3/21/00
NOTE: If you are not already receiving the Newsletter by e-mail, and would like to, contact sbianchi@nsf.gov. PLEASE STATE WHETHER YOU PREFER THE FULL NEWSLETTER OR JUST THE TABLE OF CONTENTS.
This newsletter is available to the public at the following locations:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/swain/nsflibnews/
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/scitechnews/
http://avel.edu.au/scitech.html
The NSF Library has added more than 200 new journal titles available full text at your
desktop this year. Some are current issues, some are archives. For a complete list, check:
http://www.inside.nsf.gov/sis/sisnew/alpha.htm
A few of the new titles include:
You will also find links to contents alerting services. Check back often, the selection is growing fast!
Chris Sherman, the web search guru from About.Com, has created brief individual guides for common websearch tasks. I have learned a lot of what I know about searching the web from this fellow! Guides available include:
And more!
You have exhausted the resources in the NSF Reviewer database and still haven't found the panelists or the information about them that you need. What do you do next?
The NSF Library is pleased to present a new workshop on resources available to help you find reviewers and contact information for reviewers. We will take a quick look at databases, directories, search engines, and more so that you know what kinds of resources are available and how to use them. We will talk about “plans of attack”, “quick and dirty” hints, search strategies and more. We will also go over a brief case study to show you a practical application of these hints and tips.
When you finish this workshop you will know how to plan your research, what types of tools are available and what kind of information you can find in them. You will be able to find possible reviewers even in subject fields with which you are unfamiliar.
All this in under two hours …
Bring your questions to discuss and your successful strategies to share. If you can, please send me any examples or specific challenges ahead of time so I can be prepared to discuss them during the workshop. Sometimes the real toughies take a little thought and a little time …
March 29, 9:30 - 11:00, Rm. 325.09 (Sorry, this session is filled)
March 30, 2:30 - 4:00, Rm 325.09
March 31, 9:30 - 11:00, Rm 325.09
Instructor: Stephanie Bianchi
Sign up for one session only! Open to program officers and support staff. No cost. Space is limited. Sign up by sending an e-mail to library@nsf.gov. If there is sufficient interest, additional sessions will be scheduled in the coming months.
HighWire Press Announces Free Access to over 130,000 Articles
Free Online Full-text Articles
http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/freeart.dtl
Press Release
http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/pr/00/000301highwire.html
HighWire Press
http://highwire.stanford.edu/
In yet another major step forward in the provision of free scholarship online, Stanford University's
HighWire Press (last reviewed in the February 16, 2000 _Scout Report_) has announced that
publishers of the science, technology, and medicine Journals it hosts now provide free online access
to the full text of more than 137,000 articles. This makes HighWire “the second-largest free
full-text science archive in the world – and the largest in the life sciences – with three
entirely free Journals, 51 Journals offering free back issues and 32 offering free trial access.”
Please note that the availability of back issues and length of the free trial period vary widely by
journal. Users can consult the site for a list of participating Journals, the back issues they offer,
and the ending date of the free trial period. Click on the journal's name to access the articles. As an
additional service to users who subscribe (as individuals or through their institution), some Journals
offer “toll-free linking” of articles, which allows users to access the full text of related
articles from other Journals whether or not they subscribe to those Journals.
[MD] (From the Scout Report)
Physical Review Special Topics – Accelerators and Beams [.pdf, .ps]
http://prst-ab.aps.org/
Current and past issues of this free American Physical Society peer-reviewed, electronic journal are
available here. The journal is published on an article-by-article basis, and new articles are added
to the latest issue. March titles in Physical Review Special Topics – Accelerators and
Beams include “Coherent off-axis undulato radiation from short electron bunches.”
[KR] (From the Scout Report)
J-STAGE [.pdf]
http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/en/
Developed by the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (JST), J-STAGE (The Japan Science and
Technology Aggregator, Electronic) is a recently launched electronic journal center that publishes and
disseminates Japanese electronic scientific journals. At present, the site hosts four journals (one of
which is Japanese only), but expects to add over a hundred in the near future. The three available
English-language journals include the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, the Journal
of the Physical Society of Japan, and SHIGEN-TO-SOZAI, a journal of the Mining and
Materials Processing Institute of Japan. The full-text articles are available free of charge with
searchable back issues also available. [KR] (From the Scout Report)
Tetrahedron Letters
http://chemweb.com/library
Until 30th June 2000 you can access Tetrahedron Letters absolutely free. Free registration to Chem Web
required.
Authors! After this limited period is over, if you submit a paper to Tetrahedron Letters, and it's accepted, you get an additional three months free! You can submit your papers via TetSubmit, a new electronic submission system for papers. http://organic.chemweb.com/home/home.exe(http://organic.chemweb.com/home/home.exe)
Chemical Health and Safety (CHS)
http://chemweb.com/library
Published by Elsevier Science, this is the official publication of the American Chemical Society Division
of Chemical Health and Safety. CHS focuses on news, information and ideas relating to issues and advances
in chemical health and safety. The journal is available FREE until the end of April 2000! Free registration
to ChemWeb required.
Journal of Applied Geophysics
http://www.hbz-nrw.de/elsevier/09269851/
The Journal of Applied Geophysics is the continuation of the journal Geoexploration, founded in 1965 by the
Geoexploration Publishing Group in Stockholm, originally for mining geophysics. The new title is designed to
reflect the widening scope of the applications of geophysics. To meet modern needs, the Journal of Applied
Geophysics places particular emphasis on environmental, geotechnical, engineering and hydrological aspects,
while at the same time welcoming papers in traditional subjects such as mining and petroleum geophysics.
