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

Google to Host Open Source Projects
by Farooque Shaheen 28 Jul '06

28 Jul '06

Hi all, Google is going to host open source project like SourceForge.net. The project hosting service would be available through Google Code ( http://code.google.com/) the company's repository for various APIs and developer tools that can be used to add Google services to applications. http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_to_Host_Open_Source_Projects/1154037… Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366 Hi all, � � � � Google is going to host open source project like SourceForge.net. The project hosting service would be available through Google Code (http://code.google.com/) the company's repository for various APIs and developer tools that can be used to add Google services to applications. http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_to_Host_Open_Source_Projects/1154037… Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366

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PLANNER 06 Announcement
by Prem Chand 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

INFLIBNET is organizing fourth PLANNER 2006 at Mizoram University Aizawal. For detail information , please visit our site at http://web.inflibnet.ac.in/planner2006/index.jsp Convention date: November 9-10- 2006 Theme of the Conference: Digital Preservation, Management and Access to Information in the twenty first Century Sub Themes: Content Creation and Preservation Human Resource Development Metadata Digital Preservation Institutional Repositories/Open Archives Initiatives Standards and formats Digitization of Multilingual Documents Library Networking E-Resources Access to E-Resources Search Engine Last date for paper submission : 31st August 2006 Tutorial: Building Digital Library Using Open Source Software (D-Space, Eprint etc.) Who can participate? This unique convention will witness participation of working librarians and information professionals from universities, colleges, Government and other R & D sectors. The convention provides unique opportunity to following professionals 1 Library and Information Science Professionals 2 IT and Knowledge Workers, Policy Makers, Educationist 3 Information Service Providers and Vendors 4 Electronic Publishing Agency Prem Chand Scientist- C INFLIBNET(Information and Library Network) Centre An IUC of University Grants Commission Near Gujarat University Guest House Navrangpura, PB No.4116 AHMEDABAD-380009 India __________________________________________ Tel. 91-079-26305971 / 26304695; 26918368 (Res.) Mobile: 09427001489 ___________________________________________ Email: prem65_chand(a)yahoo.co.in http://www.inflibnet.ac.in INFLIBNET is organizing fourth PLANNER 2006 at Mizoram University Aizawal. For detail information , please visit our site at http://web.inflibnet.ac.in/planner2006/index.jsp http://web.inflibnet.ac.in/planner2006/index.jsp Convention date: November 9-10- 2006 Theme of the Conference: Digital Preservation, Management and Access to Information in the twenty first Century Sub Themes: Content Creation and Preservation Human Resource Development Metadata Digital Preservation Institutional Repositories/Open Archives Initiatives Standards and formats Digitization of Multilingual Documents Library Networking E-Resources Access to E-Resources Search Engine Last date for paper submission : 31st August 2006 Tutorial: Building Digital Library Using Open Source Software (D-Space, Eprint etc.) Who can participate? This unique convention will witness participation of working librarians and information professionals from universities, colleges, Government and other R & D sectors. The convention provides unique opportunity to following professionals 1 Library and Information Science Professionals 2 IT and Knowledge Workers, Policy Makers, Educationist 3 Information Service Providers and Vendors 4 Electronic Publishing Agency Prem Chand Scientist- C INFLIBNET(Information and Library Network) Centre An IUC of University Grants Commission Near Gujarat University Guest House Navrangpura, PB No.4116 AHMEDABAD-380009 India __________________________________________ Tel. 91-079-26305971 / 26304695; 26918368 (Res.) Mobile: 09427001489 ___________________________________________ Email: mailto:prem65_chand@yahoo.co.in prem65_chand(a)yahoo.co.in http://www.inflibnet.ac.in http://www.inflibnet.ac.in

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Are People Losing the Habit of Reading?
by Farooque Shaheen 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

Hi all, Are People Losing the Habit of Reading? (This is the topic of discussion in the NDTV site.) Let us discuss it in our forum. Here are the reasons given in the favour. 1. Influence of TV 2. Mobile phone (listening music and playing games) 3. Lack of motivation to study under our educational system. 4. Internet 4. More dependence on groupism in schools and colleges, getting info by sharing. 5. Information overload in all subject areas. 6. Movies 7. DVD's on computers 8. Lack of Patience 9. Busy Life ............................. and many more But there are people who says No! only the medium has changed. I believe increasing the reading habit of the people is the essence of our profession. Let's discuss it in detail. How better we can play role in this? Do we require special program in collaboration with publisher? Do we need to change the marketing strategy? Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Asst. Manager- Information Services Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366 Hi all, � � � � Are People Losing the Habit of Reading? (This is the topic of discussion in the NDTV site.) Let us discuss it in our forum. Here are the reasons given in the favour. 1. Influence of TV 2. Mobile phone (listening music and playing games) 3. Lack of motivation to study under our educational system. 4. Internet 4. More dependence on groupism in schools and colleges, getting info by sharing. 5. Information overload in all subject areas. 6. Movies 7. DVD's on computers 8. Lack of Patience 9. Busy Life ............................. � and many more But there are people who says No! only the medium has changed. I believe increasing the reading habit of the people is the essence of our profession. Let's discuss it in detail. How better we can play role in this? Do we require special program in collaboration with publisher? Do we need to change the marketing strategy? Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Asst. Manager- Information Services Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366

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Fwd: { Karnatak University LIS Group } Karnataka State Government Cabinet Meeting Decided to Librarian as Teacher
by Suresh Horakeri 27 Jul '06

27 Jul '06

Dear Sir/Madam, I am happy to know that Karnataka State College Librarians Association and Karnatak University College Librarian's Associations has succeeded in getting status of Librarian as Teacher (Karnataka State Government Cabinet passed resolution Librarian as Teacher on 21st July 2006) CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL Thanks, Regards, Note: forwarded message attached. Suresh D Horakeri BSc, MLISc,PGDLAN, Asst Librarian, BVB College of Engg & Tech, Hubli-31, Ph: 9341610603 (R) (0836) 2378422 2378422 (O) Emails ; sdhorakeri(a)yahoo.co.in horakeri(a)bvb.edu http://www.connotea.org/user/suresh1973 http://www.prajavani.net/jun192006/5758220060619.php --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta. Dear Sir/Madam, I am happy to know that Karnataka State College Librarians Association and Karnatak University College Librarian's Associations has succeeded in getting status of Librarian as Teacher (Karnataka State Government Cabinet passed resolution Librarian as Teacher on 21st July 2006) CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL Thanks, Regards, Note: forwarded message attached. Suresh D Horakeri BSc, MLISc,PGDLAN, Asst Librarian, BVB College of Engg & Tech, Hubli-31, Ph: 9341610603 (R) (0836) 2378422 2378422 (O) Emails ; sdhorakeri(a)yahoo.co.in horakeri(a)bvb.edu http://www.connotea.org/user/suresh1973 http://www.prajavani.net/jun192006/5758220060619.php Do you Yahoo!? Everyone is raving about the http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=42297/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/handr… all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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Chief Librarian: Centre for Development Studies Trivandrum
by J. K. Vijayakumar 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

