Newsletter No. 87
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"Helping 37,000 people use the Web for their work"
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ISSN 1460-7239 10th May 2001 No.87
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IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
from Tony Franks
FREE PINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Reviewed by Simon Collery
JOBS
Library / Information Manager
Subject Specialist Researcher - Energy
Evening Researcher
TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
"2001 - The Internet Election?"
By Gillian Selman
BOOKSHELF
"Searching CD-Rom and Online Information Sources"
Reviewed by Paul Pedley
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Information Provision for the Information Providers"
By Carl Clayton
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
ONLINE VERSION WITH ACTIVATED HYPERLINKS
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/100501.htm>
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>>> ABOUT FREE PINT <<<
Free Pint is a community of business professionals who use the Web for
their research. Members receive this free newsletter every two weeks
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and networking at the "Free Pint Bar" and "Student Bar". This
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EDITORIAL
Following many requests from Free Pinters around the world, I'm
delighted to announce the official launch of "Free Pint Jobs":
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
This is a brand new service for members, allowing you to search for
information-related jobs and post your vacancies.
If you're looking for a new job then you can search by keyword,
country, duration, etc. and it's free to set up a confidential profile
which will alert you weekly to new jobs matching your criteria.
If you have information-related vacancies to fill then you can list
your jobs for free. They will appear in search results and in the
weekly profile alerts to job seekers. There is also the option to
upgrade your listings by paying a small fee which highlights your job
at the top of search results and gives it coverage in this newsletter.
The usefulness of the service will continue to grow as more people use
it, therefore we hope you can help us spread the word by telling your
colleagues, friends and students, along with journalists and relevant
publications.
There have already been 3000 searches since its soft-launch at the
Free Pint Bar last week and we've received some great feedback. We
have spent many hours developing Free Pint Jobs from scratch and would
welcome your ideas and comments on how we can improve the service.
So, why not try a search, set up a profile, or list your jobs today:
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
In this edition of Free Pint we take a timely look at sites relating
to the forthcoming UK election. There is also a useful browse through
sites of interest to information professionals. We've packed in the
latest whispers from the Bar, lots of quick tips, and of course the
new section featuring vacancies from the Free Pint Jobs service.
Cheers
William
William Hann BSc MIInfSc, Founder and Managing Editor
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 455435
(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2001
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Get up-to-date news, reviews, career moves and profiles by
subscribing to Information World Review - the information industry's
leading monthly news magazine.
http://www.iwr.co.uk
Information World Review - addressing the agenda of information
professionals and those working in an information-based career.
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
from Tony Franks
As readers of my occasional messages will know, I'm cheap! I only use
services that are free. Consequently my current favourite tipples are:
* Exploratorius - The meta search engine, as it includes all my
favourite search engines: Google, AllTheWeb, Northernlight and
Altavista. <http://www.exploratorius.com>
* Ditto - A good place to start to search for pictures.
<http://www.ditto.com>
* Freeskills - For FREE online training in almost all major software
products. <http://www.freeskills.com/listcourses?cobrand=freeskills>
* FreeDrive - I used FreeDrive to deliver important files with
scientists working on the diesel oil spill in the Galapagos Islands,
a lot easier than attaching huge files to emails. Also ideal if you
want to avoid carrying floppy disks between home, office, and other
work locations. <http://www.freedrive.com>
* OLGA - The On-Line-Guitar-Archive has grown and grown, you can now
find thousands of Rock, Pop, Soul, Folk, Blues, Country and
Bluegrass lyrics and chords. <http://www.olga.net/search/index.html>
Tony Franks is Data Support Officer for the Countryside Council for
Wales (Policy Directorate), a Data Consultant & Website Designer. See
an example at <http://www.NorthWalesBluegrass.co.uk>.
Tell us about your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm> or email <simon@freepint.com>.
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Have you been following the story of Isabella and the other employees
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chapter is posted each month. In mid-May, you will be able to vote
online for who you think the culprit is. The winner will receive
expenses to travel to the 2002 SLA Conference in Los Angeles. There'll
be runner up prizes too. Keep reading and look for voting to begin!
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FREE PINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Reviewed by Simon Collery
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/100501.htm#bar>
Free Pint Bar - <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
[Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in
the address <http://www.freepint.com/go/bXXXX> or enter
the number in the "Jump To" box on the Bar homepage]
Ironically, the longest new thread this last few weeks has been about
the problem of long threads on the Bar (9335). Mirroring behaviour
displayed elsewhere on the Web, the more information available, the
less people seem to find the bits they want. Questions about
university rankings continue to be added even though many of them have
been answered earlier in the thread (which has now moved to the
Student Bar). Now the thread has more questions than answers, more
fluff than genuine information.
