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October 2003 LibraryNet Monthly TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. TWO NEW STUDIES OF BRITISH INTERNET USERSAccess to the Internet is easier for the majority of U.K. residents, although many still see no particular reason to use it, according to a recent survey by the Oxford Internet Institute. 59% of Britons use the net regularly, and only four per cent have no access to somewhere with an Internet connection. These figures are encouraging news for the U.K. government, which has set a target of making the Internet accessible for the entire population by 2005. According to the survey results, educational or gender differences and fear of technology have little to do with why people do not use the Internet; instead, they cannot what it has to offer them in everyday life. The findings in this respect are similar to those of a recent Pew Internet Project report on American users and non-users of the Internet (see the April 2003 issue of LibraryNet Monthly). The results also indicate that the digital divide in Britain is becoming more about unequal access to high-speed broadband than to the Internet in general. The Oxford Internet Survey questioned a representative random sample of two thousand Britons age 14 and older in June 2003. For more information: Another recent study by the London School of Economics found young people at the forefront of family computer use in Britain. Children were often the Internet experts in their families, and saw the main uses of the Net as a means of communication with friends and relatives, and for music and games. They had absorbed messages about the risks of chat rooms and talking to strangers mainly from popular culture. The author of the study, Professor Sonia Livingstone, said that "young people were still relatively trusting and uncritical about Internet material" and suggested that parents should try to develop their online skills further in order to "keep up with their children." She also recommended trying to encourage youth to use the Internet "more creatively." The study was conducted by interviewing focus groups of nine- to 19-year olds. For more information, or to read the full text of the report: 2. CARRIER TO GIVE BASSAM LECTURE IN TORONTOThe University of Toronto's Faculty of Information Studies Alumni Association has invited Roch Carrier, National Librarian of Canada, to give the 2003 Bertha Bassam Lecture. Mr. Carrier will speak on the theme "Information is about changing life." The lecture will take place on November 7, 2003 from 6 to 8 pm at the Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto. Although this is an open lecture, space is limited. Those interested in attending should RSVP as soon as possible to Sara Figueiredo, by phone at 416-978-3034 or by email at s.figueiredo@utoronto.ca. For more information: 3. PUBLIC LIBRARY OF SCIENCE LAUNCHES ONLINE JOURNALOn October 13, the Public Library of Science (PLoS) launched the first issue of its "open access" journal, PLoS Biology, intended to make scientific research both more accessible and more affordable. The project garnered so much interest that the journal's server was overwhelmed with traffic for most of the day of the launch. PLoS is a non-profit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature freely available. They believe that a new business model for scientific publishing is required to solve the so-called "scholarly journal crisis." Even well-financed university libraries now find it difficult to stock a full range of scientific journals, thanks to skyrocketing annual subscription costs of up to tens of thousands of dollars. Many point to mergers and acquisitions among a tiny group of publishers who own nearly all of the major scientific journals as the root cause. In addition, new copyright laws and more restrictive interpretations of existing ones threaten the traditional intellectual property rights of universities and individual scholars. PLoS proposes a new model of "open-access publication," in which scientists pay a fee to cover the costs of peer review and editing of their articles, but readers do not pay subscription fees. All of the material will be "freely available to anyone, anywhere, to download, print, distribute, read, and use without charge or other restrictions, as long as proper attribution of authorship is maintained." PLoS claims that its open access journal will retain "all of the qualities we value in scientific journals - high standards of quality and integrity, rigorous and fair peer-review, expert editorial oversight, high production standards, a distinctive identity, and independence." A second open access journal, PLoS Medicine, is scheduled to launch next year. To read PLOS Biology: For more information: 4. NEW WEBSITE KEEPS THE VISION-IMPAIRED IN MINDA new web portal created by Lighthouse International, the Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB), and 39 other vision organizations is dedicated to offering an alternative Internet gateway for 40 million blind people and 140 million with partial sight worldwide. VisionConnection.org, launched on October 9, is specifically designed so that screen reader and magnification software work well with it. The site features large type, legible fonts, reverse contrast and text-only pages of links to many sites accessible to the vision-impaired. It also offers resources for those with vision problems. Although the Internet has been around for more than a decade, many websites are still not accessible for different groups of people, especially those with impaired vision. And many websites that claim to be accessible because they allow screen-reader software to be used really aren't, according