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EBM Librarian Wiki
by Sukhdev Singh 15 Dec '06

15 Dec '06

This is an interesting wiki from Medical Librarians. Shows what future librarians would be doing in future. Check out EBM Librarian - http://ebmlibrarian.wetpaint.com/ . It is a wiki is to develop a community of librarians who are involved in teaching and supporting the practice of evidence based medicine (ebm) or evidence based practice (ebp). --Sukhdev Singh, NIC.

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Google Launches Patent Search
by Farooque Shaheen 15 Dec '06

15 Dec '06

The patent search site, launched as a beta, is designed to sift through the approximately 7 million U.S. patents by a variety of parameters including filing date, issue date, patent number and inventor. http://www.google.com/patents Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366 The patent search site, launched as a beta, is designed to sift through the approximately 7 million U.S. patents by a variety of parameters including filing date, issue date, patent number and inventor. http://www.google.com/patents Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366

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Stories and more
by sheela nag 15 Dec '06

15 Dec '06

Dear Professionals, If you are looking for an apt quotation, or information on a topic; if you are bored, and want to read a favourite story; if you want to read classics you have never read before; if you want to read the poems of some of the best poets; if you want a feel of old english literature; if you just want to read..... Try this website : www.Bartleby.com Check out the Reference,Verse, Fiction and Non-fiction segments. Dip into great books at your own time, free of cost. Regards Sheela S Sheela S Junior Librarian IBA , Bangalore. sheelasheela(a)gmail.com Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from your Yahoo! Messenger. Download Now! http://messenger.yahoo.com/download.php Dear Professionals, If you are looking for an apt quotation, or information on a topic; if you are bored, and want to read a favourite story; if you want to read classics you have never read before; if you want to read the poems of some of the best poets; if you want a feel of old english literature; if you just want to read..... Try this website : http://www.bartleby.com/ www.Bartleby.com Check out the Reference,Verse, Fiction and Non-fiction segments. Dip into great books at your own time, free of cost. Regards Sheela S Sheela S Junior Librarian IBA , Bangalore. mailto:sheelasheela@gmail.com sheelasheela(a)gmail.com Send free SMS to your Friends on Mobile from your Yahoo! Messenger. Download Now! http://messenger.yahoo.com/download.php

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Guide to Develop Openly Accessible Digital Libraries~T - Call for contributions
by Mailing List Manager 14 Dec '06

14 Dec '06

Date: Wed, 13 Dec 2006 11:44:38 +0530 From: Sukhdev Singh <esukhdev(a)gmail.com> Open Access and Digital Libraries Group (OADL, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oadl/ - New Members Welcomed) intends to develop a "Guide to Develop Openly Accessible Digital Libraries". It would be distributed freely under Creative Commons license - http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.5/ . Developmental approach would according to the principles of "wiki" but would list all its major contributors. Please come forward to author this documents. You may contribute by: 1. Suggesting the Table of Content. 2. Contributing topics to it. 3. Sharing your experiences. 4. Editing it. 5. Refuting it. If you are a member of the OADL Group than contribute directly through emails to the group. Otherwise send your emails to oadl-owner(a)yahoogroups.com . Mature Drafts would available under files section of the group. Thank you. Sukhdev Singh, Co-Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oadl/

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Apprenticeship Trainees
by M Krishnamurthy 14 Dec '06

14 Dec '06

Applications are invited by Indian Statistical Institute,Library, Bangalore for apprenticeship trainee from graduate and diploma holders for a period of one year w.e.f Jan2, 2007. Stipend payable is Rs 5000/=p.m for graduate trainee and Rs. 4000/=p.m for diploma holders. Last date for receipt of application is 20th December 2006. Preference will be given to local candidates. Applications may be addressed to Prof. I.K.Ravichandra Rao, Head, Indian Statistical Institute, 8th Mile Mysore Road, Bangalore 560059 email: ikrrao(a)hotmail.com M.Krishnamurthy *************************************** Dr.M.Krishnamurthy,M.A.,M.L.I.Sc.,Ph.D Librarian Indian Statistical Institute 8th Mile Mysore Road Bangalore 560059 www.isibang.ac.in/library Ph:91-80-8483002/3 Fax :91-80-28484265

