Newsletter No. 161
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FreePint
"Helping 69,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 17th June 2004 No.161
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IN THIS ISSUE
-------------
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Jeremy Williams
FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
JOBS
Sector Information Specialist (Natural Resources)
Research Executive
Information Research Co-ordinator
Communications Assistant
Senior Information Officer
Information Researcher
TIPS ARTICLE
"The Impact of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act on
Records Management World Wide"
By Lorraine Bradshaw
BOOKSHELF
"Managing your internet and intranet services:
the information professional's guide to strategy"
Reviewed by Lucy Akroyd
FEATURE ARTICLE
"RSS: Less hype, more action"
By Roddy MacLeod
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
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>>> Factiva - Easier, Faster and More Relevant <<<
Looking for a new, yet easy way to provide business information?
Look no further.
Simplicity of the free Web with world-class content is now available.
It's the best of both worlds for your entire organisation
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>>> NEW: VIP No.6 reviews MyInsight and Datastream Advance <<<
This issue reviews MyInsight (Global Insight's interface
for end-users) and the economic data and analytical
tools available via Datastream Advance.
<http://www.vivavip.com/vip/>
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>>> ABOUT FREEPINT <<<
FreePint is an online network of information searchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month: it is packed with tips
on finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
a substantial archive of articles, reviews, jobs & events, with
answers to research questions and networking at the FreePint Bar.
Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out.
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EDITORIAL
Today's technology ensures that we have more choices for information
delivery than ever before. We can choose from numerous formats to
package and deliver our information. Today we examine one of these
formats: RSS. Roddy MacLeod gives us a refreshing take, including the
hype.
RSS enables the sharing of content such as snippets of information or
headlines. You may not know, for example, that you can now receive a
content feed (RSS/XML) of the latest 10 headlines from our FreePint
forums: the FreePint Bar and Student Bar
<http://www.freepint.com/feed/> and the VIP Lounge and VIP Wire
<http://www.vivavip.com/feed/>. Without having to visit our Web sites,
you can keep abreast of issues being discussed or key information
products being launched. Roddy also explores innovative uses for
RSS such as receiving journal table of contents, invaluable for
the academic community.
Another option for format delivery online is Adobe Acrobat's 'Portable
Document Format' (PDF). Not all of our subscribers or advertisers
realise that you can read FreePint as a fully formatted colour
newsletter complete with photos of the authors and contributors. The
PDF version of this issue is at <http://www.freepint.com/issues/>.
Currently over 1,500 FreePint members subscribe to have each issue
emailed to them as a PDF automatically. If you want to sign up for
this free option then log in to your account at
<http://web.freepint.com/>. Advertisers also have the advantage of
our current limited offer of full-page, full-colour display adverts
in the PDF version as a free bonus if they advertise in the text
newsletter as well <http://www.freepint.com/advert.htm>.
The immediate advantages of documents being available in a growing
number of formats provides a longer term challenge for the legal
retention of records in the private and public sectors. Freedom of
Information legislation and the impact on records management is a hot
topic for information professionals in many countries. In our other
article today, Lorraine Bradshaw in Australia explains the
international impact of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act 2002. This US
legislation requires organisations to keep records in any format,
for as long as they are needed. The act was passed to ensure
accountability after the collapse of companies like Enron and
Worldcom. Lorraine works in an Australian library records management
recruitment agency. Job seekers and recruiters who currently subscribe
to the 'FreePint Jobs Update' will be hearing more from her as she is
one of our new regular guest editors providing insider tips and
comments on current trends in recruitment. See her editorial in Jobs
Update No.74 <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28882> and today's
edition, No.75, with comment from Sue Hill Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b28999>. If you are looking for an
information-related job, then subscribe to the Jobs Update by modifying
your account at <http://web.freepint.com/> and if you have a
vacancy to fill then simply complete the order form
<http://web.freepint.com/jobs/>.
So, in whatever format you are seeing this, thanks for reading.
Do also let me know your ideas for hot topics or themed issues you
would like to see covered in FreePint.
Best regards
Annabel Colley
Editor, FreePint
<annabel.colley@freepint.com>
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2004
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>>> Latest reports and training from FreePint <<<
> "Marketing for the Info-Entrepreneur: Top Techniques to
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> "Sharpening Skills; Acquiring Knowledge" ISBN 1-904769-04-7.
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Jeremy Williams
* <http://www.iee.org.uk> Institute of Electrical Engineers. If you're
a member of an institution, use it! Free searches, access to online
payable databases for nowt, networking and peer group help, you name
it. Top class.