to Patrick Benson of Lighthouse International. He says that without accompanying graphics, the text is often "completely unintelligible." To visit the site: 5. CANADIAN COPYRIGHTS DATABASE INTERFACE IMPROVEDA number of changes have been made to the Canadian Copyrights Database (CCD) on the website of the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO). The CCD includes all copyrights registered on or after October 1, 1991, as well as some prior to 1991, for which certified copies had been requested. The new changes include optimized search capacities, improved display options and increased linkages within. In addition to the title, the result list now contains the registration number, the document type (Copyright, Other Subject matter and Grant of Interest) the author(s), the owner(s)/assignee(s) and the registration date. This allows clients to better identify the document(s) they need. To visit the Canadian Copyrights Database: 6. IFLA CONFERENCE FELLOWSHIP AVAILABLEThe U.S. IFLA National Organizing Committee will be sponsoring the participation of 20 young professional librarians from across the Americas (South America, Central America, North America, and the Caribbean) to IFLA's World Library and Information Conference, August 22-27, 2004 in Buenos Aires. The fellowship will cover the costs of air travel, shared accommodation, a per diem food allowance, and conference registration fees. To be eligible, librarians must have been born after 1962, have at least 5 years of work experience in libraries, and not be a regular delegate at IFLA Conferences. The deadline for applications is January 15, 2004. To apply online: For more information: 7. UPDATE ON BBC ONLINE ARCHIVEOn October 6, the Guardian newspaper pointed out a few issues that have yet to be addressed by the BBC after its announcement that it plans to make its programming archive available online (as covered in the August/September 2003 issue of LibraryNet Monthly). First, as the article points out, the network will have to overcome the "enormous bandwidth costs" associated with delivering video and audio content online. File sharing or peer-to-peer (P2P) networks may be one way to do so. Another issue is the question of just how much of its archive the BBC will be able to put online. The BBC's radio broadcasts date back to 1922, and TV to 1936, however the archive is incomplete due to the simple fact that before audio- and videotape arrived all programs were live and unrecorded. Other issues, of course, are legal. The network does not own the rights to all of the programming it shows. As well, clarifying the legal situation on rights and residuals paid to actors for repeat showings will be an enormous task. In the end, the article concludes that "the chances of anything appearing before ... 2006 are slim." To read the full text of the article: 8. AMAZON LAUNCHES "SEARCH INSIDE THE BOOK" FEATUREOn October 23, Amazon's new "Search Inside the Book" feature was launched. Search Inside the Book adds millions of pages to the online booksellers' database; Amazon claims that it searches the complete text of more than 120,000 books. Search Inside the Book is integrated into Amazon.com's standard book search; the results list of any keyword search now shows "excerpts" of a few sentences containing the search terms underneath each title. However, to view the full page(s) containing the search terms, users must be registered as Amazon customers and provide a credit card number. According to Amazon, this is to "protect the copyrighted material of publishers and authors... by monitoring the feature's use." The service is free, and credit card information is required "for security purposes only." With these restrictions Amazon appears to have partially overcome the concerns of publishers and authors about security issues, possible loss of book sales, and author's contractual rights that were outlined in a recent Publishers Weekly article. However, according to the article, several publishers have still denied Amazon permission to include their cookbooks, travel guides, and scholarly or reference books in the program for fear that it would lead to a decrease in demand for these titles. For more information on Search Inside the Book: To read the Publishers Weekly article: 9. BROADBAND TECHNOLOGY BOOMING IN RICHER NATIONSBroadband technology is booming in wealthy countries but still slow to spread in the developing world, according to a September report from the United Nations' International Telecommunications Union (ITU). However, the report says that developing nations are not the only ones lagging behind. Broadband also lags in European countries where the telephone lines are still controlled by former state monopoly providers, and has yet to be widely adopted in the United States either. The number of worldwide subscribers to broadband technology grew 72 per cent last year and now totals 62 million, according to the report. South Korea is the most highspeed nation in the world, with over 21 per cent of the population - 94 per cent of the country's Internet subscribers - hooked up through broadband connections. Canada comes in third with over 11 per cent of the population on broadband (half of our population of Internet users), just behind Hong Kong with 15 per cent using broadband (43 per cent of Internet users). In the United States, nearly 20 million of the 70 million Internet subscribers now have broadband. For more information: 10. CANADA SUPPORTING CONNECTIVITY AFRICAThrough the Canada Fund for Africa, Canada is contributing an additional $15 million over four years to support Connectivity Africa, an initiative that will help to bridge the digital divide. Connectivity Africa will support