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Special Lecture Invitation
by Krishnamurthy M 19 Apr '06

19 Apr '06

Association of British Scholars Karnataka Chapter and British Library,Bangalore Cordially invite you to the special lecture on "INFORMATION INDUSTRIES- A Global Perspectives" By Shri N.V.Sathyanarayana Chairman & Managing Director Informatics(India) Ltd, Bangalore 560003 at British Library On Saturday, 13th May 2006 at 4.30 p.m (Prof.I.K.Ravichandra Rao) (Mr.K.T Rajan) (Mr.R.Dhandapani) I.H.Jahagirdar President Secretary Treaurer Manager M.Krishnamurthy -- Dr.M.Krishnamurthy Librarian Indian Statistical Institute 8th Mile Mysore Road R.V.C.E. Post Bangalore 560059 Ph:91-80-8483002/3/4/4 Fax: 91-80-8484265

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Business leaders endorse open access
by Subbiah Arunachalam 19 Apr '06

19 Apr '06

Dear Rohan: Please forward this message to all members of the Library Working Group as well as working groups considering higher education and research. Thanks very much. Arun -------------- From Peter Suber's blog Business leaders endorse OA to publicly-funded research The Committee for Economic Development has issued a new report, Open Standards, Open Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the Benefits of Openness, April 2006. (Thanks to Ian Brown.) The report was prepared by the CED's Digital Connections Council of the Committee for Economic Development. From the executive summary: "Open science" is making scientific information available well beyond the subscribers of traditional scientific journals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are encouraging widespread publication within 12 months of the results of the research that they fund. Open courseware is providing self-directed students around the world with the syllabi and course readings of great university teachers. All of these efforts rest on the assumption that society benefits by increasing access to information and allowing more people to contribute their special skills and experiences. Advocates for more openness contend that openness will result in greater innovation than would be achieved by restricting access to information or allowing first creators to exert greater control over it. Such a belief in the value of tapping the collective wisdom is profoundly democratic. In order to foster open innovation, the Council recommends not only that the NIH should continue their efforts to expand the dissemination of the research they support, but also that other federally funded, unclassified research should be made broadly available. Consistent with the position it has taken in its earlier reports, the Council recommends that any legislation or regulation regarding intellectual property rights be weighed with a presumption against the granting of new rights. The burden of proof should be on proponents of new rights to demonstrate with rigorous analysis the necessity of such an extension, because of the benefits to society of further innovation through greater access to technology. Finally, the Council suggests that the National Science Foundation (NSF) fund research into alternative compensation methods, similar to those created to facilitate the growth of radio, to reward creators of digital information products and accommodate the changes brought about by the digitization and growth of the Internet. Posted by Peter Suber at 4/18/2006 08:40:00 PM. Dear Rohan: Please forward this message to all members of the Library Working Group as well as working groups considering higher education and research. Thanks very much. Arun -------------- From Peter Suber's blog Business leaders endorse OA to publicly-funded research The http://www.ced.org/ Committee for Economic Development has issued a new report, http://www.ced.org/docs/report/report_ecom_openstandards.pdf Open Standards, Open Source, and Open Innovation: Harnessing the Benefits of Openness , April 2006. (Thanks to http://dooooooom.blogspot.com/2006/04/harnessing-benefits-of-openness.html Ian Brown .) The report was prepared by the CED's Digital Connections Council of the Committee for Economic Development. From the executive summary: Open science is making scientific information available well beyond the subscribers of traditional scientific journals. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are encouraging widespread publication within 12 months of the results of the research that they fund. Open courseware is providing self-directed students around the world with the syllabi and course readings of great university teachers. All of these efforts rest on the assumption that society benefits by increasing access to information and allowing more people to contribute their special skills and experiences. Advocates for more openness contend that openness will result in greater innovation than would be achieved by restricting access to information or allowing first creators to exert greater control over it. Such a belief in the value of tapping the collective wisdom is profoundly democratic. In order to foster open innovation, the Council recommends not only that the NIH should continue their efforts to expand the dissemination of the research they support, but also that other federally funded, unclassified research should be made broadly available. Consistent with the position it has taken in its earlier reports, the Council recommends that any legislation or regulation regarding intellectual property rights be weighed with a presumption against the granting of new rights. The burden of proof should be on proponents of new rights to demonstrate with rigorous analysis the necessity of such an extension, because of the benefits to society of further innovation through greater access to technology. Finally, the Council suggests that the National Science Foundation (NSF) fund research into alternative compensation methods, similar to those created to facilitate the growth of radio, to reward creators of digital information products and accommodate the changes brought about by the digitization and growth of the Internet. http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_04_16_fosblogarchive.html#114540813… http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/permalink.gif Posted by Peter Suber at 4/18/2006 08:40:00 PM.

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European research to be freely available on the Internet
by Subbiah Arunachalam 19 Apr '06

