Newsletter Archive

Newsletter No. 338


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FreePint 10th November 2011
No.338
 Contents

Editorial

My Favourite Tipples

FreePint Bar


FUMSI Features

  • Communications industry resources on a budget
  • Influence: where next for industry on the social web?

VIP Features

  • Technology and content value adds
  • Recent postings to the LiveWire
  • Recent postings to the Wire

Jinfo - Jobs and Events

Jobs in Information:

  • Knowledge Manager
  • Knowledge/Information Trainer - Maternity Leave
  • Law Librarian

Events in Information:

  • Personal and Professional Branding for the Independent Information Professional
  • Copyright Clearance Center
  • eBooks Executive Briefing
  • Thirteenth International on Grey Literature (GL13)

Highlights from DocuTicker

  • Reimagining Government in the Digital Age
  • Unity is Strength: The Workers' Movement in China 2009-2011

Highlights from ResourceShelf

  • UNESCO Launches Global Open Access Portal
  • Library of Congress Launches Viewshare.org

Gold

Contact Information



 About FreePint

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.

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 Editorial

Michelle ManafyBy Michelle Manafy

Forecasting news needs

We've had a rough weather year here in Connecticut including everything from record-setting snow and rain falls to an earthquake and hurricane. This took an even more extreme and bizarre turn on 29 October when we were hit with a nor'easter, which is a very special sort of unpleasant storm native to the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada with characteristics similar to a hurricane, only with snow. I'll admit this year has given me a keen understanding of why my husband so treasures his subscription to the premium Accuweather service.

Forecasting news needsCertainly, post-storm, it has been cathartic to see the many reader-submitted photos of this storm's impact on our community and other affected areas. However, knowing what's coming and being prepared have a great deal of value, particularly when we are talking about events that will shut down power and internet access, even impacting mobile phone coverage, state-wide.

When you need reliable information, there's nothing quite like expertly produced content, delivered when and how it is needed. While I certainly admire the efforts of citizen journalists on many fronts and am a proponent of user participation, I also respect the value of a meteorologist's perspective when it comes to weather news. The premium Accuweather service also includes a number of features that provide continuously updated and granular coverage, forecasts, historical data and more.

These are two of the qualities - professional, expert-produced content and enhanced feature sets - that distinguish most premium news services from free alternatives. Yet we are all painfully aware of the pressure on information professionals to maximise "good enough" free content, rather than ante up "just right" premium content. It feels like this tension has never been greater.

So, for the fourth year, FreePint Research continues its examination of how much (or little) users value premium content offerings, what they think of free alternatives (and how the two compare) as well as what they are, in fact, willing to pay for when it comes to news content. FreePint is currently gathering data as part of our annual FreePint Research: Survey on News Needs and Preferences. FreePint's director of research, Robin Neidorf, discusses some of the early findings in her VIP LiveWire post Rock, meet hard place.

Thus far, one thing the research suggests is that the trend of increased usage of free news alternatives in professional settings we have witnessed over the past three years may actually be levelling off. However there remains an expectation of increased functionality and enhancements over free services to justify the price, which directly conflicts with the demand for lowered prices. FreePint Research also reveals the effort expended and creativity information professionals have exhibited in making free services behave in similar ways to premium offerings for staff inside organisations. This reinforces that the requirement for features that put quality content into user's hands at the point of most need remains high, despite decreasing content budgets.

There is still time to participate in this year's Survey on News Needs and Preferences. We value the expert insights that only you - the premium content decision-makers - can provide as we work to inform better development and decision-making for premium news products and services, and forecast what the future may hold.

Best regards,
Michelle Manafy,
Director of Content
FreePint


FreePint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2011

 My Favourite Tipples

Richard Hawkins By Richard Hawkins

As Online Information Manager at the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) I'm always on the lookout for ways to get more organised and efficient and deal with the information that comes my way appropriately. Here are a few of the tools that I currently make regular use of, along with a couple of my most frequently used sources of information too.