Another theme that has been popular for some time is that of
recruitment and it has been even more popular lately. There are
postings about work in France (9137), Cyprus (9136), Jamaica (9151)
and America (9341) which still require an answer. There are further
questions about knowledge management recruitment agencies in the UK
(9478), online editing (9360), Oracle consultants (9400), information
technology (9148), librarianship (9310) and some UK e-recruitment
survey (9291).
Thankfully there is usually more information than fluff in Bar
threads, more answers than questions. So plenty of advice has been
meted out about an ex employee using their former employer's
letterheads (9149), the use of knives in schools (9367), mobile phones
(9142, 9407), industrial standards (9198), examples of good
engineering design (9382), out of print books (9225), Fido Dido (9411)
and buying left hand drive cars in the UK (9271).
Latin translation and related questions continue to appear (9269,
9375, 9396, 9484, 9386) but there are lots of answers in that thread.
Less easy to answer are questions about waste incinerator pollution
(9256) and second hand tyres in Germany (9246)
Business research questions covering specific companies (9368), call
centres (9245), company information in Ireland (9309), companies that
outsource IT work (9331), newly registered companies (9153), and US
company directors (9319) have been generously answered.
There have been more problematic questions about international bond
yields (9176), historical prices for Latin American stocks and ADRs
(9144), purchasing investment properties in Portugal (9163) and
setting up a private credit union (9294).
Recommended resources have been flying around the Bar, as always,
covering services for disabled people (9385), archiving the Web
(9293), European labour law sites (9410), the future impact of
information technology on the economy, public policy and society
(9301) and UK Statutory Instruments (9495).
Search-related questions have been raised by Free Pinters interested
in agriculture (9281), chat rooms (9167), a Google add-on tool (9485)
and a recommendation for a Web site search tool (9442).
There are unanswered questions about sales of conservatory blinds in
the UK (9233), European trade figures (9492), the busiest UK Web sites
(9206) and the Web traffic analysis software market in Europe (9262).
Other requests for quantitative data on industry performance (9340),
UK supermarket price comparisons (9211) and farmland values (9155)
have been fulfilled.
As usual, advice has been sought on various technical and Web
mastering matters: automatic themes extraction software (9147), Web
design courses (9304), downloading large files (9451), Lotus Notes
(9207), MS Outlook (9243) and text messaging (9477).
And experts have been weighing in readily when it comes to creating
newsletters (9193), search and analysis software (9297), anti snooping
software (9308) and overseeing the design of Web sites (9150). There's
also a Free Pinter who has been receiving automatic blank emails from
one of her contacts (9218).
Free Pint Student Bar - <http://www.freepint.com/student>
[Note: To read a posting enter the message number in place of XXXX in
the address <http://www.freepint.com/go/sXXXX>]
Students have been researching newsgroups (1360), trademark
translations (1373), intranets (1392), Meredith Belbin's "Teamworker"
(1394), women entrepreneurs (1405), ebooks in university libraries
(1411) and the customer relationship management practices of
information providers (1396).
The issue of finance is a constant worry for students, whether they
are trying to secure loans (1401) or sponsorship (1404). And when
people keep raising the same question it can be a worry for Web
masters, the ones about university rankings being a case in point
(1368, 1370, 1391).
Other questions include ones on writing action plans while on
placement as a student nurse (1380), international student numbers
(1383) and free database publishing software (1361). Finally, how can
we use technology to make life easier in the future (1359)?
Simon Collery, Content Developer <simon@freepint.com>
If you have a tricky research question or can help other Free Pinters
then do post a message at the Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar> or
the Student Bar <http://www.freepint.com/student>.
To have the latest Free Pint Bar postings sent to you every other day,
send a blank email to <digest@freepint.com>. For the Student Bar
Digest send an email to <studentdigest@freepint.com>.
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FREE PINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
Free Pint Jobs has details of 78 information-related vacancies around
the world. The following are a selection of featured jobs:
Library / Information Manager
Hill Taylor Dickinson solicitors require a Library/Information
Manager to cover maternity leave.
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j75>
Subject Specialist Researcher - Energy
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quality management consultancy.
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Evening Researcher
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in investment bank.
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It is free to search Free Pint Jobs and you can set up a profile to be
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TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/100501.htm#tips>
"2001 - The Internet Election?"