research, development and innovative uses of information and communication technologies, particularly in education, health, and economic and community development. The program will bring increased access and support for the creation of local content for African communities, libraries, schools, and health centres. Industry Canada will oversee the initiative, working in partnership with the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Open Knowledge Network to deliver the program. For more information: 11. INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARIES DAYInternational School Libraries Day was celebrated around the world on October 27. This year's theme was "Breaking Down the Barriers," highlighting the importance of school libraries in overcoming the barriers that can prevent students from achieving their full potential. International School Libraries Day brought together school librarians from all sectors and all nations to celebrate the importance of what libraries do, and the role that the school library plays in a child's education from pre-school through to university. The International Association of School Librarianship sponsored the day, and maintained a website where school librarians could share your ideas, read what others were doing to celebrate, and arrange connections between schools. For more information: 12. SFPL PLANS TO TRACK BOOKS WITH COMPUTER CHIPSLibrary officials in San Francisco recently approved a plan to use radio frequency identification chips (RFIDs) on the system's collection of 2 million books, CDs, and audiovisual materials by 2005. The RFID system nwould help to locate books in branches and speed up the checkout process. The chips would be deactivated as materials are taken from the library, preventing any tracking of books (or library patrons) once off the premises. Nevertheless, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is concerned that the system is a threat to privacy. They argue that circulation information may remain accessible and trackable, whether by hackers or law enforcement subpoena. Susan Hildreth, San Francisco's city librarian, said the library is merely preparing for the future, and that RFID chips are "going to replace the bar code very shortly." Several other public libraries on the West Coast, including Seattle and Santa Clara, also plan to install RFID tracking systems or are in the process of doing so. For more information: 13. CENSORSHIP OF THE INTERNET INCREASINGOn September 19, Privacy International and the GreenNet Education Trust released a new research report, "Silenced: an International Report on Censorship and Control of the Internet." The Internet has evolved to become an increasingly important platform not just for economic development, but also as a support for advocates who wish to express opinions freely and work toward the development of democracy. "Silenced" covers attempts to censor the Internet as a communications tool, and analyzes the wide variety of methods used to restrict or regulate Internet access. The report concludes that Internet censorship is commonplace around the world and increasing, as the 9/11 terrorist attacks have been used to justify restrictions that were previously rejected. The report also suggests that corporations will soon surpass governments as threats to Internet freedoms, especially as censorship in developing nations is implemented through technologies developed and sold by Western democracies. This independent research initiative is based on a twelve-month project and collaboration of more than fifty Internet experts and advocates worldwide. The work was funded by a grant from the Open Society Institute. For more information, or to read the full text of the report [in PDF format]: In a recent speech, American FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps seemed to agree with this pessimistic view of the future of the Internet as a forum for free and open discussion. Copps criticized recent decisions of the FCC in regards to media ownership and telecommunications. He claimed that upcoming decisions at the FCC will determine how much control American companies will have over Internet access and their ability to discriminate against users, data, websites, or technologies. Copps warned that "the Internet as we know it is at risk" and that the original vision of a free Internet could soon be replaced by closed networks. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an American government agency charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. To read the full text of the speech (in PDF format): 14. CANADIAN PROJECT SELECTED AS INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS STORYThe Canadian National Site Licensing Project (CNSLP) has been chosen as one of ten worldwide "success stories" to be featured by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) at a pre-conference to the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). In preparation for WSIS, IFLA is hosting "Libraries @ the Heart of the Information Society". This advance event will be on November 3-4, while the World Summit is December 10-12 (both in Geneva). The pre-conference will offer an opportunity for IFLA members to meet with delegates to the WSIS and promote the importance of libraries in the information society. IFLA's portfolio of success stories will be instrumental in this advocacy work. The CNSLP story was submitted by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) on behalf of the Canadian library community. For more information on IFLA at WSIS: For more information on the CNSLP: 15. NEW RENAISSANCE LIBRARY CALENDARThe 2004 edition of the Renaissance Library Calendar contains a new selection of 12 of the most beautiful