19 Apr '06

From Peter Suber's blog More on the EC report Richard Wray, Brussels delivers blow to Reed Elsevier, The Guardian, April 19, 2006. Excerpt: Scientific research funded by the European taxpayer should be freely available to everyone over the internet, according to a European commission report - a blow to the lucrative scientific publishing operations of media groups such as Reed Elsevier and Germany's Springer. The report, produced by economists from Toulouse University and the Free University of Brussels for the EC, shows that in the 20 years to 1995 the price of scientific journals rose 300% more than the rate of inflation over the period. In the 10 years since then, price increases slowed but still significantly outpaced inflation. "While it is important to stress the societal value of the existing publication system, it is also important to acknowledge the societal cost linked to high journal prices, in financial terms for public budgets, but also in terms of limits on the dissemination of knowledge and therefore of further scientific progress," the report concludes. The report, published this month and open to consultation until the summer, recommends open access to publicly funded research. It proposes that researchers who receive EU funding should be "mandated" to place copies of articles published in subscription journals on web-based archives that can be accessed by everyone for free. The worry for traditional publishers such as Reed, Springer, Blackwell and the hundreds of learned societies that make their money through journals, is that if research is available for free on the internet no one will pay subscriptions.... Peter Willis, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and current chair of the science and technology select committee, described the EC report as "a good trigger for the UK government and science minister Lord Sainsbury to say this is something we support as well....I am delighted at the EC's recommendations and indeed hope it will act as a catalyst for the UK government to apply similar principles to the publishing market in the UK," he said. "Now is the time to bite the bullet and say this is the future of publishing."...[BioMed Central] publisher, Matthew Cockerill, said of the EC report: "It confirms what BioMed Central has been saying for some time - that scientists and funders are getting a poor deal from the traditional publishing system, which delivers limited access at high cost." Posted by Peter Suber at 4/18/2006 10:45:00 PM. From Peter Suber's blog More on the EC report Richard Wray, http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1756426,00.html Brussels delivers blow to Reed Elsevier , The Guardian , April 19, 2006. Excerpt: Scientific research funded by the European taxpayer should be freely available to everyone over the internet, according to a European commission report - a blow to the lucrative scientific publishing operations of media groups such as Reed Elsevier and Germany's Springer. The report, produced by economists from Toulouse University and the Free University of Brussels for the EC, shows that in the 20 years to 1995 the price of scientific journals rose 300% more than the rate of inflation over the period. In the 10 years since then, price increases slowed but still significantly outpaced inflation. "While it is important to stress the societal value of the existing publication system, it is also important to acknowledge the societal cost linked to high journal prices, in financial terms for public budgets, but also in terms of limits on the dissemination of knowledge and therefore of further scientific progress," the report concludes. The report, published this month and open to consultation until the summer, recommends open access to publicly funded research. It proposes that researchers who receive EU funding should be "mandated" to place copies of articles published in subscription journals on web-based archives that can be accessed by everyone for free. The worry for traditional publishers such as Reed, Springer, Blackwell and the hundreds of learned societies that make their money through journals, is that if research is available for free on the internet no one will pay subscriptions.... Peter Willis, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough and current chair of the science and technology select committee, described the EC report as "a good trigger for the UK government and science minister Lord Sainsbury to say this is something we support as well....I am delighted at the EC's recommendations and indeed hope it will act as a catalyst for the UK government to apply similar principles to the publishing market in the UK," he said. "Now is the time to bite the bullet and say this is the future of publishing."...[BioMed Central] publisher, Matthew Cockerill, said of the EC report: "It confirms what BioMed Central has been saying for some time - that scientists and funders are getting a poor deal from the traditional publishing system, which delivers limited access at high cost." http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2006_04_16_fosblogarchive.html#114541528… http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/permalink.gif Posted by Peter Suber at 4/18/2006 10:45:00 PM.

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Eminent physicists appeal to President Bush
by arun＠mssrf.res.in 19 Apr '06

19 Apr '06

Friends: Here is a news report you might wish to read. Ms Usha Munshi may kindly forward this to all Fellows of INSA. Regards. Arun ------- Prominent U.S. Physicists Send Letter to President Bush Discussion at PhysOrgForum Thirteen of the nations most prominent physicists have written a letter to President Bush, calling U.S. plans to reportedly use nuclear weapons against Iran gravely irresponsible and warning that such action would have disastrous consequences for the security of the United States and the world. The physicists include five Nobel laureates, a recipient of the National Medal of Science and three past presidents of the American Physical Society, the nations preeminent professional society for physicists. Their letter was prompted by recent articles in the Washington Post, New Yorker and other publications that one of the options being considered by Pentagon planners and the White House in a military confrontation with Iran includes the use of nuclear bunker busters against underground facilities. These reports were neither confirmed nor denied by White House and Pentagon officials. The letter was initiated by Jorge Hirsch, a professor of physics at the University of California , San Diego , who last fall put together a petition signed by more than 1,800 physicists that repudiated new U.S. nuclear weapons policies that include preemptive use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear adversaries (http://physics.ucsd.edu/petition/) Hirsch has also published 15 articles in recent months (http://antiwar.com/hirsch/) documenting the dangers associated with a potential U.S. nuclear strike on Iran . We are members of the profession that brought nuclear weapons into existence, and we feel strongly that it is our professional duty to contribute our efforts to prevent their misuse, says Hirsch. "Physicists know best about the devastating effects of the weapons they created, and these eminent physicists speak for thousands of our colleagues. The fact that the existence of this plan has not been denied by the Administration should be a cause of great alarm, even if it is only one of several plans being considered, he adds. The public should join these eminent scientists in demanding that the Administration publicly renounces such a misbegotten option against a non-nuclear country like Iran . The letter, which is available at http://physics.ucsd.edu/petition/physicistsletter.html, points out that nuclear weapons are unique among weapons of mass destruction, and that nuclear weapons in today's arsenals have a total power of more than 200,000 times the explosive energy of the bomb that leveled Hiroshima, which caused the deaths of more than 100,000 people. It notes that there are no sharp lines between small and large nuclear weapons, nor between nuclear weapons targeting facilities and those targeting armies or cities, and that the use by the United States of nuclear weapons after 60 years of non-use will make the use of nuclear weapons by others more likely. Once the U.S. uses a nuclear weapon again, it will heighten the probability that others will too, the physicists write. In a world with many more nuclear nations and no longer a taboo against the use of nuclear weapons, there will be a greatly enhanced risk that regional conflicts could expand into global nuclear war, with the potential to destroy our civilization. The letter echoes the main objection of last falls physicists petition, stressing that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty will be irreversibly damaged by the use or even the threat of use of nuclear weapons by a nuclear nation against a non-nuclear one, with disastrous consequences for the security of the United States and the world. It is gravely irresponsible for the U.S. as the greatest superpower to consider courses of action that could eventually lead to the widespread destruction of life on the planet. We urge the administration to announce publicly that it is taking the nuclear option off the table in the case of all non-nuclear adversaries, present or future, and we urge the American people to make their voices heard on this matter. The 13 physicists who coauthored the letter are: Philip Anderson, professor of physics at Princeton University and Nobel Laureate in Physics; Michael Fisher, professor of physics at the Institute for Physical Science and Technology, University of Maryland and Wolf Laureate in Physics; David Gross, professor of theoretical physics and director of the Kavli Institute of Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara and Nobel Laureate in Physics; Jorge Hirsch, professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego; Leo Kadanoff, professor of physics and mathematics at the University of Chicago and recipient of the National Medal of Science; Joel Lebowitz, professor of mathematics and physics, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and Boltzmann Medalist; Anthony Leggett, professor of physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Nobel Laureate, Physics; Eugen Merzbacher, professor of physics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and former president, American Physical Society; Douglas Osheroff, professor of physics and applied physics, Stanford University and Nobel Laureate, Physics; Andrew Sessler, former director of Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and former president, American Physical Society; George Trilling, professor of physics, University of California, Berkeley, and former president, American Physical Society; Frank Wilczek, professor of physics, MIT and Nobel Laureate, Physics; Edward Witten, professor of physics, Institute for Advanced Study and Fields Medalist. The physicists are sending copies of their letter to their elected representatives, requesting that the issue be urgently addressed in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Source: University of California, San Diego, by Kim McDonald

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Fwd: SciDev.Net Weekly Update: 10 - 18 April 2006
by Prof. N. Laxman Rao. 18 Apr '06

