Keep up-to-date on the 2008 election with Google Maps
"On election day, it will take at least 270 of the possible 538 electoral votes for John McCain or Barack Obama to win the Presidency. Use this map to predict possible state combinations each candidate needs to win the election. Clicking on a state will change the total electoral vote count per candidate."
Source: Elections '08 Map Gallery
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Google lawsuit and UC project
It is good news that a proposed agreement has been submitted to the United States District Court to settle a lawsuit against the Google Book Search digitization project.
While the three major library partners (the University of California, the University of Michigan, and Stanford University) were not parties in the lawsuit, Google requested extensive input from us on issues of importance to library and university communities. For nearly two years, we strongly advocated for library interests including maximum public access to works in the public domain. Our efforts to preserve, maintain, and provide access to books played a critical role in achieving this agreement. While the settlement is not all we would have liked it to be, on balance the agreement is consistent with the libraries' mission and serves the public interest by providing the widest possible access to these materials.
The settlement agreement allows us to continue our participation in the Google Book Search project. The partner libraries and Google will review and update our original contracts to reflect the terms of the settlement.
I have attached a joint press release from the major library partners, and you can find more information from Google at http://books.google.com/googlebooks/agreement/.
Gerry Munoff
University Librarian, University of California Irvine
----------------
From Metafilter:
"The Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and Google today announced
---------------
Authors, publishers settle suit against Google
By HILLEL ITALIE - AP (Associated Press) October 28, 2008
While the three major library partners (the University of California, the University of Michigan, and Stanford University) were not parties in the lawsuit, Google requested extensive input from us on issues of importance to library and university communities. For nearly two years, we strongly advocated for library interests including maximum public access to works in the public domain. Our efforts to preserve, maintain, and provide access to books played a critical role in achieving this agreement. While the settlement is not all we would have liked it to be, on balance the agreement is consistent with the libraries' mission and serves the public interest by providing the widest possible access to these materials.
The settlement agreement allows us to continue our participation in the Google Book Search project. The partner libraries and Google will review and update our original contracts to reflect the terms of the settlement.
I have attached a joint press release from the major library partners, and you can find more information from Google at http://books.google.com/googlebooks/agreement/.
Gerry Munoff
University Librarian, University of California Irvine
----------------
From Metafilter:
"The Authors Guild, the Association of American Publishers (AAP), and Google today announced
---------------
Authors, publishers settle suit against Google
By HILLEL ITALIE - AP (Associated Press) October 28, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Interactive video to ecourage participation
A new twist on "get out the vote" from MoveOn.org.
Mitchell Brown Loses the Election for Obama
You too can join in. See link to colleague, Bob Johnson Loses Election for Obama
Mitchell Brown Loses the Election for Obama
You too can join in. See link to colleague, Bob Johnson Loses Election for Obama
Thursday, October 23, 2008
DTIC Online portal deploys Deep Web Technologies' MultiSearch interface
Search solutions provider Deep Web Technologies, US, has launched an updated interface for the Defense Technical Information Center's new DTIC Online research portal (http://multisearch.dtic.mil). DTIC is part of the US’ Department of Defense (DOD). The interface, known as MultiSearch, offers four defence search channels from a single drop-down menu, allowing users to access a collection of scientific and defence-related resources in one simultaneous search. The search employs the latest version of Deep Web Technologies' Explorit Research Accelerator, which is seen to provide ‘smart’ clustering, encyclopedia sidebars from Wikipedia, and EurekAlert! science news.
DTIC supports the DOD and its community by centralising scientific, technical and related defence-information services, databases and systems. Its new DTIC Online significantly expands the breadth of information scanned and retrieved with its four search channels: DOD websites, DTIC Public Scientific and Technical Information, the DTIC Website, and Federal Scientific and Technical Information. MultiSearch also includes a federated search of other federated search websites, including Scitopia.org and WorldWideScience.org - both powered by the Explorit Research Accelerator. It therefore is projected to consolidate a number of advanced search engines within one search, delivering results users might never have uncovered.
The upgraded MultiSearch portal adds new features that seek to enrich the user experience and value of research. By taking advantage of Explorit's ‘smart clustering,’ MultiSearch provides relevance-ranked clusters that allow users to see their results organised by topic. It also retrieves and displays entries from Wikipedia and EurekAlert! that complement the search experience. Explorit delivers not only relevant results, but pathways and context to guide users to more relevant search results.