* <http://www.bbc.co.uk> The good old BBC. If you want to know
something, the BBC have probably made a program on it. They also
treat their website like another station, lots of new stuff and
links to other sources of info. If they ever get around to
cataloguing their archive the world will be eternally grateful. In
the meantime the site is easy to use and the radio programs (and
some transcripts) are available for a few weeks after broadcast.
* <http://www.just-auto.com> If you're in the automotive sector this
isn't a bad place to get information, daily briefings, etc. Costs
GBP100 a year or so subscription, news headlines are free.
* <http://europa.eu.int/> EU main page. The EU works by documenting
everything. There's an amazing amount of stuff on this and the
associated pages (<http://www.cordis.lu> acts as a sort of
cross-reference). The competition commission will quote market
data in its findings.
* <http://www.freedoniagroup.com> Just one of many of the market
research groups, and you find their studies on other sites too. I
got into the habit of using it when it was just about the only site
that offered reports at USD25 (now USD30) the page, which was cheap
if you just downloaded the graphs.
Jeremy Williams spent most of his career in the automotive supply
sector in engineering, marketing, and product management, before
setting up the 1835 Company in Paris with the aim of helping smaller
companies expand their markets and launch innovative products.
Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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>>> KeepingLegal <<<
Concerned about complying with the laws on copyright,
data protection or freedom of information?
Subscribe to the free Information Law Newsletter in order to
keep abreast of developments and regularly visit:
<http://www.KeepingLegal.com>
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FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
I've always thought that the strongest companies are those with a
solid presence both online *and* offline. With the completion of the
purchase of a permanent physical home for FreePint just one week away,
it's great to know that our members are supporting FreePint online by
maintaining the range and quality of help available at the Bar.
FreePint is about online information, and information queries have
once again dominated the Bar in the last couple of weeks. Does your
organisation have a 'Database Management Policy' (covering data entry,
quality and management) <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28990>? Are
there any statistics or guidelines on the best ratio of print to
electronic resources in a library or information service?
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b28969>. Anyone using biometrics for
authentication in a library? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28842>. Or
maybe you'd like to find some easy-to-understand guides to the
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We have a large number of FreePint beermats/coasters to give away to
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<http://www.freepint.com/go/b28933>.
Other unanswered queries at the Bar include: Someone wanting to import
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<http://www.freepint.com/go/b28847>; Using a Mac to burn a
presentation/video onto a DVD <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28986>;
Where to find a listing of European companies and the motor industry
tiers they are in? <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28974>.
Finally, VIP No.6 is now available and reviews MyInsight, Global
Insight's interface for end-users, and includes a second review
concentrating on the economic data and analytical tools available via
Datastream Advance <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28870>. There's a
quick tour on the VIP Web site of the new 'Online Information Online'
virtual show <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28921>, and VIP Eye No.11
includes news of the sale of one of the US's oldest established
business information companies to the Chinese
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b28992>.
William Hann <william.hann@freepint.com>
Founder and Managing Editor, FreePint
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FREEPINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
The FreePint Jobs Update is being circulated widely every two
weeks. This free newsletter now has 2,000 direct subscribers and
is posted at the Bar and in the Bar Digest (circulation 11,000).
To see the Jobs Update No.75 and read the new 'Jobs Advice' section,
visit <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28999>. To subscribe, modify your
account at <http://web.freepint.com>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Sector Information Specialist (Natural Resources)
Experience of dealing with requests in one of the following sectors:
Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining or Paper & Chemicals. Top salary + Bonus
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3291>
Research Executive
EGi's Retail Team researches and maintains the Shopping Centre
Research Database and Retailers' Requirements products.
Recruiter: Reed Business Information
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3294>
Information Research Co-ordinator
Prestigious investment bank needs organised individual for global
finance research co-ordination - 6 month contract.
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3296>
Communications Assistant
Communications Assistant with excellent admin management and ICT
skills needed for social services quality+communications team.
Recruiter: Sheffield City Council Social Services
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3299>
Senior Information Officer
Your research will provide the details that we need to identify
potential licensing targets and to exploit our intellectual property.
Recruiter: BT
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3300>
Information Researcher
Permanent junior role - Research support to an international team of
consultants; Admin support & service development assistance.
Recruiter: Spectrum Strategy Consultants
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j3312>
NB: There are 42 other jobs in the current edition of the Jobs Update
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b28999>.
[The above jobs are paid listings]
FreePint Jobs -- the best place for information vacancies.
* VACANCY SEARCHING -- Free search and sign up to the Job Update.