old libraries in the world, as nominated by librarians and information professionals in over 40 countries. The cover library is the magnificent Royal Library of the Spanish monastery of El Escorial. The library dates from 1575, and has been declared a Monument of Worldwide Interest by UNESCO. This year's calendar also features the Great Library of the Law Society of Upper Canada in Toronto, built in 1895. For information on ordering, or to nominate a library: 16. PRESERVING THE WORLD'S DIGITAL HERITAGEOn October 17, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted a draft Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage. The Charter is a declaration of principle designed to assist member states in preparing their own national policies on preserving, and providing access to, digital heritage. The digital heritage is defined as "unique resources of human knowledge and expression... created digitally or converted into digital form." The Charter recognizes that this heritage is particularly at risk because of the rapid obsolescence of the hardware and software which store it, and that its preservation requires "urgent measures." The Charter recommends that archive legislation and legal or voluntary deposit in libraries and other public repositories should be a key element of national preservation policy. It also recommends that the developers, creators, publishers, producers and distributors of digital materials should be urged to cooperate with national libraries and other public heritage organizations in preserving the digital heritage. Information in the public domain is emphasized as being an essential component of the world's digital heritage. At the same General Conference meeting, UNESCO also passed a "Recommendation on the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace," encouraging the promotion of more equitable access to information and the development of multicultural knowledge societies. To read the full text of the Charter (in PDF format): For more information: 17. CANADIAN HEALTH NETWORK RECOGNIZES LIBRARIESAs part of Public Library Week the third week in October, the Canadian Health Network (CHN) homepage featured an article celebrating public libraries and highlighting the valuable role of public librarians as the "ultimate search engines." "Focus on Public Libraries" also details CHN's connections with public libraries across Canada. Canada's two largest public library systems (the Vancouver and Toronto Public Libraries) are partners in CHN, and many of the staff who build and maintain its high-quality collection of bilingual health resources are trained in library and information studies. To read the full text of the article: 18. NEW STANDARDS FOR CANADIAN COLLEGE LIBRARIESOn October 7, a short article in the Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal pointed out that Canadian college libraries have seen more changes over the past decade than ever before. To keep up with the times, college libraries across the country are re-evaluating their standards. A national task force will be headed by Laraine Tapak, director of the Challis Resource Library at Confederation College in Thunder Bay. Tapak and a team of other college library representatives from across the country will prepare a draft version of national standards that may include staffing and collection guidelines. The draft standards will be presented to the Canadian Library Association in June. To read the full text of the article: For more information: 19. LIBRARYNET BEST PRACTICE AWARDS 2003Each year LibraryNet recognizes leaders in the public library sector with Best Practices awards. Innovative public library projects are selected based on the criteria of Innovation, Community Engagement, Community Enhancement, Improved Service, User Friendliness, and Transferability. This year's winners were announced by Industry Canada on October 9 and are now available on the LibraryNet website. Award-winning projects range from a live phone and Web-based help desk that provides technological support to all Ontario libraries, to a program that created homework help pages for teens and promoted the public library's online resources to high school students and their teachers. To see the 2003 Best Practices winners: To view past winners: 20. MEDIA AWARENESS NETWORK WINS EDUCATIONAL INTERNET AWARDOn October 23, the Media Awareness Network (MNet) was presented with the Educational Internet Site of the Year Award during the North American Web Conference (NAWeb 2003) at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, NB. The NAWeb Educational Internet Site of the Year Award is open to all educational websites, with the judging panel placing a premium on innovation, creativity, and practicality. The NAWeb 2003 Award honours MNet's bilingual media education website for its innovation, design and contribution to education. "NAWeb is one of the most prestigious awards for educational websites, and we're thrilled to have earned this important endorsement for our site and the media education resources it offers educators and students," said Jan D'Arcy, MNet's Executive Director. NAWeb, the annual conference of the university-based World Wide Web Courseware Developers Association, was established to encourage innovative and practical uses of the Internet in teaching and learning. To visit the winning website: For more information about the award: 21. CALL FOR NOMINATIONSThe American Library Association's Charlie Robinson Award honours a public library director who, over a period of seven years, has been a risk taker, an innovator and/or a change agent in a public library. The recipient should have been active in national and other professional associations and be known for