Petrophysics in its widest sense including soil and rock-mechanical properties is another aspect that is
covered by the Journal of Applied Geophysics.
Access to the full text of this journal is temporarily free. In the course of the next few months, access will be limited to users that are affiliated to a library that subscribes to the print edition of the journal.
IEEE Spectrum
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/
IEEE Spectrum Online will be available free to the general public for a special six-week trial from 1 March
through 12 April 2000. Spectrum is the organization-wide magazine of the IEEE.
The new Spectrum Online delivers content beyond what is available in print. New features, exclusive to the online version include:
The full text of each Spectrum issue is available online to IEEE members on the first of every month at http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/(http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/). The site will continue to provide an archive of Spectrum issues from 1996 forward, indexes of issues from 1990 forward, and a dedicated Spectrum search engine. After 12 April the general public will have access to a subset of the content.
American Journal of Roentgenology
http://www.ajronline.org/
The American Roentgen Ray Society is pleased to announce that the full text of the journal “American
Journal of Roentgenology, AJR” is now available online.
Initially called The American X-Ray Journal, the first radiological journal in America was published in 1897, and soon became known as The American Journal of Roentgenology, AJR. The monthly AJR, with a worldwide circulation of more than 25,000, is a highly respected peer-reviewed journal publishing original contributions to the advancement of medical diagnosis and treatment.
During the year 2000, all users of the internet will have free access to the full content of the journal online.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
http://www.envmed.rochester.edu/wwwrap/behavior/jaba/jabahome.htm
The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis is a psychology journal that publishes experimental research about
applications of the experimental analysis of behavior to problems of social importance. The Journal is
published quarterly by the Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (SEAB).
Some full-text articles from the current issue and previous issues can be downloaded in PDF format without a subscription. Abstracts for an entire issue can be viewed for the current and previous two issues. To view earlier abstracts users can perform keyword searches.
Journal of African Earth Sciences
http://www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications/store/6/9/1/
To find out about all aspects of geological investigations, especially the search for natural resources, on
the African continent and its once surrounding Gondwana fragments, the Journal of African Earth Sciences is
your prime source of information. This international interdisciplinary journal publishes high quality,
peer-reviewed scientific papers on the regional geology of the African cratons and the structure of the
surrounding mobile belts; economic geology of mineral deposits, applied geophysics and geochemistry; as well
as critical analyses of sedimentary basins in the search for fossil fuels and water.
In addition, the Journal of African Earth Sciences regularly presents short articles as “Communications” announcing new research discoveries in Africa, special Gondwana Research issues, which include a Gondwana Newsdesk, Business and Scientific Proceedings of African IGCP projects, and an African conference calendar. The journal is closely affiliated with the Geological Society of Africa and publishes the GSA Newsletter in each volume.
The Journal of African Earth Sciences recently launched the “Geology of Africa” series of country by country review articles written by acknowledged experts, bringing together the latest earth science information for academic, applied geological and mining institutions.
Access to the full text of this journal is temporarily free. In the course of the next few months, access will be limited to users that are affiliated to a library that subscribes to the print edition of the journal.
Jounal of American Indian Education
http://www.asu.edu/educ/cie/journal.html
The Journal of American Indian Education (JAIE) is a journal, which publishes papers specifically related to
the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN). While the focus of the Journal is on basic
applied research, manuscripts that are expository in nature and present an explicative or interpretive
perspective are considered for publication as well. JAIE is particularly interested in publishing manuscripts
that express the viewpoint of AI/AN and research that is intiated, conducted, and interpreted by natives.
JAIE was founded in 1961, and has been published continuously since. It is published three times yearly in Fall, Winter and Spring by the Center for Indian Education of the College of Education at Arizona State University. The journal has not published a new issue since Fall 1998. Abstracts can be viewed for issues from 1961-1998.
Math.com Newsletter
http://www.math.com/
Free monthly newsletter for students, teachers, parents, and everyone looking for solutions to their math
problems. Math.com offers free homework help, free math lessons, math puzzles, tutoring solutions and home
and classroom math resources.
Every month the Math.com newsletter contains news and special offers for math products and services. From elementary and everyday math to algebra and beyond.
You all know how to use the PARS database and probably use it all the time. But not everyone is aware that it can be searched by “keyword”. Even more importantly, relatively few people realize how important it is to input keywords.
Suppose you are filling out a panel and you decide you would like to find a qualified female entomologist to invite. Is such a person in the PARS system already? If so, can you locate her?
The answer is … maybe.
The first thing to know is how to structure the search. Since the PARS system was not set up primarily as a vehicle for keyword searching, the method for doing so is not transparent. This is how you do it:
Any database is only as good as its input, however.
Who controls the assigning of these attributes?
You, the program officers, do.
Does the system work for you?
Only if you and your colleagues have been diligent in assigning attributes. Alas, too often this has not happened.
What should be done?
I would suggest that each Directorate adopt an “attribute thesaurus”. This should contain standardized terms that would describe the reviewers and research interests of your directorate. You don't necessarily need to construct a thesaurus, there are many of them already in existence, although you may want to either modify an existing thesaurus or construct your own. It doesn't have to be fancy, and it need not exclude “free form” terms. After all, the language changes constantly and you need some flexibility. You could use something as simple as a good index to a basic textbook in your field, and additionally allow POs to input more specific terms as needed. But some level of standardization frees everyone from the drudgery of constantly coming up with all possible synonyms for a given concept. The English language is exceedingly rich …
The attribute lists that currently exist belong to the divisions. A PARS user can get a report of all attributes used in their division, and you can, if you wish, limit it to program, to make it even more specific. These reports are available on the Tools menu. Click “Reports”, navigate to the “Reviewer” folder, and look for the “Reviewer Attribute” report and/or the “Attribute by Reviewer” report. These existing attribute lists could be easily cleaned up and serve as a thesaurus, or the beginnings of a thesaurus, for each division. This would be very little work.