By Gillian Selman
At the time of the last UK General Election in 1997, the Internet was
still largely the preserve of academia and, to a lesser extent,
business. In 2001 the Internet has made its mark on commerce, finance,
consumers and everyday life. The Internet has the potential to change
the way in which elections are fought. Will this potential be realised
in 2001?
Political Adoption of Technology
--------------------------------
Politicians have always harnessed new technology in order to
communicate their messages, to varying degrees. Campaigns are reliant
on technology and the media to help them get their message to voters.
In an image-conscious world, political parties' branding is all-
important, and conveyed through the use of television, print and
billboard advertisements, and now their Web sites. The mobile
telephone, pager, fax and email have all proved their worth as
communication tools and their influence can only increase in a fast-
paced election campaign. However, in a recent Guardian Unlimited
debate on the 'Net Election' the consensus was that the humble
telephone would be far more significant than the Internet in the next
election. The telephone is a quick, cheap and reliable form of
communication and using phone banks is ideal for conducting large-
scale canvassing, made additionally relevant by the current climate,
where there is some restriction on movement due to the foot-and-mouth
outbreak. A recent report
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4145951,00.html>
also suggested that the Labour party might use the nation's latest
craze, text messaging, in an attempt to enthuse young voters.
The current situation would ostensibly seem to be fertile ground for
the Web to prove its worth. However, although over half the population
has now accessed the Internet at some point (according to a recent
National Statistics report
<http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/int0301.pdf>), and usage rates
are increasing dramatically, its use is not yet widespread enough for
the medium to overshadow or replace more traditional methods of
communication. The same report found that usage is heavily biased
towards professional households, so while the Internet and email are
of value in targeting these groups, other media are likely to be more
successful when appealing to the population as a whole.
Political Parties and Politicians
---------------------------------
As one would expect, all the major political parties have a Web
presence. All follow broadly the same format, with interactive
features to enable parties to build electronic contact with their
supporters, and attract those undecided voters. Potential supporters
can sign up to join the party, or take part in opinion polls. Other
features include locate-your-MP tools, news, policies, updates and
perhaps most significantly, sign-up facilities for email newsletters.
By harnessing one of the Internet's primary uses - email - parties can
disseminate cheaply and conveniently their latest campaign news. Email
bulletins can highlight the day's main issues, as they happen. These
newsletters are less costly than traditional advertising and
canvassing forms but they do not reach the same audience; messages
will only reach those proactive voters who have signed up for the
service, and will not reach the disinterested browser who is unlikely
to seek out a party's site let alone subscribe to receive updates.
Additionally, voters without Internet access are excluded.
Encouraged by similar strategies during the 2000 US Presidential
elections, parties have capitalised on the Internet's fundraising
capabilities, with sites offering the opportunity to make a donation
to their fighting funds. Inevitably, negative messages about political
opponents abound, but manifesto pledges and policies take centre
stage. The Labour Party's site <http://www.labour.org.uk> gives
users the chance to find out about its manifesto commitments and
progress in their local area, while the Green Party's offering
<http://www.greenparty.org.uk/> has a comprehensive archive of reports
on globalisation, the environment and social justice. The next
generation of voters is catered for by the main parties with their own
dedicated sites. Merchandise to purchase and tools to refer the site
to a friend enhance the parties' branding and image-raising
opportunities. Questions about policy and issues of concern can be
submitted for consideration, and users can access speeches from party
leaders through audio and video clips.
The Internet is an enabler; there exists the potential for greater
communication between voter and candidate than ever before. Many
constituents can now email their MPs, and will hopefully receive a
timely reply - it is far quicker and easier than writing a letter.
Similarly, some innovative MPs (e.g. Dan Norris
<http://freespace.virgin.net/norris.wansdyke/> and David Heath
<http://www.davidheath.co.uk/>) offer online surgeries via their Web
sites, where constituents with local queries can submit their
questions electronically. Electoral candidates and MPs can therefore
tap into and receive feedback on issues of concern to voters in real-
time. Sites like Fax Your MP <http://faxyourmp.com/> seek to
facilitate and develop this line of communication further by offering
to submit faxes to MPs on behalf of constituents.