18 Apr '06

info(a)scidev.net wrote: Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:14:06 +0100 (BST) From: info(a)scidev.net To: naglaxman(a)yahoo.com Subject: SciDev.Net Weekly Update: 10 - 18 April 2006 THE ITEMS BELOW HAVE BEEN POSTED ON http://www.scidev.net OVER THE PAST WEEK. ======================================== NEWS ======================================== Bird flu update: 18 April 2006 http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2785&langua… A roundup of the latest news on the spread of the bird flu virus and the threat to human health. China cracks down on malpractice in fertility industry http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2775&langua… China's health ministry has issued new rules for controlling the use of reproductive technologies following media reports of unethical practices. Nitrogen emissions threaten biodiversity 'hotspots' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2776&langua… The rising nitrogen emissions from developing nations will put biodiversity at risk, scientists warn. Spend on science to beat brain drain, says WHO head http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2777&langua… The director-general of the World Health Organization has urged African nations to invest in science to tackle the brain drain. Genetic change helped pig microbe kill 38 Chinese http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2778&langua… A bacterium that normally infects pigs appears to have changed genetically, potentially explaining why it killed 38 people last year. Caribbean & Central America may get drier summers http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2779&langua… Researchers predict that by the end of this century, climate change could have cut tropical rainfall by 25 per cent in Central America and the Caribbean. Yeast 'factories' could produce key malaria drug http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2781&langua… GM yeast factories could become a cheap and productive source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin, currently in short supply, say researchers. Studies disagree on safety of lemon juice against HIV http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2780&langua… Researchers who disagree about whether lemon and lime juice could safely protect women from HIV infection will present their findings at a conference later this month. Planting trees 'will not cancel out climate change' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2784&langua… The planet's plant life will not absorb excess emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as previously hoped, say researchers. Climate change 'worse threat than deforestation' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2786&langua… By the end of the century, climate change could pose a bigger threat to biodiversity than deforestation, say researchers. OTHER NEWS Costa Rica: scientists give new president funding plan http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2783&langua… Scientists have presented Costa Rica's president-elect with a plan for increasing science funding from 0.4 to 3 per cent of the nation's GDP, with private sector support. [Spanish full text] Lack of scientists worries Uruguayan government http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2782&langua… Uruguay's education minister has called for an increase in the number of researchers, in order to build a more competitive country. [Spanish full text] ======================================== FEATURES ======================================== Not just weapons: nuclear science for development http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=512… Over the past decade, the UN's nuclear energy regulator has helped over 90 developing countries reap the benefits of safe radiation-based technology, reports Marilyn Smith. Chinese science: forging the future http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=511… Richard Suttmeier and colleagues describe how the Chinese Academy of Sciences is changing to meet the challenges of China's long-term scientific ambitions. (Source: Science) Tapping new wells: Qatar's education revolution http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=510… Qatar is investing billions in becoming the Gulf's top knowledge economy but will research excellence follow the money? Lone Frank investigates. (Source: Science) ======================================== OPINIONS ======================================== Do we still need the Cartagena Protocol? http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=489… Arnoldo Ventura argues that the international debate over the potential risks that GM crops pose to biodiversity is wasteful and unnecessary. ======================================== POLICY BRIEFS ======================================== How real is the threat of sea-level rise? http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=policybrief&dossier=4&p… warming causes sea-level rise not only by melting glaciers and other land ice, but also because water expands as it warms up. The consequences are likely to be significant, although mitigating action can be taken. ======================================== LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ======================================== UK development policy is not ignoring science http://www.scidev.net/editorletters/index.cfm?fuseaction=readeditorletter&i… Hilary Benn, UK secretary of state for international development, denies that the new white paper on UK aid policy has ignored science. ======================================== EVENTS ======================================== International Conference on Aflatoxins in Groundnuts http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=898&lan… Location: Guangzhou, China Date: 30 October 2006 - 3 November 2006 Biotechnology Havana 2006 http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=897&lan… Location: Havana, Cuba Date: 13 - 16 November 2006 International Conference on Digital Information Management http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=896&lan… Location: Bangalore, India Date: 6 - 8 December 2006 ======================================== GRANTS ======================================== Scholarship for young Muslim scientists http://www.scidev.net/grants/index.cfm?fuseaction=readgrants&itemid=283&lan… Organisation: King Faisal Foundation Closing date: 15 May 2006 Research Capacity Strengthening Programme Grants http://www.scidev.net/grants/index.cfm?fuseaction=readgrants&itemid=281&lan… Organisation: The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases Closing date: 31 May 2006 The African Fellows Programme http://www.scidev.net/grants/index.cfm?fuseaction=readgrants&itemid=282&lan… Organisation: Rothamsted International Closing date: 3 July 2006 ======================================== ANNOUNCEMENTS ======================================== 'Expose Urban Solutions' photo contest http://www.scidev.net/announcements/index.cfm?fuseaction=readannouncement&i… Agency: International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Closing date: 25 April 2006(extended) Global e-learning program http://www.scidev.net/announcements/index.cfm?fuseaction=readannouncement&i… Organisation: International Food Policy Research Institute Closing date: 1 July 2006 SciDev.Net's email alert is available in English, French, Spanish or Chinese, and in html or plain text formats. If you would like to update your details, or unregister from SciDev.Net, please go to http://www.scidev.net/register --------------------------------- 24 FIFA World Cup tickets to be won with Yahoo! Mail. Learn more info(a)scidev.net wrote: Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2006 14:14:06 +0100 (BST) From: info(a)scidev.net To: naglaxman(a)yahoo.com Subject: SciDev.Net Weekly Update: 10 - 18 April 2006 THE ITEMS BELOW HAVE BEEN POSTED ON http://www.scidev.net OVER THE PAST WEEK. ======================================== NEWS ======================================== Bird flu update: 18 April 2006 http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2785&langua… A roundup of the latest news on the spread of the bird flu virus and the threat to human health. China cracks down on malpractice in fertility industry http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2775&langua… China's health ministry has issued new rules for controlling the use of reproductive technologies following media reports of unethical practices. Nitrogen emissions threaten biodiversity 'hotspots' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2776&langua… The rising nitrogen emissions from developing nations will put biodiversity at risk, scientists warn. Spend on science to beat brain drain, says WHO head http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2777&langua… The director-general of the World Health Organization has urged African nations to invest in science to tackle the brain drain. Genetic change helped pig microbe kill 38 Chinese http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2778&langua… A bacterium that normally infects pigs appears to have changed genetically, potentially explaining why it killed 38 people last year. Caribbean & Central America may get drier summers http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2779&langua… Researchers predict that by the end of this century, climate change could have cut tropical rainfall by 25 per cent in Central America and the Caribbean. Yeast 'factories' could produce key malaria drug http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2781&langua… GM yeast factories could become a cheap and productive source of the antimalarial drug artemisinin, currently in short supply, say researchers. Studies disagree on safety of lemon juice against HIV http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2780&langua… Researchers who disagree about whether lemon and lime juice could safely protect women from HIV infection will present their findings at a conference later this month. Planting trees 'will not cancel out climate change' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2784&langua… The planet's plant life will not absorb excess emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide as previously hoped, say researchers. Climate change 'worse threat than deforestation' http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2786&langua… By the end of the century, climate change could pose a bigger threat to biodiversity than deforestation, say researchers. OTHER NEWS Costa Rica: scientists give new president funding plan http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2783&langua… Scientists have presented Costa Rica's president-elect with a plan for increasing science funding from 0.4 to 3 per cent of the nation's GDP, with private sector support. [Spanish full text] Lack of scientists worries Uruguayan government http://www.scidev.net/News/index.cfm?fuseaction=readNews&itemid=2782&langua… Uruguay's education minister has called for an increase in the number of researchers, in order to build a more competitive country. [Spanish full text] ======================================== FEATURES ======================================== Not just weapons: nuclear science for development http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=512… Over the past decade, the UN's nuclear energy regulator has helped over 90 developing countries reap the benefits of safe radiation-based technology, reports Marilyn Smith. Chinese science: forging the future http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=511… Richard Suttmeier and colleagues describe how the Chinese Academy of Sciences is changing to meet the challenges of China's long-term scientific ambitions. (Source: Science) Tapping new wells: Qatar's education revolution http://www.scidev.net/Features/index.cfm?fuseaction=readFeatures&itemid=510… Qatar is investing billions in becoming the Gulf's top knowledge economy but will research excellence follow the money? Lone Frank investigates. (Source: Science) ======================================== OPINIONS ======================================== Do we still need the Cartagena Protocol? http://www.scidev.net/Opinions/index.cfm?fuseaction=readOpinions&itemid=489… Arnoldo Ventura argues that the international debate over the potential risks that GM crops pose to biodiversity is wasteful and unnecessary. ======================================== POLICY BRIEFS ======================================== How real is the threat of sea-level rise? http://www.scidev.net/dossiers/index.cfm?fuseaction=policybrief&dossier=4&p… warming causes sea-level rise not only by melting glaciers and other land ice, but also because water expands as it warms up. The consequences are likely to be significant, although mitigating action can be taken. ======================================== LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ======================================== UK development policy is not ignoring science http://www.scidev.net/editorletters/index.cfm?fuseaction=readeditorletter&i… Hilary Benn, UK secretary of state for international development, denies that the new white paper on UK aid policy has ignored science. ======================================== EVENTS ======================================== International Conference on Aflatoxins in Groundnuts http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=898&lan… Location: Guangzhou, China Date: 30 October 2006 - 3 November 2006 Biotechnology Havana 2006 http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=897&lan… Location: Havana, Cuba Date: 13 - 16 November 2006 International Conference on Digital Information Management http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=896&lan… Location: Bangalore, India Date: 6 - 8 December 2006 ======================================== GRANTS ======================================== Scholarship for young Muslim scientists http://www.scidev.net/grants/index.cfm?fuseaction=readgrants&itemid=283&lan… Organisation: King Faisal Foundation Closing date: 15 May 2006 Research Capacity Strengthening Programme Grants http://www.scidev.net/grants/index.cfm?fuseaction=readgrants&itemid=281&lan… Organisation: The Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases Closing date: 31 May 2006 The African Fellows Programme http://www.scidev.net/grants/index.cfm?fuseaction=readgrants&itemid=282&lan… Organisation: Rothamsted International Closing date: 3 July 2006 ======================================== ANNOUNCEMENTS ======================================== 'Expose Urban Solutions' photo contest http://www.scidev.net/announcements/index.cfm?fuseaction=readannouncement&i… Agency: International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Closing date: 25 April 2006(extended) Global e-learning program http://www.scidev.net/announcements/index.cfm?fuseaction=readannouncement&i… Organisation: International Food Policy Research Institute Closing date: 1 July 2006 SciDev.Net's email alert is available in English, French, Spanish or Chinese, and in html or plain text formats. If you would like to update your details, or unregister from SciDev.Net, please go to http://www.scidev.net/register 24 FIFA World Cup tickets to be won with Yahoo! Mail. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/uk/taglines/default/fifa_trueswitch/*http://eur… Learn more

