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28th May 2009
No.278
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About FreePint
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FreePint publishes newsletters, websites, magazines and resources for the information industry. The FreePint Family of publications publishes practical tips, product reviews, expert tips, research collections and hands-on tools to support information work of all kinds. The FreePint Bar provides a Q&A forum for getting your research questions answered and building a network of peers worldwide.
This twice-monthly free FreePint Newsletter serves as a guide to the latest content, including discussion at the Bar, tips articles, vacancies, professional development events, product reviews, editorial commentary and more. Subscribing is free and connects you with the information community around the world. Subscribe today.
The latest announcements, including publication contents, can always be found at the FreePint Feed. Subscribe to RSS for the FreePint Feed for fastest updates.
Please share FreePint with others by forwarding this newsletter.
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Editorial
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By Sara Waddington
 FreePint has been busy this month. After focusing our efforts on expanding and improving Jinfo, which lists job vacancies and events in the information industry, we have now extended the VIP publishing programme with the introduction of stand-alone Reports on Products and Reports on Vendors.
 Readers can now purchase a quarterly subscription to VIP so that every month they receive VIP Magazine, featuring news analysis and highlights from our product reviews and VIP Reports on Products, featuring our in-depth review of premium content products (minimum of 2 per month).
With so much data online, how do you find information, and allow your information to be found? This month, Malcolm Coles explores how traditional methods to find information online have failed to keep up with change on the Internet. In his article 'Find and Share information on the Internet: Part 1', he examines the rise of search engines and social media and their impact on finding online information in context.
Patrick C. Walsh also highlights the benefits of effective, efficient classification when trying to find information (this time, on intranets) in his article 'The Lean Intranet: from Intranet Zero to Intranet 2.0 and beyond. (Part Two: Intranet 1.0)'. He focuses on the concept of the 'Lean Intranet', one that removes barriers, minimises and assesses content and takes a customer-focused approach - in short, delivering a robust, sustainable intranet 1.0.
One of the key activities in the 'Lean Intranet' will be to ensure that relevant information is delivered to specific users when and where needed in formats of the user's choice. Patrick believes that intranet teams will need to move from being mainly IT-oriented professionals to becoming information service professionals. What are your thoughts?
We're looking forward to celebrating SLA's 100th anniversary at the SLA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.! Join us at SLA's Centennial in June or connect virtually with our free special report.
Sara Waddington
Senior Managing Editor
FreePint
FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2009
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Discover Nexis®Direct
LexisNexis® offers world-class content, information and workflow solutions for professionals in the legal, risk management, corporate, government, accounting and academic markets - to make their jobs faster, easier and more productive.
Nexis, our comprehensive news and business information service and Nexis®Direct, our new tool for business users, provide quick access to premium content covering news, companies, executives and industries worldwide.
To find out more, visit our website or call us on 020 7400 2984.
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My Favourite Tipples
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By Anne Jordan
There is no theme to my Tipples; they are simply two great starting points for new research, two new search engines I want to keep an eye on, and something for fun.
- OFFSTATS provides access to free statistics from official sources on the web, arranged by country, region or subject. It is maintained by The University of Auckland Library. The database can be searched by a single category, or a combination of categories. This site has provided lots of leads when looking for information on an industry in a specific country or region.
- Lawlinks is a great starting point for legal research. It is maintained by the University of Kent and has a UK focus, but also contains some EU and international links. There are also tips for those new to legal research.
- Two new search engines that I'll be testing out in my work are NewsCred and Wolfram|Alpha.
Newscred aggregates news from 'credible' sources - top newspapers and blogs. Users can select their favourite sources, and vote on which sources are creditable.
Wolfram|Alpha has received a lot of media coverage, with its aim to make 'all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone'. The focus is numbers, so watch the video or browse the examples to see how this might help you. Both of these sources currently have a US bias, but look potentially very useful tools for the information professional.
- As well as useful for writers, SimplyScripts is also great fun. It provides links to free scripts for films, plays, TV programmes and musicals. Download 'Thelma & Louise' or 'Dr. Who' to read, or act out scenes with friends.
Anne Jordan is a freelance business information researcher and consultant, and has been in the sector for over 20 years. She has worked in the City of London for financial services institutions and management consultancy firms.