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>>> Business information professionals should read VIP <<<
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/170604.htm#tips>
"The Impact of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act on
Records Management World Wide"
By Lorraine Bradshaw
Mention the names WorldCom, GlobalCrossing, HIH, Ansett, Enron and
Andersen and most people will know that these former giants of the
corporate world are no more. Whilst the reasons behind the failures
are complex, one of the main reasons was due to poor records
management practices, and in particular the retention and disposal of
corporate records.
After the energy giant Enron collapsed, the role that Arthur Andersen
played was investigated. Arthur Andersen, one of the "big 5"
accounting firms, was retained by Enron to ensure investors could rely
on the company's financial statements. But Andersen was also a major
business partner - soliciting and selling millions in consulting
services to Enron. Added to this conflict of interest, Andersen was
also responsible for some of Enron's internal bookkeeping, and some of
Andersen's executives ended up taking jobs at Enron. Whilst Andersen
took the steps to fire the Enron lead auditor, Mr David Duncan, after
it was discovered that he had ordered the destruction and shredding of
documents pertaining to the audits performed by Andersen, it was not
enough to save the organisation from being charged with obstruction of
justice by the US judiciary system, effectively sealing its fate.
Introduction of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act
-----------------------------------------
In a move to eliminate perceived conflicts of interest such as
Andersen and Enron, Senator Paul D Sarbanes (D-Md) and Republican
Michael G Oxley introduced a bill to the US Senate that was quickly
adopted by the Bush administration. The Bill sought to ensure that
auditing firms could no longer perform non-auditing work for their
clients. The services to be banned included consulting, internal
accounting and information system design
<http://www.accountancyage.com/News/1129572>.
The United States Sarbanes Oxley Act 2002 states that non-compliance
with the rules applying to the maintenance of records is a federal
crime in America and can result in a jail term of up to 20 years and
large fines. The Act also governs accounting practices and specifies
mandatory retention periods of five years for all audit and review
work papers. Failure to keep records (in whatever format) for the
specified term can result in jail terms of up to 10 years.
Complying with the Act requires that an organisation should produce,
on request, authentic and reliable records and all supporting
documentation. Section 1102 of the act is concerned with tampering
with records or impeding official proceedings and states that:
"Whoever corruptly - (1) alters, destroys, mutilates, or conceals a
record, document, or other object, or attempts to do so, with the
intent to impair the object's integrity or availability for use in an
official proceeding; or (2) otherwise obstructs, influences, or
impedes any official proceeding, or attempts to do so, shall be fined
under this title or imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both." The
Act can be viewed in its entirety at
<http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/gwbush/sarbanesoxley072302.pdf>.
But what has all this got to do with records management in the rest of
the world?
In simple terms - Any company or organisation that is an SEC (the
United States Government's Securities and Exchange Commission)
registrant, as well as those subsidiaries of US or European parent
companies that are SEC registrants MUST comply in full with Sarbanes
Oxley.
An Introduction to Retention and Disposal of Records
----------------------------------------------------
Every organisation needs to keep records of business decisions and
transactions to meet the demands of legislative and corporate
accountability. With the ever-increasing use of technology to meet
the growing demands of business to achieve efficiency savings, greater
market share, and to communicate more efficiently and effectively with
clients and customers alike, there has been an explosion in the
creation, distribution and use of electronic records. However, as the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act has stated, these records need to be kept for a
minimum of 5 years.
Of course - the 5 years stated is for auditing records in America,
depending on the country of origin for your business, you may need to
keep records for alternative lengths of time. Today's paper does not
hope to address the issues surrounding the retention and disposal of
all records. For those of you who are interested, Information
Enterprises Australia publishes an annual volume entitled "The
Australian Record Retention Manual" and contains over 1660 pieces of
legislation that affects the retention and disposal of records in
Australia and the penalties for not doing so. If you would like more
information please go to <http://www.iea.com.au>. What the US
Sarbanes Oxley Act has done, is to high light the problems relating to
the long term retention of records.
As we have seen, the Sarbanes Oxley act requires organisations to keep
records in whatever format for as long as they are needed.
As the Director General of Australia said in 1995 "It is a fundamental
tenet of our democratic society that evidence in the form of records,
be created, kept, preserved and be accessible into the future. With
the growing diversity of electronic records, we face a major
challenge; that is, developing strategies, standards and processes to
ensure electronic records are accessible for as long as they are
needed." (1)
In the 9 years since the then Director General of Australia, Mr
Nichols, made that statement, there has been a move towards that goal.
However, despite many tens of millions of dollars, thousands of
"person" hours and countless projects to try and solve the many issues
surrounding the longevity of electronic records, there is still not a
single, long term, tried and tested solution to the problem of what on
earth do we do with electronic records when they are no longer needed
on a day to day basis, but still need to be kept for legal and/or
other reasons.
