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Spring 2007
VOLUME 22, NUMBER 4
In This Issue
- A few words with NRC-CISTI's new Director General
- eBook Loans service ready for business
- New Pay Per Article service as easy as 1,2,3,4,5
- Set limits with Caps on Account service-available soon
- New Extended Supply Service combines Link and Global services
- NRC-CISTI Source introduces Site License Lite
- Short Takes
A few words with NRC-CISTI's new Director General
Change is a constant: in life, in business and at NRC-CISTI. Pam Bjornson, NRC-CISTI's new leader, recognizes the importance of embracing change for the challenges-and opportunities-it presents. For Ms. Bjornson, the first of these is her own transition from NRC-CISTI's Director of Business Affairs to NRC-CISTI's Director General. Here are some thoughts she shared in response to our questions about NRC-CISTI's future.
Q: Where do you see NRC-CISTI heading as an organization?
A: In 2005, NRC-CISTI established an ambitious set of goals (see sidebar) in its five-year strategic plan. This plan is a blueprint to help us manage our transformation to the new digital reality. It will also help us adapt to a model based on a service-oriented enterprise architecture, digital content repositories and partner collaborations. As we near the halfway point, I can say that we have made some important progress on reaching these goals.
For example, NRC-CISTI is leading a collaborative cross-jurisdictional project to establish a Federal Science eLibrary that supports access and delivery of STM electronic journals to the desktops of all federal researchers. We have also just concluded a successful project with the Université de Montréal to assess the feasibility of using a networked digital infrastructure to archive and preserve access to an academic library's digital content.
Both of these projects are associated with our efforts to build a national resource-a repository comprising infrastructure, content, and discovery tools-to provide seamless and perpetual access to full-text digital content, focused on science, technology, and medicine, and linked to other Canadian and international initiatives.
Q: Are there other examples of NRC-CISTI's leadership in providing scientific and technical information?
A: NRC-CISTI has always been a leader in developing and implementing innovative approaches to anticipate and meet client needs. Certainly our Web interface to NRC-CISTI's Catalogue, Secure Desktop Delivery, Pay Per Article, and seamless access to eBook Loans via partners such as MyiLibrary are a testament to this continued commitment. NRC-CISTI also has a dedicated research group working on the development of innovative knowledge discovery tools.
In addition, we've seen a growing demand for our competitive technical intelligence (CTI) services among Canadian SMEs, NRC institutes and technology clusters with the number of reports requested increasing by more than 300 per cent in two years. These reports give companies a competitive advantage in the international marketplace, and aid decisions about R&D investments that could have a tremendous impact on Canadians.
On the publishing side, we're in the implementation stage of a multi-year transformation-to-digital project that will enable the NRC Research Press to publish both to print and the Web quickly and accurately. This project puts us at the forefront of current scientific publishing technology, on a par with other leaders in the field.
These directions are achievable because NRC-CISTI has dedicated and creative staff who share their ideas, see opportunities and act upon them. NRC-CISTI will continue to recognize and support these core values of teamwork, leadership and quality service to clients.
Q: What can NRC-CISTI clients expect in the coming years?
A: NRC-CISTI will continue to improve access to scientific, technical and medical information through responsive and easy-to-use systems, links to libraries around the world, and strong client support. To deliver on this promise, it is important that we consider where our services meet the researcher-where we fit within their workflow and within the "networked space of flows" as OCLC's Vice President and Chief Strategist Lorcan Dempsey puts it.
We need to deeply understand researchers' needs and the directions that major technology trends are heading to ensure that our products and services are available in the right place at the right time. Looking ahead will allow us to adapt services to focus on those that add value to the information we help our clients to access.
As a publisher, NRC-CISTI will also continue to explore the changes in scholarly communication, and to advocate for a balanced and sustainable approach to Open Access.
On the information and intelligence services front, a significant increase in capacity will directly impact the success of clients' research programs and technology transfer activities.