Once thesauri have been adopted, POs should be strongly encouraged to input attributes to any reviewer they add to the database, or to add to the attribute list of existing records as appropriate.
You have the power, among you, to create a database that would be a tool custom tailored to meet your needs! What a concept! This would take almost no extra effort on your part, but think of the impact on your efficiency! Your life would be easier, your work would go faster … It's up to you and your colleagues.
Copyright Resources Online
http://www.library.yale.edu/%7Eokerson/copyproj.html
The Yale University Library has created Copyright Resources Online, a rich resource filled with links
relating to copyright issues. This index is divided into two sections: University Copyright Resources
and Non-University Intellectual Property Resources. The two sections are first shown only as alphabetical
lists of Websites that serve as sources of information; however, further down the page, each Website is
thoroughly annotated including, where applicable, hyperlinked, annotated lists of on-site working papers,
guides, and other materials. [EM] (From the Scout Report)
Finding Preprints and Technical Reports on the WWW
http://www.lib.umd.edu/UMCP/ENGIN/TechReports/Virtual-TechReports.html
Another web site for preprints is the Virtual Technical Reports Center, updated weekly. It lists full-text
reprints, preprints, eprints and technical reports from around the world, by institution. This is a very
extensive list of links, arranged in alphabetical order by the name of the institution. Some metasites are
listed by subject categories, as well as by institution. Since it is primarily a links site, it is not
searchable for individual reports or report content, but if you know who published the report, it is a
terrific resource.
Sci-Tech Daily Review
http://www.scitechdaily.com/
“It can be hard to find intelligent, informed science and technology coverage, so we treasure those
writers and publications who make the effort to help keep us informed. Settle back and read the
thought-provoking coverage of scitech issues with SciTech Daily Review.” Another of the host of
excellent sites featuring science and technology news stories, this one offers a wide variety of choices,
not only in content, but in types of material. Besides “Features and Background”, it includes
“Books and Media”, and “Analysis and Opinion” in separate columns. Also has a long
listing of related links. Alas, I do not find a search engine on the site … The site does include
advertising, but it is clearly indicated.
Learn To With Search IQ
http://www.searchiq.com/
This site offers a search engine directory, meta-search engines sorted by “IQ” (Ixquick wins),
tutorials, link guides, etc. This site looks like it aggregates more than it generates original content,
but when done well, like it is here, that's an important function. (From ResearchBuzz)
The Spire Project Provides a Clearinghouse of Searching
http://spireproject.com/webpage.htm
The Spire Project has a bunch of search forms and information on searching. On a single page you'll
get explanations and forms for search engines, meta-search engines, categorized links, collections
of site reviews, and more. An excellent introduction for a beginner or a refresher course for a more
advanced searcher who's wondering if there are any tricks they missed. (From ResearchBuzz)
Open Content Encyclopedia Project Launched
http://www.nupedia.com/
The open content license movement marches on with the launch of Nupedia. What this is right now,
mostly, is an infrastructure. The Nupedia editor-in-chief has said that they “intend to supply
the structure and editorial mechanisms in which an international body of scholars can build the
greatest and most widely-distributed encyclopedia in history.“ Even though there isn't too much
here at the moment, it's still worth a look. On Nupedia's home page there's a search box. Enter a
keyword in the search box – I tried Picasso. Even if Nupedia doesn't have an article (and at
this writing they don't) they'll do a meta-search of other encyclopedias and present you with entry
links to other encyclopedias and even a list of relevant magazine articles. It'll be interesting to
see how this evolves. (From ResearchBuzz)
Field-Tested Learning Assessment Guide (FLAG)
http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/nise/cl1/flag/
In today's educational system, most science and engineering graduate students enter teaching careers
with little or no teaching experience, and then are buried with so many competing responsibilities that
their teaching skills take many years to improve. At the same time, incoming college students bring
years of accumulated learning experiences (and attitudes) to their learning expectations. This Website
offers classroom-tested methods for assessing the learning environment in college classrooms – the
first step to better teaching AND learning. Provided by the National Institute for Science Education at
the University of Wisconsin - Madison, the FLAG Website is intended for college and university instructors
in the sciences, mathematics, engineering, and technology (SMET) disciplines. The Guide offers up-to-date
assessment tools “for instructors who have an interest in sharing and implementing new approaches to
evaluating student learning, attitudes and performance.” Four main sections encompass the site's
main objectives and resources. For an explanation of why assessment is useful and necessary, see Getting
Started. Setting course goals and matching those goals with Classroom Assessment Techniques (CAT)s are
described in the subsequent sections; discipline-specific assessment techniques are contained in Searchable
Tools; and the Resources section provides additional materials on assessment. This Website offers excellent
and much-needed material, and will be useful to any educators (new or seasoned) who wish to improve their
class learning levels. [LXP] (From the Scout Report)
Radio Scout
http://publicradio.org/servlet/RadioScout.MainPage
If you are a fan of PRI, you will appreciate Radio Scout, a search engine which just searches for
broadcasts of programs aired on public radio. Search by any keyword, by date, or by the name of
your favorite program. There is even an e-mail alert service to let you know when programs on your
chosen topics will be broadcast! There are a lot of great science shows on PRI! If you have the
proper plug-ins, you can listen to these broadcasts online.
quoteland.com
http://www.quoteland.com/
Quotations by Topic, Literary Quotations, Humorous Quotations, Random Quotations, How to Identify
a Quote, Discussion Groups [“Who Said It?” and “I Need A Quote!”], a FAQ,
and Internet Resources. There is also a Reference Library, with a short list of audio samples from
historical speeches; TV commercials; TV and movie scripts; and music. Searchable. – de
(From Librarian's Index to the Internet) NOTE: Only a handful of quotes on topics such as science,
technology, etc.)