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IBM, Yahoo Launch Free Enterprise Search Tool
by Farooque Shaheen 14 Dec '06

14 Dec '06

IBM and Yahoo Inc. have developed a free, entry-level enterprise search application that at least one analyst believes will seriously disrupt the low-end segment of this market, where Google Inc. has been selling many of its Mini search devices. IBM and Yahoo released the server-side application on Wednesday as a free download aimed at companies that haven't tried out enterprise search because of cost and complexity concerns. It is available for download at omnifind.ibm.yahoo.net. The software, called IBM OmniFind Yahoo Edition, is designed to be simple to install and use, and can index up to 500,000 documents from more than 200 file types, including Adobe Systems Inc.'s PDF and Microsoft Corp.'s Word and Excel. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&tax… Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366 IBM and Yahoo Inc. have developed a free, entry-level enterprise search application that at least one analyst believes will seriously disrupt the low-end segment of this market, where Google Inc. has been selling many of its Mini search devices. IBM and Yahoo released the server-side application on Wednesday as a free download aimed at companies that haven't tried out enterprise search because of cost and complexity concerns. It is available for download at omnifind.ibm.yahoo.net. The software, called IBM OmniFind Yahoo Edition, is designed to be simple to install and use, and can index up to 500,000 documents from more than 200 file types, including Adobe Systems Inc.'s PDF and Microsoft Corp.'s Word and Excel. http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&tax… Thanks & Regards, Farooque Shaheen, Caritor India Pvt Ltd. Tel. 080-26678388 Ext. 4105 VOIP- 40366

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LIS-job: Assistant Knowledge Manager The Archive (Mumbai) ...
by Puttaraj Choukimath 14 Dec '06

14 Dec '06

Hello Dears, OSIANs CONNOISSEURS OF ART INDIAS PREMIER AUCTION HOUSE & ARCHIVE continues to expand OsiansConnoisseurs of Art was founded in 2000 as Indias pioneering Auction House and foremost Archive for the Indian Arts. In six years Osian's has established itself as an unique, cutting-edge cultural institution as well as the foremost builder of knowledge-bases for the Indian Fine and Popular Contemporary Arts, Cinema and Architectural Heritage Assistant Knowledge Manager The Archive (Mumbai) Will be required to assist the Custodian in the documentation and management of our vast archival & research library on the Indian Arts and link it to electronic systems. Should possess a Masters degree and comprehensive knowledge of library packages such as CDS/ISIS, LIBSYS, LIBRARIAN SUITE, SLIM, LIBRARY WORLD and be familiar with the DDS and international trends in archiving systems. Should possess excellent English language skills and the confidence to innovate and build unique documentation systems. Archivist-Researchers The Archive (Mumbai) Should have a masters degree in the arts or sciences; an eye for detail and a desire to function towards developing the knowledge base of the arts in India. Computer proficiency and attitude for research essential. Experience with a library/ archive/ project documentation preferred. Excellence in English a pre-requisite. Candidates with photography expertise interested in working with visuals may also apply for positions in the Visual Archive. References essential for all positions. Remuneration strictly on par with qualifications and ability to perform. Please send your CV with the post& location clearly specified, within 7 days via email only to: Senior Vice-President Human Resources bakhtawar(a)osians.com www.osians.com 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 --------------------------------- Have a burning question? Go to Yahoo! Answers and get answers from real people who know. Hello Dears, OSIANs CONNOISSEURS OF ART INDIAS PREMIER AUCTION HOUSE & ARCHIVE continues to expand OsiansConnoisseurs of Art was founded in 2000 as Indias pioneering Auction House and foremost Archive for the Indian Arts. In six years Osian's has established itself as an unique, cutting-edge cultural institution as well as the foremost builder of knowledge-bases for the Indian Fine and Popular Contemporary Arts, Cinema and Architectural Heritage Assistant Knowledge Manager The Archive (Mumbai) Will be required to assist the Custodian in the documentation and management of our vast archival & research library on the Indian Arts and link it to electronic systems. Should possess a Masters degree and comprehensive knowledge of library packages such as CDS/ISIS, LIBSYS, LIBRARIAN SUITE, SLIM, LIBRARY WORLD and be familiar with the DDS and international trends in archiving systems. Should possess excellent English language skills and the confidence to innovate and build unique documentation systems. Archivist-Researchers The Archive (Mumbai) Should have a masters degree in the arts or sciences; an eye for detail and a desire to function towards developing the knowledge base of the arts in India. Computer proficiency and attitude for research essential. Experience with a library/ archive/ project documentation preferred. Excellence in English a pre-requisite. Candidates with photography expertise interested in working with visuals may also apply for positions in the Visual Archive. References essential for all positions. Remuneration strictly on par with qualifications and ability to perform. Please send your CV with the post& location clearly specified, within 7 days via email only to: Senior Vice-President Human Resources bakhtawar(a)osians.com http://www.osians.com www.osians.com 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 Have a burning question? Go to http://answers.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTFvbGNhMGE3BF9TAzM5NjU0NTEwOARfcwMzOTY1… Yahoo! Answers and get answers from real people who know.