Would you like to add your Favourite Tipples suggestions for the FreePint Newsletter or write an article for FUMSI (Find, Use, Manage or Share Information?).
If so, please contact Sara Waddington at sara.waddington@freepint.com with your ideas or visit <http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute>.
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Just published in VIP:
- Product Reviews of ReadyImages and NewsEdge v8
- Expert commentary on requirements and risks of corporate copyright compliance
- Commentary on generational behaviour study, adding value and more
Buy this issue, or save money by subscribing now »
Subscribers receive in-depth product reviews as stand-alone reports; or purchase just the reviews you need.
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The Market for Info Skills has Changed...
So has Jinfo.
Check out expanded offering - professional development events as well as vacancies: http://www.jinfo.com/
How can we enhance Jinfo further? Help us with your suggestions by completing our brief survey: http://digbig.com/4yknr
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FreePint Bar
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By Sara Waddington
Suggestions on sources for historical corporate debt data, value add, NGO rankings and financial thesauri compilations are hot topics on the Bar at the moment. See a round-up of recent conversations below and click through to join the discussion. Post your research dilemmas to the FreePint Bar »
FreePint Bar
- One 'Pinter requests help with finding historical data on levels of corporate debt by sector/industry for Germany.
- FreePint is proud to be a media partner for the Perfect Information Conference (PIC) held in May. If you attended, we invite you to submit your thoughts and comments to our special report, made up of commentary from delegates and speakers. Couldn't make it? You can still get the benefit of delegates' experience by requesting your free copy of the resulting report, to be published in late May. Simply complete the form and you'll receive your copy upon publication.
- Another 'Pinter would appreciate help on sourcing a list/ranking of NGOs.
- Can you offer a FreePinter your ideas on an 'off the shelf' product that could provide a comprehensive set of financial thesauri, terms and synonyms?
- A 'Pinter would appreciate help locating any 'Which?'-type reports re online or electronic share dealers.
Visit the FreePint Bar »
FreePint Feed
The FreePint Feed keeps you up to date on what's new across all the sites in the FreePint Family.
Visit the FreePint Feed »
Sara Waddington is Senior Managing Editor of FreePint. She can be contacted at sara.waddington@freepint.com
The FreePint Bar is where you can get free help with your tricky research questions.
Subscribe to the free FreePint Digest to receive a weekly update of the latest Bar discussion, plus FreePint Feed announcements.
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FUMSI Features
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 FUMSI publishes articles, tools, and a monthly magazine, to give you practical help with information skills.
Visit http://www.fumsi.com/
However you Find, Use, Manage or Share Information, you'll find something in FUMSI to help.
Become a fan of FUMSI on Facebook »
We add new articles to the FUMSI database in each practice area every month, which are free to read, browse, email, print or save. Here are the most recent additions:
Find and Share information on the Internet: Part 1
FUMSI: Share
With the number of websites in a state of continual expansion, tools for locating relevant online information become increasingly important. In Part One of this two-part story, Malcolm Coles examines the rise of search engines and social media and their impact on finding online information in context.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'What if a community of like-minded people could recommend reading for you - maybe people who think of the Scottish rugby player Rob or American philosopher John when they hear Dewey, and not the librarian? What if there was a way to discover interesting information when you're not actively searching?'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
The Lean Intranet: from Intranet Zero to Intranet 2.0 and beyond. (Part Two: Intranet 1.0)
FUMSI: Manage
In Part One of this series, Patrick Walsh talked about the reasons for unmet potential in intranet design and points the way forward to more effective intranet design. Moving the ball forward, this article focuses on the concept of the 'Lean Intranet', one that removes barriers, minimises and assesses content and takes a customer-focused approach.
WHAT'S INSIDE: 'A really effective way of making your intranet less usable and less useful is by filling it up with applications and gizmos that some people think are cool but which are not relevant to the majority of users or to the core purposes of the intranet. When someone says 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could...' show them the door - quickly!'
Read, print, save or forward this article now »
Also recently added to the FUMSI database:
Browse all FUMSI articles »
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 Develop Your Strengths with Quantum2
For a wide array of hands-on training and resource materials, turn to Quantum2, an innovative skills development programme provided *free* by Dialog. The programme helps information professionals:
- Expand your services through strategic and business competencies
- Improve flow of information in your organisation
- Gain visibility and build value for your work
Discover best practices, *plus* the know-how to implement them.