Whilst there have been a few notable exceptions, few organisations
have yet been brave enough to attempt an electronic archiving
implementation strategy based entirely on current thinking (2). It is
not hard to see why. Jeff Rothenberg also said in 1995 "it is only
slightly facetious to say that digital information lasts forever - or
five years, whichever comes first" (3).
The problems associated with legislation like the US Sarbanes Oxley
Act are complex. As more records are being generated electronically,
ensuring organisations are able "to produce, on request, authentic and
reliable records and all supporting documentation" is difficult.
Part of the problem is the speed to technological obsolescence of the
computer hardware and software used to generate the records. Other
concerns are:
Media Fragility and Version Control
-----------------------------------
Migration of records across software upgrades can render old files and
documents unreadable by the later versions. "Migration is essentially
a translation. With migration, as with all translations, some
information is lost, no matter how skilled the interpreter. In
migration, it is usually the context, rather than the data, that drops
out or is improperly reconstructed in the new code. This can be
crippling in dynamic formats, in relational databases, and even in
simple spreadsheets" (4).
Most people agree that if you have a paper document - you can preserve
the object and you preserve the record. With E-records, people
experience the record through a performance (by using appropriate
software/hardware). Therefore with e-records if you preserve the
performance you can preserve the record. However, there is the issue
of data migration - if the record has been migrated through various
versions - questions you need to ask yourself are:
(i) Is the version that I am viewing the version that the
originator wanted me to see?
(ii) Is it in the correct format?
(iii) Can I see the object in the same way as the original
creator saw?
It is said that the key to preservation is:
------------------------------------------
(i) Actively determining what it is you want to keep
(ii) The use of Standards and best practice - for example
- ISO 15489; PDF-A and JPEG 2000
(iii) Full documentation as to decisions made, which software used
and the records migrated or transferred
(iv) Active involvement in technology decisions, records managers,
librarians and archivists should be involved at an
organisational level
(v) Remember there is no silver bullet
(vi) There is no product-driven solution.
Notes
-----
(1) Nichols, G; Director-General, "The Electronic Challenge" page 3.
In the booklet entitled Managing Electronic Records: A Shared
Responsibility. Written by Greg O'Shea, National Archives of
Australia, March 1995.
(2) The Electronic Challenge, for example: National Archives of
Australia; Public Record Office of Victoria VERS project, Indiana
University Electronic Records Project. PDF-Archive (PDF-A - this
archival format is due to be released in 2005. The United States
Government is pushing the electronic community into creating an
international standard of the popular format is a simple one. Two of
the largest bankruptcy filings in U.S. history - Enron Corp and Global
Crossing, produced a record number of PDF documents, which federal
governments have to archive and preserve.)
(3) Rothenberg, Jeff. Ensuring the longevity of digital documents;
Scientific American, January 1995, p42. (4) Lawrence, Gregory W et al.
Risk Management of Digital Information: A File Format Investigation.
Council on Library and Information Resources, June 2000, vi
<http://www.clir.org>.
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Lorraine Bradshaw is the Marketing and Training Coordinator for
Information Enterprises Australia (IEA) <http://www.iea.com.au>.
IEA is a specialist library and records management recruitment agency
in Western Australia for permanent staff placements and short-term
labour hire solutions. Lorraine is the current writer of the
Australian Record Retention Manual and is the author of IEA's free
monthly e-zine 'Information Overload'.
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Related FreePint links:
* 'Information and Libraries' articles and resources in the FreePint
Portal <http://www.freepint.com/go/p69>
* Post a message to the author, Lorraine Bradshaw, or suggest further
resources at the FreePint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/170604.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of FreePint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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>>> Jobs Advice in the FreePint Jobs Update <<<
The twice-monthly FreePint Jobs Update now contains 'Jobs Advice'
from information-industry recruitment specialists.
See the latest edition online <http://www.freepint.com/go/b28999>
and sign up to receive it by email <http://web.freepint.com/>.
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FREEPINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Managing your internet and intranet services:
the information professional's guide to strategy"
Written by Peter Griffiths
Reviewed by Lucy Akroyd
Having just begun a new role with responsibility for the intranet in a
fast-growing company, I felt I needed all the help I could get in
beginning the challenge of creating an effective internal online
communications tool.
Peter Griffiths is Assistant Director, Communication Directorate at
the Home Office. He is responsible for library and information
services in the Home Office and Prison Service Headquarters, as well
as for intranet and internet publication, an internal reference
service, knowledge management and information support to the research
community.