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Damning indictment of LIS profession
by K.Sankaraiah 18 Apr '06

18 Apr '06

Dear Moderator, Grateful for publishing the following in lis-forum. I wish to draw the attention of our professional colleagues to an article under the Musings, entitled "What are your bonafides?", by Mr Ranjit Lal in the Magazine section of the Hindu of 9 April, 2006. I think all of us should read this and ponder over the implications. I'm sure many of us must have already done so. The gist of the article is the author, obviously not a member, approached the librarian of the National Museum library in Delhi for help and the librarian promptly asked him to prove his bonafides. Ranjit Lal contributes articles to the Hindu and probably does so to many other renowned newspapers and journals. In any case he told the librarian that he uses the Teen Murthi library and the British Council Library in Delhi and he is working on a book for which he needs help. According to the article, this did not cut ice with the librarian. This article, I believe, is a damning indictment of the unhelpful and bureaucratic attitude of the librarian of one of the premier institutions of the country. It should rouse the collective conscience of the LIS profession and force us to think if in today's competitive world we can afford to have this kind of unhelpful attitude. Even otherwise, isn't service to the user at the centre of our profession ?. The aurthor rightly says the public pays for librarian's salary, allowances and the innumerable cups of tea, justifiable and just righteous indignation!!. How do we change this attitude?. I was under the impression that things have changed and we all swear by service. All the works of SRR emphasise this aspect. Because of instaces like this,( I hope they are isolated) the whole profession gets the stick. And this is why society does not give us the status that an intellectual profession like ours deserves. We need to do something here. Sankaraiah, K Immediate past President of the Madras Library Association (MALA) Dear Moderator, Grateful for publishing the following in lis-forum. I wish to draw the attention of our professional colleagues to an article under the Musings, entitled "What are your bonafides?", by Mr Ranjit Lal in the Magazine section of the Hindu of 9 April, 2006. I think all of us should read this and ponder over the implications. I'm sure many of us must have already done so. The gist of the article is the author, obviously not a member, approached the librarian of the National Museum library in Delhi for help and the librarian promptly asked him to prove his bonafides. Ranjit Lal contributes articles to the Hindu and probably does so to many other renowned newspapers and journals. In any case he told the librarian that he uses the Teen Murthi library and the British Council Library in Delhi and he is working on a book for which he needs help. According to the article, this did not cut ice with the librarian. This article, I believe, is a damning indictment of the unhelpful and bureaucratic attitude of the librarian of one of the premier institutions of the country. It should rouse the collective conscience of the LIS profession and force us to think if in today's competitive world we can afford to have this kind of unhelpful attitude. Even otherwise, isn't service to the user at the centre of our profession ?. The aurthor rightly says the public pays for librarian's salary, allowances and the innumerable cups of tea, justifiable and just righteous indignation!!. How do we change this attitude?. I was under the impression that things have changed and we all swear by service. All the works of SRR emphasise this aspect. Because of instaces like this,( I hope they are isolated) the whole profession gets the stick. And this is why society does not give us the status that an intellectual profession like ours deserves. We need to do something here. Sankaraiah, K Immediate past President of the Madras Library Association (MALA)

