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November 2003 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. NEW UN INTERNET RANKINGSA new analysis of Internet accessibility around the globe was released on November 19 by the United Nations' International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The Digital Access Index (DAI), a survey of 178 economies, found that Nordic countries still lead the world in terms of Internet accessibility. Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland fill the survey's top three spots. Apart from Canada, which ranks tenth (just above the U.S. at number 11), the top ten countries are all Asian or European. Agrarian nations on the African continent and elsewhere make up the bottom third of the list. The ITU claims that the DAI is distinguished from other Internet rankings by including a number of new variables, such as education and affordability, and that it is the first truly comprehensive and global ranking. The ITU is an international organization within the United Nations System which brings governments and industry together to coordinate global telecom networks and services. For more information about the DAI: 2. CNIB LAUNCHES DIGITAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLINDOn November 12, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) launched its new Digital Library. The Digital Library is one of the most advanced collection of alternative formats in the world, containing more than 10,000 audio, text and Braille titles, with an option to search and order from a larger collection of more than 60,000 titles. The Library also offers current editions of forty daily, national and community newspapers from across Canada, and access to full-text versions of thousands of magazines and databases. The Library is designed to work with most major adaptive technology products, including screen-reading programs and Braille keyboards. “For sighted people, technology makes access to information easier,” said CNIB president Jim Sanders. “For people like myself who are blind, it makes access possible.” The site also includes a Children's Discovery Portal that provides visually impaired children with access to online games, books, homework help, and online chats with other visually impaired children. The Digital Library is funded by “That all may read...”, an ongoing nationwide campaign. At the Library launch event, Minister of Human Resources Development Canada Jane Stewart announced that the federal government will contribute $6 million towards the campaign. Microsoft Canada also contributed to the library's funding campaign, and designed the software used to manage the Digital Library collection. The site also employs an advanced digital access and storage system from the OpenText company based in Waterloo, Ontario. To visit the CNIB Digital Library: For more information: 3. DOES NEW AMAZON SEARCH INCREASE BOOK SALES?Amazon.com claims that, in the first five days of operation, its new “Search Inside the Book” feature increased sales for titles in the program by nine percent. Amazon considers the 120,000 remaining titles that do not have “Search Inside” capability to be a valid control group. However, the Authors' Guild is skeptical, saying that the increase in sales is most likely due to the fact that books in the program “are disproportionately more recent titles from larger publishers.” The feature, while generating positive comments from the Internet community, has been more controversial in the publishing industry. Some have questioned its legality under current publishing contracts. Amazon also recently disabled the print feature after a complaint from the Authors' Guild that too many consecutive pages of books could be printed off. According to an Amazon spokesman, more than three dozen additional publishers have approached the company about participating in the program, while only 15 authors have asked to have their books removed from the text search. For more information: 4. GOOGLE TO PARTNER WITH PUBLISHERS AND OCLCAccording to Publishers Weekly, Google.com has begun talks with book publishers to compile a searchable database of the contents of thousands of volumes. How that content would be made available is not clear yet, but it would probably not be provided in excerpted passages (as in Amazon's “Search Inside the Book” feature). Instead, the material would go into a database that Google would search, then use to generate relevant links for user searches. A user who clicked through would be sent to a new page with a book abstract and given the opportunity to buy the title. In addition, Google and OCLC announced a new partnership that will make a portion of WorldCat records available for indexing by Google as part of a pilot project. The 2 million record subset will represent the most popular and widely available books. Holding information attached to the WorldCat records will also be retrievable, so that Google users will be able to see which libraries in their area own copies of the particular title. OCLC first began testing web outlets in September 2001, when it opened up access to WorldCat records through links to selected online bookseller sites such as ABE Books. Currently, these sites generate around 50,000 library clickthroughs a month. Both of these initiatives, of course, coincide with the recent launch of Amazon.com's “Search Inside the Book” feature, which enables users to search for words or phrases in Amazon's database of the contents of thousands of books. For more information: 5. TOO MUCH TV MAY CAUSE READING DELAYSYoung children who live in homes where the television is on most of the time may have more trouble learning how to read than others their age, according to a new study of media habits of children. “Zero to Six: Electronic Media in the Lives of Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers,” a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation and Children's Digital Media Centers, found that about one-third of children 6 and under have televisions in their rooms and a similar proportion live in homes where a television is on most or all the time. In these “heavy TV households,” 34 percent of children ages 4 to 6 can read, compared with 56 percent in homes where the TV is on less often. The study found that children 6 months to 6 years old spend an average of about two hours a day watching television, playing video games, or using a computer - roughly the same amount of time they