Q: Will your background in building strategic partnerships be reflected in your new role as Director General?
A: There is a trend in both the private and public sectors to share resources and expertise to achieve a common goal. With the phenomenal pace of technological development and client demand for more innovative products and services, I don't see this trend diminishing. It's certainly a common theme in many NRC-CISTI activities and it's the reason we established a Partnership Development Office, which supports these efforts. Over the next year, this office will expand to facilitate partnerships with the health sector.
As an example, NRC-CISTI and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) have been in discussions about the creation of a Canadian version of PubMed Central International (PMCI). The long-term vision for this initiative includes building a platform and services for peer-reviewed Canadian health research papers that would eventually become a fully distributed and truly international open repository. This will involve many partners, for the technology, content and access elements. PMCI Canada would be launched when CIHR's policy on access to research outputs is implemented.
Q: What are you most looking forward to in your new position?
A: I look forward to learning an enormous amount from NRC-CISTI staff, and from my colleagues at the National Research Council and at other research organizations. Within NRC, I will certainly want to lead and sustain the present trend of an integrated NRC-CISTI participation in NRC's strategic efforts in areas such as key technology sectors and the national bioproducts program. I also look forward to collaborating with Canadian and international libraries and publishers to improve information access and delivery in Canada and around the world.
NRC-CISTI's Strategic Goals
- Provide universal, seamless and permanent access to information for Canadian research and innovation
- Enable researchers and entrepreneurs to advance and exploit knowledge through accelerated, innovative scientific communication
- Lead STM information communities across Canada to become a national force for innovation
- Grow as an enabling organization
eBook Loans service ready for business
Unique, affordable and easy-these are three words that describe NRC-CISTI's new eBook Loans service, offered in partnership with MyiLibrary. The service is an electronic twist on the traditional interlibrary-lending model, offering instant access to tens of thousands of eBooks from major scholarly publishers.
Borrowed eBooks are accessible through a Web link for 30 days and cost only US$25. No special reader is required-just an e-mail address and a Web browser. There is no need to return a borrowed eBook because the link expires automatically, and there is no need to worry about lost or damaged books.
To access the new service, visit the NRC-CISTI Catalogue at http://cat.cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/search and select the "MyiLibrary eBook Loans" link. All MyiLibrary eBooks in the NRC-CISTI Catalogue will display a "Borrow this eBook" button in the detailed record. This button links to the MyiLibrary site, where first-time users will be asked to register.
To report any difficulties with the service, contact the NRC-CISTI Help Desk by e-mail at info.cisti@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or telephone at 1-800-668-1222 (Canada & US) or 613-998-8544.
New Pay Per Article service as easy as 1,2,3,4,5
There's a new option for article searchers out there NRC-CISTI's new Pay Per Article purchase service. This service allows search and credit card payment for selected articles in NRC-CISTI's collection without having to first register for a NRC-CISTI account. No pre-registration, user name or password required.
The Pay Per Article service is a breakthrough in NRC-CISTI's document delivery efforts, integrating the search, order and payment processes within a single, easy-to-use interface. Once you've found the articles you need, you add them to a shopping cart, proceed to the checkout, pay for your purchases, and view your articles in short order.
All articles cost CAN$12, plus publisher fees and applicable taxes. You pay the full and exact cost of items added to your shopping cart by credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express) and receive a link to your purchases after NRC-CISTI verifies your payment.
Articles from NRC-CISTI's electronic collection (indicated with a green mouse symbol) are available immediately. Articles from NRC-CISTI's print collection (indicated with a red flying envelope symbol) must first be scanned and are usually available within 24 hours. You can view and print articles one time only.
To try this new service, visit the NRC-CISTI Web site at http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/ibp/cisti.html.