The Centre for Development Studies at Trivandrum (Kerala) is a premier Social Science Research Institute supported by the ICSSR and the Government of Kerala. Its research orientation places a high priority on problems of development at the national and regional levels. The M.Phil and Ph.D Programmes of the Centre are affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Its Library houses the finest collections in social sciences and allied subjects. Applications are invited for the Chief Librarian position in the scale of pay of Rs.12600-375-15600 ((State Government pattern and is likely to be revised). Should have a first class Masters Degree in Library Science with fifteen years or more experience in managing a Library of computerised environment and should have knowledge in digitisation, computerisation process, expansion of technological resources and scholar outreach. Age limit is 45 years. Send detailed curriculum vitae, copies of major publications with the names of three referees to Director, Centre for Development Studies, Medical College post, Trivandrum 695 011, Kerala so as to reach him by August 31, 2006. For details visit Web Site www.cds.edu --------------------------------- How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messengers low PC-to-Phone call rates. The Centre for Development Studies at Trivandrum (Kerala) is a premier Social Science Research Institute supported by the ICSSR and the Government of Kerala. Its research orientation places a high priority on problems of development at the national and regional levels. The M.Phil and Ph.D Programmes of the Centre are affiliated to the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Its Library houses the finest collections in social sciences and allied subjects. Applications are invited for the Chief Librarian position in the scale of pay of Rs.12600-375-15600 ((State Government pattern and is likely to be revised). Should have a first class Masters Degree in Library Science with fifteen years or more experience in managing a Library of computerised environment and should have knowledge in digitisation, computerisation process, expansion of technological resources and scholar outreach. Age limit is 45 years. Send detailed curriculum vitae, copies of major publications with the names of three referees to Director, Centre for Development Studies, Medical College post, Trivandrum 695 011, Kerala so as to reach him by August 31, 2006. For details visit Web Site http://www.cds.edu www.cds.edu How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messengers low http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman8/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/ev… PC-to-Phone call rates.

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You are invited
by Gowri Ravindranth 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Dear Friends: Guindy Campus Library, University of Madras and Madras Library Association cordially invite you to a Presentation Program by Ms. Julie Stevens Regional Sales Director West Asia Pacific, Proquest Information & Learning (formerly UMI) on various products and information services offered by Proquest at School of Chemical Sciences Auditorium, Guindy Campus - University of Madras, Chennai on Friday, the 4th August 2006 at 10 a.m. Program will be inaugurated by Prof. M. Anandakrishnan, Chairman, Madras Institute of Development Studies, Chennai Please join us for lunch after the presentation program R.S.V.P. R. Ravichandran Allied Publishers Chennai 600 002 (98402 54697) mailto:aplchn@vsnl.net aplchn@vsnl. net Ms. Julie Stevens will talk in brief about various products of Proquest Information & Learning including · Proquest Dissertation & Theses and Dissertation Abstracts (Full Text database that provides access to all 2 million index and abstract records with full text access from 1997) · Literature Online (It provides access to over 174 journals, 3000 author biographies, 340000 works of poetry from 18th century to the present, over 6000 works of English and American Drama and 2250 works of Prose fiction) · Safari Tech Books Online (It is an ideal ready reference resource providing a level of authority, flexibility and currency unequalled by other online IT reference databases. The subscriber can choose from 3000 titles from over 20 imprints) · Periodicals Index Online and Periodicals Archive Online (Instant access to more than 200 years of scholarship and over 15 million article citations from more than 4700 journals covering Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences) · ABI Inform and Factiva.com (ABI Inform is the Gold Standard for Business & Management Information and Factiva.com has authoritative coverage of the latest developments in the business world) · Proquest Health & Medical Collections (Online Research Resources for Health professionals, administrators and students) · Proquest Science Journals · Proquest Social Science Journals and so on ùùùùùùù

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National Workshops on "Empowering Librarianship in IT Applications", Smt.HM Library, MSU, Vadodara
by Puttaraj Choukimath 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Dear Friends, Greetings! FYI: National Workshops on "Empowering Librarianship in IT Applications" at Smt.Hansa Mehta Library, MSU, Vadodara (Calender 2006). Please Visit (Click on National Workshops for the brochure in pdf): http://www.hmlibrary.ac.in Best Wishes, Puttaraj. Mr.Puttaraj, A. C. Asst. Librarian (Periodicals) SDTM Library, TATA Institute of Social Sciences, P.B. No.8313, Deonar, MUMBAI - 400 088 INDIA Tel: +91-22-2556 3290, Ext.285 (O) Fax: +91-22-2556 2912 Email: puttuc(a)yahoo.com, choukimath(a)tiss.edu URL: www.tiss.edu --------------------------------- Open multiple messages at once with the all new Yahoo! Mail Beta. Dear Friends, Greetings! FYI: National Workshops on "Empowering Librarianship in IT Applications" at Smt.Hansa Mehta Library, MSU, Vadodara (Calender 2006). Please Visit (Click on National Workshops for the brochure in pdf): http://www.hmlibrary.ac.in http://www.hmlibrary.ac.in Best Wishes, Puttaraj. Mr.Puttaraj, A. C. Asst. Librarian (Periodicals) SDTM Library, TATA Institute of Social Sciences, P.B. No.8313, Deonar, MUMBAI - 400 088 INDIA Tel: +91-22-2556 3290, Ext.285 (O) Fax: +91-22-2556 2912 Email: mailto:puttuc@yahoo.com puttuc(a)yahoo.com , mailto:choukimath@tiss.edu choukimath(a)tiss.edu URL: http://www.tiss.edu www.tiss.edu Open multiple messages at once with the http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40787/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/handr… all new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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advt in parliament library
by shashi jena 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Dear professional all, some post in House of pople and council os state. POST NO. 12: Senior Library Assistant in Lok Sabha Secretariat VACANCIES: 6 (5 UR: 1 OBC) PAY SCALE: Rs.6500-10500 QLFNS. AND EXPERIENCE: (i) Graduation; (ii) Degree in Library Science; and (iii) At least 03 years experience of Library work. Desirable: Knowledge and experience in Microfilming processes, computer programming etc. NOTE: Preference will be given to persons with qualifications/ experience in Documentation, Constitutional and Parliamentary Affairs, Foreign Languages museum archives etc. UPPER AGE LIMIT: 30 years. POST NO. 14: Junior Library Assistant VACANCIES: 7 ( UR) in Lok Sabha Secretariat and 2 (1 UR; 1 OBC) in Rajya Sabha Secretariat PAY SCALE: Rs.5500-9000 QLFNS: (i) Graduation; and (ii) Degree or Diploma in Library Science. UPPER AGE LIMIT: 27 years. POST No. 7: Research/Reference Assistant* VACANCIES: 1 (ST) in Lok Sabha Secretariat and 3 (2 UR; 1 OBC) in Rajya Sabha Secretariat PAY SCALE: Rs.7450-11500 QLFNS: Master's Degree in any discipline or bachelor's degree in any discipline with Law degree. Desirable: Degree or diploma in Library Science. UPPER AGE LIMIT: 27 years. SHASHIKANTA JENA GRADUATE TRAINEE CENTRAL LIBRARY IIT CHENNAI __________________________________________________________ Yahoo! India Answers: Share what you know. Learn something new http://in.answers.yahoo.com/

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Alliance to promote Open Document Format
by raghavendra patil 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