spend playing outdoors, and three times as long as they spend reading or being read to. However, reading continues to be a regular part of children's lives. Almost 80 percent of children 6 and under read or are read to every day. The study was based on the results of a telephone survey of 1,065 parents of children aged six months to six years, conducted in the spring of 2003. To read the full text of the report (in PDF format): 6. SHOULD LIBRARIES MIND THEIR OWN BUSINESS?A newspaper opinion column sparked discussion in the Canadian library community last month. On October 27, zine publisher Hal Niedzviecki's article “Libraries need to mind their own business” appeared in the Review section of the Globe and Mail. Niedzviecki argues that “society's collective inability to appreciate the public library as a vital institution is the library's fault” because public libraries have strayed too far from their core mission: “to function as a free accessible storehouse and dispensation service for information.” He believes that libraries should stop “book-industry marketing” such as promoting book prizes and reading campaigns. Niedzviecki also disapproves of libraries' attempts to reach out to their communities by offering a “truly strange” variety of services and programs. To read the full text of the article: 7. THE PROVEN VALUE OF SCHOOL LIBRARIESSeveral recent studies in the United States have shown that student use of school library media centers, guided by trained library media specialists, correlates with student achievement at the K-12 level. Since 1993, Keith Curry Lance, director of the Colorado-based Library Research Service (LRS) has examined school libraries in Colorado, Alaska, Iowa, Oregon, and Pennsylvania. Other researchers have studied schools in Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas. All of the results showed a direct correlation between the strength of a school's library program and the success of its students. The eSchoolNews website provides an annotated bibliography of these research papers (with links to online versions where available), as well as a long profile of the Cherry Creek High School library, named best school library of 2003 by the ALA. To read the bibliography and profile (free registration required): 8. SPAM BEGINNING TO HURT EMAILA new report entitled "Spam: How it is hurting email and degrading life on the Internet," by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, claims that the phenomenon of spam is beginning to take a toll on email use. According to the Pew Project's survey, 25% of American email users say they are using email less because of spam. As well, more than half of email users say that spam has made them both less trusting of email in general, and worried about missing legitimate emails due to the mass of spam in their inboxes. The most popular way for users to deal with spam is to simply click “delete.” More than 2/3 of respondents have also used “remove me” links in spam mailings, although many are concerned that doing so only leads to more spam. However, the survey also shows that enough Americans respond to unsolicited email to sustain spam as a viable, lucrative endeavour. 7% of respondents - more than eight million people - report that they have ordered a product or service offered in an unsolicited email. And a third of email users say they have clicked through on a link in unsolicited commercial email to get more information. The Pew Internet & American Life Project is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization which conducts research on the social impact of the Internet. The report is based on a phone survey of 1,380 American Internet users conducted in June 2003. To read the full text of the report: 9. ECO ON THE FUTURE OF THE BOOKOn November 1, Umberto Eco gave a lecture at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt on “The Future of the Book.” Eco, best known to a general audience as the author of The Name of the Rose, is a scholar and writer who owns one of the largest private libraries in the world. The lecture revolved around fears that computers might eradicate books, a concern of bibliophiles and librarians in the Internet age. Eco argued that interactive digital media could boost the book industry, not “kill” the book as many fear. And although electronic information will have a niche, Eco believes that the supposed disadvantages of printed books over may actually guarantee their survival: “Books are still the best companions for a shipwreck, or the Day After.” Eco also argued that people tend to view the matter in an overly dramatic fashion, rather than considering it from an objective and analytical point of view. To read a full transcription of the lecture (in Word format): 10. AMERICAN CHILDREN STILL FACE DIGITAL DIVIDE AT HOMEAccording to two new reports from the U.S. Department of Education, although computer and Internet access in public schools has increased, minority and poor students still lack computer access outside of school hours. The first report, “Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-2002” is an annual survey on the availability and use of technology in schools. According to the survey results, in fall 2002, 99 percent of U.S. public schools had access to the Internet (up from 35 percent in 1994). Only 3 percent of classrooms in schools had access to the Internet in 1994, while in the fall of 2002, 92 percent had Internet access. The second report, “Computer and Internet Use by Children and Adolescents in 2001,” shows that computer and Internet access has become an important component of schoolwork, but that a digital divide based on race and income still exists for access within the home. 41 percent of blacks and Hispanics use a computer at home, compared to 77 percent of whites. Only 31 percent of students from families earning less than US$20,000 have computers at home, compared to 89 percent of those from families earning more than US$75,000. “These reports are good news and show how much progress has been made in connecting nearly every school in the nation to the Internet,” according to Rod Paige, the U.S. Secretary of Education. “But there are still big differences in home computer use that need to be addressed before we can declare the digital divide closed.” To read the full text of the reports: 11. TOWARDS A CANADIAN RESEARCH STRATEGY FOR KNOWLEDGEA group of researchers from the Canadian Association of Research Libraries, the Université de Montréal, and