Deep Web's federated search technology is projected to enable fee-based or proprietary content to be searched publicly on the Internet, without giving it away. This content is not searchable by public search engines such as Google and Yahoo.
DTIC Online was created specifically for the defence community. MultiSearch can be accessed from the pull-down menu by selecting ‘Federal S&T’ or by going directly to (http://multisearch.dtic.mil).The search is free and much of the content is available at no cost. Some content - like that accessed through Scitopia - can be purchased on a pay-per-view basis or accessed by a subscription.
Knowledgespeak Newsletter 23 Oct 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
PLOS AND SPARC PLoS and SPARC release new "Voices of Open Access" video series
PLOS AND SPARC RELEASE NEW “VOICES OF OPEN ACCESS” VIDEO SERIES
Clips describe a rich new world where access to research is open
San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC – October 14, 2008 – A new video series presents six unique perspectives on the importance of Open Access to research across the higher education community and beyond. SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the organizers of the first Open Access Day with Students for FreeCulture, today released the series of one-minute videos capturing why teachers, patient advocates, librarians, students, research funders, and physician scientists are committed to Open Access.
The “Voices of Open Access” series defines Open Access as a fundamental component of a new system for exchanging scholarly research results, where: health is transformed; research outputs are maximized to their fullest extent; efficiencies in the research process enable faster discoveries; the best science is made possible; young people are inspired; access transcends the wealth of the institution; cost savings are realized across the research process; and medical research conducted for the public good is made available to everyone who needs it.
“These short videos vividly bring to life why Open Access matters to a broad range of people,” said Peter Jerram, Chief Executive Officer of PLoS. “From a teacher who used a mouse song to inspire her science class to a major funder of scientific research who believes that it helps scientists make the discoveries we need to improve health. These clips are a much needed resource for this growing international movement which now seeks to recruit even more members of the general public and the scientific community to its cause through Open Access Day, October 14, 2008.”
Added Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC, “This series speaks to the heart of the broad appeal of Open Access; the new opportunities it creates for everyone to benefit from the results of science and scholarship.”
The series introduces:
* Barbara Stebbins, science teacher at Black Pine Circle School in Berkeley
* Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, London, U.K.
* Sharon Terry, CEO and President of the Genetic Alliance, Washington, DC
* Ida Sim, Associate Professor and a practicing physician at the University of California, San Francisco
* Diane Graves, University Librarian for Trinity University, San Antonio
* Andre Brown, PhD student, University of Pennsylvania
The series was created by filmmakers Karen Rustad and Matt Agnello.
The videos are available for the public to view, download, and repurpose under a CC-BY license at http://www.vimeo.com/oaday08. They are also available as a single file for viewing at events.
The Voices of Open Access Series is launched in conjunction with the first Open Access Day and the fifth anniversary of the launch of PLoS Biology, the flagship biology journal from the Public Library of Science. Open Access Day 2008 will help to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access, including recent mandates and emerging policies, within the international higher education community and the general public. The day will center on live broadcast events with leading scientists and will be marked by more than 100 campuses in 20 countries. For details, visit http://www.openaccessday.org.
#
About the Public Library of Science:
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource.
Read the FAQs on PLoS and open access (http://www.plos.org/about/faq.html#openaccess), find out how the PLoS journals are developing new ways of communicating research (http://www.plos.org/journals/index.php), and visit the PLoS blog (http://www.plos.org/cms/blog/) and Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/pages/PLoSorg/47460995594).
About SPARC:
SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an international alliance of more than 800 academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication. SPARC’s advocacy, educational and publisher partnership programs encourage expanded dissemination of research. SPARC is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/sparc.
Clips describe a rich new world where access to research is open
San Francisco, CA and Washington, DC – October 14, 2008 – A new video series presents six unique perspectives on the importance of Open Access to research across the higher education community and beyond. SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) and the Public Library of Science (PLoS), the organizers of the first Open Access Day with Students for FreeCulture, today released the series of one-minute videos capturing why teachers, patient advocates, librarians, students, research funders, and physician scientists are committed to Open Access.