Other features of MPs' Web sites include diaries, events and
biographical information. While some MPs' sites are professional-
looking and contain useful content (e.g. Michael Portillo's at
<http://www.michaelportillo.co.uk/>, it is clear that in order to
exploit fully the opportunities presented by the Web, those MPs
without an adequate and up-to-date site will need to improve their
Internet image, and not rely solely on their public persona. This in
turn may require additional administrative support and funding in
order that MPs can provide the Web site and electronic contact that
voters will soon expect as standard. Significantly, it is still a
relatively small percentage of MPs who have a Web presence; key
members of both the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet are missing. The Prime
Minister has a useful generic site at <http://www.number-10.gov.uk/>
which contains news, speeches, biographies of former post holders and
a guided tour of the famous house.
Large numbers of party branches, of all political persuasions, also
have sites (e.g. Croydon's Conservative group at
<http://www.croydonconservatives.com/>, or Newcastle Liberal Democrats
at <http://www.newcastle-libdems.org.uk/>). Key features include
interactivity; for example, a feedback form, email link to branch
contacts and the area's MP or a chance to get involved with local
politics; plus opinion polls and a focus on constituency issues, news
and events.
The Internet's Political Capabilities and Value
-----------------------------------------------
The Web cannot hope to replace the hustings and the adrenalin of real-
life political campaigning, but it has some interesting capabilities
that politicians need to bear in mind. Most importantly, it allows
real-time communication and coordination. Demonstrations, email
campaigns and petitions can be arranged cheaply and easily. The
Internet has become a vital tool for single-issue campaigners with few
resources or access to traditional ways of raising awareness. Issues
like, for example, the fuel price protests in September 2000, can
flare up, gain support and suddenly become far more important and
influential than either politicians or the media had bargained for,
and can influence political campaigns to a greater extent than had
been realised.
Political parties can use the Web to convey their messages without
interference, filtering or alteration by political journalists and
traditional media. However, arguably it is these commentators who
interpret party political messages for consumers, and this level of
explication will be lost. Parties can also cultivate relationships
with print media in order to influence their readership in a way that
is impossible on the Web.
Influence on Future Political Campaigns
---------------------------------------
The Internet cannot at present compete with traditional media
channels; it simply does not have the reach of print and broadcast
media. Voters who take the trouble to look up their MP's Web page and
sites associated with politics are likely already to be interested in
the issues. The Internet could prove to be useful in influencing an
apathetic electorate, particularly the next generation of voters, with
new and innovative ways of campaigning. As increasing numbers gain
access to the Web it can play a greater role. The Government hopes to
start to address this through the introduction of its UK Online
centres and associated Web site at <http://www.ukonline.gov.uk/>.
In line with the present Government's commitment to making their
services available online, you can now register to vote at
<http://www.rollingregistration.co.uk/> or opt for a postal vote at
<http://www.postalvotes.co.uk/>, obtain information on national and
local government services and locate your MP or councillor. The
Government Gateway at <http://www.gateway.gov.uk> exists to facilitate
greater access to Government services online; currently the
functionality is limited to the electronic submission of VAT and PAYE
returns.
The Internet is a vast repository of primary material; documents,
reports, consultations, news and parliamentary proceedings are all
available with unprecedented ease while they are still current and
relevant, with a huge archive of material for reference. No longer do
users have to wait for their local library to obtain printed copies of
Hansard when they can read it online. Wide scale access to official
material plus ad-hoc campaigns being organised and disseminated over
the Internet will play a major role in educating voters and could help
to engender a greater interest in the democratic process.
Aggregators like ePolitix <http://www.epolitix.com/> enhance the
knowledge-gathering process by providing well-presented comment, news
and information on parliamentary business, plus press reviews and
interviews, while news sites (for example Guardian Unlimited's portal
at <http://www.politics.guardian.co.uk/>) offer multimedia clips,
extensive archives, humour, political profiles and in-depth coverage
of the campaign's main issues.
Maybe not this election, but the next?
--------------------------------------
The Internet cannot fail to become a major factor in motivating voters
and enlivening political debate in the future. Web-savvy young people
are the ideal targets for parties seeking to inspire them to take part
in the electoral process.
We may see e-voting at future General Elections, but issues associated
with security, fraud and the ability to verify the identify of voters
need to be addressed before this can become a mainstream method of
casting your vote.
Through the proliferation of political sites during the next election
campaign, the Web will play a larger role than ever before, but due to
the lack of mainstream access will still be overshadowed by more
traditional means of campaigning, such as broadcast and print
advertisements. However, innovative ways of hammering the message
home, for example text messages and email bulletins, will ensure that
the technology is perfectly poised to make an even greater impact next
time round.