the University of Western Ontario are launching a two-year study of knowledge dissemination in Canada. Knowledge gained through scholarly research contributes to economic, social, and cultural well-being. However, this research has little value if it is not shared and disseminated widely. The study will identify critical areas within the Canadian scholarly communication system that must be addressed and propose a comprehensive research strategy for knowledge dissemination in Canada. Investigators will use the Internet to collect input from both Canadian researchers and the larger community. The study is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries. Members of the National Library of Canada, the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI), the Canadian National Site Licensing Project, and Dalhousie University are also collaborating in the study. For more information: 12. SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL LIBRARIES IN QUEBECA November 12 editorial in the Montreal Gazette says that the Quebec government is failing its students by not providing adequate funding for school libraries. The editorial criticizes the provincial Minister of Education, Pierre Reid, for his decision to “set [school libraries] up in partnership with the province's equally-poorly-endowed municipal libraries” instead of increasing funding to a level high enough to allow for improvements in collections and staffing. The editorial cites American studies which show that school libraries are predictors of student success, and concludes that “Quebec is failing its young people by not giving them access to the material they need to become literate.” To read the full text of the editorial: 13. INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION LITERACY STANDARDSIn October 2003, the Global Digital Literacy Council held its biannual summit on the development of information and communications technology (ICT) literacy standards. The purpose of the summit is to create an international forum to shape and define vendor-independent global Internet and computer literacy standards. Delegates from all over the world discussed educational, economic and social issues that affect the development and adoption of digital literacy standards worldwide. “As the divide separating basic individual skills and ICT skill requirements in society widens, digital literacy initiatives are racing to the forefront of academic, political and corporate agendas,” according to a statement issued by the council. At the summit, an expert review of current Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3) standards was presented. The council also agreed on a comprehensive set of skills and knowledge necessary for basic information and communications technology competence. The Digital Literacy Council will continue to meet bi-annually to discuss technical and social changes affecting digital literacy standards in education and the workforce. For more information: 14. WORLDWIDE REPORT ON LIBRARIES AND THE INTERNETIFLA's Committee on Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE) has released its World Report 2003, entitled “Intellectual Freedom in the Information Society, Libraries and the Internet.” The report focuses on libraries and the Internet, covering such issues as the digital divide, filtering and blocking of information, user privacy, financial barriers, intellectual freedom, and codes of ethics. The conclusions of the report analyze differences region by region and discuss any reported violations of freedom of access to information in individual countries. The report concludes that there is a long way to go before countries, their libraries and their staff are suitably equipped and properly trained to meet the challenge of safeguarding their patrons' full participation in the information and knowledge society. Huge gaps still remain between the information haves and have-nots. The most significant problems, as defined by the contributing countries, are a lack of computers with Internet access, financial barriers, and training of users and staff. The report is based on completed questionnaires from 88 countries representing all regions of the world. For information on how to order the World Report from IFLA: 15. INFORMATION LITERACYAn article by Nathan Cochrane on information literacy appeared in the online edition of the Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) on November 11. Despite having more information at our fingertips than any generation before, Cochrane says, “there is little evidence that our ability to make good, timely decisions has improved... the first, most important, cog in the information seeking machine is ourselves.” The article defines the information-literate seeker as someone who “understands cultural, ethical, legal and socioeconomic issues surrounding” IT and “follows laws, regulations, institutional policies and etiquette related to the access and use of information resources.” Sheila Webber, a lecturer in information studies at the University of Sheffield and co-maintainer of the Information Literacy weblog, is quoted as saying that governments have paid a lot of attention to connecting their citizens, but not enough to information literacy. “[T]here's the idea that once you've got an internet connection into each school and public library, that'll see us right for the 21st century... this ignores the fact that it's what you do with the technology that's important.” To read the full text of the article: 16. CALLS FOR PAPERSALA Annual Conference Applications to present poster sessions at the 2004 American Library Association Annual Conference are now being accepted. Poster sessions may present a report of a research study, an analysis of a practical problem-solving effort, or a description of an innovative library program. Participants place pictures, data, graphs, narrative text and other materials on 4' x 8' poster boards. During assigned time periods, participants also informally discuss their presentations with conference attendees. The deadline for submitting an application is January 30, 2004. For more information, or to submit an application: LITA National Forum The Library and Information Technology Association (LITA) Forum theme is “10 Years of Connectivity: Libraries, the World Wide Web, and the Next Decade.” The Forum Committee is particularly interested in presentations that highlight specific technology implementations in any type of library, but proposals on all