Free monthly newsletter and further information at: http://quantum.dialog.com/
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VIP Features
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VIP publishes in-depth, unbiased reviews of business information products. If you purchase or use premium information resources, make VIP part of your professional reading every month »
 VIP Magazine No. 66 includes:
- A special two-page section called VIP Horizon. Based on conversations with subscribers, we are experimenting with ways to help you communicate internally around issues and challenges in information work. We invite VIP subscribers to extract the VIP Horizon pages, add your notes, and share them freely throughout their *entire* organisation, regardless of their distribution level.
- Mind the Gap: A LexisNexis survey suggests that there really is a generational gulf between Baby Boomers and Generation Y in attitudes towards technology.
- Corporate Copyright Compliance: Three intellectual property attorneys and a content purchasing specialist answer questions on copyright compliance issues that need to be addressed by corporations in today's digital environment.
- VIP's View: Highlights from Jill Fenton's in-depth review of the Copyright Clearance Center's ReadyImages, and Penny Crossland on Acquire Media's NewsEdge v8.
- Perceived Value: As info pros face intensified pressure to quantify the value they provide to organisations, Dennie Heye gives advice on how to demonstrate return on investment to management.
In the next VIP: Cision Social Media and a comparative review of Scopus and
Web of Science
Purchase VIP Magazine No. 66 from the VIP Website, or start your subscription now.
VIP LiveWire
VIP contributing editors comment daily on what's happening in the industry.
Visit the LiveWire for their insights, and subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly for regular alerts.
VIP Wires Weekly is generously sponsored by LexisNexis.
Recent posts:
- If the mainstream media are feeling the pressure from the combined effect of the advertising downturn and readers' expectation of free information, that's nothing compared to the turmoil the business-to-business sector is going through.........
Direct link to posting: http://www.vivavip.com/go/e20022
- Sue Hill Recruitment's latest Friday breakfast meeting for senior information professionals and executives working in the information sector (see Tim Buckley Owen's report on the March event at http://www.vivavip.com/go/e17539) addressed the issue of the credit crunch and its effects on those in the industry.........
Direct link to posting: http://www.vivavip.com/go/e19924
- There is no doubt that mobile access to information is a massive trend going on these days. In other words, now, and even more so in the future information, ready-reference type of info, will be accessible where and when the user wants it.........
Direct link to posting: http://www.vivavip.com/go/e19885
VIP
LiveWire »
VIP Wire
Information-related product and news announcements. Post your
releases and receive news FREE.
VIP Wire »
VIP - Subscribe
and Back Issues
Start a trial subscription today for only £80 for three months. Visit http://web.vivavip.com/go/shop/volume/trial/ to start your trial. You can also purchase back-issues of VIP from the VIP Archive.
VIP Archive »
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Just Published:
Folio on Competitive Intelligence
Brush up skills, develop new ones and learn directly from the experts
FUMSI Report: Folio on Competitive Intelligence
Includes tips and techniques provided by:
- Jane John
- Heather Carine
- Arthur Weiss
- Sarah Hinton
- Donna Fryer
- Christine Hamilton-Pennell
PLUS commentary, advice and additional resources provided by Marcy Phelps, FUMSI Contributing Editor: Find
Learn more and purchase »
Or subscribe to FUMSI to receive all FUMSI Reports as part of your subscription.
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Attending SLA's Annual Conference? Or wish you could?
Register your interest in
SLA's Centennial Celebration in Washington, D.C. in June 2009.
We'll keep you informed:
- Insider information on where and when to meet FreePint editorial
staff, including Gary Price, Shirl Kennedy, Marcy Phelps and others
- An invitation to FreePint events and receptions
- Exclusive updates during the conference on what's happening, when it
happens
- Opportunities to submit your insights and observations to FreePint's
SLA Special Report, to be published in July
- A free copy of the published report, chock full of on-the-ground
reporting from your peers!
Can't make it? You can still request your copy of the report.