Super Ciencia
http://www.granavenida.com/superciencia/stsindex.html
This attractive site, available in both English and Spanish, covers current news stories of
“popular” science, excerpted from sources such as Scientific American, and original
articles explaining science in easily understandable language and illustrations. Well worth a
visit!
NMITA: Neogene Marine Biota of Tropical America
http://porites.geology.uiowa.edu/index.htm
Hosted by the Department of Geoscience, University of Iowa, and funded by the National Science
Foundation, NMITA is an online biotic database “containing images and data for taxa used
in analyses of Tropical American biodiversity over the past 25 million years.” The Website
offers Taxonomic Lists (with links to images and data for individual taxa), Morphologic Characters
(currently for Zooxanthellate Corals and Elasmobranchs and Teleosteans), Identification Keys
(currently for Zooxanthellate Corals), Occurrences in the Dominican Republic, and Instructional
Aids. Images and data are provided for the following individual taxa: Bivalves, Gastropods,
Bryozoans, Azooxanthellate Corals, Zooxanthellate Corals, Benthic Forams, Ostracodes, and
Elasmobranchs and Teleosteans. Although Panama data will eventually be included, the site
currently highlights data from the Dominican Republic. [LXP] (From the Scout Report)
Minax Tarantulas
http://hem.spray.se/minax/index/welcome_e.html
My mother used to have a “pet” tarantula. Well, not a pet, exactly. It moved onto our
patio, and she protected it as well as could be. This site, in English and Swedish, is well worth
visiting if you share an interest in these furry creatures. A gorgeous picture gallery of species
from around the world is accompanied with text on biology, species, spiderfun, care of your pet
tarantula and more. The grey on black text is a tad difficult to read, although visually appropriate
to the topic. (Thanks to Yahoo Picks of the Week)
Living Links
http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/
“What you hear are the high-pitched, hooting calls of adult male bonobos …” The
research mission of the Living Links Project is to:
Complete with sound clips, photos and more. To navigate this site go to the “Information” screen and click on the subject of interest.
The Climate of 2000 – US and Global Climate Perspectives
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/ol/climate/research/2000/perspectives.html
This website by NOAA contains ongoing information about the current year's climates. Sections include:
Geomorphology from Space
http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/DAAC_DOCS/geomorphology/GEO_HOME_PAGE.html
Geomorphology from Space is an out of print 1986 NASA publication edited by Nicholas M. Short, Sr.
and Robert W. Blair, Jr. designed for use by the remote sensing science and educational communities
to study landforms and landscapes. The core of this book is a gallery of space imagery consisting
of 237 plates, each treating a geographic region where a particular landform theme is exemplified.
Commentary, photographs, locator maps, and sometimes a geologic map accompany each plate.
Photos of Greenland
http://www.greenland-guide.gl/narsaq-foto/default.htm
Each month, Narsaq photo puts up five gorgeous photos by press photographer John Rasmussen. They
include everything from sled dogs to Inuit children, and they are all breathtakingly lovely.
Uses of Java Applets in Mathematics Education by C. P. Mawata – University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
http://www.utc.edu/~cpmawata/instructor/tsukuba1.htm
Although this site is essentially a brief, single paper, it is an excellent example of how very
simple Java applets can be used to enhance and interest students. The applets used as examples
show the wide range of ways that applets can be used and discusses the educational underpinnings
of the use of the applets, covering such aspects as ways of designing the applets to provide
feedback, provide picture proofs, use “stop action”, etc. Links to sources of applets
are also given.
Landolt-Bornstein Millennium Campaign [.pdf]
http://link.springer.de/series/lb/
From LINK, the digital library of the scientific publishing house Springer-Verlag, researchers
around the world can now obtain free access for the year 2000 to Landolt-Bornstein volumes
published before 1990. These 129 subvolumes of Landolt-Bornstein, “the largest chemistry,
physics, and technology data collection,” consist of basic research data for elementary
particles, nuclei and atoms, molecules and radicals, condensed matter, physical chemistry,
biophysics, geophysics, and astrophysics and astronomy. The information has also been integrated
into the LINK search engine to make finding specific data easier. To obtain access to this
outstanding resource, users are required to complete a registration form to receive a personal
access code. Note, to open files after obtaining a password, click on the desired file in the
table of contents, and then click on the link _here_ at the bottom of the page that pops up.
Origins: Galaxies, stars, planets… and life –
http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/origins/
For the next two decades, NASA's Origins Program will search for answers: How did the first
galaxies form? How do stars and planetary systems form? Are there any planets outside our solar
system that are capable of sustaining life? How did life originate on Earth? Is there life
(however primitive or evolved) outside our solar system? Sections describe the science and
technology of the program; Education Outreach includes research opportunities, online tutorials,
and a series of simplified explanations of the program's scientific objectives. The Library
includes press releases; media articles; related links; technical reports and papers; and
speeches and presentations. - rs (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Nicholas Copernicus' The Autograph: De revolutionibus – About 1520-1541
http://www.bj.uj.edu.pl/bjmanus/revol/titlpg_e.html
This is one thing for which the Internet must surely have been invented – making the
treasures of the world available to a wide audience without risk of continually damaging them.