FYI_____ IT firms push for common PC lingo Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | Business (Mumbai Mirror 25th Jul, 2006.) http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=13&ar… Five IT companies, IIT and IIM form alliance to promote Open Document Format; educate centre, state governments about its economic benefits Sanjiv Kumar New Delhi: The common problem of being unable to open documents due to their being incompatible with the office suite on a computer, especially after exchanging files of various formats across different systems and software, may soon become a distant dream. At least thats what awaits the authorities if they listen to the five IT majors and two apex institutional bodies who have joined hands to resolve the issue. After all, the problem is quite persistent amongst government agencies causing inconvenience and delay due to different computers working with different operating systems. Sun Microsystems, IBM, Red Hat, Novell and CDAC in association with the IITs of Delhi and Bombay and even IIM, Ahmedabad have forged an alliance to spread the use of Open Document Format (ODF) in the country which could and would change the pattern of documents, storage, retrieval and sharing of data. What is ODF? ODF is an open XML-based (eXtensible Markup Language) document file format that enables the retrieval of information and exchange of documents including spreadsheets, charts, and presentations without regard to the application or platform in which the document was created, both now and in the future. Notably, ODF, designed to challenge the proprietary data formats from Microsoft, was developed as an application-independent file format by Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, a vendor-neutral standards organisation. Cost-cutting galore... Currently, 13 nations across the globe are planning to adapt to ODF standards which are also gaining ground in India as they entail cost-cutting measures. With ODFs growth, Indian government agencies and businesses are realising the need of this technology. We will approach the governments and its constituents and spread awareness about ODF, IBM India Country Manager Satish Kaushal told Mumbai Mirror. Regards @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Raghavendra Patil Librarian K J Somaiya Institute of Engineering and Information Technology Somaiya Ayurvihar Complex, Near Everard Nagar, Eastern Express Highway, Sion, MUMBAI - 400 022 (INDIA) Mobile:+919892428221 Telephone: 91-22-2402 8801/2408 0331/2404 2797 Ext:114 Fax: 91-22-2402 8804 --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta. FYI_____ IT firms push for common PC lingo Tuesday, July 25, 2006 | Business (Mumbai Mirror 25th Jul, 2006.) http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=13&ar… http://www.mumbaimirror.com/nmirror/search/mmsearch.asp?query=&sectid=13&ar… Five IT companies, IIT and IIM form alliance to promote Open Document Format; educate centre, state governments about its economic benefits Sanjiv Kumar New Delhi: The common problem of being unable to open documents due to their being incompatible with the office suite on a computer, especially after exchanging files of various formats across different systems and software, may soon become a distant dream. At least thats what awaits the authorities if they listen to the five IT majors and two apex institutional bodies who have joined hands to resolve the issue. After all, the problem is quite persistent amongst government agencies causing inconvenience and delay due to different computers working with different operating systems. Sun Microsystems, IBM, Red Hat, Novell and CDAC in association with the IITs of Delhi and Bombay and even IIM, Ahmedabad have forged an alliance to spread the use of Open Document Format (ODF) in the country which could and would change the pattern of documents, storage, retrieval and sharing of data. What is ODF? ODF is an open XML-based (eXtensible Markup Language) document file format that enables the retrieval of information and exchange of documents including spreadsheets, charts, and presentations without regard to the application or platform in which the document was created, both now and in the future. Notably, ODF, designed to challenge the proprietary data formats from Microsoft, was developed as an application-independent file format by Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards, a vendor-neutral standards organisation. Cost-cutting galore... Currently, 13 nations across the globe are planning to adapt to ODF standards which are also gaining ground in India as they entail cost-cutting measures. With ODFs growth, Indian government agencies and businesses are realising the need of this technology. We will approach the governments and its constituents and spread awareness about ODF, IBM India Country Manager Satish Kaushal told Mumbai Mirror. Regards @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ Raghavendra Patil Librarian K J Somaiya Institute of Engineering and Information Technology Somaiya Ayurvihar Complex, Near Everard Nagar, Eastern Express Highway, Sion, MUMBAI - 400 022 (INDIA) Mobile:+919892428221 Telephone: 91-22-2402 8801/2408 0331/2404 2797 Ext:114 Fax: 91-22-2402 8804 Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40791/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/handr… You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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Are Indian parliamentarians not interested in science?
by Subbiah Arunachalam 26 Jul '06

26 Jul '06

Here is an excerpt from a news report in The Hindustan Times, New Delhi Prof. C N R Rao, FRS, the Chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, had recently expressed reservations about "excessive" bureaucratic interference in scientific institutions. He had also aired his concerns in an article titled "Science in Crisis". He had warned that if the present situation continued, India could lose its eminent position in the scientific arena. "Bureaucracy today is unbearable. We cannot have the Department of Personnel in Delhi deciding on who is a good scientist or who is able to head an institution," Rao told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a recent meeting of the Scientific Advisory Council in New Delhi. Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology, on Tuesday (25 July 2006) said there was an urgent need to promote scientific temper. At a recent interaction with journalists and members of a leading think tank, he had expressed his exasperation at being unsuccessful in organising a debate on science in Parliament. "For the past two years I have been trying to organise a debate on science in Parliament but have been unsuccessful," he said. "This speaks volumes about the awareness of science in the country." Here is an excerpt from a news report in The Hindustan Times, New Delhi Prof. C N R Rao, FRS, the Chairman of the Science Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, had recently expressed reservations about "excessive" bureaucratic interference in scientific institutions. He had also aired his concerns in an article titled "Science in Crisis". He had warned that if the present situation continued, India could lose its eminent position in the scientific arena. "Bureaucracy today is unbearable. We cannot have the Department of Personnel in Delhi deciding on who is a good scientist or who is able to head an institution," Rao told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a recent meeting of the Scientific Advisory Council in New Delhi. Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister of Science and Technology, on Tuesday (25 July 2006) said there was an urgent need to promote scientific temper. At a recent interaction with journalists and members of a leading think tank, he had expressed his exasperation at being unsuccessful in organising a debate on science in Parliament. "For the past two years I have been trying to organise a debate on science in Parliament but have been unsuccessful," he said. "This speaks volumes about the awareness of science in the country."

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SRELS Publication
by SRELS 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Dear Sir : Kindly arrange to insert the following announcement by the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science for the benefit of Members. Yours sincerely, K.N. Prasad Executive Officer Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science 702, 42nd Cross, III Block, Rajajianagar, Bangalore 560 010 -------- Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science has been publishing the quarterly journal 'Library Science with a slant to Documentation' since 1964. It was founded by Dr.S.R.Ranganathan. The title of the journal was changed to Library Science with a slant to Documentation and Information Studies from Vol.25 in 1988 and to 'SRELS Journal of Information Management' from Vol.37(2000). The journal has been publishing scholarly articles and articles of practical use in the fields of library and information science and services. The journal will be entering 44th year of publication in 2007. The rate of subscription for Vol.44(2007) is Rs.1,000.00 (Rupees One thousand) only. The rate for foreign subscribers is US$ 125.00. We appeal for your cooperation and continued support to the journal. For subscription details you may contact : Executive Officer, Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, 702, 42nd Cross, III Block, Rajajinagar, Bangalore 560 010. Ph: (080) 23305109 ; E-mail: srels(a)vsnl.com Dear Sir : Kindly arrange to insert the following announcement by the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science for the benefit of Members. Yours sincerely, K.N. Prasad Executive Officer Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science 702, 42 nd Cross, III Block, Rajajianagar, Bangalore 560 010 -------- Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science has been publishing the quarterly journal Library Science with a slant to Documentation since 1964. It was founded by Dr.S.R.Ranganathan. The title of the journal was changed to Library Science with a slant to Documentation and Information Studies from Vol.25 in 1988 and to SRELS Journal of Information Management from Vol.37(2000). The journal has been publishing scholarly articles and articles of practical use in the fields of library and information science and services. The journal will be entering 44 th year of publication in 2007. The rate of subscription for Vol.44(2007) is Rs.1,000.00 (Rupees One thousand) only. The rate for foreign subscribers is US$ 125.00. We appeal for your cooperation and continued support to the journal. For subscription details you may contact : Executive Officer, Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science, 702, 42 nd Cross, III Block, Rajajinagar, Bangalore 560 010. Ph: (080) 23305109 ; E-mail: mailto:srels@vsnl.com srels(a)vsnl.com

