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15th July 2010
No.305
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About FreePint
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FreePint publishes newsletters, websites, magazines and resources for the information industry. The FreePint Family of publications publishes practical tips, product reviews, expert tips, research collections and hands-on tools to support information work of all kinds.
This twice-monthly free FreePint Newsletter serves as a guide to the latest content, including discussion at the Bar, tips articles, vacancies, professional development events, product reviews, editorial commentary and more. Subscribing is free and connects you with the information community around the world. Subscribe today.
The FreePint Bar provides the latest announcements, including publication contents. Subscribe to an RSS feed for the FreePint Bar for the fastest updates.
Please share FreePint with others by forwarding this newsletter.
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Editorial
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By Robin Neidorf
 One of the engaging features of information work is that the principles remain constant even as the tools and context in which we use them change all the time. At the recent SLA annual conference, we filled up the calendar for VIP's product reviews with brand-new offerings as well as enhancements and updates. (There's still time to tell us what you learned and experienced at the event, when you contribute to the FreePint SLA 2010 Special Report.) Every week we learn about new products, resources and sites. A personal favourite -- though no longer completely new -- is the Wolfram|Alpha computational search engine explored in detail in a current FUMSI article.
 Every new development, every new tool gives us and our contributors plenty to write about. And yet it's equally meaningful to review classic wisdom on creating excellence in the information field.
That's one of the reasons we're so pleased to have the opportunity to publish a glowing review of the second edition of Mary Ellen Bates' classic, 'Building and Running a Successful Research Business: a guide for the Independent Information Professional'. As our reviewer, Joanna Ptolomey, points out, Mary Ellen's book is as much change agent as how-to guide. Read it if you're ready to examine not just building an independent business but your beliefs about what work means.
Joanna notes that, as someone who has run her own business for over a decade, she welcomed the chance to use Mary Ellen's book to reexamine the fundamentals: business model, client and project mix, and new directions to explore.
Every healthy business needs to undergo periodic reinvention. FreePint itself is constantly evolving, and each change brings challenges and opportunities. It was just over a year ago that we quietly launched FreePint Research. Today, that division of the business has published reports on copyright, resources for regulatory compliance, and content buying patterns. In-progress projects are examining the demand for mobile content in the enterprise, as well as revisiting and expanding VIP's past research on preferences and requirements for news content.
Those major projects are in addition to periodic smaller surveys on search engine preferences, networking, intranets and more.
If you haven't yet done so, please register your interest in participating in Freepint Research - you'll get an invitation to participate whenever we begin data gathering for a new project.
Smaller enhancements appear weekly. Visit the FreePint Shop to try out the just-launched Google Checkout feature. It's just one of the ways we're working to make it easier to get what you need from FreePint.
Have a suggestion on another way we can help? Another improvement you'd like to see? Email me your thoughts.
And whenever you run across a cool new tool on the Web, share it with the whole FreePint community. Post your tip to the FUMSI Forum, where everyone who Finds, Uses, Manages and Shares Information can benefit.
Robin Neidorf
General Manager
FreePint
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2010
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My Favourite Tipples
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Submit your list of up to five favourite tipples to support@freepint.com for publication with your byline and photo in the FreePint Newsletter. Have a single tip to share? Post it to the FUMSI Forum.
By Adrian Janes
- British Library - Help for Researchers
Wonderful selection of websites for countries, continents, electronic texts, newspapers and particular subjects (e.g. Genealogy, Performing Arts, Sports).
- Carrot2
Fast search engine which clusters search results thematically.
- Europa - European Countries
Map of European countries, in the categories of Member States of the EU; Candidate countries; and Other European countries. Clicking on a country leads to some basic facts about it and links to official governmental and tourist sites.
- Fora TV
Stimulating videos of talks and discussions in the fields of economy, environment, politics, science, technology and culture. Many feature leading thinkers like Clay Shirky, Nicholas Negroponte, Naomi Klein, Christopher Hitchens, etc.
- Times Topics
Huge collection of alphabetically-indexed articles (dating back to the early 1980s) from the New York Times. These are complemented by well-chosen links to other leading sources.
Adrian Janes is a reference librarian with the London Borough of Havering, UK.
He is a Contributing Editor for Docuticker, and occasional contributor to ResourceShelf.