“The Autograph De revolutionibus preserved in the Jagiellonian Library is a result of work
of the great scholar, intermediate between a rough copy and a fair copy. It had remained in
Copernicus' hands until his death (24 May 1543).” You may never hold this volume in your
hands, but you can see images of each of its fabulous, soft brown pages on the Net!
The Particle Adventure
http://particleadventure.org/
This site “introduces the theory of fundamental particles and forces, called the Standard
Model.” Related links; charts and diagrams of the standard model; and a basic introduction
to particle physics are also included. Also available in Spanish, French, Polish, and Slovene.
From the Particle Data Group of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
- dl (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
Here are several interesting webpages describing how arithmetic was done prior to the development of Arabic numerals.
Now, this stuff is challenging!
Glossary of Plasma Physics
http://FusEdWeb.pppl.gov/Glossary/glossary.html
From the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's FusEdWeb: Fusion Energy Educational Web Site,
this glossary of plasma physics “seeks to provide plain-language definitions of over
3600 frequently used technical terms in Plasma Physics (all areas) and Fusion Energy
Research.” The glossary is intended to help facilitate discussion “between experts
and non-experts, and even between experts in different subfields.” Users may search,
submit new terms for review by editors, or browse alphabetically for terms in fields including
scientific vocabulary, names of research facilities, experimental machines and devices used,
names of researchers, key mathematical symbols, and acronyms. Over a thousand of these terms
are fully defined on-site, and references are provided for looking up most of the remaining terms.
[KR] (From the Scout Report)
The Transportation Research Board's Millennium Papers [.pdf]
http://www4.nationalacademies.org/trb/homepage.nsf/web/millennium_papers
Affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, the
Transportation Research Board's (TRB) “mission is to promote innovation and progress in
transportation by stimulating and conducting research, facilitating the dissemination of
information, and encouraging the implementation of research results.” Drawing on
contributions from thousands of engineers and transportation researchers, these specially
selected Millennium Papers are intended give an up-to-date representation of the kind of
research currently conducted at the TRB (which is also responsible for the TRIS Database
discussed in the January 21, 2000 _Scout Report_). The numerous papers supplied
here (full-text, .pdf) may be selected by title, author, or committee. Examples of a few titles
include “Asphalt Technology,” “Engineering Geology,” and
“Transportation in the New Millennium.” This site holds an interesting and varied
collection of papers for engineers and transportation researchers.
[KR] (From the Scout Report)
The Archaeology Data Service Digital Library. Click on “The Library”.
http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue
Already on the shelves you will find:
Both series have been digitised by HEDS as part of the JISC's fast-track digitisation programme. All volumes up to 1996 have been scanned in their entirety, including illustrations and microfiche, and are going to be made available by the CBA in stages, in association with the ADS. More details of the Research Report series can be found at the CBA web site(http://www.britarch.ac.uk/).
If you are publishing digitally then please consider lodging an archive copy with the ADS. To offer a digital publication, email info@ads.ahds.ac.uk
Orinoco Online
http://www.orinoco.org/
Proyecto Orinoco is “dedicated to preserving the legacy of the indigenous societies of the
Venezuelan Amazon.” Put together by Fundacion Cisneros, a philanthropic organization focused
on Latin America, the site includes a collection of over 350 ethnographic objects from the diverse
region. View highlights by culture (Hiwi, Hoti, Tsase, and others) or by object (blowpipes, masks,
musical instruments, and more). It's a fascinating trip through a land precariously balanced between
ancient, natural wilderness and modern development. Don't miss it. (From Yahoo's Picks of the Week)
The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire
http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/
Online version of a 1993 book that documents the plight of endangered peoples in the area formerly
known as the Soviet Union. Most of the groups number less than 30,000, less than 70% speak their
native language, and they do not have a central settlement. Eighty-five groups are described with
information on their habitat, self-designation, population, anthropology, religion, ethnological
development, and history. There is also an introduction which provides the context in which the
“russification” of different ethnic groups occurred, a classification of peoples by
language groups, an index of peoples, tribes, dialects, and languages, and a guestbook for comments.
– sws (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
SOSIG New Look
http://sosig.ac.uk/
Social Science Search Engine
http://sosig.ac.uk/harvester.html
US Mirror
http://scout18.cs.wisc.edu/sosig_mirror/
The Web's premiere Social Science gateway has gotten even better, with a new interface and several
other features that help users find quality social science research and education resources,
hand-picked and described by librarians and subject specialists. The heart of SOSIG remains its
excellent Internet catalog, which includes thousands of online resources, browseable or searchable
by subject area. Within each section, resources are organized by subcategory and listed by type.
Each section supplies information on its editor and a link to an extremely useful Subject Guide to
conducting online research in that field. Visitors can find additional, uncataloged resources,
using the Social Science Search Engine, which indexes a database of over 50,000 Social Science
Webpages. SOSIG also helps users stay current, not only with their constantly updated list of new
additions, but also with a new My Account feature. Integrated with SOSIG's Grapevine (reviewed in
the April 7, 1998 _Scout Report for Social Sciences_), My Account lets users customize
SOSIG and register for a free weekly email notification of new resources in their area of interest.
Note: At time of publication, Scout's US mirror of SOSIG does not yet reflect these changes.