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Open-source science
by Mailing List Manager 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:48:11 +0530 From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in> Here is a news story from Peter Suber's blog on open source science (scientists in far off places collaborating using open source software). The Internet and the web provide new opportunities and we must take advantage of them. Arun ------ More on open-source science Sarah Everts, Open-Source Science, Chemical & Engineering News, July 24, 2006. Excerpt: Scientists from Sydney to San Francisco have created an online research collaboration to develop cures for tropical diseases, using the "open source" programming model that produced freeware like Linux and Firefox, the award-winning Web browser. The motivation is straightforward: Tropical diseases are low priority for big pharma because the return on drug development is so small. Patients in developing nations just don't have the financial ability to pay for patented drugs. The structure is radical: Online discussions will prioritize a list of experiments that anyone can take on. Raw data will be posted online and discussed. Members of the consortium will solicit further ideas and expertise, hoping the greater research community steps up to the plate. The group, which operates under an umbrella website called Synaptic Leap [blogged here 6/3/06], hopes that volunteered time, computer power, and reagents will eventually result in a portfolio of drug leads that will be made freely available for development. Currently, members of Synaptic Leap are describing projects online and asking others for help and advice. Participants in open-source collaborations give up their ability to patent discoveries by definition, because their data are public as soon as they are posted. But some argue that when it comes to neglected diseases, there's nothing to lose, because there was never any income to gain.... If the group publishes raw data online in the pursuit of virtuous science, does this negate the ability to publish in a peer-reviewed journal? Will scientists put their raw data, and possibly their reputations, online? These and other issues were raised by University of Sydney chemist Matthew H. Todd and his Synaptic Leap colleagues in a recent essay entitled "Open-Source Research - The Power of Us" (Aust. J. Chem. 2006, 59, 291).... When it comes to the issue of publishing, [Jean-Claude] Bradley [who blogs his research data] argues that open-source discussions are similar to conferences, where people openly discuss unpublished research and do not fear being denied the right to publish in a journal, assuming the science is good. Todd says the biggest misconception is that proponents of open source are antagonists of peer review. "I think the value of peer review is clear, and I would want to publish whatever work came out of the open-source research. The question is whether the journals will allow it."

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Free access to journals help Brazil do better in science
by Mailing List Manager 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Date: Tue, 25 Jul 2006 07:35:08 +0530 From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in> Friends: Brazilian scientists in 180 institutions get FREE ACCESS to more than 10,000 journals and 16 databases. That has helped Brazil do better in science. Please read the news item appended below and download the full article as well. Every developing country should find a way to provide such access to a very large number of journals and databases to its scientists and research students. In many developing countries people talk endlessly about digital libraries but in Brazil there was some action. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] -------------------------------- CAPES Journal Portal and the growth of Brazilian science The Brazilian scientific research growth by 19% in 2005, and by about 50% in the past five, was celebrated by the President of CAPES, Jorge Guimar�es, in a collective interview given in the SBPC annual meeting. Measured by the number of publications indexed in the Thomsom-ISI database, the Brazilian scientific production in 2005 represented 1.8% of the world production and ranks 17th in the list of countries. Access to scientific information is one of the main lines of action promoted by CAPES to support the development of graduate courses and scientific research in Brazil. The CAPES Journal Portal has been in continuous operation since its launching in 2000; it provides, to over 180 academic institutions, free access to more than 10 thousand titles of scientific journals and to a selection of 16 major international referential databases. Roughly 5.5 million articles were downloaded in the first 5 months in 2006. The crucial role played by the portal to promote democratic access to scientific information is publicly acknowledged by the UNIFESP and BIREME read the full article

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One laptop per child - India has reservations
by Mailing List Manager 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:03:50 +0530 From: Subbiah Arunachalam <arun(a)mssrf.res.in> One laptop per kid not feasible for India! 20 July 2006 India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education. Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman. A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks. Source: Economic Times Why not examine the feasibility of using Simputers instead of the Negroponte computers?

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Researcher attitudes to open access
by Subbiah Arunachalam 25 Jul '06

25 Jul '06

Friends: Please spread the word. Pass this on to publishing scientists - professors, research associates, Ph D students, laboratory scientists and so on. The world should know that Indian (and developing country) researchers are overwhelmingly in favour of open access and free and unfettered flow of knowledge! Best wishes. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] ----------------------------------- Online survey of researcher attitudes toward OA A research team from University of Arkansas and the University of Munich has launched an online survey on Open Access & Science Publishing. You can take it, in English or German, until August 11. (Thanks to Yong Liu.) From the background page: Our research interest is with the attitudes toward and perceptions of Open Access of scientists in their double role as readers and authors of scientific publications.... Following a pragmatic as well as a theoretical approach, we are interested in identifying underlying barriers to the adoption of Open Access publications by individuals and in finding ways to overcome these barriers. At the same time we want to be alert to emerging business models for publishers and institutions in the future. More specifically, we are exploring: [1] Scientists' attitudes toward and current practices of Open Access, [2] Identification of the barriers that are mostly responsible for the relatively low diffusion and adoption of Open Access publications, [3] Identification of opportunities and ways to overcome these barriers, and [4] Research of country/subject specific-differences. Friends: Please spread the word. Pass this on to publishing scientists - professors, research associates, Ph D students, laboratory scientists and so on. The world should know that Indian (and developing country) researchers are overwhelmingly in favour of open access and free and unfettered flow of knowledge! Best wishes. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] ----------------------------------- Online survey of researcher attitudes toward OA A http://openaccess-study.com/en_authors.html research team from University of Arkansas and the University of Munich has launched an online survey on http://openaccess-study.com/ Open Access & Science Publishing . You can take it, in English or German, until August 11. (Thanks to Yong Liu.) From the http://openaccess-study.com/en_project.html background page : Our research interest is with the attitudes toward and perceptions of Open Access of scientists in their double role as readers and authors of scientific publications.... Following a pragmatic as well as a theoretical approach, we are interested in identifying underlying barriers to the adoption of Open Access publications by individuals and in finding ways to overcome these barriers. At the same time we want to be alert to emerging business models for publishers and institutions in the future. More specifically, we are exploring: [1] Scientists' attitudes toward and current practices of Open Access, [2] Identification of the barriers that are mostly responsible for the relatively low diffusion and adoption of Open Access publications, [3] Identification of opportunities and ways to overcome these barriers, and [4] Research of country/subject specific-differences.