The “Voices of Open Access” series defines Open Access as a fundamental component of a new system for exchanging scholarly research results, where: health is transformed; research outputs are maximized to their fullest extent; efficiencies in the research process enable faster discoveries; the best science is made possible; young people are inspired; access transcends the wealth of the institution; cost savings are realized across the research process; and medical research conducted for the public good is made available to everyone who needs it.
“These short videos vividly bring to life why Open Access matters to a broad range of people,” said Peter Jerram, Chief Executive Officer of PLoS. “From a teacher who used a mouse song to inspire her science class to a major funder of scientific research who believes that it helps scientists make the discoveries we need to improve health. These clips are a much needed resource for this growing international movement which now seeks to recruit even more members of the general public and the scientific community to its cause through Open Access Day, October 14, 2008.”
Added Heather Joseph, Executive Director of SPARC, “This series speaks to the heart of the broad appeal of Open Access; the new opportunities it creates for everyone to benefit from the results of science and scholarship.”
The series introduces:
* Barbara Stebbins, science teacher at Black Pine Circle School in Berkeley
* Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust, London, U.K.
* Sharon Terry, CEO and President of the Genetic Alliance, Washington, DC
* Ida Sim, Associate Professor and a practicing physician at the University of California, San Francisco
* Diane Graves, University Librarian for Trinity University, San Antonio
* Andre Brown, PhD student, University of Pennsylvania
The series was created by filmmakers Karen Rustad and Matt Agnello.
The videos are available for the public to view, download, and repurpose under a CC-BY license at http://www.vimeo.com/oaday08. They are also available as a single file for viewing at events.
The Voices of Open Access Series is launched in conjunction with the first Open Access Day and the fifth anniversary of the launch of PLoS Biology, the flagship biology journal from the Public Library of Science. Open Access Day 2008 will help to broaden awareness and understanding of Open Access, including recent mandates and emerging policies, within the international higher education community and the general public. The day will center on live broadcast events with leading scientists and will be marked by more than 100 campuses in 20 countries. For details, visit http://www.openaccessday.org.
#
About the Public Library of Science:
The Public Library of Science (PLoS) is a nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource.
Read the FAQs on PLoS and open access (http://www.plos.org/about/faq.html#openaccess), find out how the PLoS journals are developing new ways of communicating research (http://www.plos.org/journals/index.php), and visit the PLoS blog (http://www.plos.org/cms/blog/) and Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/pages/PLoSorg/47460995594).
About SPARC:
SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition), with SPARC Europe and SPARC Japan, is an international alliance of more than 800 academic and research libraries working to create a more open system of scholarly communication. SPARC’s advocacy, educational and publisher partnership programs encourage expanded dissemination of research. SPARC is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/sparc.
Monday, October 6, 2008
American Physical Society now leaves copyright with authors for derivative works
Editorial: APS now leaves copyright with authors for derivative works
http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v78/e080001
"When you submit an article to an APS journal, we ask you to sign our copyright form. It transfers copyright for the article to APS, but keeps certain rights for you, the author. We have recently changed the form to add the right to make 'derivative works' that reuse parts of the article in a new work. The importance of this change is discussed below."
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Banned Book Week: Speak Out!
Wednesday, October 1 , from noon to 1 p.m.
at the flagpole on Ring Road adjacent to Langson Library
You are invited to come and celebrate your freedom to read during the 27th annual celebration of Banned Books Week. UCI Department of English, Campus Writing Coordinator Jonathan Alexander and the UCI Libraries are presenting “Banned Book Week: Speak Out!” at the flagpole on Ring Road adjacent to Langson Library on Wednesday, October 1, from noon to 1 p.m. Librarians, lecturers, and colleagues will join to read passages from their favorite banned and challenged books. Admission is FREE.
Interested readers are encouraged to view the list of banned and challenged books and join us on October 1 from noon to 1pm and “Speak Out!” Titles from the list will be on hand for speakers to share passages.
About Banned Book Week
Sponsored by the American Library Association, the American Booksellers Association, and a variety of other groups, Banned Books Week (Sept. 27–Oct. 4, 2007) celebrates the first amendment right to free speech, which includes the right to read and write books that are considered unorthodox or controversial. A banned book is one that has actually been removed from a library or school system, a "challenged" book is the attempt to ban such material. Some of the most famous challenges have been to works widely considered classics of American literature, including J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Probably the most publicized challenge in recent years was to the highly popular Harry Potter series for promoting "magic."
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