This book is clearly and succinctly divided into thirteen chapters
which begin by covering the internet revolution and the importance of
the World Wide Web, the role of LIS professionals in online work, the
importance of a web presence for companies across all industries and
the generation of business through e-commerce. This first third of the
book outlines preparatory guidance required by readers who might have
been given the responsibility of producing an online presence, either
in the form of an external facing website, or as an intranet that can
only be viewed by colleagues internally.
Griffiths' focus lies predominantly with the internet: the middle
portion of this book consists of chapters dedicated to the webmaster
and the web team, organisation of the website, managing technical
service and "back-end" website technologies, taking care of
registration, publication, design and accessibility, and producing web
content. Key points lie in the section dedicated to ensuring
accessibility of websites to all users, as DDA laws have been passed
with a view to coming into effect in November this year.
From a personal point of view, I certainly found the chapter dedicated
to "Your intranet" to be the most useful in the book. As well as
covering basic ground (intranet potential, usage, portals and
knowledge management within an intranet) Griffiths also highlights
acceptable use policies and ongoing management of the intranet once
it's in place as well as providing a number of reference resources to
conclude the chapter.
Towards the end of the book, Griffiths has provided two invaluable
chapters. "Golden rules of web page content" is invaluable to both the
novice and experienced website manager alike. The final chapter is
entitled "Resource list" and refers to material already mentioned in
footnote format, and also to additional reference material, including
sources for legal and regulatory issues, standards and best practice,
and online resources for web professionals.
Although I did feel that this guide was tailored most specifically to
LIS professionals (particularly the second chapter, considering their
role within web work, and LIS skills) it also served as an extremely
useful resource for web professionals generally.The companion website
provided an updated list of online references, which I intend to refer
back to on a regular basis whilst implementing the intranet at work.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Lucy Akroyd works at Aspen Re in London, an insurance and reinsurance
company with offices in the US and Bermuda. She is responsible for the
Group intranet and websites, and has just embarked on an ambitious
overhaul of both the design and navigation of the intranet with a view
to introducing a content management system and extranet long-term. She
has worked in an online knowledge management capacity for the last
five years, having previously served as Web Editor at a small
management consultancy in Islington, North London.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related FreePint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/infostrategy.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856044831/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1856043401/freepint00>
* "Managing Your Internet and Intranet Services: The Information
Professional's Guide to Strategy" ISBN 1856044831, published
by Facet Publishing
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the FreePint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Strategy books on the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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Visit the VIP Web site to view a one-page quick tour
of the new 'Online Information Online' virtual show:
<http://www.vivavip.com/oio/>
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/170604.htm#feature>
"RSS: Less hype, more action"
By Roddy MacLeod
Yawn ... Not another revolution?
Only the other day I read an otherwise interesting and informative
article, about a new service, which claimed that it would induce a
change in the way researchers access published papers that would be
"every bit as profound as the one induced by Google on the global
web". The subject of that article was not RSS - in fact, it dealt with
citation ranking - but it is fairly typical of much that is published
about networked information, in that it almost certainly over-hyped
the importance of the idea under discussion. How many times have we
read that this, or that, is going to revolutionise the way we find or
use information? Too many times! RSS has suffered from the very same
over-exuberance of some of its advocates.
"The coming RSS revolution" is the title of a recent article in
Forbes.com by Arik Hesseldahl <http://digbig.com/4bhbm>. Elsewhere, an
item entitled "The really simple future of the web", about RSS,
appeared on the BBC News website <http://digbig.com/4bhbn>. Other
articles that have come to my attention recently include: "Is ad-
supported RSS the next big thing?" <http://digbig.com/4bhbp>, "The
buzz continues: RSS and newsletters" <http://digbig.com/4bhbq>,
"Enthusiasts call web feed next big thing" <http://digbig.com/4bgkp>
and "RSS is the new news" <http://digbig.com/4bhbr>. Even Stephen
Arnold, writing in Information World Review, fell into the same trap
when he wrote of RSS and user-controlled services, that: "The industry
is on the verge of a revolution" ("Data as pure as spring water"
Information World Review, February 2004, pp17-18.).
RSS - a revolution? RSS - the future of the Web? I think not.
It was refreshing to read on Dylan Greene's blog in January 2004
"10 reasons why RSS is not ready for prime time"
<http://www.dylangreene.com/blog.asp?blogID=363>. Although it is
possible to take issue with some of Greene's points (as the comments
to his posting show), he does us a good service by helping to keep
things in perspective.
What is RSS?
------------
Whilst RSS may not actually revolutionise the way we retrieve
information, it is proving to be a very useful protocol, and one which
is likely to grow in importance for the library and information (LIS)
community. So what is RSS? According to the Webopedia, RSS stands for
RDF Site Summary or Rich Site Summary
<http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/RSS.html>. Some commentators state
that it can also stand for Really Simple Syndication. This expansion
is growing in popularity, and provides a non-technical slant.