[MD] (From the Scout Report)
America's Demography in the New Century: Aging Baby Boomers and New Immigrants as Major Players (Milken Institute) (pdf)
http://www.milken-inst.org/pdf/frey.pdf
Resources For Methods In Evaluation And Social Research
http://members.localnet.com/~shackman/evalwebs.html
This Website offers a substantial annotated listing of “resources for methods in evaluation
and social research.” The focus is on “how-to” do evaluation research and the
methods used: surveys, focus groups, sampling, interviews, and other methods. Most of these links
are to resources that can be read over the Web. A few, like the GAO (Government Accounting Office)
books, are for resources that can be sent away for, in this case, books that are free for US
residents. The materials, which are clearly organized by the table of contents, have been compiled
by Gene Shackman, a research scientist in the Analysis and Evaluation Unit at the New York State
Department of Health. [DC] (From the Scout Report)
Images Of Women In Ancient Art
http://www.arthistory.sbc.edu/imageswomen/f3-women.html
Subtitled “Issues of Interpretation and Identity,” this Website, designed for an honors
course at Sweet Briar College, explores the archaeological remnants of female representation in
ancient art. Written primarily by the professor, Chris Witcombe, the site boasts images and
commentary on women in prehistory, Ancient Egypt, the Aegean, Palestine, Greece, and “Barbarian
Women.” A special section goes into detailed analysis of the famous, apparently obese, stone
figure, “Venus of Willendorf,” sometimes taken to be a fertility figure. The site also
features a “Women in Prehistory” bibliography, discussion topics and questions, and a
fairly extensive directory of related sites, indexed by the specific artifacts discussed on the
Website. The writing style is informative and casual, making this site an enjoyable means to reexamine
some “ancient” stereotypes. [DC] (From the Scout Report)
Smithsonian: Kiowa Drawings
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/naa/kiowa/kiowa.htm
The Smithsonian and the National Anthropological Archives offer online a substantial collection of
the vividly colored drawings of the Kiowa Indians. This collection includes hundreds of images of
Kiowa art from the nineteenth century on buffalo hide and more recent work on paper. The works are
fascinating, particularly because of the thematic emphasis in these drawing on the interaction
(often compelled) between the Kiowa – a tribe of the Southern Plains – and white
Americans. Included here are drawings of anthropological field notes by the Kiowa for the
Smithsonian's Bureau of American Ethnology, scenes of the Kiowa in captivity at an army garrison,
and a copy of one of the Kiowan calendars, which were complex in their charting of the cycles of
Kiowan life. [DC] (From the Scout Report)
Psychology Resources
http://www.psychologyresources.net/
“Because the internet is so largely organized around commercial and entertainment material,
the academic researcher may encounter inherent challenges in conducting quality research. A great
many sites and documents of interest to students and researchers exist on the internet that are
not easily found through the more accessible search vehicles. This site contains general
instruction and many links to assist the psychology researcher.” This is a bit different
from most portal sites, in that it is not only a portal for academic research in psychology, with
all the attendant links arranged in subject order, but also a guide to doing academic research on
the WWW, with extensive inforamation about various search engines, structuring you search, etc.
Also an extensive list of portals to psychology Journals on the Internet.
New Economy Index
http://www.neweconomyindex.org/
The New Economy Index is a series of indicators that are “gathered from existing public and
private data, to illustrate fundamental structural changes in the US economy, to show what those
changes mean in the lives of working Americans, and to measure the nation's progress in several
key foundation areas for future economic growth.” The data in this excellent resource are
divided into three sections. What's New About the New Economy includes thirteen indications that
show the uniqueness and structure of the new technology-based and innovation-based economy. The
second section considers the ways in which the New Economy will affect the lives of American
workers. Finally, the third section, Foundations for Future Growth, projects the future growth of
technology in the US. The site also includes information about the data sources, endnotes, and
several side articles. Although the New Economy Index was created in 1998, the information is
still valid and useful. [EM] (From the Scout Report)
“Internet And Society: A Preliminary Report” [.pdf]
Press Release
http://www.stanford.edu/group/siqss/Press_Release/press_release.html
Preliminary Report
http://www.stanford.edu/group/siqss/Press_Release/Preliminary_Report.pdf
The Stanford Institute for the Quantitative Study of Society released on February 17th a 43-page
study of the social consequences of the Internet. The study, based on surveys of 4,113 adults in
2,689 households, reaches several provocative conclusions. Among them: up to 25 percent of the
“respondents who use the Internet regularly (more than 5 hours a week) feel that it has
reduced their time with friends and family,” and roughly the same percentage of people find
that the Internet has helped increase the amount of time they spend working at home without
cutting back on their hours at the office. The study has drawn fire from journalists and Internet
advocates who see the data as subjective and the report's projections about the negative impact
of future Internet use on social relations as unfounded. [DC] (From the Scout Report)
Guide to Math and Science Reform
http://www.learner.org/theguide/
This site from the The Annenberg/CPB Projects is a “searchable database with concise
information on projects, researchers and organizations devoted to reforming K-12 science and
mathematics education.” Established in 1991 with a grant from The Annenberg Foundation to
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Annenberg/CPB Math and Science Project funds media
and communications-based educational reform efforts. These projects educate and support groups
of adults who have a hand in changing the way math and science are taught, including families,
teachers, teacher educators, administrators, and policymakers. The description of each project
or resource includes such information as funding level, status, and contact information as well
as a brief description. Also included on the site are feature articles and a listing of
conferences.