  • Klip.me: Klip.me is a brilliant browser add-on that allows you to quickly reformat articles you find on the internet and email them to your Kindle. It's most useful when I find a really important or interesting article or blog posts but for whatever reason I don't have the time to read it there and then. With Klip.me I simply click the two buttons in my browser and when I switch on my Kindle at home later, it's there waiting for me.

  • HootSuite: I make a lot of use of Twitter, both at work as well as in my personal life and HootSuite is my preferred Twitter client. It allows me to focus my attention on the tweets that are most relevant to me and my employer, has features that make team-work more efficient and intuitive and allows integration with Google Analytics amongst other things. I don't know what I'd do without it!

  • StrawberryJ.am: This is a handy time saver which scans the tweets of the Twitter accounts you follow and delivers the most popular links to you in either a handy newsletter or a real-time web page. When used in conjunction with our @CILIPinfo Twitter account which follows around 2,500 library, information and knowledge workers and organisations it is a great real-time search tool.

  • Voices for the Library: This website has been invaluable over the last 12 months as a way of keeping up to date with the news and comment relating to the various campaigns fighting against public library closures in the UK. It's even more impressive when you realise that the people involved do everything in their spare time - oh and they're all lovely people too.

  • CILIP Members Blog Landscape: While it might look like I am plugging our Blog Landscape by including it here, I genuinely find it a great way to keep up with what's happening in the (so-called) biblioblogosphere. The Blog Landscape aggregates lots of bloggers who are CILIP members so it's a nice place to browse the posts of a variety of different LIS professionals. There's an RSS feed for all posts as well as for particular tags too. It's where I find most of the blogs I read.

Richard Hawkins is Online Information Manager at the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP). He previously worked in public libraries for 6 years and has been at CILIP since 2009. He can be found on Twitter as @usernametaken10 and occasionally blogs here.


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 submit them to support@freepint.com.

Have a single tip to share? Post it to the FUMSI Forum.

View the guidelines at: <http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute>.

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FreePint Surveys

LAST WEEK to participate:
The Need for Business News Never Changes...
   ...Where You Get It Often Does

Participate in the 4th annual FreePint Research: Survey on News Needs and Preferences and contribute to ongoing industry knowledge on:

  • Shifting corporate priorities and sources for business news
  • Incorporation of free sources alongside premium sources
  • Perceptions of value for premium sources

All participants receive a free copy of the final report - an excellent tool for benchmarking and resource awareness. Well-worth your investment of 15 minutes.

Participate now »

This year's project is generously sponsored in part by LexisNexis and Moreover.

NewsEdge.com

You found it. Great! Now what?

Finding the right information solves only part of the equation. The next step is to communicate it effectively.

NewsEdge.com delivers industry leading taxonomies within advanced search tools to find the information you need - but we don't stop there. Email alerting, RSS linking, story folder collaboration, social media sharing and our complete newsletter publishing offers information professionals multiple choices for reaching their audience. All of this is in NewsEdge.com.

Find out more at www.newsedge.com. Follow us on: Twitter - Facebook

 FreePint Bar

The FreePint Bar is where we publish information about the latest content from across the FreePint Family of resources.

The FreePint Bar is sponsored by:

Dialog

Factiva

Financial Times

Latest posts at the FreePint Bar:

  • Survey: News Needs and Preferences - year 4

    Data collection is underway for the 4th annual FreePint Research: Survey on News Needs and Preferences.

    Over the past 3 years, we've tracked reports of increased usage of free sources to meet organisational needs for business news. Even in the largest organisations, sources like blogs, social media, web versions of print products and other news sources without a direct cost have gained traction within the enterprise.

    Early results on this year's effort, however, suggests that perhaps this trend is flattening out. We won't know for sure until collection is complete - and YOUR input is essential in creating a full picture of what's happening.

    Take 10 minutes to complete the survey now. Your responses will remain fully anonymous, and you will receive a copy of the resulting report upon publication, as our thank-you for participating.
    Read posting online »

  • [DocuTopic] The forest versus the filter bubble

    People need information. But while they need to know how to find it and use it, they don't muse much about information at the conceptual level. Typically, they do not ask, "How is the design of this search engine or web portal affecting the path of my research?" or, "How is my personal bank of knowledge shaped by the limitations of current online search technology?" We often call these non-information-musing people "users". I think we can also call them "the 99 percent" or "normal people."