RSS is an XML format which enables the syndication, or sharing, of
content. The content in question consists of snippets of information
(typically a title, a brief description, and a link), rather than the
full substance of the content itself, to which the link leads. For a
basic introduction to RSS, see WebReference.com
<http://www.webreference.com/authoring/languages/xml/rss/intro/>. For
an enlightening explanation of the benefits of RSS, see "Unleashing
the power of RSS"
<http://www.sls.lib.il.us/infotech/presentations/2004/cil-rss.pdf>.
For background information on RSS, see "Syndicated content: it's
more than just some file formats" by Paul Miller
<http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue35/miller/>. For a detailed explanation
of how RSS can benefit publishers and content providers, plus some
common questions answered about the format and advice on how to
produce RSS, see EEVL's RSS Primer
<http://www.eevl.ac.uk/rss_primer/>.
Producing an RSS feed manually is not a complicated process. I know
this is true because I have produced some myself, using Ukoln's
RSSxpress tool <http://rssxpress.ukoln.ac.uk/>, and I am one of the
least technically-minded people you can imagine! Reading an RSS file,
or feed, on your computer can be slightly more difficult because, as
Dylan Greene pointed out in his article (number 4 reason for RSS not
being ready for prime time), Web browsers vary in their ability to
deal with raw RSS files. This means that if you try to open an RSS
file using Explorer, all you are likely to see is the raw XML code.
This may look something like the example I have given here:
<http://www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/libram/fpcode.htm>.
Viewing RSS Feeds
-----------------
They can be viewed using a desktop reader such as AmphetaDesk
<http://www.disobey.com/amphetadesk/>. As with other desktop
applications, if you use more than one PC you will need to install the
reader on each, and you may experience duplicated items when moving
from one PC to another.
There are also other methods. Bloglines <http://www.bloglines.com>, a
Web-based RSS aggregation service, allows even the worst technophobe
to read RSS feeds easily and gives you the added convenience of access
from any networked PC. Bloglines has a feature called My Bloglines
which allows you to subscribe to RSS feeds of your choice. Bloglines
will subsequently automatically monitor updates to those sites, and it
is then possible to read the latest entries to your selected RSS
feeds. It costs nothing to subscribe to a feed.
A growing number of portals allow their users to select RSS feeds for
inclusion in personalised information landscapes. An example of a
portal which encourages this is the University of Sheffield portal:
MUSE - Portal News Feeds <http://digbig.com/4bght>. Portals, and other
types of websites, often feature one or more feeds somewhere on their
sites, often in a 'news' section.
Why would you want to read RSS feeds?
-------------------------------------
Adding selected RSS feeds to a desktop reader, a web-based reader, or
a personalised landscape within a portal allows those feeds to be
scanned at your convenience. Instead of having to visit numerous
sites to find the latest information, or alternately, instead of being
inundated by email alerts or email versions of newsletters and such
like, aggregation of RSS feeds allows you to read the latest
information, often from the very same sources as the email alerts and
newsletter, when you want to. The information itself will be in the
form of items within feeds, on subjects, or from services, of your own
selection, and a link will take you to the full content at the source
site.
How to exploit the potential of RSS?
------------------------------------
So, what of the practical ideas for utilising RSS? Am I simply talking
about reading the latest world news in a slightly more convenient way?
Certainly not, but it is as well to deal with this first.
1. News feeds
Many articles about RSS concentrate on its ability to facilitate the
retrieval of news items from a number of sites, without having to
visit each site individually. "News that comes to you" posted by J.D.
Lasica to the Online Journalism Review
<http://www.ojr.org/ojr/lasica/1043362624.php>, and also a series of
articles in the November/December issue of b/ITE
<http://www.sla.org/division/dite/bite/NovDec2003.pdf>, explain
adequately the benefits of this method of retrieval. Lasica outlines
mainstream news services producing RSS feeds which can be subscribed
to from a feedreader or web-based reader, and a Help file on the BBC
News site <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/rss/3223484.stm> explains,
very concisely, how to subscribe to a selection of BBC News pages
using RSS.
Many thousands of news services, websites, newsletters and also blogs
(which can use the same RSS technology to deliver content) now produce
RSS feeds, and there is a surprising number of directories which now
list these sources. A good list of directories is "RSSTop55 - Best
Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites" <http://digbig.com/4bhbs>.