Technology and the New University
“Online Education to be Free” – _Washington Post_
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9402-2000Mar14.html
“Billionaire Plans Online University” – _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/00/03/biztech/articles/16university.html
“The Soul of a New University” – _New York Times_
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/early/03130013levi.html
“A For-Profit Subsidiary Will Market Cornell's Distance Programs” – The Chronicle of Higher Education
http://chronicle.com/free/2000/03/2000031401u.htm
The Partnership in Global Learning (PGL)
http://grove.ufl.edu/~pgl/
Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration
http://www.westga.edu/~distance/jmain11.html
Instructional Technology Connections – University of Colorado at Denver
http://www.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itcon.html
Distance Education Online Symposium (DEOS)
http://www.cde.psu.edu/ACSDE/DEOS.html
This week, Washington-area billionaire Michael Saylor announced his plans to launch an online
university providing “Ivy league-quality” education to anyone for free via the
Internet. Saylor has promised to spend at least $100 million to get his university off the
ground. According to the _Washington Post_, however, this money will apparently not be used
to pay lecturers. Says Saylor, “People line up and fight to get on the Charlie Rose
show … I think they'll fight to get in the studio.” Saylor breaks no new ground
in using technology to bolster distance education. In fact, another group of investors
including Michael Milken has promised up to $100 million to establish a for-profit, online
university. Already established universities such as Cornell and Temple are partnering with
for-profits to develop and market their online education programs. And Stanford, Yale, and
Princeton are investigating a partnership to collaborate on a distance education program.
Saylor's vision of a free university is, however, thus far unique and captures some of the
on-going debates in the imbrication of technology, big business, and education. While some
laud increased access to education and learning resources, others wonder how the influence
of big business will color educational programs, and still others are sceptical that
classrooms with taped teachers, such as Saylor's, will be effective.
The _Washington Post_ was first to break the news of Saylor's plans. Here and at the _New York Times_ (free registration required) users can read some of the details of the proposed university and relevant quotes from Saylor. Also at the _Times_, Arthur Levine's op-ed piece, published just days before Saylor's announcement, addresses with eerie foreshadowing, some of the opportunities and dangers of technology's influence on education. _The Chronicle of Higher Education_ reports on Cornell's recent decision “to create a for-profit subsidiary to create and market its distance-learning programs.” On March 9, Lucent Technologies announced its new collaborative effort, the Partnership of Global Learning (PGL). Together with Bell Labs, the University of Florida, and universities in Brazil and Mexico, Lucent aims through PGL “to produce distributed learning on a global scale.” For articles covering the many facets of distance education, readers should turn to the _Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration_, where the most recent issue focuses on topics such as assessment measures, designing collaborative international courses, and students's perceptions of distance learning, among other topics. The University of Colorado at Denver's Instructional Technology Connections offers a wealth of links to online resources from theories about instructional technologies to virtual learning communities themselves. Educators involved or interested in distance education may want to subscribe to _DEOSNEWS_ or join the accompanying mailing list DEOS-L, both established by the American Center for the Study of Distance Education and available from their Distance Education Online Symposium site. More resources on distance learning can be found in Signpost, the _Scout Report_'s database. These include TeleCampus, California Virtual University, and the InterversityEducation and Technology Mailing List--. [TK] (From the Scout Report)
Signpost
http://www.signpost.org/signpost/
TeleCampus
http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/page/00008780.html
California Virtual University
http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/page/00008050.html
Interversity – Education and Technology Mailing List
http://scout7.cs.wisc.edu/page/00000102.html
LivingInternet.com
http://www.livinginternet.com/
This site describes the Internet's history, how it works, how to use it (including advanced use),
security issues, and related information. Sections are: Internet; World Wide Web; Usenet
Newsgroups; Electronic Mail; Mailing Lists, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), and Multi-User Dimensions
(MUD). The best way to get an idea of the extensive amount of information available here is to
click on the Section Index in the top frame after selecting a section from the left frame. The
References section provides citations, with links, to additional online resources.
– es (From Librarian's Index to the Internet)
The following items are from Edupage. To subscribe to Edupage: send mail to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: subscribe edupage Anonymous (if your name is Anonymous; otherwise, substitute your own name). To unsubscribe send a message to: listproc@educom.unc.edu with the message: unsubscribe edupage. (If you have subscription problems, send mail to: manager@educom.unc.edu.)
IN SOME STATES, GOVERNORS ARE TOLD, DISTANCE LEARNING IS TOO REGULATED
Distance learning advocates last week told governors at the National Governors' Association
that some state regulations are slowing the growth of online education. Washington State
University President Samuel H. Smith says some schools are finding it difficult to roll out
online degrees and Web-based courses when they have to deal with the bureaucracy of state
regulation agencies. “It's easier for me to offer a distance-education program in one
of your states than in mine,” Smith said to the governors. Some governors expressed
concern that private businesses could provide distance education in their states, whereas
state schools must first prove to state agencies that they need online courses. Gov. Michael
O. Leavitt (R-Utah), chairman of the governor's association, asked whether standard
regulations should be created for distance education in all states. Smith responded by asking
the states not to impose any regulations.
(Chronicle of Higher Education, 10 March 2000 via Edupage)
WITH GREATER RELIANCE ON COMPUTERS COMES BIGGER QUESTIONS
Speakers at the fifth annual conference of the Consortium for School Networking, held Feb.
22 through Feb. 24, presented differing views on the impact technology is having upon the
quality of education in America. Some feel an assessment of the effectiveness of technology
at this stage is premature, while others claim using computers is a financially sound and
effective method of teaching elementary school children basic skills. Still others argue
that students in the more affluent districts will benefit more from technology than will
those in the poorer districts. The lack of reliable scientific support for the assertion
that educational technology is beneficial has caused many school administrators and boards
to scale back their institution's IT budget and even delay efforts to install or upgrade
equipment and systems. The consortium is therefore seeking to convince school personnel to
adopt a more accurate method of assessing the value of technology undertakings that
incorporates educational outcomes into the formula used to determine potential returns of
IT investments. The consortium also intends to address the bandwidth shortage problem that
an increasing number of school networks are encountering.