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European Digital Library
by Subbiah Arunachalam 14 Dec '06

14 Dec '06

Friends: Europe is making big strides in setting up the new European Digital Library. I am looking forward to the day when we in India can proudly announce such achievements. And I look forward to men like Prof. N Balakrishan of IISc and the head of the Million Books Digital library Project in India to lead the way. Progressive corporates like Informatics India can also pitch in. Arun ------------- >From Peter Suber's blog Progress on The European Library Bigger European Digital Library? Tell me more! Euractiv, December 11, 2006. (Thanks to ResourceShelf.) Excerpt: More than six million books, documents and other culturally significant works should become available online in the new European Digital Library during the next five years, thanks to the information society technologies (IST) programme TEL-ME-MOR.... With the project due to complete its objectives by the end of January 2007, TEL-ME-MOR [http://www.telmemor.net/] is well on the way to achieving its objectives. Content from eight out of the ten newly included national libraries has already been integrated into the European Digital Library.... Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com

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Urban vs rural India
by Subbiah Arunachalam 14 Dec '06

14 Dec '06

>From Hindustan Times India leaves Bharat behind Chetan Chauhan New Delhi, December 13, 2006 There is a startling contrast in the pace of infrastructure development between rural and urban India. The cities are experiencing swift development changes while in rural areas things remain static. The India Infrastructure Report 2006, to be released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday, shows the disconnect between the two Indias. In the four sectors telecommunications, power, roads and transport and water and sanitation studied by the National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), the quality and quantity of service has been found to be substantially lower than in cities. The report has urged policy-makers to provide incentives to the private sector to involve itself in rural areas. Telecommunications High monthly rentals (between Rs 90-150) and poor service quality has restricted rural teledensity to 1.67 per cent as compared to 25.90 per cent in urban India. Of the ten states studied, only Kerala, Punjab and West Bengal have more than one public call office in a village. The reason is that those in villages are not willing to spend money on private connections. This explains why the national per capital annual telecommunication expenditure is only Rs 2.9. The story in West Bengal is different. The Grameen Sanchar Society has provided wireless phones through its rural vendors with an assurance of quality service. A fixed percentage of revenue goes to the government and the rest to the Society. Power Punjab tops the NCAER list with 99.87 per cent power connectivity in village homes compared to just 17.82 per cent in Orissa. Punjab's monthly expenditure on power is also the highest at Rs 219 while Tamil Nadu with a high power connection penetration rate spends Rs 39 per home. This could be because Punjab has many more metered connections than Tamil Nadu, the report said. The report is critical of power subsidy in the rural sector, which has prohibited the private sector from taking over distribution networks. Water and sanitation Most villages get water but the report has raised doubts over the quality and sustainability of the supply. For example, 2,17,000 villages have water quality problems. Excess fluoride, arsenic, nitrate, iron and salinity are causing health hazards. Sanitation is no better with only Kerala and Punjab fount to be satisfactory performers. The report reveals that the villagers who spend on water get better quality and example of this is Kerala. There piped water connectivity is 100 per cent per capita as the per capita monthly expenditure on drinking water is Rs 22, highest in the country. Roads and transport Only 55 per cent of villages are connected by roads. "The lack of roads means that 20-30 per cent of the agricultural, horticultural and forest produce gets wasted because it cannot be transported to marketing and processing units," the report said. Email Chetan Chauhan: cchauhan(a)hindustantimes.com ___________________________________________________________ Win tickets to the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany with Yahoo! Messenger. http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/fifaworldcup_uk/