Links
-----
Here is the URL which links to LookSmart UK's Government & Society
category:
<http://synd.looksmart.co.uk/synd-uk/explore.jsp?&path=686889,705569,705572&lan=uk>
Politics category:
<http://synd.looksmart.co.uk/synd-uk/explore.jsp?&path=686889,705569,705572,703545&lan=uk>
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Gillian Selman (MA, BA, AKC) read English at King's College London
before taking an MA in Information Services Management. She worked in
a variety of libraries, including academic and law, before joining
LookSmart UK (<http://www.looksmart.co.uk/>) as Editor, where she has
responsibility for the Government/Society and Health categories.
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Related Free Pint links:
* "Politics and Government" articles & resources in the Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p113>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/100501.htm#tips>
* Post a message to the author now at the Free Pint Bar
<http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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It's free to:
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FREE PINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"Searching CD-Rom and Online Information Sources"
Reviewed by Paul Pedley
Searching CD-ROM and online information sources begins with an
introduction to basic information skills. These include the reference
interview, where the information intermediary needs to consider what
kind of information is needed; how much is needed; how is the
information going to be used; what degree of sophistication is needed;
how much time does the user wish to spend; and what are the
constraints.
The book then goes on to look at common reference sources such as
dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, biographical sources or indexes
and abstracts. The authors consider when it is appropriate to use
these sources, and how such sources should be evaluated using the
following criteria as a checklist: authority, purpose, physical
production, arrangement, recency, accuracy, treatment, users and
scope.
There is a general overview of searching different types of database:
OPACS (online public access catalogues); CD-ROMs; and online
databases. This is then followed by separate chapters on searching
information sources by subject: science and technology; social
sciences; business information; legal information; health information;
standards and patents; and government, institutional and miscellaneous
information sources.
A considerable amount of work has clearly gone into researching this
publication. It runs to 324 pages, including seven appendices of
select lists of sources by subject, and an index. The work is
illustrated throughout and includes plenty of screen shots. There are
also tables giving detailed information about searching the sources
such as the boolean search operators, truncation search operators,
proximity search operators, or free text search options available for
specific sources.
When I saw the title of the book it immediately made me think that it
sounded rather old fashioned. CD-ROMs have been around for many years,
and the phrase online information sources conjures up an image of the
traditional online hosts. But the authors do include web-based
searching in their definition of online information sources, and I
don't feel as though the title of the book does full justice to its
content.
It is clear that the book is aimed at students of library and
information science throughout the world to help them use the wide
range of sources available today. But it also seems as though the
authors consider that the book will be useful to practitioners wishing
to become acquainted with the techniques of searching various
electronic information sources. Whilst it certainly provides useful
background, it doesn't contain enough practical information to be a
major source of information for practitioners. For example, when using
online hosts that aggregate data from a number of sources, it is
important to know whether the source is more up to date on one host
than another; whether the data available represents only a sub-set of
the database; or whether one online search service is better than
another for searching that database because of added functionality,
price comparison charts etc.
The final chapter looks at future trends in the electronic information
sources and searching environment, including a brief look at
electronic journals and digital libraries.
The book as a whole is well worth reading. It provides a useful
overview of the information available in CD-ROM and online formats and
it raises the issue of how to evaluate the sources, although it
doesn't really provide a thorough critique of the sources covered. As
the authors had chosen seven subject areas to look at, it did make me
wonder whether there was scope for more in-depth publications on the
sources available within those subject areas.
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Paul Pedley is Head of Research at the Economist Intelligence Unit.
He is the author of three Aslib Know How Guides - "Copyright for
library and information service professionals"; "Intranets and push
technology - creating an information sharing environment"; "The
invisible web: searching the hidden parts of the Internet" as well as
a book on Free business and industry information on the web. Paul
maintains a website at <http://www.paulpedley.com>.
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Related Free Pint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/chowd.htm>
* Read about other Internet searching books on the Free Pint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/searching.htm>
* "Searching CD-Rom and Online Information Sources". Details: ISBN
1956043886 published by Library Association Publishing and written
by G G Chowdhury & Sudatta Chowdhury
* More information from the Library Association at
<http://www.la-hq.org.uk/directory/publications/lap/new.html>
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the Free Pint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
To propose an information-related book for review, send details
to <bookshelf@freepint.com>.
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You can activate this by logging into your account online,
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/100501.htm#feature>
"Information Provision for the Information Providers"
By Carl Clayton
In this article I will not attempt to provide a list of "relevant"
web sites for information professionals. Rather I will explore the
type of information that is available and the finding tools we can
use. In this respect this article can serve as an introduction to any
subject and not just information science.