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Jinfo - Jobs and Events in Information
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 Jinfo is the central location for supporting your information career. The Jinfo Jobs database lists vacancies, and the Jinfo Events database lists workshops, conferences, training, webinars and other professional development opportunities.
Start a free subscription to receive the weekly Jinfo Update, with a complete list of the latest vacancies and events, or search the databases at any time (free).
Jinfo Jobs in the FreePint Newsletter are supported through our partnership with Quantum2, an innovative skills development programme offered by Dialog. Learn more at <http://quantum.dialog.com/>.
Jinfo Jobs:
Here is a selection of the latest featured vacancies in the Jinfo database:
Browse all Jinfo
Jobs »
Jinfo Events:
Here is a selection of the latest featured events in the Jinfo database:
Browse all Jinfo
Events »
Jinfo - the best place for information-related job vacancies and professional development opportunities.
- RECRUITING?
- Advertise a vacancy for just GBP 195
- 10% discount for agencies
- 50% discount for registered charities
- RUNNING AN EVENT?
List it on Jinfo to reach a targeted audience seeking professional development opportunities
- Get started at <http://web.jinfo.com/events/load/>
- Partner events listed for free; enquire at <support@jinfo.com>.
Find out more today at <http://www.jinfo.com/>
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| Highlights from ResourceShelf and DocuTicker
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Gold
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A look back at what the FreePint Newsletter covered at this time in previous years:
- FreePint No. 253, 22nd May 2008. "The Greening of a Business: Looking Beyond the "Bottom Line" to Become a Better Corporate Citizen" and "If Members Wont Come: The Royal Society of Chemistry Builds a Virtual Library "
- FreePint No. 230, 24th May 2007. "Mentors and Mentees: Structuring a Professional Relationship" and "Development 2.0: A New Paradigm for the Non-Profit Sector?"
- FreePint No. 206, 18th May 2006. "Beyond the library walls - establishing an information literacy programme for a dispersed user group" and "How the financial world goes round - a primer on financial information resources"
- FreePint No. 183, 26th May 2005. "Bullying at Work" and "Specialist Tribunals - Your Guide to Informal Justice"
- FreePint No. 160, 27th May 2004. "Online Information Online - behind the scenes of a virtual event" and "The Semantic Web is Your Friend"
- FreePint No. 138, 5th June 2003. "Professional Qualifications in Information and Knowledge Management" and "Writing for the Web - How to Write Web-Friendly Content for your Site"
- FreePint No. 113, 30th May 2002. "Trade Unions on the Net" and "The Future of Mobile Telephony"
- FreePint No. 88, 24th May 2001. "Waste on the WWW" and "Images on the Web"
- FreePint No. 63, 25th May 2000. "Maximising Press and PR Exposure via the Internet" and "XML : Perception to Practice"
- FreePint No. 39, 27th May 1999. "Lingo on-line - Languages resources on the World Wide Web" and "Central and Eastern European Web Sources"
- FreePint No. 15, 28 May 1998. "Web Slavery - Automating Information Retrieval" and "Food Industry Information on the Web"
FreePint Newsletter Archive »
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Forthcoming Articles - Provisional
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FUMSI
- Disability Resources
- Birmingham Business Platform
- Hosted Information Services
- Digital Copyright
VIP
- Cision Social Media
- Comparative review of Scopus and Web of Science
If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact FreePint's Editor Sara Waddington at <sara.waddington@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at <http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>
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Contact Information
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Address:
Free Pint Limited
4-6 Station Approach Ashford, Middlesex TW15 2QN, United Kingdom
Telephone:
UK: 0870 141 7474 Int: +44 870 141 7474
Directions and maps: <http://www.freepint.com/contact.htm>
Contributors to this issue:
Sara Waddington (Senior Managing Editor, FreePint), Malcolm Coles, Patrick C. Walsh, Anne Jordan, Nancy Davis Kho (Copyeditor), Robin Neidorf (General Manager), William Hann (Publisher), Douglas Brown (Proofreader).
Advertisers/Sponsors:
Quantum2 from Dialog, LexisNexis, Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited, Glen Recruitment, TFPL, Weekes Gray Recruitment.
(c) Free Pint Limited 1997-2009 <http://www.freepint.com/>
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The opinions, advice, products and services offered herein are the sole responsibility of the contributors. Whilst all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.
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