Would you like to add your Favourite Tipples suggestions for the FreePint Newsletter or write an article for FUMSI (Find, Use, Manage or Share Information?).
If so, please submit them to support@freepint.com.
View the guidelines at: <http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute>.
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H-Score: Hindsight in Advance
Company Watch's H-Score tracks the financial health of any company, helping to ensure you can trade with confidence.
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- Financial modeling for "what-if?" experiments
- Stress testing
- Evaluating management accounts
- Forecasts
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FreePint Bar
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The FreePint Bar is where we publish information about the latest content from across the FreePint Family of resources.
The FreePint Bar is sponsored by:
Latest posts at the FreePint Bar:
- [FUMSI] Latest popular articles
The following are the most popular FUMSI articles over the last 30 days:
* The social intranet fires-up knowledge sharing
* From Sumo to Samurai: getting your taxonomies fighting fit: Part 1
* Real-Time Monitoring: Tools and Trends to Watch
* The Greening of a Business: Beyond the Bottom Line
* Creating User Centred Taxonomies: Part One
Free uses of FUMSI articles are supported by our sponsors.
Read posting online »
- [RS] Resource of the Week - E-mail Newsletters That Are Still Worth It
I don't subscribe to very many listservs anymore, and I've gone to RSS in lieu of most e-mail newsletters. Dealing with e-mail in general can be tedious and time-consuming. And yet it remains useful... and popular as a information delivery mechanism. Case in point - our e-mail newsletters for ResourceShelf and DocuTicker go out to more than 22,000 folks every week.
But e-mail newsletters are not only an info delivery mechanism. They can also serve as "ticklers" to remind you to check certain websites for content updates you don't want to miss. Our newsletters here, for example, present just a tiny fraction of the content we've added to both of our websites in the course of an average week. Both ResourceShelf and DocuTicker are updated continually throughout the day, all week long.
Read posting online »
- [VIP] Latest popular LiveWire posts
There's a lot of valuable comment at the VIP LiveWire. The following are the most popular posts from our contributing editors over the last 30 days:
* Bad info wastes time - official
* High time to change copyright laws
* Dispatch from the Exhibit Hall -SLA2010
* Systematic reviews: polishing the turd?
* Social networks - who's watching the big picture?
Subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly to stay informed. Your comments on any posting are always welcome.
Read posting online »
- [FreePint] Coverage of Copyright Report
Check out this interesting blog item featuring the results of the FreePint Report: Copyright Policies and Practices.
Posted by the 1709 Blog: In 1709 the Statute of Anne created the first purpose-built copyright law. This blog, founded just 300 short and unextended years later, is dedicated to all things copyright, warts and all.
If the area of copyright is of interest, you'll certainly find useful information here.
Read posting online »
Visit the FreePint Bar »
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FUMSI Features
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 FUMSI publishes articles, tools, and a monthly magazine, to give you practical help with information skills. Visit http://www.fumsi.com/
However you Find, Use, Manage or Share Information, you'll find something in FUMSI to help.
Become a fan of FUMSI on Facebook »
Follow FUMSI on Twitter »
We add new articles to the FUMSI database in each practice area every month, which are free to read, browse, email, print or save. Here are the most recent additions:
Wolfram|Alpha: Simple and Not So Simple Computations in One Click
 By Africa S. Hands
FUMSI: Find
Wolfram|Alpha offers a useful alternative to the more popular search engines in that it can be used in computations. It accepts free-form linguistic queries, which can take some time to get right, but when you do it returns the exact result desired without the need to click additional links.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'The data in Wolfram|Alpha is organised so that it may be used in computations, not just searched and found. Wolfram|Alpha is a powerful warehouse of knowledge that makes data useful through its computational abilities. Wolfram|Alpha produces more than the end result; it gives historical data, tables, timelines and charts to make sense of the data.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
Part 2: How Do THEY Use Information? Investigating the user information process
 By Scott Brown
FUMSI: Use
Using two corporate users as case studies, Scott Brown sheds light on the black hole into which the hard work of information professionals often seems to fall, and answers the external, and perplexing, question: what do users DO with the information we give them?