The LIS community can exploit this wealth of information in various
ways. Links to facts, figures and sometimes opinions (especially in
the case of blogs) can help to answer some, particularly topical or
news orientated, reference enquiries. A literature search on, for
example, a current affairs topic, would not now be complete without
the inclusion of RSS feeds as target sources. Much company and
product information is made available via RSS feeds. It should be
remembered that many RSS feeds (again, especially, blogs) are
completely unmoderated and therefore more than usual care needs to be
taken with verifying authenticity and over qualitative judgements.
The LIS community is well served by RSS feeds in its own subject area,
and these can be invaluable for keeping up to date with the latest
information news. Some notable RSS feeds include:
Ariadne <http://dois.mimas.ac.uk/rss/ariadne.xml>
FreePint Bar
<http://web.freepint.com/library/broadcast_freepint_bar.xml>
VIP Wire (Information-related press releases)
<http://web.vivavip.com/library/broadcast_freepintvip_Wire.xml>
D-Lib Magazine <http://dois.mimas.ac.uk/rss/dlib.xml>
InfoWorld Columnists <http://www.infoworld.com/rss/columnists.xml>
Librarians' Index to the Internet <http://lii.org/ntw.rss>
ResourceShelf <http://www.resourceshelf.com/resourceshelf.xml>
The Digital Librarian <http://digitallibrarian.org/index.rdf>
LISNews <http://www.lisnews.com/lisnews.rss>
Internet Resources Newsletter <http://www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/irn/irn.rss>
As well as being able to exploit content from existing RSS feeds, the
LIS community has a potentially important role to play in
presenting/re-presenting RSS content directly to users, and also in
the production of RSS feeds from its own content.
2. Aggregation and presentation
Aggregation involves gathering things together in order to make a
whole. In the context of RSS, the term aggregation has, rather
confusingly, sometimes been used to describe:
* A desktop news aggregator such as AmphetaDesk, or a web-based
aggregator such as My Bloglines. In reality, these might better be
described as 'personal aggregators'
* General aggregators such as NewsIsFree <http://www.newsisfree.com/>
which aggregate feeds in all subject areas. In reality, these are
more accurately described as RSS directories/search engines
* Subject, or resource-type aggregators.
The third category is, so far, relatively untapped, and I believe that
there is much scope for further development.
LISFeeds.com <http://www.lisfeeds.com/> is an example of a
subject- based RSS headline aggregator. LISFeeds scrapes headlines
from sites and services that specialise in library-oriented news, and
then presents them in a convenient way for the LIS community to keep
abreast of news.
There are a few other subject-based aggregators which are gaining in
popularity. Meerkat: An Open Wire Service
<http://www.oreillynet.com/meerkat/> aggregates a number of technical
computing-orientated RSS feeds, and allows items to be filtered by
time and source. The source feeds are automatically visited every
hour, to ensure currency.
Another example is EEVL's OneStep Industry News service
<http://www.eevl.ac.uk/onestepnews/>. OneStep Industry News gathers
news headlines from feeds produced by e4engineering.com, Pro-Talk, the
Institute of Physics, scenta, Nature - Materials Update and other
sources, and intermingles results from each source. It is also
possible to search for items within the relatively small archive of
news stories.
Over sixty RSS feeds are included in LISFeeds, over 100 in Meerkat and
nearly fifty in OneStep Industry News. Whilst it is possible to
include each or any of these feeds in a personal desktop feedreader or
web-based reader, how very convenient it is to have these subject
aggregator services do the work for you. Feedreaders have a tendency
to get swamped with multiple subscriptions, areas of personal interest
change over time, and individuals will often want to scan items from a
subject area with which they are not familiar. As Ian Winship recently
pointed out, it is very easy to get overwhelmed when more and more
feeds are added to a personal desktop reader
<http://www.cilip.org.uk/update/issues/may04/article2may.html>. These
are instances where specialised subject aggregators come into their
own.
New Book Listings by RSS
------------------------
Another example of practical and potentially useful RSS aggregation
includes new book listings. Many publishers currently provide free
email alerts to their book news. These often work well, but a problem
lies in the fact that there are so many publishers producing titles in
any one subject area. To systematically scan all relevant publishers'
output, either via email, by visiting publishers' websites, or by
browsing publication catalogues, can take considerable effort. How
much easier it would be if publishers produced RSS feeds of
announcements for different subject areas, allowing these to be added
to desktop readers or Web-based readers, or included in subject-based
aggregation services.
Amazon is already involved in the production of a number of RSS feeds
which aggregate book news under popular headings
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/xs/syndicate.html>. Though
useful, these feeds have their limitations, and, especially in the
academic sector, there is scope for presenting more specific
aggregation from selected scholarly publishers.
Aggregation is possible not only by subject, but also by resource
type. An existing example, which in this case aggregates job
announcements, is EEVL's OneStep Jobs service
<http://www.eevl.ac.uk/onestepjobs/>.