Set limits with Caps on Account service-available soon
Ever feel as though the use of your NRC-CISTI document delivery account is out of control? Soon you'll be able to take charge with NRC-CISTI's new Caps on Account service, which will allow you to set a limit on the number of orders that can be placed or the dollar amount that can be spent on orders received through NRC-CISTI Source and the NRC-CISTI Catalogue.
This new service will be free of charge and can be tailored to your specific needs with an end date or automatic reset after a predetermined amount of time. When clients arrive at their cap, they will receive an online message stating that the account limit has been reached and that they should contact their administrator or the NRC-CISTI Help Desk.
For more information on the service, contact a NRC-CISTI Client Service Representative at crs.cisti@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca.
New Extended Supply Service combines Link and Global services
What do you get when you add NRC-CISTI's former Link and Global services and subtract the mandatory service fees? NRC-CISTI's new Extended Supply Service, which combines the best features of both of these services. Even better, the new service increases the success rate in filling orders from outside NRC-CISTI's own collection.
As with the previous services, NRC-CISTI will work with a number of document suppliers to obtain any document you need, from anywhere in the world. NRC-CISTI handles the order tracking, billing and payments, copyright, control of loans, and delivery of documents. Loan periods vary, depending on the loan policy of the supplier.
The cost begins at CAN$22 per copy, plus copyright fees, and CAN$50 per book. If the total price is higher than CAN$50, NRC-CISTI will contact you for authorization. Complete pricing is available in NRC-CISTI's 2007 Price List. As in the past, your order will be filled using the lowest cost service that meets your needs.
Turnaround times for documents also vary, depending on the document type and the supplier. NRC-CISTI has arrangements with several international libraries whose collections complement NRC-CISTI's strength in science, technology and medicine to deliver documents by Ariel and fax directly to clients within 72 hours. Most other orders will be filled within 10 working days, although searches will continue until the order is filled, or up to 20 working days.
For more information on the new Extended Supply Service, visit the NRC-CISTI Web site at http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/services/cisti/document-delivery/service-levels/index.html or contact the NRC-CISTI Help Desk by e-mail at info.cisti@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or telephone at 1-800-668-1222 (Canada & US) or 613-998-8544.
NRC-CISTI Source introduces Site License Lite
NRC-CISTI Source users looking for the access benefits of a Site License without the added alerts services now have a new choice: the Basic Site License. This single IP account provides unlimited secure access to NRC-CISTI Source article and journal search and order documents from multiple registered IP addresses. Users cannot, however, access services that require a NRC-CISTI account and password.
This level of service is perfect for users needing affordable and easy access to a comprehensive database of published research articles in many subject areas. This solution also allows for the redistribution of search results within the organization, as well as easy billing and centralized administration.
The price of the Basic Site License service is CAN$3,000 for Canadian users and US$3,000 for US and International users. This service can also be enhanced with customization and local holdings for an additional charge. For more information, visit http://source.cisti.nrc.ca/cs/about_basic_site_license_e.html.
Short Takes
2007 Price List now available
The updated Price List for NRC-CISTI's products and services is now in effect. New offerings include our new Extended Supply Service, Basic Site License and eBooks Loans service. For more information, view the new price list online at http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/services/cisti/document-delivery/prices.html.
Help for patent litigation at hand
Did you know that NRC-CISTI can help with your patent litigation? As part of our new Public Availability Authentication Service, any client can request a date stamp on the information they order from NRC-CISTI. If more formal proof of the date information was received is necessary, NRC-CISTI can also provide a letter or signed affidavit for a minimum charge of CAN$90/hour. For more information, contact the NRC-CISTI Help Desk by e-mail at info.cisti@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca or telephone at 1-800-668-1222 (Canada & US) or 613-998-8544.
Published quarterly by:
Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information
National Research Council Canada
Building M-55, Ottawa Canada K1A 0R6
Tel.: 613-998-2362
Fax: 613-952-9112
Email: info.cisti@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Web: http://cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Editor: Alison Cachia
Graphic Designer: Reprographic Services
ISSN 0715-8661