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Fw: Call for articles on institutional repositories
by Subbiah Arunachalam 18 Apr '06

18 Apr '06

Call for articles on institutional repositories Please excuse duplicate postings. Forward to other listservs and interested colleagues. _OCLC Systems & Services: International Digital Library Perspectives_ will be publishing a special issue on institutional repositories in early 2007. This peer-reviewed journal is looking for case studies related to the planning, implementation, collaboration, metadata decisions, ongoing issues, etc. of institutional repositories. Lessons learned, mistakes to avoid, cooperation among various constituencies are also topics of interest. Please direct all questions and proposals to the editor, Dr. Brad Eden, by April 30 for approval. Deadline for article drafts will be October 2006. Do not reply to this message; please send all correspondence to the email provided below. Thanks. Dr. Brad Eden Editor, _OSS: IDLP_ Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and Scholarly Communication University of California, Santa Barbara eden(a)library.ucsb.edu ------------------------------------------------- Ann Apps. IT Specialist (Research & Development), MIMAS, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK Tel: +44 (0) 161 275 6039 Fax: +44 (0) 161 275 6040 Email: ann.apps(a)manchester.ac.uk WWW: http://epub.mimas.ac.uk/ann.html --------------------------------------------------

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IGNOU accredited
by NIKHIL EYEROOR 18 Apr '06

18 Apr '06

Dear friends, In the web based free content encyclopedia Wikipedia, I came across an information that IGNOU is an unaccredited University. Please see the link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi_National_Open_University. As a person planning to peruse research in IGNOU, I would like to know the credibility of the information. -- NIKHIL EYEROOR LIBRARIAN, P.A.AZIZ COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY KARAKULAM , TRIVANDRUM, PIN: 695 564 MOB: 09447515691

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NCSI-NET Meeting
by Mailing List Manager 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2006 14:10:40 +0530 From: Nandhan Ravi <Ravi.Nandhan(a)capco.com> Dear All , The next NCSI-NET meeting will be held on Saturday, April 22nd 2006. As usual, the meeting will commence with a talk. You are coordially invited for the talk. Topic: Internet Search Engines & the Invisible Web What's New? What's Changed? Speaker: Anand T. Byrappa Manager, Library & Information Services GE Global Research, Bangalore Time: 10-30 AM. Venue: Seminar Hall, NCSI, IISc, Bangalore Kindly confirm your attendance by sending a mail to: ravi.nandhan(a)capco.com or anitha_m(a)aurigene.com With warm regards, Anitha M.K & V. Ravi Nandhan. NCSI-NET Coordinators. Regards, V. Ravi Nandhan . Knowledge Coordinator Capco IT Services Pvt. Ltd. Bangalore Ph: +91 80 41997351 VOIP: 67351 Email: ravi.nandhan(a)capco.com

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Librarians are insensitive to readers' owes.
by K A. Sardesai 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Dear Sir, This mail may be an exception. Actually this type of questions are bind by the organizations itself and that should not be blamed to the Library profession. The present Librarians are devotedly doing their reference service parts apart from their services to the organizational set up.Like marketing our products we ask the users to approach the Librarians for more and more references to increase their research and developments in the respective fields.Kindly do not reach to overall Librarian's attitude. I feel very sorry that you have directly blamed our profession. Kshipras

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[LIS-Forum] Felicitation-Smt. Lalithabai, DLIS, University of Kerala
by Saji S. Nair 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Dear friends, This is to inform that Smt. K. K. Lalithabai (‘Lalitha Lenin’ in literary circles), Reader, Department of Library & Information Science, University of Kerala is completing her ‘Shashtyabdi’(completion of 60 years) in April 2006, and formally laying down office on superannuation on 30th April 2006. She has been serving the Department for the last twenty-seven years as faculty member and as Head of the Department during 1989-93. Thousands of Information professionals working elsewhere in India and abroad may be her fond disciples who still cherish memories of her classes. All her students and well-wishers are cordially invited to the felicitation programme to be held at DLIS, University Kerala on 29th April 2006. You can wish the beloved teacher at dliskerala(a)email.com Lalitha teacher, through her motherly affection, endeared herself as a friend, philosopher and guide not only on academic and professional issues but also on personal matters. As ‘Lalitha Lenin’, she is well known in social, cultural and literary fields as well. She has a rare combination of gifted teacher, a talented litterateur and an accomplished social activist who assiduously champions the cause of the marginalized and the downtrodden. All the literary works that she has authored were well received and she has been honoured with a number of literary awards. As a member of the judging committees of many of the prestigious awards in literature and film she has earned a reputation for her unbiased and critical appraisal. She always makes use of these opportunities to uphold the role played by Information Science and Information profession in every field of knowledge, especially literature. On behalf of the felicitation committee, this message is posted by Saji S. Nair Regional Cancer Centre Library Thiruvananthapuram Kerala www.rcctvm.org _______________________________________________ Join Excite! - http://www.excite.com The most personalized portal on the Web!

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Greenstone Support effort for South Asia has been launched on
by mgsree＠iimk.ac.in 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Dear Colleagues: We are pleased to announce the launch of the Greenstone Support Organization for South Asia on April 5, 2006. Our objective is to ensure effective promotion and support for Greenstone in the South Asia region. The support site is available at http://greenstonesupport.iimk.ac.in. Please visit the site and your valued contributions towards enriching the site are most welcome. An E-List with the ID greenstonesupport(a)iimk.ac.in is also established for this purpose. Your contributions/suggestions/comments for attention by the community can be submitted to this mail ID. Other functions as well as subscription to the E-List are explained in the site. This E-List (Support Forum) is the first step in the establishment of a Greenstone Support Organization for India (GSOI). To this end, the CDDL is coordinating the development of a network of Greenstone users and a feasibility study on GSOI under the supervision of an Advisory Committee (names given in the site). Our profound thanks to the Greenstone team at Waikato, UNESCO, Greenstone Experts and Advisors from India for their wholehearted support and encouragement in this regard. With best regards, Sreekumar/John Rose (IIMK) /(Research Associate, University of Waikato) -- Dr. M. G. Sreekumar Librarian & Head, Center for Development of Digital Libraries (CDDL) Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode IIMK Campus P.O. Kozhikode, Kerala, India-673 570 ----------------------------------------- Phone : +91 495 2809140 Fax : +91 495 2803010/11 Email : mgsree(a)iimk.ac.in Web : www.iimk.ac.in =========================================