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FW: Why IITs have fallen in global rankings
by shalini 13 Dec '06

13 Dec '06

Something to ponder on.. While India is getting euphoric about positioning itself as the knowledge capital..some cold facts and bold opinions about what ails Indian Academia..and why we are falling behind. _____ Slip Sliding Away Why IITs have fallen in global rankings Pankaj Jalote The writer is Microsoft chair professor at IIT Delhi. IITs have been slipping in the global university rankings for the last few years. In our euphoria about India's progress, such reports are mentioned in passing and then promptly forgotten. IITs have made a name for themselves largely on the success of its graduates, and less on the strength of its R&D output. And most global ranking of universities are predominantly based on R&D. The performance of IITs (and other such institutions in India) is likely to continue dropping globally. This is not to say that they are static - indeed the R&D output from IITs is increasing, but relative to others it is slipping. Interestingly, the relative decline is not because established R&D centres in the US and Europe are becoming bigger, but because newer entrants from China, Korea and Singapore are doing much better. The central reason for the decline of IITs in relative ranking is the archaic academic governance structures that exist in Indian institutes. Autonomy of these institutes is a myth. Consider these facts: the director of institutes is appointed not by a selection committee of experts but by the ministry; pay scales of faculty and grades are decided by government; starting a new course in an IIT could even require permission of Parliament; and there is regular interference in the administration and set-up of these institutes such as reservation of seats without proper consultation. These are a reminder that though in daily affairs the autonomy is there, there is little autonomy in making structural changes or bringing about any significant changes. A fallout of tight government control is the archaic system of fixed increment-based salary scales with no regular performance evaluation. This means that faculty members get a regular increment in their salaries, regardless of their performance. There are no regular or yearly appraisals, on which salary increments are decided. This system is guaranteed to lead to mediocrity and lack of competitiveness. This is the bane of academic governance, giving absolutely no elbow room to promote excellence or reward performance. No private company in India would think of this - all of them have performance appraisals, on which increments and promotions are decided. In academics, however, career paths are still largely decided on patronage from government. The only means of recognition are publishing in international journals and conferences. Contrast this with the situation in China. About 15 years ago, the Chinese brought about changes in its academic governance structure. The salary of a professor in top university consists of three parts - one given by government which follows the usual scales; another given by the university allowing better institutes to compensate better; and a third based on performance of the faculty member in project and R&D work. The result of this structural change is there for all to see. The contribution of Chinese scientists to premier journals and conferences has been steadily increasing, and is now a threat to western dominance. The situation is the same in Korea and Singapore. Universities in Singapore moved some 15 years ago to a model where the compensation of a faculty had three components - one basic, one based on market forces where a faculty member in demand got more pay, and a third based on performance. The US has been following performance-based evaluation for years - the yearly increment of a faculty member depends on his performance. Pakistan seems to have recently started a somewhat less sophisticated scheme to reward its researchers for every international paper they publish. The impact of this is an increased number of paper submissions from Pakistan. Earlier, much of Europe followed a fixed scale salary model. But most countries have now either migrated to, or are moving towards, an appraisal-based compensation system. Australia and the UK follow it, Germany and Italy are moving towards it. As expected, many faculty members are not happy about it. They are threatened by more transparency, but there is also a realisation that even developed countries cannot expect to do well using old models of governance. It is clear that unless transparency about the output of individual researchers as well as that of institutes is not brought about, along with incentives and compensation based on an appraisal of the quality and quantity of output, India will continue breeding mediocrity and complacency. However, appraisal without suitable autonomy is even worse - institutes will then become the playground of power brokers from outside the system. IITs have suitable structures to potentially implement such schemes and lead the way, if they get the right leadership and necessary autonomy. Unfortunately, the leadership of these institutes, being a beneficiary of political patronage, is unwilling to take any bold moves. They have tended to play safe and keep the ministry happy, rather than bring about innovation and controversial changes. So, changes are undoubtedly needed, without which Indian institutions will continue to slide. But it is doubtful whether any movement along this direction will be undertaken. That is why I believe that IITs will continue slipping in global rankings, despite having the potential to improve. __._,_.___ . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=11710407/grpspId=1705946590/msgI d=153/stime=1166010801/nc1=3848479/nc2=4025375/nc3=3> __,_._,___  Something to ponder on.. While India is getting euphoric about positioning itself as the knowledge capital….some cold facts and bold opinions about what ails Indian Academia….and why we are falling behind… � � Slip Sliding Away Why IITs have fallen in global rankings Pankaj Jalote The writer is Microsoft chair professor at IIT Delhi . IITs have been slipping in the global university rankings for the last few years. In our euphoria about India 's progress, such reports are mentioned in passing and then promptly forgotten. IITs have made a name for themselves largely on the success of its graduates, and less on the strength of its R&D output. And most global ranking of universities are predominantly based on R&D. The performance of IITs (and other such institutions in India ) is likely to continue dropping globally. This is not to say that they are static — indeed the R&D output from IITs is increasing, but relative to others it is slipping. Interestingly, the relative decline is not because established R&D centres in the US and Europe are becoming bigger, but because newer entrants from China , Korea and Singapore are doing much better. The central reason for the decline of IITs in relative ranking is the archaic academic governance structures that exist in Indian institutes. Autonomy of these institutes is a myth. Consider these facts: the director of institutes is appointed not by a selection committee of experts but by the ministry; pay scales of faculty and grades are decided by government; starting a new course in an IIT could even require permission of Parliament; and there is regular interference in the administration and set-up of these institutes such as reservation of seats without proper consultation. These are a reminder that though in daily affairs the autonomy is there, there is little autonomy in making structural changes or bringing about any significant changes. A fallout of tight government control is the archaic system of fixed increment-based salary scales with no regular performance evaluation. This means that faculty members get a regular increment in their salaries, regardless of their performance. There are no regular or yearly appraisals, on which salary increments are decided. This system is guaranteed to lead to mediocrity and lack of competitiveness. This is the bane of academic governance, giving absolutely no elbow room to pr omote excellence or reward performance. No private company in India would think of this — all of them have performance appraisals, on which increments and promotions are decided. In academics, however, career paths are still largely decided on patronage from government. The only means of recognition are publishing in international journals and conferences. Contrast this with the situation in China . About 15 years ago, the Chinese brought about changes in its academic governance structure. The salary of a professor in top university consists of three parts — one given by government which follows the usual scales; another given by the university allowing better institutes to compensate better; and a third based on performance of the faculty member in project and R&D work. The result of this structural change is there for all to see. The contribution of Chinese scientists to premier journals and conferences has been steadily increasing, and is now a threat to western dominance. The situation is the same in Korea and Singapore . Universities in Singapore moved some 15 years ago to a model where the compensation of a faculty had three components — one basic, one based on market forces where a faculty member in demand got more pay, and a third based on performance. The US has been following performance- based evaluation for years — the yearly increment of a faculty member depends on his performance. Pakistan seems to have recently started a somewhat less sophisticated scheme to reward its researchers for every international paper they publish. The impact of this is an increased number of paper submissions from Pakistan . Earlier, much of Europe followed a fixed scale salary model. But most countries have now either migrated to, or are moving towards, an appraisal-based compensation system. Australia and the UK follow it, Germany and Italy are moving towards it. As expected, many faculty members are not happy about it. They are threatened by more transparency, but there is also a realisation that even developed countries cannot expect to do well using old models of governance. It is clear that unless transparency about the output of individual researchers as well as that of institutes is not brought about, along with incentives and compensation based on an appraisal of the quality and quantity of output, India will continue breeding mediocrity and complacency. However, appraisal without suitable autonomy is even worse — institutes will then become the playground of power brokers from outside the system. IITs have suitable structures to potentially implement such schemes and lead the way, if they get the right leadership and necessary autonomy. Unfortunately, the leadership of these institutes, being a beneficiary of political patronage, is unwilling to take any bold moves. They have tended to play safe and keep the ministry happy, rather than bring about innovation and controversial changes. So, changes are undoubtedly needed, without which Indian institutions will continue to slide. But it is doubtful whether any movement along this direction will be undertaken. That is why I believe that IITs will continue slipping in global rankings, despite having the potential to improve. __._,_.___ . http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=11710407/grpspId=1705946590/msgI… __,_._,___

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