click on the Academic Staff College to open pdf document of Academic Staff College and the application form. They can print the form and send it ot the Director, Academic Staff College, University of Hyderabad alongwith Rs.500 DD payable to Finance Officer, University of Hyderabad. The program schedule is May 20th to June 9, 2005. with regards, Dr.E.Rama Reddy -- Dr. E. Rama Reddy I.G.M. Library University of Hyderabad Central University P.O. Hyderabad - 500 046 (A.P) India Telefax : (O) 91-40-2301 0318 (R) 91-40-2351 2877

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News for all googlers
by Ayesha Taranum 10 May '05

10 May '05

Hi, After the interesting debate on Google and libraries on 5th May 2005...here's a bit for the google fans. Regards, -- Ayesha Google Releases Web Accelerator http://www.personaltechpipeline.com/news/162800050 Google Inc. has launched in beta software that the company says will speed up the time it takes to search the Internet and to load web content. Web Accelerator, which is available at no charge, runs alongside a browser and directs all searches and page requests through Google's servers. The software supports Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox browsers. In improving performance on the web, the application makes use of a cache, or data store, on the local computer, as well as caches on Google's servers, Marissa Mayer, director of consumer web products for Google, said Thursday. The software is only available for broadband users. The desktop cache is for web pages that are pre-loaded based on a person's web activity. The software uses mathematical formulas to try to determine what web content the person is most likely to seek, based on prior behavior. The cache on Google's server is populated with popular web content based on the activity of Web Accelerator users as a whole. Feeding web pages either from a desktop cache or a Google server is normally faster than getting the content from the public Internet. In addition, Google compresses the data for faster movement to the browser. Google estimates that people who spend 20 hours to 30 hours a week on the Internet, could shave off about two to three hours a month in the time spent searching and loading web pages. Privacy advocates, however, expressed concern over storing people's web browsing activities. Such information could be subpoenaed later by law enforcement agencies investigating criminal cases or by lawyers in civil cases. "Google promises never to rent or sell the information to third parties, but it's still subject to handing over information through the subpoena process," Kurt Opsahl, staff lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a privacy-rights group in San Francisco, said. For consumers, the question is whether use of the software is worth the privacy risk, Opsahl said. Under Google's privacy policies, the company does not track an individual's web activity, but does collect aggregated data from people using its services. Data collected from Web Accelerator users as a whole won't be used in Google's advertising services for now. The company, however, could decide to use it later. "When you proxy your web surfing to Google, it does mean we will see the requests (for web pages and content)," Mayer said. "We have to, in order to optimize your web experience." The software does not cache encrypted secure web pages, which, for example, are used in online banking sites and retail sites. The application also can be shut off, and users can clear its desktop cache at anytime. Mayer argues that the benefits of the software outweigh any privacy risk. "It's a product that can save you minutes everyday, and that adds up to hours over time," Mayer said. Ayesha Taranum Executive - Information Services DSL Software Ltd. The Senate, #33/A Ulsoor Road Bangalore - 560 042 Ph: +91 80 51906790 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Make Yahoo! your home page http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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