    Recently, while rubbing elbows with the 99 percent, I was surprised to become involved in a higher-level discussion of information and information-seeking behaviour. Some of these highly information-dependent folks (this is Washington) were discussing the limitations of their primary method for keeping up-to-date on the policy issues they track: they brief themselves with the results of high precision searches executed automatically each day in the appropriate commercial online services. It's an efficient approach, but they worry about what they might be missing...
    Read posting online »

  • [FreePint] Conference planning

    Inevitable as the shortening days, conference season has returned again. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that, at this time of year, information industry events are as plentiful as falling leaves. As lovely as they may be, with them comes much work: for conference planners and speakers, of course. But also for those who exhibit and need to ensure that the expense is justified through customer interactions and new business as well as those intangibles - "branding" and "presence". And let us not forget the onus on attendees, who need to maximise their event ROI through session value and peer-assisted learning...
    Read posting online »

Visit the FreePint Bar »

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 FUMSI Features

FUMSIFUMSI 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 »

Follow FUMSI on Twitter »

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:

Communications industry resources on a budget

Heidi LongabergerBy Heidi Longaberger
FUMSI: Find

With the influence of social media changing attitudes to the sharing of data and having a positive impact on the availability of free information, the resources providing data and analysis on the communications industry are having to evolve. As Heidi Longaberger describes, these changes mean that finding data on a budget is becoming easier.

WHAT'S INSIDE: 'There are many different options to explore for valuable communications industry data. Government databases are a good source of competitive intelligence including SEC filings, broadband maps and licence databases. "The Big Three" in technology research and offer a similar type of competing report and analysis tool that positions and compares communications companies within specific market sectors. The Upstarts (a new type of information provider) are more focused on delivering the most current news in more of a social media, blog-like style. Associations are also often good starting points for the data hunt.'

Read, print, save or forward this article now »

Influence: where next for industry on the social web?

Dr Andrew SpongBy Dr Andrew Spong
FUMSI: Use

Social media are tools which facilitate the conversations that matter most to you - and, by the way, you are part of conversation. If you are not part of the conversation then there is no need for you to be using social media except if you want to tick that box on your marketing strategy - tick, we have Twitter and FaceBook accounts. So what - owning those accounts is easy, it is what you will do with those accounts and where you will exert influence that matters.

WHAT'S INSIDE: 'Two way communications designed to elicit a response, and thereby nurture both interaction and interest, are replacing broadcast messages intended to do little more than provoke a reaction or make an impression. The pharmaceutical industry is coming to acknowledge that, regardless of whether it elects to participate in the conversations that take place across the social web regarding both its drugs and its reputation, the dialogue will continue with or without them. New challenges emerge on a regular basis, the latest of which resides in the form of influence metrics from platforms such as Klout and PeerIndex, which are rating the influence of pharma companies whether they elect to create and maintain accounts on them or to ignore them entirely.'

Read, print, save or forward this article now »

FUMSI Forum

The latest recommendations and tips from our editors, contributors and community:

Visit the FUMSI Forum »

FUMSI - Forthcoming Topics

  • Using and understanding Online influence and social captital
  • Reinventing librarians Part 2
  • Presenting better presentations - Running a conference "predux"
  • Where the Jobs Are: Listings and Resources for LIS Professionals

If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact <support@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at
<http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>.

Browse all FUMSI articles »

Subscribe to the free FUMSI Focus to receive a weekly update of the latest FUMSI Forum discussion.

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Bernan

You know the value of government sources

Go Deeper with Bernan

Discover America's largest source for publications from hundreds of U.S. government agencies, and intergovernmental organizations worldwide.

  • Award winning reference works like Business Statistics of the United States and County and City Extra

  • Catalog of over 45,000 titles!