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'Customers, clients and users seem mysterious. They come to us for research, they use our resources but then, what do they DO with the research or the information? Many times, we complete the research request, our users search our databases, and we never have any visibility on how the information was used, or even if it was useful. It goes into a black hole.'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
FUMSI Forum
The latest recommendations and tips from our editors, contributors and community:
Visit the FUMSI Forum »
FUMSI - Forthcoming Topics
- SharePoint
- Mobile intranet
- Shorter URLs and how to use them
- Finding internal expertise
- Tweet Preservation
If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact <support@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at
<http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>.
Browse all FUMSI articles »
Subscribe to the free FUMSI Focus to receive a weekly update of the latest FUMSI Forum discussion.
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Well-Fed Is Well-Read:
Get a Free Trial of Moreover Newsdesk
Our "Feed of Feeds" gives you the most news content from the Web.
Powerful filtering tools hone in on what your audience wants and needs.
Add your custom touches, and your newsletter keeps your
team on track and in the know.
Learn more and request your free 2-week trial »
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Try it now. Select your report and then click 'Buy Now':
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VIP Features
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VIP publishes in-depth, unbiased reviews of business information products. If you purchase or use premium information resources, make VIP part of your professional reading every month »
 Legal Sources - A VIP Editorial
By Nina Platt
Nina Platt is VIP's guest editor for June. Nina Platt, owner and principal consultant at Nina Platt Consulting Inc., is a law librarian and former AmLaw 100 firm library director
I was quite pleased to be asked to be guest editor for this issue as I have found VIP to be one of the more useful resources available to us as librarians to support our work. To add to that pleasure, this issue includes a comparison of LexisLibrary and Westlaw UK. I used Lexis Butterworths (now LexisLibrary) and Westlaw UK when I managed a library for a U.S. firm with international offices, and was glad to get an update regarding the services.
The review, written by Diane Raper, did not disappoint me. Despite their interfaces not having been updated since 2007 (Westlaw UK) and 2008 (LexisLibrary), Westlaw UK and LexisLibrary both continue to provide up-to-date primary law, secondary sources and news. They also excel at providing up-to-date legislative and regulatory information. Yet the value in Ms Raper's review is that she clearly describes the differences between the resources.
In the U.S., Lexis.com has many more full text journals than its counterpart, Westlaw.com; I expected similar results with Westlaw UK and LexisLibrary. To my surprise, Westlaw UK came out as the clear winner with 100 full-text journals to LexisLibrary's 56 full-text journals. Also, Westlaw.com has more forms than Lexis.com, while LexisLibrary has more forms than Westlaw UK.
The differences don't end there: Westlaw UK provides some EU content as part of the service, while EU content is a separate product from LexisLibrary. Meanwhile, LexisLibrary has better coverage of case law. LexisLibrary has handbooks, manuals and codes, while Westlaw UK does not.
These surprises were an important lesson to anyone working in a multinational environment: Don't assume your colleagues across the pond have access to the same content or have the same preferences for products, because they might well be fundamentally different.
I have not used the topic of this issue's second review, Debtwire, so was interested to learn about it. Debtwire is aimed at usage among hedge funds, proprietary traders, investment banking, legal and private equity firms, and is a bit unique in the news world in that 30 to 40 percent of the content is generated by contributing journalists rather than aggregated from other sources. Reporting on stressed or distressed companies, pre-restructuring or expected deals, Chapter 11, post restructuring, and high yield and leveraged loans, Debtwire provides information that is not available elsewhere.
Elsewhere in this issue, you have an opportunity to learn about how ICAAN is managing domain names with non-Latin characters, the use of mobile technologies in libraries, telecom's charging for online content provider's content delivery, and data protection for social and business networking.
All this and product news in Tap the Wire makes this issue a great read full of insight, ideas, and facts.
Purchase the individual reports associated with the current VIP by clicking the links above, or purchase Issue No. 79 to receive both and save money over the individual cost.
Purchase VIP Magazine No. 79 from the FreePint Shop, or start your subscription now »
VIP LiveWire
VIP contributing editors comment daily on what's happening in the industry.
Visit the LiveWire for their insights, and subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly for regular alerts.
VIP Wires Weekly is generously sponsored by Company Watch.
Most Read Postings on the LiveWire Recently...
- Business and social networking - honeymoon over?