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One laptop per child - India has reservations
by Subbiah Arunachalam 24 Jul '06

24 Jul '06

One laptop per kid not feasible for India! 20 July 2006 India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education. Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman. A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks. Source: Economic Times Why not examine the feasibility of using Simputers instead of the Negroponte computers? One laptop per kid not feasible for India! 20 July 2006 India's Education secretary Sudeep Banerjee's letter to his counterpart in the Planning Commission , Rajiv Ratna Shah, strongly disapproving of the 'One Laptop Per Child' idea USD100 each, cost to be borne by government for one million pieces floated by MIT, had instead asked the plan panel to invest similar money for universalisation of secondary education. Complete with technical problems pointed out by IIT, Madras, pedagogical suspicions raised by NCERT and first-hand experience of a senior HRD official, who found that the laptops have not even crossed the prototype stage, Banerjee had said OLPC may actually be detrimental to the growth of creative and analytical abilities of the child. The education secretary had said, if the Planning Commission has the kind of money that would be required for this scheme, it would be appropriate to utilise it for universalisation of secondary education, for which a concept paper has been lying with the PC for approval since November 2005, and on which, he also made a presentation in the Planning Commission, presided over by the deputy chairman. A detailed report by a senior HRD official, who attended the OLPC workshop in Massachusetts in May, found a series of faults with the concept and strongly recommended against accepting it. Since the laptops are in the prototype stage, the official found that hardware and functionality testing, using open-source Linux software, is still to begin. He also found out that due to the price of the battery and other hidden costs, the laptops might actually cost USD200. It also needs to be checked and certified in real time whether the connectivity distance between the local server and these laptops would be 0.5 km or 3 km as claimed. Another functional problem is that these laptops cannot be upgraded without changing the motherboard , which would entail an expenditure of nearly 40% of the total cost. The maintenance of these laptops will also require a substantial investment and reserve stocks. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshowcnews/1779354.cms Economic Times Why not examine the feasibility of using Simputers instead of the Negroponte computers?

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St Agnes College (Mangalore) Information Centre: Website hosted
by Gopakumar Velayudhanpillai 24 Jul '06

24 Jul '06

As requested by the Librarian of St Agnes College, Mangalore I am providing the following information, which was published in English daily for information of Lis-forum members. Please visit the website and inform your suggestions to the Librarian. St Agnes College Information Centre: Website hosted. St Agnes College Library, Mangalore has provided a benchmark for undergraduate libraries by hosting its own Information Centre Website. The features of the library webpage includes the listing of books,110 journals, 140 CDS and regular intake of magazines, and news paper clippings on various subjects can now be accessed on the World Wide Web. St.Agnes College is the first in Karnataka among undergraduate Information Centres to develop their own Website providing not only the list of the library holdings but a catalogue and book database on a Website. So for St. Agnes College having its own library website has a dual function; its catalogues are available internally, but outsiders can access the Website and can become at a later stage on line members if the modalities are worked out. The purpose of this is to keep in step with the staggering possibilities of internet and Web connectivity, so that when digitization becomes economically feasible, the library can take advantage of it. A right direction is what this recent advance means. You are most welcome to visit the site on the following URL. http://www.stagnescollege.org/library/heading.htm For any query regarding the website please contact me through bk.vishala(a)gmail.com. VISHALA.B.K. Sr.Librarian, St.Agnes College Mangalore-575002 DK Karnataka Gopakumar.V Research Scholar Department of Library & Information Science Mangalore University Mangalagangotri gopakumar.v(a)rediffmail.com Mobile No: 09447056713 As requested by the Librarian of St Agnes College, Mangalore I am providing the following information, which was published in English daily for information of Lis-forum members. Please visit the website and inform your suggestions to the Librarian. St Agnes College Information Centre: Website hosted. St Agnes College Library, Mangalore has provided a benchmark for undergraduate libraries by hosting its own Information Centre Website. The features of the library webpage includes the listing of books,110 journals, 140 CDS and regular intake of magazines, and news paper clippings on various subjects can now be accessed on the World Wide Web. St.Agnes College is the first in Karnataka among undergraduate Information Centres to develop their own Website providing not only the list of the library holdings but a catalogue and book database on a Website. So for St. Agnes College having its own library website has a dual function; its catalogues are available internally, but outsiders can access the Website and can become at a later stage on line members if the modalities are worked out. The purpose of this is to keep in step with the staggering possibilities of internet and Web connectivity, so that when digitization becomes economically feasible, the library can take advantage of it. A right direction is what this recent advance means. You are most welcome to visit the site on the following URL. http://www.stagnescollege.org/library/heading.htm For any query regarding the website please contact me through bk.vishala(a)gmail.com. VISHALA.B.K. Sr.Librarian, St.Agnes College Mangalore-575002 DK Karnataka Gopakumar.V Research Scholar Department of Library & Information Science Mangalore University Mangalagangotri gopakumar.v(a)rediffmail.com Mobile No: 09447056713 http://adworks.rediff.com/cgi-bin/AdWorks/sigclick.cgi/www.rediff.com/signa… http://adworks.rediff.com/cgi-bin/AdWorks/sigimpress.cgi/www.rediff.com/sig…

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Manipur University Recruitments
by rupesh kumar 22 Jul '06

22 Jul '06

Dear All, Manipur University calls for various faculty positions (Professors, Readers, Lecturers) in various subjects including Library and Information Science. The Last Date for submission of applications extended till 10th August 2006. Further Details on the University website: http://www.manipuruniv.ac.in/recruitment/recruitment.htm Regards, Rupesh Kumar A Department of Library & Information Science Bangalore University a_rupeshkumar(a)yahoo.com http://lislog.blogspot.com http://a.rupeshkumar.googlepages.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta. Manipur University calls for various faculty positions (Professors, Readers, Lecturers) in various subjects including Library and Information Science. The Last Date for submission of applications extended till 10th August 2006. Further Details on the University website: http://www.manipuruniv.ac.in/recruitment/recruitment.htm http://www.manipuruniv.ac.in/recruitment/recruitment.htm Regards, Rupesh Kumar A Department of Library & Information Science Bangalore University mailto:a_rupeshkumar@yahoo.com a_rupeshkumar(a)yahoo.com http://lislog.blogspot.com http://lislog.blogspot.com http://a.rupeshkumar.googlepages.com http://a.rupeshkumar.googlepages.com Do you Yahoo!? Get on board. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=40791/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/handr… You're invited to try the new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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OA in India vs. OA in the world
by Subbiah Arunachalam 22 Jul '06