"Bernan is our one-stop shop for U.S. government and international agency publications. Their customer service is outstanding." -- University Librarian

Special Offer for FreePint Subscribers!
Save 20% on your next purchase when you use Promo #1E11DOC in your order.

Visit now »

FreePint Research Report: Benchmarking on UK law firm information products and priorities

Budgets, Priorites and Information Staff Strength in UK Law Firms

FreePint Research Report Benchmarks them for You

Interviews with information managers at 82 of the top UK law firms form the foundation of the FreePint Research Report: Benchmarking on UK law firm information products and priorities.

Use this benchmarking report to compare:

  • Ratio of info pros to fee earners
  • Relative budgets for products from major legal publishers
  • Key projects and priorities

A must-have resource for law firm libraries and legal departments of other entities.

Learn more and order now »

 VIP Features

VIP 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 issue 95VIP Magazine: Technology and content value adds - A VIP Editorial

By Andrew Clark

Delivering content that is targeted and cost efficient is one aspect of the ever changing role of an information professional in today's environment. Enabling immediate access to an end user landscape of data and content that can often be confusing and fragmented with silos of information is another.

Throughout my varied career roles within the industry, how many times have I been told "I need this information now". This takes many forms, from the desperate parent trying to complete their child's overdue homework and queuing in anticipation at the reference desk in a public library or - in the corporate environment in which I work today - an expectant scientist who wants immediate access to scientific information to drive the innovative research process and aid new drug discovery.

In an ever changing pharma industry where leveraging competitive advantage is key to breakthrough and success - which is exacerbated by our ever growing culture of here-and-now access to information - understanding new and emerging technologies that might take work streams, content delivery and data management to a new level is critical. This understanding is essential not only for strategic business success but also for ensuring that any specialist information function remains at the core of organisational workflows adding value and driving change.

As a consumer of information, regardless of industry, it is clear that the product space in the arena of data and information delivery is competitive. As an information professional with a passion and enthusiasm for making a difference not just in the workplace but also for offering inspiration within the wider industry, my expectation for what constitutes a good information solution is an offering that pushes new boundaries, way beyond the off-the-shelf solutions that are all too common in the market today.

The second part of this article can be found in VIP No. 95. Purchase VIP No. 95 in the FreePint Shop or subscribe today »

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 Newsedge.

NewsEdge.com

Most Read Postings on the LiveWire Recently...

  • Conferences are social?

    I was at a day conference recently when I was asked to turn off my smartphone. I gasped - the event was on participation using online technology!

    On the LiveWire many of my colleagues report from conferences on a regular basis. This type of event is seeing many changes in terms of the traditional approach that it has held for many years.
    Read posting online »

  • Who is influencing the social web?

    Social media metrics is one of those topics we get asked to write and comment on all the time on the LiveWire, and Tim Buckley Owen has commented very recently. In FUMSI we have commissioned specifically with this in mind. Being social is not about the numbers of followers, it is about what is being said and by whom - your measure of influence...
    Read posting online »

  • Social media - no knee-jerks needed

    We probably shouldn't be too surprised that the number of online defamation cases seems to have rocketed thanks to social networking. But simply blocking its use at work looks like throwing the baby out with the bathwater - even if some employees might think it's a good idea. According to recent research from legal publisher Sweet & Maxwell, the number of court cases in England and Wales alleging defamation on the internet has doubled over the past year. It points to the growth of social media as the cause, with Korieh Duodu, co-author of Sweet's Defamation Law, Procedure and Practice suggesting that this could present a "huge problem" for businesses and individuals trying to protect their reputation...
    Read posting online »

  • Getting strategic with information governance

    Information management requires a balance of moving information around an organisation and ensuring that it doesn't inadvertently leak out. How an organisation governs the flow of information has a direct impact on the overall value of that information: inadequate intellectual property protection lowers the proprietary value of that proprietary information. Errors in managing copyright-protected information increases the risk associated with that information. Leaks in customer data create the potential for enormous costs...
    Read posting online »

  • Computers predict sentiment - yeah, right

    If lots of people say it does that make it true? As Twitter moves up another gear, that's the premise behind one tweet analysis algorithm - but as recent troubles with Google Places demonstrate, crowdsourced intelligence can also be subverted...
    Read posting online »

Always feel free to comment on any item on the LiveWire, and if you do not yet have a free subscription to the VIP Wires Weekly, you can sign up now »

VIP LiveWire »

VIP Wire

Information-related product and news announcements. Post your releases and subscribe to the free VIP Wires Weekly for regular alerts.