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assistance from freelancers
by Mailing List Manager 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2006 11:53:34 +0530 From: guhamba <guhamba(a)informindia.co.in> Dear All, We need the assistance of a few freelancers in and around Malleshwaram, Bangalore, with proficiency in one or more of the Indian languages that include Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati and Punjabi, apart from English. The freelancer should be capable of: a) Translating front pages of publications in Indian langauge(s) to English. b) Transliterating as per standards for which a one-time training will be imparted. Having an MLIS background will be an added advantage. Those interested may pl. contact with resume: guhamba(a)informindia.co.in Regards, D.Guhamba Informatics India Ltd 112/7 11 th Cross 5th Main Malleswaram Bangalore 560 003

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Why Are some Librarians so Insensitive...
by Chitra P Rao 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

I read the article by Ranjit Lall and have to accept that some or most of us are so cought up by our rules that we forget that our prime objective is to provide information.. Yes to our bonafide memebers.. which we can accomplish very easily from the second meeting. First we should always give the service and then refer the user to our rules and ask for memberships etc. Unless we develop these PR Skills we will remain insensitive. The rules are made for us to manage the Library and we can definitely ensure this but with more care and politeness. It is also necessary oftentimes to explain the user , the funding and who should use the Library etc after you have served once.. Hence its only the first crucial step which is very important that all of us must take. It is not necessary that all Libraries accomadate all users, but the refusal should be a guidance rather than a Negative... Hope we all can contain ourselves, and not succumb to say NO. I also analyse this as an occupational hazard over the last 25 years I have worked in this field.. Many a time we say a categorical NO which may sound rude but is not so because we actually know that it is not there. But here again if we temper our NO we will seems more accomadative and eager to Help which is what we should project. Sr Librarian and Head LIS NITIE Mumbai 400 087 ph: 28573371 extn 337

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A book on Open Access
by Sukhdev Singh 17 Apr '06

17 Apr '06

Dear Friends Following book on Open Access is available for download. Willinsky, J. (2005) The Access Principle: The Case for Open Access to Research and Scholarship MIT Press < https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/willinsky/TheAccessPrinciple_TheMITPress_026… > --Sukhdev Singh, NIC. http://openmed.nic.in

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Google Calendar
by Sreeharsha_Gopalakrishna＠i2.com 16 Apr '06

16 Apr '06

Google has launched a new service. and this time its about time and more precisely Google will help you organize your time with Google Calendar. Google Calendar is a very strong initial release, with a good balance between powerful features and ease of use. The ability to easily work with multiple calendars and the sharing features are particularly appealing, especially for people who are dissatisfied with their current calendar application. Trying the Google Calendar is low-risk—if you don't like it, you can simply export your information and import it back into your current calendar application. Using Google Calendar, you can create an event, set reminder and even you can notify others about the event, by entering their email id. Looks like Google has taken a leaf from IBM Lotus Notes. Currently those who have Gmail ID can make use of it. www.google.com/calendar Regards ~Sreeharsha BG

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Internet for schools
by Subbiah Arunachalam 15 Apr '06

15 Apr '06

Internet2 Survey Finds Over 46,000 K20 Institutions Connected to its Advanced Network K20 access to advanced networking more than quadruples in four years. http://k20.internet2.edu/survey/survey_index.php More than 46,000 K-12 schools, community colleges, libraries, and museums in 35 U.S. states are now connected to the Internet2 backbone network according to the results of a bi-annual survey, released recently. The survey highlights the success of the nationwide Internet2 K20 Initiative in bringing together Internet2 member institutions and innovators from primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, libraries, and museums to extend new technologies, applications, and advanced content to all educational sectors across the country. -------------- Friends: It is important for us in India to provide Internet connectivity (of reasonable bandwidth) to all our educational institutions. It may sound esoteric, but it is a real need. While we still have schools without proper classrooms, blackboards and decent buildings, one may feel some trepidation to talk about Internet in every school. In my view both are important. We should work on both content and the best means to disseminate/ access the content. It is in this context, both open access and open course ware acquire tremendous importance. Look at what the Azim Premji Foundation is doing in distant hamlets in Kolar district. They have set up many computers in village schools (in mud buildings) and have employed a local graduate trained in computers and educational materal in CD-ROM and are enabling children of class 3 onwards to use the computers and augment their classroom learning with CD-ROM supplements. Look at what the National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity is aiming to do. Through a network of village knowledge centres and trained volunteers (from among the local communities), NVA is attempting to spread the knowledge revolution in rural India. The Knowledge Commission will do well to work with this enthusiastic rural cadres. Subbiah Arunachalam Internet2 Survey Finds Over 46,000 K20 Institutions Connected to its Advanced Network K20 access to advanced networking more than quadruples in four years. http://k20.internet2.edu/survey/survey_index.php http://k20.internet2.edu/survey/survey_index.php More than 46,000 K-12 schools, community colleges, libraries, and museums in 35 U.S. states are now connected to the Internet2 backbone network according to the results of a bi-annual survey, released recently. The survey highlights the success of the nationwide Internet2 K20 Initiative in bringing together Internet2 member institutions and innovators from primary and secondary schools, colleges and universities, libraries, and museums to extend new technologies, applications, and advanced content to all educational sectors across the country. -------------- Friends: It is important for us in India to provide Internet connectivity (of reasonable bandwidth) to all our educational institutions. It may sound esoteric, but it is a real need. While we still have schools without proper classrooms, blackboards and decent buildings, one may feel some trepidation to talk about Internet in every school. In my view both are important. We should work on both content and the best means to disseminate/ access the content. It is in this context, both open access and open course ware acquire tremendous importance. Look at what the Azim Premji Foundation is doing in distant hamlets in Kolar district. They have set up many computers in village schools (in mud buildings) and have employed a local graduate trained in computers and educational materal in CD-ROM and are enabling children of class 3 onwards to use the computers and augment their classroom learning with CD-ROM supplements. Look at what the National Virtual Academy for Rural Prosperity is aiming to do. Through a network of village knowledge centres and trained volunteers (from among the local communities), NVA is attempting to spread the knowledge revolution in rural India. The Knowledge Commission will do well to work with this enthusiastic rural cadres. Subbiah Arunachalam

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Vacancy for the post of Library assistant
by js vijaya 15 Apr '06