aspects of library and information technology are welcome. Sessions are approximately 75 minutes in length. The deadline for proposals is December 15, 2003. To submit a proposal, send the following information (in ASCII, Word or RTF format): title; abstract and brief outline; level indicator (basic, intermediate, or advanced); brief biographical information (include experience as a presenter and expertise in the topic); and contact information to Mary Taylor, LITA Executive Director, at mtaylor@ala.org. 17. CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTSPan-Canadian E-Learning Workshop CANARIE's third E-Learning Workshop will bring together people involved in the development of technology-enabled education and training. The main objectives of the Workshop are to provide a forum for e-learning projects to demonstrate their results and a venue at which the Canadian e-learning community can meet. The event will highlight actual demonstrations of projects funded through CANARIE's $29-million E-learning Program. For more information or to register: Ontario Library Association SuperConference OLA's Super Conference is one of Canada's largest continuing education events in librarianship. For more information or to register: Computers in Libraries The annual Computers in Libraries conference is North America's largest conference and exhibition covering all aspects of library technology. Attendees can participate in sessions relating to navigating and searching, web design and development, content management systems and strategies, working and learning electronically, search engines, web tools and practice, optimizing technology, information and knowledge exchange, communities, and many more. For more information or to register: Art Libraries Society of North America The Art Libraries Society of North America's 32nd Annual Conference will bring together a diverse group of nearly 600 arts information professionals and 75 exhibitors from North America's premier universities and museums. A wide variety of workshops, programs, and tours will take advantage of the wealth of cultural sites in and around New York City. Tours include visits to the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum, the New York Botanical Gardens, the Dia Art Foundation, the Grolier Club, as well as walking tours of Chelsea Galleries and Harlem. Workshops on book structures and book binding, papermaking, library management, art and architecture bibliography, and digital collection management will also be offered. For more information or to register: Canadian Association for Information Science (CAIS) Annual Conference The theme for next year's annual conference is “Access to Information: Technologies, Skills, and Socio-Political Context” - focusing on three levels at which people's access to information can be facilitated or hindered. The CAIS conference is part of the annual Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, which runs from May 29 to June 5, 2004 in Winnipeg. For more information: To register: 18. CONTINUING EDUCATIONMeasuring Customer Satisfaction in Information Services This course targets managers and professionals who need to assess the value and success of products, programs and services. The objective of the course is to provide students with a framework for measuring customer satisfaction and service quality in a library or information services setting. At the end of the course, participants will be able to understand and describe a customer satisfaction measurement approach for libraries and information services, and key customer research methodologies. Students will also be able to develop a research approach based on their particular objectives. The fee is CDN$395. For more information or to register: Web-Enabling Your Database This hands-on, two-day course explores how content submitted by Internet users can be used to deliver a customized response to them through their browser. Students will learn how to develop dynamic, web-enabled databases using Microsoft technologies. Each student will complete a small web-enabled database application development by the end of the course. This is an intermediate level course; therefore, familiarity with the Windows environment, intermediate HTML (including HTML forms), basic programming concepts, simple database concepts, and Internet operations is required. The fee is CDN$395. For more information or to register: Designing for the Web This four-week course provides an overview of basic Internet design principles, usability issues, and the key questions to consider when designing online. Through the discussion of various aspects of web design and critical analysis of audience needs, participants will learn about key issues related to web aesthetics and how to develop an effective website. Prior Internet design experience is not required. Students should plan to dedicate between 20 and 28 hours to this course over the full four-week period. The registration deadline is January 9, 2004. The tuition fee is US$300 for Association of Research Libraries members, and $350 for non-members. For more information or to register: Electronic Collection Development for Health and Medicine E-Libraries In this hands-on course, students will learn to create an e-library collection development plan for free and fee-based online resources for health and medicine. Students will focus on developing a collection plan for the patron group of their choice and the kind of library they work in. The course is aimed at librarians and other information specialists who work with healthcare consumers and/or healthcare professionals. Some experience with health and medical information searching on the Internet is assumed. Users can register at any time to work with an instructor at their own pace through email and interactive webpages. The tuition fee is US$130. For more information or to register: 19. USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCESVirtual Museum of Canada (VMC) Maritime History of the Great Lakes LISFeeds.com Gabriel: The Gateway to Europe's National Libraries Extreme Cold Today in Literature Dictionary of Canadian Biography Readinggroupguides.com Freeskills.com Directory of Internet Access Policies of Canadian Libraries Learning Vocabulary Can Be Fun Places Online WW2 People's War Open Video Project Celebrating 100 Years of Flight If you have information you would like featured in the next issue of LibraryNet
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