Recent VIP Wire announcements...

  • Morningstar Launches Pioneering Asset Allocation

    Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, has added pioneering asset allocation optimisation functionality to Morningstar Direct TM, the company's web-based global investment analysis platform for institutional investors...
    Read Press Release online »

  • Safari Books Online Appoints CEO and CFO/COO

    Safari Books Online (www.safaribooksonline.com), the leading on-demand digital library for technology, digital media and business professionals, today announced the appointment of Andrew Savikas as CEO, and Steve Kolenda as CFO/COO, following an extensive recruitment effort...
    Read Press Release online »

  • The NEW www.infotrieve.com is now LIVE!

    Infotrieve Launches New Website, Unifies Product Branding

    WILTON, CT - November 1, 2011 - Infotrieve, Inc. (www.infotrieve.com), the global leader in e-content business service solutions, today announced the launch of an updated website, www.infotrieve.com. Enhanced features have been incorporated, including the ability to search and order documents from every page on the site...
    Read Press Release online »

VIP Wire »

VIP - Subscribe and Back Issues

Start a trial subscription today for only £84 for three months.
Visit http://web.freepint.com/go/shop/vip/volume/trial/ to start your trial. You can also purchase back-issues of VIP from the FreePint Shop.

VIP Archive »

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 - Forthcoming Topics

  • Factiva
  • LexisNexis
  • StrategyEye
  • Highbeam

If you have a suggestion for an article topic, or would like to write, then please contact <support@freepint.com> or read the notes for authors at
<http://web.freepint.com/go/family/contribute/>.

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FUMSI

SharePoint Guidance and Embedded Info Pros

Get practical advice in the latest FUMSI Reports

FUMSI Reports provide practical, hands-on insight from experts in the field on key topics in information management and practice.

Check out the latest offerings:

Purchase individual reports from the links above, or subscribe to FUMSI to get all reports upon publication.

Online Information International Conference 2011

Online Information - Free Exhibition and Seminar Programme

29 November - 1 December 2011, National Hall, Olympia, London

Discover latest solutions from more than 150 exhibitors for: Content Resources; ePublishing; Library Management; Content Management; Social Media and Search Solutions

Register now »

 Jinfo - Jobs and Events in Information

JinfoJinfo 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:

  • Knowledge Manager
    An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Knowledge Manager to join a global organisation...
    Recruiter: TFPL
    Country: United Kingdom

  • Knowledge/Information Trainer - Maternity Leave
    KNOWLEDGE & INFORMATION TRAINER with excellent customer service skills to work in Central London in 12 month Maternity Leave contract
    Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
    Country: United Kingdom

  • Law Librarian
    Law firm on the Isle of Man seeks info pro. Role involves day-to-day operation of library resources in this offshore office and will include research enquiry work.
    Recruiter: Sue Hill Recruitment and Services Limited
    Country: United Kingdom

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 £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 DocuTicker

DocuTicker
DocuTicker publishes citations of full-text, free reports available on the web. Visit daily for new postings, or subscribe to the weekly DocuTicker Newsletter.

Become a fan of DocuTicker on Facebook.

Recent postings:

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 Highlights from ResourceShelf

ResourceShelfThe editors of ResourceShelf add web-based resources to support business and professional research by the dozens. Get weekly highlights via email by subscribing to the ResourceShelf Newsletter.

Become a fan of ResourceShelf on Facebook.

Recent postings:

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 Gold

A look back at what the FreePint Newsletter covered at this time in previous years:

FreePint Newsletter Archive »

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 Contact Information

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