15 Apr '06

Dear Moderater, Kindly announce the following message. Rush your resume / contact the Librarian (080-7828657 or 9886380349) for the post of of Library Asst. Preferred male BLISc candidate who is willing to work on shift basis. Address: Administrative Management College 18th K.M. , Bannerghatta Road Opp. Union staff Training college Bangalore-560083 Vijayalakshmi J S Librarian Administrative Management College 18th K M Bannerghatta Road Bangalore 560083 Ph: 080-7828657 Mob:9886380349 e-mail:jsvijaya@yahoo.com __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Request for article
by PRASHANTA KUMAR 13 Apr '06

13 Apr '06

Dear Sir/Madam I will be thank full to you if anybody help me to get the blow mentioned article , & kindly consider it as an urgent message. Author : Singh D & Ahuja PS Title: 5S rDNA gene diversity in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) and its use for variety identification. Journal Details- "Genome", Vol.- 49, No- 1, year . 2006 Page- 91-96 Publisher- NRC Research Press, Canada Thanking You Thanks & Regards, PRASHANTA **************** IHBT, (CSIR), Govt. of India Library, Palampur, HP, Pin- 176061 Mobile- +91 94 18 18 44 21 --------------------------------- Jiyo cricket on Yahoo! India cricket Yahoo! Messenger Mobile Stay in touch with your buddies all the time. Dear Sir/Madam I will be thank full to you if anybody help me to get the blow mentioned article , & kindly consider it as an urgent message. Author : Singh D & Ahuja PS Title: 5S rDNA gene diversity in tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) and its use for variety identification. Journal Details- "Genome", Vol.- 49, No- 1, year . 2006 Page- 91-96 Publisher- NRC Research Press , Canada Thanking You Thanks & Regards, PRASHANTA **************** IHBT, (CSIR), Govt. of India Library, Palampur, HP, Pin- 176061 Mobile- +91 94 18 18 44 21 Jiyo cricket on http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/in/mailcricket/*http://in.sports.yahoo.com/cric… Yahoo! India cricket http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/in/mailmobilemessenger/*http://in.mobile.yahoo.… Yahoo! Messenger Mobile Stay in touch with your buddies all the time.

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Rajasthan enacts Library Legislation Act
by D Jotwani 13 Apr '06

13 Apr '06

Dear All You will be pleased to know that the Rajasthan Assembly passed Public Libraries Act 2006 last week. The news was covered bery briefly by local press which I could see during my visit to Udaipur. All the members of Rajasthan Library Association and other professionals who worked hard for this purpose deserve our appreciation and congratulations for the job well done. Regards. -- D. Jotwani Librarian Indian Institute of Technology Bombay Powai, Mumbai 400076 Phone 91-22-25768920, 91-22-25720227

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First Author: a resource for scientists for publishing scientific research
by Sukhdev Singh 13 Apr '06

13 Apr '06

Friends, Just came to know about a site called First Author < http://www.firstauthor.org/index.html > . It is a resource for scientists dedicated to innovations in, and debates surrounding, publishing scientific research. It reports news from top journals, publishers, and funding and research bodies. New technologies for referencing, producing, and archiving scientific papers are reviewed here. Long-term debates in scientific writing such as peer review, impact factors, open access publishing, and intellectual property are also discussed. --Sukhdev Singh, NIC. http://openmed.nic.in

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Caseplace.org
by vimal kumar 13 Apr '06

13 Apr '06

Dear Professional, CasePlace.org is a free service of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program. CasePlace offers a wide range of business education materials in social impact management, sustainability and business ethics. The site contains cases and teaching notes, teaching modules, journal articles, course syllabi, books, conference announcements, current events and more. Vimal Kumar Asian School of Business Technopark Trivandrum-695 581 vimal0212(a)yahoo.com --------------------------------- Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Dear Professional, CasePlace.org is a free service of the Aspen Institute Business and Society Program. CasePlace offers a wide range of business education materials in social impact management, sustainability and business ethics. The site contains cases and teaching notes, teaching modules, journal articles, course syllabi, books, conference announcements, current events and more. Vimal Kumar Asian School of Business Technopark Trivandrum-695 581 vimal0212(a)yahoo.com Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail_us/taglines/postman2/*http://us.rd.yahoo.com/ev… PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice.

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Trials is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal
by sandeep bhavsar 13 Apr '06

13 Apr '06

Trials http://www.trialsjournal.com/ Trials is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal that will encompass all aspects of the performance and findings of randomized controlled trials. Trials will experiment with, and then refine, innovative approaches to improving communication about trials. They are keen to move beyond publishing traditional trial results articles (although these will be included). They believe this represents an exciting opportunity to advance the science and reporting of trials. Prior to 2006, Trials was published as Current Controlled Trials in Cardiovascular Medicine (CCTCVM). All published CCTCVM articles are available via the Trials website and citations to CCTCVM article URLs will continue to be supported. The impact factor shown relates to articles published in CCTCVM during 2003-4. Making all its content open access and not retaining copyright, Trials offers a way to make data both freely available and highly visible to trialists worldwide; this will benefit the impact of your publication among peers and society. The journal has unrestricted space and takes advantage of all the technical possibilities available for electronic publishing. To date, journals have focused on reporting the results of trials, with very little coverage of why and how they are conducted. Reports of trials have been restricted both by authors and editors - both parties often select only a subset of the outcomes measured, while the latter often impose word limits on the articles published making it difficult to communicate the lessons learnt from conducting the trial, let alone include adequate details of how the trial was conducted. The Internet offers both unlimited space and interactivity, and they are keen to harness these attributes. For instance, trialists will be able to provide the detail required to be a true scientific record and do more to make the article's message comprehensible to a variety of reader groups. They will also be able to communicate not only all outcome measures, as well as varying analyses and interpretations, but also in-depth descriptions of what they did and what they learnt. This sharing of direct experience is fundamental to improving the quality and conduct of trials worldwide. Thanks and Regards Sandeep Bhavsar Librarian Dr.V.N.Bedekar Institute of Research & Management Studies Thane (w) 400601 ------------------------------------------------------ Phone (Off) 25364492 25446554 Mobile 9870484626 email sandeep(a)vpmthane.org Website www.vpmthane.org ----------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail Trials http://www.trialsjournal.com/ http://www.trialsjournal.com/ Trials is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal that will encompass all aspects of the performance and findings of randomized controlled trials. Trials will experiment with, and then refine, innovative approaches to improving communication about trials. They are keen to move beyond publishing traditional trial results articles (although these will be included). They believe this represents an exciting opportunity to advance the science and reporting of trials. Prior to 2006, Trials was published as Current Controlled Trials in Cardiovascular Medicine (CCTCVM). All published CCTCVM articles are available via the Trials website and citations to CCTCVM article URLs will continue to be supported. The impact factor shown relates to articles published in CCTCVM during 2003-4. Making all its content open access and not retaining copyright, Trials offers a way to make data both freely available and highly visible to trialists worldwide; this will benefit the impact of your publication among peers and society. The journal has unrestricted space and takes advantage of all the technical possibilities available for electronic publishing. To date, journals have focused on reporting the results of trials, with very little coverage of why and how they are conducted. Reports of trials have been restricted both by authors and editors - both parties often select only a subset of the outcomes measured, while the latter often impose word limits on the articles published making it difficult to communicate the lessons learnt from conducting the trial, let alone include adequate details of how the trial was conducted. The Internet offers both unlimited space and interactivity, and they are keen to harness these attributes. For instance, trialists will be able to provide the detail required to be a true scientific record and do more to make the article's message comprehensible to a variety of reader groups. They will also be able to communicate not only all outcome measures, as well as varying analyses and interpretations, but also in-depth descriptions of what they did and what they learnt. This sharing of direct experience is fundamental to improving the quality and conduct of trials worldwide. Thanks and Regards Sandeep Bhavsar Librarian Dr.V.N.Bedekar Institute of Research & Management Studies Thane (w) 400601 ------------------------------------------------------ Phone (Off) 25364492 25446554 Mobile 9870484626 email mailto:sandeep@vpmthane.org sandeep(a)vpmthane.org Website http://www.vpmthane.org/ www.vpmthane.org ----------------------------------------------------- http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/uk/taglines/default/messenger/*http://uk.messen… Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC http://us.rd.yahoo.com/mail/uk/taglines/default/messenger/*http://uk.messen… calling worldwide with voicemail