Journal Table of Contents by RSS
--------------------------------
Aggregated Table of Contents (TOCs) for academic journals are
available. It is now possible to receive content from BioMed Central
and The Scientist as RSS headline feeds
<http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/rss/>. For any BioMed Central
journal, adding /rss/ onto the journal URL gives an RSS feed which
contains details (including abstracts) of the latest articles to be
added to that journal. An experimental RSS feed for Nature is
available <http://nurture.nature.com/rss/nature_test.rdf>, the
Institute of Physics (IoP) produces RSS feeds for several journals
<http://www.iop.org/EJ/help/-topic=rss/>, and several other publishers
are known to be experimenting with TOC RSS feeds. An RSS Module has
been developed for TOC type information as part of the PRISM Project
<http://www.prismstandard.org/>. Robin Peek, in an article in
InformationToday <http://www.infotoday.com/it/oct03/peek.shtml>
recognised the potential of RSS feeds for journal TOCs, and Tony
Hammond looked at the syndication of TOCs in more detail
<http://www.xml.com/lpt/a/2003/07/23/rssone.html>.
Aggregated journal TOCs, along subject lines, would allow academics to
scan numerous publications from different publishers, and aggregated
TOCs along institutional lines would allow them to scan those to which
they have immediate access. Such services are very likely to be
popular.
Other Uses for RSS
------------------
Other RSS aggregation services, which would almost certainly prove
useful for the academic community, include aggregated professional
society news and aggregated research funding news. Again, content
from the sources (professional societies and funding bodies), in the
form of RSS feeds, would be required before such services could become
a reality. Once available, they would undoubtedly add value to
university and college departmental websites, library websites,
pathfinder guides and portals.
There is also much scope for libraries to use RSS to present their own
information. The University of Louisville produces RSS feeds
containing the most recent ten books added to the collections in
various subject areas
<http://www.library.louisville.edu/users/mopurc01/rss/>. Elsewhere,
the University of Alberta Libraries produce RSS Feeds for Library
News, Knowledge Common News, and Library Instruction and Training
Opportunities <http://www.library.ualberta.ca/rss/>. A large number of
libraries now produce library blogs, using RSS
<http://www.libdex.com/weblogs.html>.
3. Customised Feeds
Two very interesting new tools were recently unveiled by xmlhub - an
Open Directory Search - Custom RSS Feed Generator, and an Open
Directory Category - Custom RSS Feed Generator <http://dmoz.org/>. The
first generates a custom RSS feed of Open Directory
<http://www.xmlhub.com/odp_feed.php> search results for any search
term. The second generates a custom RSS feed for any Open Directory
category. These tools make it possible to be alerted to new resources
being added to the Open Directory in areas of particular interest. A
similar tool from Paul Bausch, the author of "Amazon Hacks: 100
Industrial-Strength Tips and Tools" enables the creation of customised
RSS feeds of new additions to Amazon
<http://www.onfocus.com/bookwatch/AmazonRSS.asp>.
The same methodology could be used to generate customised RSS feeds
for other databases, including OPACs, bibliographic and full-text
databases, and Web directories and gateways. To some extent, this is
already happening, with several RDN Hubs producing RSS feeds of new
resources added in selected subject areas or resource types e.g. EEVL
New Learning Materials for Engineering:
<http://www.eevl.ac.uk/cgi-bin/learn-eng-on-eevl.rss> Humbul Resources
for African Studies: <http://www.humbul.ac.uk/output/RSS/african.xml>
What's New in the Women's Studies section of SOSIG:
<http://www.sosig.ac.uk/roads/cgi-bin/new2rss.pl?channel=women>. Only a
little imagination is needed to see how useful personalised search
feeds and new resource feeds could be, both for individual use and for
incorporation into Virtual Learning Environments or pathfinder guides.
Conclusion
----------
There are several practical ways in which the LIS community
can both exploit the content of RSS, and improve their services
through the presentation and re-presentation of RSS feeds. These do
not amount to a revolution, but rather represent a step on the path to
better information services, and one which takes advantage of advances
in technology.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Roddy MacLeod <http://www.hw.ac.uk/libwww/libram/roddy.html> is Senior
Subject Librarian at Heriot Watt University, and is also Manager of
EEVL, the Internet guide to engineering, mathematics and computing. He
edits the Internet Resources Newsletter and is Associate Editor of the
New Review of Information Networking. Roddy can be contacted by email
to <R.A.MacLeod@hw.ac.uk>.
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About this Newsletter
- Publication Date: 16th June 2004
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- Link: https://www.jinfo.com/go/newsletter/161
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