22 Jul '06

Friends: I am reproducing below a short but very important news item from Peter Suber's blog. It talks about the rapid growth of open access archiving. In less than three weeks one million records were added to the OAISter collection. Currently there are more than 8.75 million records from 668 institutions. But what is the share of India? Less than 20,000 papers, may be [Can someone at OAIster give me the right figure please?]. We keep cribbing about our papers not being read or cited, but we do not take the simple step of making our papers widely known. Both Dr D K Sahu and Dr Murari Tapaswi have shown that making papers - papers by Indian authors - available via open access leads to a manifold increase in the numbers of their downloads and viewing. Dr Sahu has also shown that Indian papers on OA are cited far more often than those which are available only via toll-access journals. Others like Alma Swan and Stevan harnad and his colleagues at Southampton and elsewhere have shown that OA papers are read and cited far more often than non-OA papers. And yet Indian scientists and librarians are reluctant to set up open access archives. Of course there are exceptions. Matscience set up a mirror site for the well-known arXiv (the central archive for many areas of physics, astrophysics, mathematical biology, etc.) many years ago. IISc in Bangalore was the first institution in India to set up an institutional archive. Three CSIR labs (NCL, NAL and NIO) have their own archives, as do RRL, IIA, IIMK, NIT-R, and a few others. Incidentally, NIT-R has a mandate on open access archiving. But for a country of more than a billion people and hundreds of universities and research labs what we have done so far is miniscule compare to what we should have done. Subbiah Arunachalam -------------------------------- Rapid new growth at OAIster Heather Morrison, Dramatic Growth: July 20th Brief Update, Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics, July 21, 2006. Excerpt: On June 30th, I reported that OAIster had grown by more than half a million records in the previous quarter, for a total of 7.6 million records, and predicted that OAIster would exceed a billion records sometime in 2007. The pace of growth in the past few weeks has been dramatic indeed - OAIster now lists 8,754,367 records from 668 institutions - growth of more than a million records in less than 3 weeks. At this rate, an OAIster search will pass the billion mark much, much sooner than expected, likely in 2006. The list of new institutions harvested recently is long, and impressive. Friends: I am reproducing below a short but very important news item from Peter Suber's blog. It talks about the rapid growth of open access archiving. In less than three weeks one million records were added to the OAISter collection. Currently there are more than 8.75 million records from 668 institutions. But what is the share of India? Less than 20,000 papers, may be [Can someone at OAIster give me the right figure please?]. We keep cribbing about our papers not being read or cited, but we do not take the simple step of making our papers widely known. Both Dr D K Sahu and Dr Murari Tapaswi have shown that making papers - papers by Indian authors - available via open access leads to a manifold increase in the numbers of their downloads and viewing. Dr Sahu has also shown that Indian papers on OA are cited far more often than those which are available only via toll-access journals. Others like Alma Swan and Stevan harnad and his colleagues at Southampton and elsewhere have shown that OA papers are read and cited far more often than non-OA papers. And yet Indian scientists and librarians are reluctant to set up open access archives. Of course there are exceptions. Matscience set up a mirror site for the well-known arXiv (the central archive for many areas of physics, astrophysics, mathematical biology, etc.) many years ago. IISc in Bangalore was the first institution in India to set up an institutional archive. Three CSIR labs (NCL, NAL and NIO) have their own archives, as do RRL, IIA, IIMK, NIT-R, and a few others. Incidentally, NIT-R has a mandate on open access archiving. But for a country of more than a billion people and hundreds of universities and research labs what we have done so far is miniscule compare to what we should have done. Subbiah Arunachalam -------------------------------- Rapid new growth at OAIster Heather Morrison, http://poeticeconomics.blogspot.com/2006/07/dramatic-growth-july-20th-brief… Dramatic Growth: July 20th Brief Update , Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics , July 21, 2006. Excerpt: On June 30th, I reported that http://oaister.umdl.umich.edu/o/oaister/ OAIster had grown by more than half a million records in the previous quarter, for a total of 7.6 million records, and predicted that OAIster would exceed a billion records sometime in 2007. The pace of growth in the past few weeks has been dramatic indeed - OAIster now lists 8,754,367 records from 668 institutions - growth of more than a million records in less than 3 weeks. At this rate, an OAIster search will pass the billion mark much, much sooner than expected, likely in 2006. The list of new institutions harvested recently is long, and impressive.

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Library associations back open access
by Subbiah Arunachalam 22 Jul '06

22 Jul '06

Eight major North American Library Associations representing a vast majority of American and Canadian librarians are supporting open access. When will the Indian librarians lend their support to open access? When will they persuade the government - UGC, DST, DBT, CSIR, and other funding agencies and apex bodies - to mandate open access self-archiving of all publicly funded research? Best wishes. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] ---------------------------------- From Peter Suber's blog Library groups support FRPAA Eight major North American library associations have released their July 12 letter to Sen. Susan Collins in support of FRPAA. The letter will soon be online here and here. Meantime I'm quoting from a copy that John Ober sent as an attachment to the ScholComm list. Excerpt: We write in strong support of the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (S. 2695)....S. 2695 would promote widespread, affordable, and effective dissemination of scientific and scholarly research results. For this reason, we encourage the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to conduct hearings on S. 2695. Federally funded research is a public resource collected at public expense. Importantly, increased access to this research accelerates the pace of discovery and innovation and fosters economic growth. It is critical that this new research be readily available to physicians, researchers, and members of the public, including those who are unaffiliated with or working in locations remote from libraries that subscribe to in increasingly expensive journals and databases developed from federally funded research. Indeed, results of a recent Harris Interactive poll show that the majority of U.S. adults believe that federally funded research findings should be available for free to doctors and the general public.... [T]he Internet offers an unprecedented and cost-effective means to accelerate scientific advancement. S. 2695 recognizes this potential and helps to facilitate its realization. Its key beneficiaries include: a.. Scientists and scholars, whose research will be more broadly read and who will have fewer barriers to obtaining the research they need. b.. Funders, who will gain from accelerated discovery, facilitation of interdisciplinary research methodologies, preservation of vital research findings, and an improved capacity to manage their research portfolios. c.. Taxpayers, who will obtain economic and social benefits from the leveraging of their investment in scientific research through effects such as enhanced technology transfer, broader application of research to health care provision, and more informed policy development.... This legislation is not a threat to journals and the peer review process. The Federal Research Public Access Act contains two key provisions that protect journals and the peer review process: a.. A delay of up to six months in providing access to articles via the public archive (versus immediate access for journal readers). b.. Inclusion in the public archive of the author's final manuscript rather than the publisher's formatted, paginated version preferred for citation purposes. In some disciplines, freely accessible online archives have proven to supplement journal readership, not replace it. In physics, for example.... If Congress were to pass S. 2695, the most significant day-to-day effect on investigators would be improved access to research and increased impact for their own work. A growing number of studies demonstrate that research is cited more often when it is openly accessible on the Web. The process by which investigators deposit their work is expected to be relatively simple. NIH, for example, estimates that submitting a manuscript to their archive usually takes an investigator just 3-10 minutes. This legislation will not take funding away from research to any material extent. The NIH, for example, estimates that the cost of its public access program would be $3.5 million if 100% of the 65,000 eligible manuscripts were deposited annually. That is a tiny fraction (about 0.01%) of the agency's $28 billion budget. It is also a small fraction of the $30 million per year the agency spends on page charges and other subsidies to subscription-based journals.... The organizations signing the letter are the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), American Library Association (ALA), Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL), Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL), Association of Research Libraries (ARL), Medical Library Association (MLA), and the Special Libraries Association (SLA), and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC). Eight major North American Library Associations representing a vast majority of American and Canadian librarians are supporting open access. When will the Indian librarians lend their support to open access? When will they persuade the government - UGC, DST, DBT, CSIR, and other funding agencies and apex bodies - to mandate open access self-archiving of all publicly funded research? Best wishes. Arun [Subbiah Arunachalam] ---------------------------------- From Peter Suber's blog Library groups support FRPAA Eight major North American library associations have released their July 12 letter to Sen. Susan Collins in support of http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:s.02695: FRPAA . The letter will soon be online http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/scholarlycomm/action.htm here and http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/washingtonwatch/washingtonwatch.htm#… here . Meantime I'm quoting from a copy that John Ober sent as an attachment to the http://www.ala.org/ala/acrl/acrlissues/scholarlycomm/scholcommdiscussion.htm ScholComm list. Excerpt: We write in strong support of the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2006 (S. 2695)....S. 2695 would promote widespread, affordable, and effective dissemination of scientific and scholarly research results. For this reason, we encourage the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to conduct hearings on S. 2695. Federally funded research is a public resource collected at public expense. Importantly, increased access to this research accelerates the pace of discovery and innovation and fosters economic growth. It is critical that this new research be readily available to physicians, researchers, and members of the public, including those who are unaffiliated with or working in locations remote from libraries that subscribe to in increasingly expensive journals and databases developed from federally funded research. Indeed, results of a recent Harris Interactive poll show that the majority of U.S. adults believe that federally funded research findings should be available for free to doctors and the general public.... [T]he Internet offers an unprecedented and cost-effective means to accelerate scientific advancement. S. 2695 recognizes this potential and helps to facilitate its realization. Its key beneficiaries include: Scientists and scholars, whose research will be more broadly read and who will have fewer barriers to obtaining the research they need. Funders, who will gain from accelerated discovery, facilitation of interdisciplinary research methodologies, preservation of vital research findings, and an improved capacity to manage their research portfolios. Taxpayers, who will obtain economic and social benefits from the leveraging of their investment in scientific research through effects such as enhanced technology transfer, broader application of research to health care provision, and more informed policy development.... This legislation is not a threat to journals and the peer review process. The Federal Research Public Access Act contains two key provisions that protect journals and the peer review process: A delay of up to six months in providing access to articles via the public archive (versus immediate access for journal readers). Inclusion in the public archive of the authors final manuscript rather than the publishers formatted, paginated version preferred for citation purposes. In some disciplines, freely accessible online archives have proven to supplement journal readership, not replace it. In physics, for example.... If Congress were to pass S. 2695, the most significant day-to-day effect on investigators would be improved access to research and increased impact for their own work. A growing number of studies demonstrate that research is cited more often when it is openly accessible on the Web. The process by which investigators deposit their work is expected to be relatively simple. NIH, for example, estimates that submitting a manuscript to their archive usually takes an investigator just 310 minutes. This legislation will not take funding away from research to any material extent. The NIH, for example, estimates that the cost of its public access program would be $3.5 million if 100% of the 65,000 eligible manuscripts were deposited annually. That is a tiny fraction (about 0.01%) of the agency's $28 billion budget. It is also a small fraction of the $30 million per year the agency spends on page charges and other subsidies to subscription-based journals.... The organizations signing the letter are the American Association of Law Libraries ( http://www.aallnet.org/ AALL ), American Library Association ( http://www.ala.org/ ALA ), Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries ( http://www.aahsl.org/ AAHSL ), Association of College & Research Libraries ( http://www.ala.org/acrl/ ACRL ), Association of Research Libraries ( http://www.arl.org/ ARL ), Medical Library Association ( http://www.mlanet.org/ MLA ), and the Special Libraries Association ( http://www.sla.org/ SLA ), and the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition ( http://www.arl.org/sparc/ SPARC ).