In view of Facebook's recent privacy debacle, it's perhaps not surprising that people are now far more likely to give only their friends access to their social networking profiles than they were a couple of years ago. But the seeds of this crisis were planted well before the Facebook affair broke - and they call into question much of the rationale for exploiting social networks for business purposes...
Read posting online »
- VIP Review: Social Networks for Business
VIP Magazine No.78, released this week, includes a comparative review of three networking sites, all used for business purposes: LinkedIn, Jigsaw and ZoomInfo. While these sites are aimed at job seekers, recruiters and marketing professionals, they all have content and tools that are useful for information professionals - if used with caution...
Read posting online »
- Copyright - where should the buck stop?
As if Goldman Sachs weren't in enough trouble already, they're now being sued in the United States by investment data provider Ipreo for alleged copyright infringement. But, as new United Kingdom rules for dealing with comparable offences go out for consultation, the evidence continues to build up that policing copyright raises more problems than it solves...
Read posting online »
- Social Network tools for Legal Pros
In keeping with the theme of this month's VIP product reviews of social networks - Penny Crossland's comparison of the more general business services (LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, and Jigsaw) as well as Joanna Ptolomey's dive into BiomedExperts from Collexis - it was serendipitous that one of the sessions at the Software & Information Industry Association's NetGain conference in San Francisco this week included a look at social networks for legal pros...
Read posting online »
- Thomson Reuters strengthens compliance offering
Thomson Reuters yesterday announced its eighth acquisition of the year. The company is acquiring London-based Complinet Ltd, a provider of risk and compliance information and technology solutions...
Read posting online »
Always feel free to comment on any item on the LiveWire, and if you do not yet have a free subscription to the VIP Wires Weekly, you can sign up now »
Purchase VIP Magazine No. 79 from the FreePint Shop, or start your subscription now »
VIP LiveWire »
VIP Wire
Information-related product and news announcements. Post your releases and subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly for regular alerts.
Recent VIP Wire announcements...
VIP Wire »
VIP - Subscribe and Back Issues
Start a trial subscription today for only £84 for three months. Visit http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/vip/volume/trial/ to start your trial. You can also purchase back-issues of VIP from the FreePint Shop.
VIP Archive »
VIP publishes in-depth, unbiased reviews of business information products. If you purchase or use premium information resources, make VIP part of your professional reading every month »
VIP - Forthcoming Topics
- Alacra Compliance
- EIU Country Risk
- TheMarkets.com
- Eureka
If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact <support@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at
<http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>.
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Participate in FreePint Research
Register your interest »
Share your insights in FreePint Research surveys, focus groups and
interviews. Participants *always* receive a copy of project results.
Upcoming projects:
- News Needs and Preferences
- Mobile Content
- Copyright Policies and Practices (year 2).
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The Perfect Information Conference brings together thought-leaders in
enterprise information management.
Listen in on their conversations with the FreePint PIC 2010 Special Report
- Overview of sessions
- Commentary by delegates
- Editorial observations and framework from PI and FreePint.
Request your free copy »
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Jinfo - Jobs and Events in Information
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 Jinfo is the central location for supporting your information career. The Jinfo Jobs database lists vacancies, and the Jinfo Events database lists workshops, conferences, training, webinars and other professional development opportunities.
Start a free subscription to receive the weekly Jinfo Update, with a complete list of the latest vacancies and events, or search the databases at any time (free).
Jinfo Jobs in the FreePint Newsletter are supported through our partnership with Quantum2, an innovative skills development programme offered by Dialog. Learn more at <http://quantum.dialog.com/>.
Jinfo Jobs:
Here is a selection of the latest featured vacancies in the Jinfo database:
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Business Information Analyst
This new role requires an experienced information professional to support our group-wide net...
Recruiter: TFPL Intelligent Resources
Country: United Kingdom
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Records Manager
Are you a Records Manager with a proven pharmaceutical background? We are looking for someone who...
Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited
Country: United Kingdom
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Senior Business Analysts (2)
GLOBAL SENIOR STRATEGY ANALYSTS (2) with high intellect and strong business acumen to work in new positions in Central London for global organisation.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
Country: United Kingdom
Browse all Jinfo Jobs »
Jinfo Events:
Here is a selection of the latest featured events in the Jinfo database:
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AHIS Conference
AHIS - Animal Health Information Specialists (UK & Ireland) Conference
Organiser: Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
Date: 22nd Jul 2010
Country: United Kingdom
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Copyright in the Web 2.0 environment
This course looks at the copyright implications such as where users forward third-party content either by email or online.
