Content efficiency for current awareness - a data science approach
2nd September 2016

We look at CONVINCE, a new decision-support tool from Acquire Media, that enables information managers to explore what happens to cost, duplication and relevance of coverage when you add or remove different content bundles to an implementation. It's not having the greatest number of licensed sources that's important, but making sure you have the right ones.

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Product review of Primo Ex Libris (technology - search & user interface; outputs & alerts; administration)
1st September 2016

Primo Ex Libris is a discovery system based on a single unified index for fast and accurate search results. In part 3 of the product review, Sophie Alexander describes the technology involved in searching both an institution's resources and more than a billion scholarly materials via Primo Central. She also covers user interface, advanced exploration features, customisation options and administration features.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2713

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Tags, topics & more - the power of subscription in intranet
31st August 2016

Some leading intranets are currently putting more emphasis on search, with content which is tagged with relevant topics, and can also be matched to user profiles to deliver a personalised experience. Subscribing to news feeds from different collaboration communities and groups is also an option. This article looks at some of the opportunities in this area and features a case study from DNV GL written by Jerome Colombe.

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Product review of Primo Ex Libris (sources - content & coverage)
30th August 2016

Primo is a discovery system with plans to become a library gateway too. In part two of the review Sophie Alexander looks at the sources of the 1 billion items it indexes and the many language-specific resources available.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2713

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Product review of Primo Ex Libris (key advantages; introduction; contact details)
29th August 2016

Primo Ex Libris is a discovery system based on a single unified index for fast and accurate search results. In part one of the report, reviewer Sophie Alexander introduces the product, now part of the ProQuest group, identifies key advantages of the product and recent developments including its new interface and sophisticated analytics to track user behaviour.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2713

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Establishing a new current awareness service - challenges and opportunities
26th August 2016

The procurement of a current awareness solution often makes sense to those overseeing complex and demanding news alert services. However, justifying it to the powers that be is not always simple. Fiona Fogden presents the process she went through to convince stakeholders and gain approval for the project at law firm Reed Smith. She concludes with a practical structure that may be used in a business case along with some thoughts about the implementation phase and next steps.

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Survey on current awareness part 3 - satisfaction with current options and solutions
22nd August 2016

Satisfaction with current content sources, suppliers and technology used to collect and manage current awareness and satisfaction with current solutions are just some of the areas discussed in the third and final part of analysis of Jinfo's research into current awareness.

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What does artificial intelligence mean for current awareness?
19th August 2016

Rachael Elliott examines the processes of research and current awareness and considers the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) will have on research and on the role of the information professional. She looks at key players in this market: Google with DeepMind, IBM with Watson, and Microsoft with Azure and Delve and how information professionals could tap into this technology.

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Product review of BBC Monitoring Portal (value - help & training; competitors; development; pricing)
18th August 2016

Concluding the product review of the relaunched BBC Monitoring Portal, reviewer Sophie Alexander describes its many attributes that make it difficult for other organisations to compete with. In terms of providing impartial monitoring of international news on a real-time basis, no other companies appear to offer such comprehensive global coverage, although ProQuest Dialog, Reuters, and the EIU's country profiles offer similar types of coverage and have their own strengths. Help & training and pricing is also summarised.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2706

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Survey on current awareness part 2 - what managers look for in current awareness
18th August 2016

The second part of analysis of Jinfo's 2016 new research into current awareness looks at changes in this area over the last two years in terms of sources, technology and spend, and priority features for current awareness, such as full-text and ability to add additional sources.

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