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Congrats to Stevan harnad
by Subbiah Arunachalam 22 Jul '06

22 Jul '06

Friends: Stevan Harnad has won an award for the best poem in English in a competition (for poems on science and technology) held at the recently held Euroscience Oen Forum, Munich. Here is the poem. Publish or Perish As Science is mere structured common sense (http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CAA38.htm) her means but trial-and-error made intense, the only virtue setting her apart, and raising her above (some think) mere Art, Is her convergence ever on consensus: collective, self-corrective her defenses. A flagellant, she boldly does defy Reality her schemes to falsify. And yet this noble jousting were in vain, and all this pain would yield no grain of gain if Science were content, a shrinking violet, her works from all the world 'ere to keep private. Instead, performance public and artistic, restraining all propensities autistic, perhaps less out of error-making dread, than banal need to earn her daily bread. For showbiz being what it is today, work's not enough, you've got to make it pay. What ratings, sweeps and polls count for our actors, no less than our elected benefactors, for Science the commensurate equation is not just publication but citation. The more your work is accessed, read and used, the higher then is reckoned its just dues. Sounds crass, but there may be some consolation, where there's still some residual motivation to make a difference, not just make a fee (http://openaccess.eprints.org/) the World Wide Web at last can make Science free. Stevan donated the 300 Euro he won to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access in the US so that, in his words "in a small way Euroscience (thanks to the Andrea von Braun Foundation) can lend a hand to promoting the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA) in the United States. Subbiah Arunachalam Friends: Stevan Harnad has won an award for the best poem in English in a competition (for poems on science and technology) held at the recently held Euroscience Oen Forum, Munich. Here is the poem. Publish or Perish As Science is mere structured common sense ( http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CAA38.htm http://www.spiked-online.com/Articles/0000000CAA38.htm ), her means but trial-and-error made intense, the only virtue setting her apart, and raising her above (some think) mere Art, Is her convergence ever on consensus: collective, self-corrective her defenses. A flagellant, she boldly does defy Reality her schemes to falsify. And yet this noble jousting were in vain, and all this pain would yield no grain of gain if Science were content, a shrinking violet, her works from all the world 'ere to keep private. Instead, performance public and artistic, restraining all propensities autistic, perhaps less out of error-making dread, than banal need to earn her daily bread. For showbiz being what it is today, work's not enough, you've got to make it pay. What ratings, sweeps and polls count for our actors, no less than our elected benefactors, for Science the commensurate equation is not just publication but citation. The more your work is accessed, read and used, the higher then is reckoned its just dues. Sounds crass, but there may be some consolation, where there's still some residual motivation to make a difference, not just make a fee ( http://openaccess.eprints.org/ http://openaccess.eprints.org/ ): the World Wide Web at last can make Science free. Stevan donated the 300 Euro he won to the Alliance for Taxpayer Access in the US so that, in his words "in a small way Euroscience (thanks to the Andrea von Braun Foundation) can lend a hand to promoting the Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA) in the United States. Subbiah Arunachalam

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Fwd: IFLA Knowledge Management Section newsletter now available!
by Bhojaraju G 21 Jul '06

21 Jul '06

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Karen Muller <kmuller(a)ala.org> Date: Jul 18, 2006 10:57 PM Subject: [KMDG-L] IFLA Knowledge Management Section newsletter now available! Colleagues-- The latest copy of the IFLA Knowledge Management Section newsletter, Issue no. 2, July 2006, is now available in PDF format from the IFLA website at the following location: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s47/pub/KM-Newsletter2.pdf For more information about the work of the IFLA Knowledge Management Section, please visit the IFLA website: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s47/index.htm Please accept my apologies for the cross-posting of this message. -- Karen Muller, MLS Librarian and Knowledge Management Specialist American Library Association 50 East Huron Street Chicago, IL 60611 USA kmuller(a)ala.org Toll free: 1-800-545-2433 x 5031 Direct: 312-280-5031 Fax: 312-280-3255 http://www.ala.org/library A "Gathering at the Waters" Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) October 11-15, 2006 in Dallas, TX. www.ala.org/jclc Regards Bhojaraju G Knowledge Management-Lead *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Cognizant Technology Solutions | Techno Complex | 5/535, Old Mahabalipuram Road | Okkiyam | Thoraipakkam | Chennai – 600 096. Tel: +91 44 4209 6000 X: 8270 | VNET: 448279 | www.cognizant.com *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** KM Cyberary: http://www.bhojarajug.freeservers.com/cyberary.html KM-Forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KM-Forum/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhojarajug ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Karen Muller < mailto:kmuller@ala.org kmuller(a)ala.org > Date: Jul 18, 2006 10:57 PM Subject: [KMDG-L] IFLA Knowledge Management Section newsletter now available! Colleagues-- The latest copy of the IFLA Knowledge Management Section newsletter, Issue no. 2, July 2006, is now available in PDF format from the IFLA website at the following location: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s47/pub/KM-Newsletter2.pdf http://www.ifla.org/VII/s47/pub/KM-Newsletter2.pdf For more information about the work of the IFLA Knowledge Management Section, please visit the IFLA website: http://www.ifla.org/VII/s47/index.htm http://www.ifla.org/VII/s47/index.htm Please accept my apologies for the cross-posting of this message. -- Karen Muller, MLS Librarian and Knowledge Management Specialist American Library Association 50 East Huron Street Chicago, IL 60611 USA mailto:kmuller@ala.org kmuller(a)ala.org Toll free: 1-800-545-2433 x 5031 Direct: 312-280-5031 Fax: 312-280-3255 http://www.ala.org/library http://www.ala.org/library A "Gathering at the Waters" Joint Conference of Librarians of Color (JCLC) October 11-15, 2006 in Dallas, TX. http://www.ala.org/jclc www.ala.org/jclc Regards Bhojaraju G Knowledge Management-Lead *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** Cognizant Technology Solutions | Techno Complex | 5/535, Old Mahabalipuram Road | Okkiyam | Thoraipakkam | Chennai – 600 096. Tel: +91 44 4209 6000 X: 8270 | VNET: 448279 | http://www.cognizant.com www.cognizant.com *********************************************************************************************************************************************************** KM Cyberary: http://www.bhojarajug.freeservers.com/cyberary.html http://www.bhojarajug.freeservers.com/cyberary.html KM-Forum: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KM-Forum/ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/KM-Forum/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhojarajug https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhojarajug

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Publications
by SRELS 21 Jul '06

21 Jul '06

Dear Moderator : Kindly arrange to announce the publication of the following books by the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science for the benefit of Lis-Forum Members. Yours sincerely, K.N. Prasad Executive Officer Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science 702, 42nd Cross, III Block, Rajajianagar, Bangalore 560 054 1.. Natural Language Processing : An Information Access perspective by Dr. Kavi Narayana Murthy (xiv+371,HB; ISBN: 81-7000-485-3; Rs.850/-) This is an introductory book on Natural Language Processing, also known as Computational Linguistics and Language Engineering. This is a highly multi-disciplinary field, borrowing as it does, from such varied disciplines as Linguistics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence. Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics and Engineering. This book is aimed at beginners in any of the related subjects. The book is written in simple, easy-reading, almost conversational style. No background is assumed. It is hoped that this book will be useful for all those interested in human language computing. The book covers foundations of natural language processing as also applications such as Information Retrieval, Information Extraction, Text Categorization, Automatic Summarization and Machine Translation. Linguistic as well as statistical view points are included. Examples and illustrations are drawn from Indian Languages. Current state and future directions are indicated. There is enough material in the book to be used as a text book for a first course on the topic within library and information sciences, linguistics, computer science, artificial intelligence and other related disciplines. Parts of the book should also be useful for more advanced courses. 2.. Computer Based Library Information Systems Designing Techniques Revised Edition by Prof. Madan Mohan Kashyap (xiii+521, HB; ISBN : 81-7000-484-5; Rs. 1175.00) The Purpose of this book - Computer Based Library Information Systems Designing Techniques (Revised Edition) is to give accounts of systems theory to help one to understand the process of systems analysis and design as well as design better information technology based systems in libraries: to describe the methodology for conducting systems study and to explain the use and application of systems analysis and design tools and techniques. This book is written, keeping in mind the practicising librarians who are faced with the responsibility of evaluating library programs and procedures to identify the problem areas, that is, the situations where there are gaps or deviations between what is expected, what could or should be and find means to bridge the gaps. The second audience to whom this book is addressed is the library and information science students who may join a course in Computer Application in Libraries. Library Systems Analysis and Design or Library Systems Study and re-engineering Technique and Library Database Design and Development Approach. For Copies, please contact : Ess Ess Publications 4837/24, Ansari Road Darya ganj NEW DELHI 110 002 tEL: 011) 23260807 ; Fax : (011) 23274173 E-mail : info2essessreference.com url: http://www.essessreference.com Dear Moderator : Kindly arrange to announce the publication of the following books by the Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science for the benefit of Lis-Forum Members. Yours sincerely, K.N. Prasad Executive Officer Sarada Ranganathan Endowment for Library Science 702, 42 nd Cross, III Block, Rajajianagar, Bangalore 560 054 Natural Language Processing : An Information Access perspective by Dr. Kavi Narayana Murthy (xiv+371,HB; ISBN: 81-7000-485-3; Rs.850/-) This is an introductory book on Natural Language Processing, also known as Computational Linguistics and Language Engineering. This is a highly multi-disciplinary field, borrowing as it does, from such varied disciplines as Linguistics, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Artificial Intelligence. Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Physics and Engineering. This book is aimed at beginners in any of the related subjects. The book is written in simple, easy-reading, almost conversational style. No background is assumed. It is hoped that this book will be useful for all those interested in human language computing. The book covers foundations of natural language processing as also applications such as Information Retrieval, Information Extraction, Text Categorization, Automatic Summarization and Machine Translation. Linguistic as well as statistical view points are included. Examples and illustrations are drawn from Indian Languages. Current state and future directions are indicated. There is enough material in the book to be used as a text book for a first course on the topic within library and information sciences, linguistics, computer science, artificial intelligence and other related disciplines. Parts of the book should also be useful for more advanced courses. Computer Based Library Information Systems Designing Techniques Revised Edition by Prof. Madan Mohan Kashyap (xiii+521, HB; ISBN : 81-7000-484-5; Rs. 1175.00) The Purpose of this book Computer Based Library Information Systems Designing Techniques (Revised Edition) is to give accounts of systems theory to help one to understand the process of systems analysis and design as well as design better information technology based systems in libraries: to describe the methodology for conducting systems study and to explain the use and application of systems analysis and design tools and techniques. This book is written, keeping in mind the practicising librarians who are faced with the responsibility of evaluating library programs and procedures to identify the problem areas, that is, the situations where there are gaps or deviations between what is expected, what could or should be and find means to bridge the gaps. The second audience to whom this book is addressed is the library and information science students who may join a course in Computer Application in Libraries. Library Systems Analysis and Design or Library Systems Study and re-engineering Technique and Library Database Design and Development Approach. For Copies, please contact : Ess Ess Publications 4837/24, Ansari Road Darya ganj NEW DELHI 110 002 tEL: 011) 23260807 ; Fax : (011) 23274173 E-mail : info2essessreference.com url: http://www.essessreference.com http://www.essessreference.com

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ALA 2006 and Google
by Sukhdev Singh 21 Jul '06

21 Jul '06

Some of you would like to know How Google is interested in libraries and librarians? They had just participated in American Library Association's annual conference in New Orleans. Check out some of the Movies at http://www.google.com/librariancenter/librarian_movies.html and well as at Google Video. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-894250368419059367&hl=en Enjoy Sukhdev Singh, NIC. http://openmed.nic.in

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Open access to research papers gets a boost - The Hindu
by Sanjo Jose 21 Jul '06

21 Jul '06

Please have a look on The Hindu about "Open access to research papers gets a boost" at http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/07/20/stories/2006072000031400.htm Also have info on Blu-ray media in "Hands-on with high definition". at http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/07/20/stories/2006072000041400.htm\ Sanjo Jose --------------------------------- Find out what India is talking about on Yahoo! Answers India. http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/07/20/stories/2006072000031400.htm Also have info on Blu-ray media in "Hands-on with high definition". at http://www.hindu.com/seta/2006/07/20/stories/2006072000041400.htm\ Sanjo Jose Find out what India is talking about on http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/in/mailanswersshare/*http://in.answers.yahoo.co… Yahoo! Answers India.

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