Organiser: CILIP
Date: 29th Jul 2010
Country: United Kingdom
Browse all Jinfo Events »
Jinfo - the best place for information-related job vacancies and professional development opportunities.
- RECRUITING?
- Advertise a vacancy for just £195
- 10% discount for agencies
- 50% discount for registered charities
- RUNNING AN EVENT?
List it on Jinfo to reach a targeted audience seeking professional development opportunities
- Get started at <http://web.jinfo.com/events/load/>
- Partner events listed for free; enquire at <support@jinfo.com>.
Find out more today at <http://www.jinfo.com/>
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Highlights from DocuTicker
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DocuTicker publishes citations of full-text, free reports available on the web. Visit daily for new postings, or subscribe to the weekly DocuTicker Newsletter.
Recent postings:
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Highlights from ResourceShelf
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 Every week, the editors of ResourceShelf explore a Resource of the Week. Get them for free every week via email by subscribing to the ResourceShelf Newsletter.
Become a fan of ResourceShelf and DocuTicker on Facebook.
Recently published:
Resource of the Week - E-mail Newsletters That Are Still Worth It
I don't subscribe to very many listservs anymore, and I've gone to RSS in lieu of most e-mail newsletters. Dealing with e-mail in general can be tedious and time-consuming. And yet it remains useful... and popular as a information delivery mechanism. Case in point - our e-mail newsletters for ResourceShelf and DocuTicker go out to more than 22,000 folks every week.
But e-mail newsletters are not only an info delivery mechanism. They can also serve as "ticklers" to remind you to check certain websites for content updates you don't want to miss. Our newsletters here, for example, present just a tiny fraction of the content we've added to both of our websites in the course of an average week. Both ResourceShelf and DocuTicker are updated continually throughout the day, all week long.
View entire posting, including live links »
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Gold
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A look back at what the FreePint Newsletter covered at this time in previous years:
- FreePint No. 281, 9th July 2009 "Disability Statistics: Challenges and Sources" and "Business Insight: BestforBusiness"
- FreePint No. 256, 10th July 2008 "Finding Competitive Information for Growing Companies" and "ISO Management Standards, Intranets and Information Architecture"
- FreePint No. 233, 12th July 2007 "Project Handbook Report and Tool Kit: Research and Scoping" and "Looking East: Chinese Research Sources"
- FreePint No. 209, 13th July 2006 "On the Verge of Revolution - Open-access Publishing" and "Impressions of SLA"
- FreePint No. 186, 14th July 2005 "Free Public Domain and Copyrighted e-Books Online" and "Knowledge Management Does Not Grow on Bonsai Trees"
- FreePint No. 163, 15th July 2004 "In the Groove at the Grove - A review of the Perfect Learning Conference" and "Usability - ignore it at your peril!"
- FreePint No. 140, 10th July 2003 "Copyright and the Internet: Myth and Reality" and "The Product Development Cycle"
- FreePint No. 116, 11th July 2002 "Content Management"
- FreePint No. 91, 5th July 2001 "D.I.Y. Site Design" and "Obtaining Grants"
- FreePint No. 66, 6th July 2000 "Panorama of Engineering Portals" and "Surfing the Sludge - Tips on Good Web Page Design"
- FreePint No. 42, 8th July 1999 "Electronic commerce" and "Plastics and Rubber Information on the Internet"
- FreePint No. 18, 9th July 1998 "Small is Beautiful: Being a Small Business on the Internet" and "Statistical Information on the Web"
FreePint Newsletter Archive »
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Contact Information
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To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your subscriptions or password, visit <http://www.freepint.com/subs/> or forward this email, with your request and registered email address, to <support@freepint.com>. For details about contributing, advertising or to see past issues, please visit the Web site at <http://www.freepint.com/>.
Please note: FreePint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a registered trademark of, and published by, Free Pint Limited. The publishers will NEVER make the subscriber list available to any other company or organisation.
The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.
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