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Microsoft Academic Search
by arun＠mssrf.res.in 13 Apr '06

13 Apr '06

Friends: "The scholarly organizations that have signed up to work with Microsoft on the new search tool [Microsoft Academic Search] include societies like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Association for Computing Machinery, the American Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society, and the Institute of Physics. Also cooperating are major publishers -- such as the Taylor & Francis Group, Blackwell Publishing, Elsevier, the Nature Publishing Group, and John Wiley & Sons -- and library organizations, including the British Library and OCLC Online Computer Library Center...." Major Indian publishers of research journals should sign up with Microsoft witout any delay. Especially those who publish open access journals (IASc, INSA, MedKnow, IISc, ICMR, Calcut Medical College, etc.). Being Indexed by Microsoft's new service and Google Scholar will give much greater visibility (and citability) to our journals. This is true especially for those journals which are not indexed by the Web of Science. Currently Microsoft Academic Search concentrates on computer science, electrical engineering and physics and it has indexed several million articles already. But soon the service will expand and cover other subjects. As it is competing with Google Scholar, and as both services are free of cost, it will be good for researchers. I am sure subscription-based abstracting and indexing services will start providing several free services very soon, just to be able to remain in business! Subbiah Arunachalam

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Librarians are insensitive to readers' owes.
by Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy 12 Apr '06

12 Apr '06

Dear Friends Please read the following article. Why are some us - librarians - so very irresponsible and insenstive? Can something be do to sensitize librarians to be more service oriented? Vyasamoorthy, P ================== What are your bonafides? The Hindu Sunday 9th April 2006 Magazine section RANJIT LAL SOME weeks back, while trying to do some research for a book I was working on, I went to the library of the National Museum in New Delhi. The first thing I am shown is a notice that said something to the effect that only scholars and suchlike heavies were allowed to use the library. I decided to wait for the librarian and when she arrived, told her what my area of interest was, and if she could help. She looked me up and down and said, `But what are your bonefides?' Excuse me? The very fact that I was in that library asking for assistance on a particular subject would in any civilised country (and especially one with 5,000 years of erudite civilisation backing it up) and library, be considered more than enough for assistance to be forthcoming. "What do you mean?" I asked, struggling to come to terms with this monumental insult and inadequately indicating my notebook. "You can see I have a notebook and pen... " (just in case she had mistook it for a petrol can and lighter). She was after bigger things, Ph.Ds, M.Phils, letters of recommendation from Vice-chancellors, stuff like that. I see absolutely no reason why a citizen of this country (democracy, democracy, democracy, remember?) pursuing a subject of his or her interest needs a degree in order to use a library to do so. I told her that I was a member of the Teen Murti library and British Council... "Ah, but you pay there... Sorry." Never bothering to pause and think that if I'm ready to pay to be a member of a library I must genuinely be interested in the books and not in how comfortable the chairs are for a catnap. Anyway big deal — if they had any sense they would also charge people for daily use to ensure that they didn't use the place to catnap in or any such anti-national thing. But make the place available to those who want to use it — otherwise you are failing in your mandate and might as well shut down. I normally lose my temper once in about 10 years, and didn't want to use up my decade's quota there, so I walked out quickly. But it is precisely this attitude that has strangled us as a nation and people. What the hell was that librarian so afraid of? That I might acquire some deadly knowledge in that library by which I would become dictator of the world, and she would lose her job? God knows she was probably only doing what was in her brief but this stinks and how. If you are so afraid that people will misuse something that you prevent them from using it at all what is the justification for your existence in the first place? And why do I need any academic degree to prop me up? If they doubt my veracity (and why must I prove that anyway?) all they needed to do is to ask a few questions about exactly what I was interested in and looking for. (And would I have been in that museum and library in the first place if I had not been interested?) This whole attitude is based on the assumption that your motives are suspect and malafide — that you are up to no good — and must have "verification" or "authentication" and soon possibly beatification to certify that you are not (in this case) a book ripper or library napper or something as reprehensible. Which, no government really has any right to assume of its citizens. And to blankly deny access to knowledge in a library — in my book that is cardinal sin — and any society that goes in for that sort of thing is plunging hotfoot down the drain. Or was it just a manifestation of petty power? You know, that colonial hangover thing? Where the answer to every question or request is and must always be an unequivocal "no". You cannot do this, you cannot go there, you cannot see this, you cannot, cannot, cannot! Not because anything earth-shattering will happen if you do, but because it gives the pipsqueak given the authority to say no, the kicks which are the perks of his or her job. They tend to forget that we pay their salaries and overtimes and D.As and for their endless cups of tea. So what's my next course of action then if I still decide that I need the research and to look at that library? Well, the obvious one. Pull wires. Which, in a sense defeats the whole purpose because then I might as well have a Ph.D. Perhaps I should just tag one on after my name anyway... Make that a double! -- Dr P Vyasamoorthy, SENIORS (Society for Enriched Information of Relevance to Seniors), 30, Gruhalakshmi Colony, Secunderabad 500018 Phone 27846631

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