Current Awareness Services
--------------------------
Free Pint <http://www.freepint.com>
I assume that if you are reading this you are familiar with Free
Pint! In summary it is a free email newsletter with tips on
searching and Web site reviews. Published twice a month, it has
grown in popularity to encompass a community of some 37,000 Internet
researchers and business users around the world.
Scout <http://www.scout.cs.wisc.edu/>
The Internet Scout Project is a US based service that e-mails weekly
links to selected on-line resources for education. It also produces
regular subject reviews. It does have a US bias but it can come up
with interesting sites, especially sites linked to current news
topics.
Internet Resources Newsletter
<http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/irn.html>
A free monthly newsletter for academics, students, engineers,
scientists and social scientists from Heriot-Watt University library
Current Cites <http://www.sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/>
A selected and annotated monthly list of citations to information
technology literature. This is useful if you need to keep up with
the technical developments in the Internet.
NewsAgent <http://www.newsagent.sbu.ac.uk>
This is a free update service for library and information
professionals. It reviews a large number of web sites and mailing
lists and then e-mails you with a list of links based on a user
profile that you set up to reflect you interests. The ability to
select your own profile can be a useful way of dealing with
information overload - though it is difficult to fine tune the
selection process.
LITC (Library and Information Technology Centre)
<http://sbu.ac.uk/litc>
This aims to maintain current awareness in Information Technology as
applied to Libraries.
Useful LIS Web Sites
-------------------
I will now look at some useful web sites that can be used to get
information about professional issues. The aim is not to recommend a
list of sites but to show the sort of information that is available.
Professional bodies are always an important source of information and
their web sites are a useful starting point. The Library Association
Web site <http://www.la-hq.org.uk/> obviously carries a lot of
information about the LA itself but it also has information on
a wide range of professional issues. The LA responses to issues are
often very useful. Selected items from the LA Record are also
available. A recent development is the Library Association LISJobNet
site <http://www.lisjobnet.org.uk> - the online version of Library &
Information Appointments. As well as job adverts it contains links to
relevant information on job seeking, careers, qualifications, salaries
and membership. Most of the LA branches and groups have their own web
sites and these can be very valuable.
Other similar bodies with useful web sites include:
EARL, the Consortium for Public Library Networking
<http://www.earl.org.uk/index.html>
UKOLN The UK Office for Library and Information Networking
<http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/>
Resource - The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries
<http://www.resource.gov.uk/>
Library and Information Commission <http://www.lic.gov.uk/>
(The LIC was replaced by Resource but the web site is still live for
LIC publications.)
Concord <http://www.bl.uk/concord/index1.html>
(British Library Co-operation and Partnership Programme and other co-
operative activity).
An important feature of the Internet is that it allows individuals to
publish on the same basis as large organisations. An example of this
is LibraryWorld.co.uk <http://www.libraryworld.co.uk/> which has the
stated aim of providing library and information professionals with
links to virtually every aspect of librarianship. It has been put
together by a college librarian who is on maternity leave and decided
to use her spare time (!) to help colleagues. Clearly this individual
does not have the resources of a professional body to support her but
in my opinion this is a valuable and very practical resource.
The Nutshell <http://www.thenutshell.co.uk> is a web site provided
jointly by the Institute of Information Scientists and Bowker.
Although it claims to be for "everyone working with information" it is
really for information managers in business and research information
services and not for library assistants working in public or academic
libraries. This is not a criticism but rather a question of
definition. Library Link <http://www.liblink.co.uk> is an online
discussion and information forum for librarianship and information
management produced by MCB University Press.
Portals
-------
Portals (or Gateways) are a very important concept when it
comes to finding information on the Internet. Portals are web sites
that give selected and evaluated links to other web sites. In many
cases portals are more efficient than search engines as a way of
finding quality information.
Earlweb <http://www.earl.org.uk/earlweb/index.html>
This collection of links maintained by Earl includes a section for
Public Librarians. It has ten categories giving access to a wide
range of useful sites.
The UK Public Libraries page compiled by Sheila and Robert Harden
<http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/square/ac940/ukpublib.html>.
This is a listing of the web sites for all UK public libraries and
also contains links to other sites of interest to librarians.
BUBL - Bulletin Board for Libraries <http://bubl.ac.uk/>
A national information service for the HE community. It includes
BUBL Link - selected Internet resources covering all academic
subject areas and one of these is Library and Information Sciences.