developing and implementing programs which are responsive to the need of community residents. The award consists of US$1,000 and a gift to the library director, who will be honoured at the ALA Annual Conference. The deadline for nominations is December 1, 2003. For more information: 22. CALLS FOR PAPERS33rd Annual Workshop on Instruction in Library Use The conference theme, "Riding the Wave: Library Instruction from Coast to Coast," seeks to elicit new perspectives and fresh ideas. The program committee would like to invite all instruction librarians and others involved with or interested in information literacy to share their experiences and expertise in promoting best practices from coast to coast. Submissions of proposals for workshops, presentations, and panel discussions are welcome in either English or French. The deadline for submissions is November 7, 2003. For more information: Joint Conference on Digital Libraries (JCDL) 2004 The Joint Conference on Digital Libraries is a major international forum focusing on digital libraries and associated technical, practical, and social issues. This year's conference theme is "Global reach and diverse impact." JCDL 2004 encourages the submission of papers illustrating this theme. Examples might include: major national or cross-regional digital library projects; case studies of successful international collaborations; projects aimed at preserving unique and indigenous knowledge; the development and use of digital library technologies for national or international security; digital library research for enhancing e-learning and education; and other novel and high-impact digital library projects. All contributions are to be submitted in electronic form via the JCDL conference website. The deadline for proposals is January 15, 2004. For more information on how to submit a proposal: 23. CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENTSReading Canada: The Public Good And Private Pleasures Of Reading 2003 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Library of Canada and the thirtieth anniversary of the Association for Canadian Studies. Together with partners in the fields of reading, publishing, writing and literacy (including CLA), they are presenting this national forum as a setting for all those involved in Canadian writing and publishing to come together and share their thoughts, concerns and experiences on a variety of important issues, from national policy to the reading habits of Canadians. For more information: Online Information 2003 This event where the worlds of information content, management, and delivery converge is recognised as the international meeting place for information professionals, librarians, knowledge workers, content managers, and publishers. It attracts an international audience and hundreds of exhibitors. For more information or to register: 24. CONTINUING EDUCATIONHealth Information Resources This one-day workshop offers best practices in health sciences research that will save time and improve work efficiency. Participants will develop their skills in searching and retrieving health-related information on the Internet and in online databases like Pubmed and OVID Medline; learn how to evaluate medical information for quality, usability and relevance; and how to apply the principles of "evidence-based practice" to online searching. The fee is $240 Cdn. For more information or to register: Introduction To Business Research Tools All information professionals need at times to research a company or industry, to use the standard economic indicators, and to tackle a market research project. To the uninitiated, the volume of resources can be daunting. This one-day workshop will introduce participants to the best basic business research tools, both in print and on the web. The fee is $180 Cdn. For more information or to register: Virtual Reference Workshop 1.0 How do you conduct a good virtual reference interview? How do you answer questions using special virtual reference software? Virtual Reference Workshop 1.0 is geared to help newcomers to the virtual environment from any kind of library - public, academic, or special - sharpen their reference skills for the online environment. The interactive web-based workshop features a high degree of individual attention and will include readings, message board discussions with peers, valuable feedback from knowledgeable instructors, and hands-on practice using the LSSI Virtual Reference Toolkit software. The course is offered by the College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland. Participants should plan to dedicate approximately 10 hours to the course over the four-week period. Tuition is US $275, and the registration deadline is December 31, 2003. For more information or to register: Beyond Boolean: Effective Web Reference Strategies This web-based workshop is specifically designed for reference staff who will be using the Internet to assist with reference questions and want to learn to use it more efficiently as an information source. Users can register at any time to work with an instructor at their own pace through email and interactive webpages. Tuition is US$50. For more information or to register: 25. USEFUL INTERNET RESOURCESOpen Source Software In Libraries: A Workshop Saskatchewan Stories Canadian Hurricane Centre: Just For Kids! Democracy at War: Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War PSIgate Science Timelines Canadian Libraries: Bibliography Stay Safe Online Technology in Government Les Cyberbibliothécaires Journalism.org Online Poetry Classroom Connections Newsletter If you have information you would like featured in the next issue of LibraryNet
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