The ebbs and flows of outsourcing your information centre
16th September 2016

Information organisations in sectors from legal to pharmaceutical are relying more on alternative solutions to provide quality information services. Candace M. Cathey explores the drivers, challenges and benefits of outsourcing along with highlighting key vendors Integreon, LibSource, Information Matters from Tribal Group and Visionary Information Solutions.

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Mini review of Factiva - recent enhancements
15th September 2016

Factiva is a premium news resource. Andrew Grave reviews this long-established solution which offers the ability to search, distribute and licence a vast amount of news content. He plays close attention to the enhancements made since the full Jinfo review in October 2015 and the features that make it unique.

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Product review of MarketScape (technology - search & user interface; outputs & alerts; administration)
15th September 2016

In the third part of Jinfo's in-depth product review of MarketScape MS4, Andrew Lucas assesses the usability of the tool for managing access to multiple content sets. He evaluates the technology, the design of the interface and its output functions, including the newsletter setup capabilities. He also looks at the array of administration tools in the platform.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2715

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The slow shift of current awareness to mobile devices
15th September 2016

Rachael Elliott contrasts the rapid rise of consumer mobile apps with the slow growth of apps from information providers. She examines why mobile apps are important and contrasts the offerings from some large players. Rachael then takes a c­­­­­­loser look at a new iPhone app from Factiva and the Google News mobile app and concludes by looking at future trends and suggests some practical next steps.

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Product review of MarketScape (sources - content & coverage)
14th September 2016

In the second part of Jinfo's product review of MarketScape MS4, Andrew Lucas looks at the multiple information sources available to bring into the platform and monitor. These include science, regulatory information, patents, business news and market research; licensed content from a number of the major information providers; as well as individual web sources and the capability to add single news articles.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2715

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Product review of MarketScape (key advantages; introduction; contact details)
13th September 2016

In part 1 of Jinfo's in-depth product review of MarketScape MS4, the content integration software platform from the eponymous Danish company, we provide an overview of MarketScape, looking at the audience and the value provided by the product, and its customer base which includes major brands and international pharmaceutical companies.

Note: Full review (PDF) at /go/sub/report/2715

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Is current awareness out of date?
8th September 2016

This article examines whether current awareness involving more general and business news delivers value. It features an interview with Andrew Woolfson, director of knowledge and capability, at RPC, a UK top 50 law firm. Woolfson is sceptical about the value of current awareness believing that information professionals should focus instead on providing deeper insights and analysis. Some next steps around assessing the value of your current awareness set-up are suggested.

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Mini review of Nexis - recent enhancements
6th September 2016

Chris Porter looks at a new release of the Nexis news and business aggregation database from LexisNexis. The latest changes aim to make life easier for the non-expert searcher. This mini review also catches up with other significant enhancements since Jinfo's last major look at the product in early 2015, as well as describing some future enhancements.

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Insider knowledge - researching Central Africa
2nd September 2016

Business information consultant Colin Smith shares his knowledge on researching Central Africa. He focuses on company, business and economic topics for eight countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic Of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Madagascar and highlights key sources of information published in English.

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Product review of Primo Ex Libris (value - help & training; competitors; development; pricing)
2nd September 2016

We conclude Jinfo's product review of the Primo Ex Libris discovery system with a look at its main competitors EBSCO Discovery Service, OCLC's WorldCat Discovery and the ProQuest Summon Service. She also covers current developments such as giving libraries more scope to customise their discovery service according to their needs and their brand.

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

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