Go to <http://bubl.ac.uk/link/> and follow the "Featured subjects"
link for Library and Information Science. Another useful service is
the BUBL journal updates, which lists the contents of current
journals. Librarianship and Information Science journals
conveniently appear at the top of the list.
<http://bubl.ac.uk/journals/updates/current.html>
Info Connect LIS Directory <http://www.geocities.com/infolibrary/>
Set up in 1995 exclusively for information scientists, librarians
etc., the directory provides links to selected professional and
academic Internet sites around the world covering information.
PICK <http://www.aber.ac.uk/~tplwww/e/>
PICK is a gateway to quality Librarianship and Information Science
resources on the Internet. PICK is compiled by Thomas Parry Library,
University of Wales Aberystwyth in the UK. It has some very useful
features but it has not been updated since April 1999. A recent e-
mail to the webmaster failed to elicit a reply so it has to be used
with caution. This emphasises the need to evaluate sites even when
they come from an authoritative source.
Library and Related Resources
-----------------------------
From the University of Exeter Library and Information Service
<http://www.ex.ac.uk/library/wwwlibs.html>. A simple but up-to-date
listing.
Libraryhq.com <http://www.libraryhq.com>. A US portal for the library
profession.
The National Grid for Learning <http://www.ngfl.gov.uk/index.html>. A
portal that brings together a collection of sites that support
education and lifelong learning.
Portals to Portals
------------------
So how do you find the best portal when you need one? The answer is to
use a portal to portals, that is a site that selects and lists subject
portals.
Resource Discovery Network <http://www.rdn.ac.uk/>
This is a valuable Portal to a wide range of subject portals for the
UK learning and research communities. RDN not only gives you links
to subject portals but also allows you to search for a subject over
several portals. At present RDN does not give a specific link to
Information Science as a subject area, but a keyword search will
produce several hits.
Pinakes <http://www.hw.ac.uk/libWWW/irn/pinakes/pinakes.html>
This portal developed by the Heriot-Watt University library is named
after the catalogue developed by Callimachus for the Library of
Alexandria. It provides links to the major subject gateways. There
is an alphabetical listing and a subject classified listing. There
is no searching facility but it is a comprehensive listing including
LIS portals.
E-mail Lists
------------
An important source of professional information is LIS
e-mail discussion lists. A list is a group of people all on e-mail who
come together with a common interest. They join this group and any
message sent to this list is sent to all the members of that list.
This means that you can instantly join in a group discussion with many
other people. Many thousands of these discussion lists have been set
up covering all sorts of subjects, and there are many library related
lists. The main list server for academic lists is JISCmail. To see
what library related lists are maintained by JISCmail go to
<http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/>.
Another more general listing of library discussion lists is maintained
by BUBL at <http://www.bubl.ac.uk/mail/>.
A useful listing is compiled by Newsagent
<http://newsagent.sbu.ac.uk/content_resources.html>.
If you are a first-time user of lists you should check out the rules
and netiquette. There are published guidelines e.g. Netiquette
Guidelines
<http://www.eff.org/pub/Net_info/Introductory/netiquette_rfc1855.guide>.
The best advice is to read the joining instructions and observe the
traffic before you join in.
Electronic Journals
-------------------
Many of us rely on journals to keep up to date with current
developments and increasingly these are available in electronic
formats. There are a number of library and information science titles
that you can subscribe to but I will focus on material freely
available on the Web.
Selected articles from the latest edition of the Record are available
on the LA web site <http://www.la-hq.org.uk/>.
Selected articles from the Aslib journal, Managing Information can be
found at <http://www.aslib.com/man-inf/index.html>.
The Nutshell site mentioned above <http://www.thenutshell.co.uk> has a
link to the contents of Bowker information science e-journals with
occasional links to full text articles. Similarly Library Link
<http://www.liblink.co.uk> has links to electronic titles and its own
electronic journal Library and Information Management On-line.
Ariadne <http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/> is aimed at librarians and
information science professionals in academic libraries. It describes
and evaluates sources and services available on the Internet, and of
potential use, to librarians and information professionals.
Many of the portals listed above have sections on electronic journals.
Learning On-line
----------------
Increasingly courses are being delivered on-line. Many Departments of
Information Studies offer distance learning options based on web
delivered material. You shouldn't expect to find a large amount of
free training material available on line but there is some.
Resource Discovery Network - Virtual Training Suite
<http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk>. The RDN Portal mentioned above has a
useful set of training units on how to find on-line information in
various subjects. This is of value to librarians and end users.
Internet Detective
<http://www.sosig.ac.uk/desire/internet-detective.html>. An
interactive tutorial on evaluating the quality of Internet resources.
Phil Bradley's web site <http://www.philb.com>. Phil is the author of
The Advanced Internet Searcher's handbook. You won't find the text of
the book here but there is some very useful training material.
For many topics you will not find an on-line training course but you
may be able to research the topic yourself using the sites listed
above.
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Carl Clayton worked in academic libraries in London before joining the
Library Association as a Professional Adviser. In 1996 he moved to
Sheffield to become the Director of SINTO - the Sheffield Information
Organisation. As chair of the National Forum for Information Planning
he is involved in cross-sector co-operation and partnership.
SINTO The Learning Centre Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield S1 1WB
0114 225 4711 <http://www.shu.ac.uk/sinto>.
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Related Free Pint links:
* "Information" articles & resources in the Free Pint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p69>
* Respond to this article and chat to the author now at the Bar
<http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/100501.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of Free Pint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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>>> FREE PINT FACT <<<
Although Free Pint's email newsletter list hosting service has always
allowed you to track any number of fields for your members, there was
no way before of sending your publication to a sub-set of the list.
Well, it is now possible to have a "category" field which allows you
to categorise your members. When you come to publish your email
newsletter then the category list is updated automatically and you're
offered the option of only mailing a sub-set of your list. Neat.
Find out more about Free Pint's list hosting service (including rates,
features and testimonials) at <http://www.freepint.com/bulk/>.
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
<http://www.freepint.com/events>
The second half of May sees the twice yearly "Online Information for
the City" exhibition which is produced by Learned Information. They
are the company who run the annual "Online Information" conference and
exhibition which we're attending again this year in December.
Could be well worth a trip to London since you can also visit Business
Intelligence's "eCustomer Strategy" conference alongside the "Customer
Relationship Management Conference & Exhibition".
Further afield, Internet.com's "allNetDevices Asia Conference" is
running in Hong Kong and then two days later in Singapore.
Details of these and many other forthcoming conferences and
exhibitions in the online-information and Internet industries can be
found on the Free Pint Events page <http://www.freepint.com/events>.
Also, submit details of your event via this page.
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FREE PINT GOLD
This time last year we had an article on UK employment law sites, a
topic which continues to crop up at the Bar on a regular basis. We
also looked at sites with information on global positioning systems.
In his review, Arthur Weiss gave his blessing to the book under
scrutiny, stating that it "provides a comprehensive coverage of the
various aspects of competitive intelligence practices and processes
today".
* Free Pint No.62, 11th May 2000 "Idiots' guide to UK employment law
sites on the Internet" and "Gimme a G for Global, a G for Geography"
(GIS and GPS sites). <http://www.freepint.com/issues/110500.htm>
Two years ago we looked at patent information sites and how to get the
most out of online communities, and specifically mailing lists.
* Free Pint No.38, 13th May 1999. "Patent information on the Internet"
and "Lurking on Lists". <http://www.freepint.com/issues/290499.htm>
Three years ago, I gleaned some thoughts on the Internet World show,
whilst James Gallagher introduced us to how deafblind people use the
Web. James has subsequently won a number of prestigious awards for his
site at <http://www.deafblind.com/>.
* Free Pint No.14, 14th May 1998 "Six Opinions on Internet World UK"
and "Deafblind access to the Web".
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/140598.htm>
William Hann, Managing Editor <william@freepint.com>
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FREE PINT FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
[Provisional]
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If you have a suggestion for an article topic or would like to write
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Rex Cooke, Editor <rex@freepint.com>
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GOODBYE
Thanks for reading today's Free Pint and I hope you picked up lots of
new tips. Do remember to forward this issue to your colleagues and
friends, and why not tell them about Free Pint Jobs while you're at
it? Don't forget to check it out yourself too:
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
See you in two weeks!
William Hann, Founder and Managing Editor
<william@freepint.com>
(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2001
<http://www.freepint.com/>
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CONTACT INFORMATION
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Free Pint (ISSN 1460-7239) is a free newsletter written by information
professionals who share how they find quality and reliable information
on the Internet. Useful to anyone who uses the Web for their work, it
is published every two weeks by email.
To subscribe, unsubscribe, find details about contributing,
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About this Newsletter
- Publication Date: 9th May 2001
- Plain text
- Link: https://www.jinfo.com/go/newsletter/87
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