(Education Week, 1 March 2000 via Edupage)
A VIRTUAL REVOLUTION IN TEACHING
Educators are struggling to find their place in an increasingly online world. Internet-based
education programs, which are attracting growing numbers of supporters, offer convenience
and relieve overcrowding in classrooms. Hoping to attract everyone from teenagers getting an
early start on their college careers to older workers balancing education with jobs and
families, many schools are beginning to offer online courses. One in three U.S. colleges now
offer an accredited degree online, more than twice the rate last year. Yet the flurry of
activity in online education has raised many issues, such as whether prestigious universities
will maintain their elite reputations – and offer the same challenging coursework –
as they join the hordes of schools mass-marketing their courses online. Similarly, critics are
debating whether an online degree will have the same value as its traditional counterpart.
Furthermore, many public universities are partnering with Internet startups to market their
courses, raising a debate over the ethical implications of mixing education with business.
Universities say that they are still trying to find the right system for offering online
education, including prices and enrollment limits.
(Los Angeles Times, 3 March 2000 via Edupage)
DIGITAL DIVIDE
While more middle-class families are buying computers to provide their children with access to
the Internet and to improve their computer skills, a variety of groups are stepping in to
prevent poorer families from being left behind. The most recent findings of the Education
Department indicate that two-thirds of classrooms are now wired, according to Linda Roberts,
senior adviser on technology to the secretary of education. Meanwhile, the most recent data
from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration shows that 90 percent of
all libraries are now wired. However, many families realize that they need better access to
computers as teachers demand more word-processed and Internet-researched papers, particularly
when there are only a limited number of community terminals and limited library hours.
Although the private sector has been active in putting computers in schools and in community
centers, few programs have sought to get more computers in the homes of the have-nots. However,
the Clinton administration's “ClickStart” initiative, announced last month, is one
such program. The program would use $50 million to help poor families purchase stripped-down
computers and Internet access at low prices.
(Washington Times, 14 March 2000 via Edupage)
COLLEGES ARE ON AN I.T. SPENDING SPREE
U.S. colleges have budgeted $1.2 billion to upgrade academic hardware this year, a 28 percent
increase over last year, says a report from Dun & Bradstreet. Public universities will
spend more than twice as much on hardware as private institutions, primarily because of their
large enrollments. Large institutions are expected to reduce software budgets by an average of
29 percent, the report says. Altogether this academic year, schools will spend $2.7 billion
on computer and network hardware and software for academic and administrative support. The
report also reveals a surprisingly increase in the number of schools that provide distance
education. This year 72 percent of respondents say they are offering a distance-education
program, up from 48 percent last year. In addition, 34 percent of colleges surveyed now
provide an accredited distance-learning degree program, compared with 15 percent last year.
Thirty-eight percent of schools now provide Internet connections in dormitories, up from 28
percent last year.
(Chronicle of Higher Education Online, 17 March 2000 via Edupage)
WEB OFFERS FEW RICHES FOR POOR
Although low-income and immigrant groups in America are increasingly gaining access to the
Internet, little online content is geared to their needs, according to a report released
yesterday by the nonprofit Children's Partnership. At least 50 million Americans are
underserved by the Internet because it lacks information about jobs, housing, and education
for these groups. Out of 1,000 Web sites, the study found only 6 percent containing
information that people living at or below the poverty line said would interest them.
Low-income Americans expressed an interest in local information about jobs and housing as
well as multilingual content. Although 32 million Americans speak primarily a language other
than English, about 87 percent of Web pages are in English. In addition, most online content
is in text and graphics rather than sound and video, which are easier to understand although
they require more bandwidth. The sites that provide accessible and practical information for
low-income and non-English-speaking users belong mostly to community organizations, schools,
and businesses rather than to the government, the study shows.
(Los Angeles Times, 16 March 2000 via Edupage)
WESTERN GOVERNORS WILL FORM TECH COUNCIL
The Western Governors' Association is working to form a technology council aimed at building
partnerships among state governments, universities, and high-tech companies. At the conference,
SGI's Phil Engelhardt said many companies would be willing to help governors better understand
technology issues that have an impact on education and other areas of public policy. Wyoming
Gov. Jim Geringer noted that companies tend to locate themselves in heavily populated areas
“where the greatest return is.” Several governors supported Geringer's suggestion
that the council address how to bring high-tech jobs to rural states. This year the technology
council plans to consider several issues, including privacy and information security, ethics,
work force development, protection of intellectual property, and trade in the global
marketplace.
(Government Computer News, February 2000 via Edupage)
ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES
Despite strong anti-discrimination laws and a good job market, only a quarter of 54 million
disabled adults in the United States have jobs. Many companies, foreseeing an exploding market
for the disabled in conjunction with aging baby boomers, one-third of whom will have a
disability at some point in their lives, are developing new assistive technology. Such technology
enables the disabled to better see computer screens, hear telephone calls, talk when lacking
speech, or use a word processor without typing. These technologies are not simply a boon to the
developers and the users, but to employers as well, as they find fresh talent among a group of
people who would otherwise not be working or by allowing valuable senior employees to remain
vital members of the workforce.
(Business Week, 20 March 2000 via Edupage)
The Cartoon Bank
http://www.cartoonbank.com/
This is a division of New Yorker magazine containing over 85,000 cartoons in its archive; it also
houses The New Yorker Collection: every cartoon ever published in the New Yorker. Over 5,500
cartoons are available to be searched. They may be licensed for use; original cartoon art may be
purchased; cartoons not published in the New Yorker may be colored or modified, with approval of
the artist. The Cartoon Bank's database may be searched by subject or artist; online registration
is required. You must allow cookies for this page to load.
– ha (From Librarian's Index to the Internet) NOTE: You must register to use this site (free
registration) and the cartoons are copyrighted. But, just for fun, do a search on something like
“scientists”. New Yorker cartoons are classics!
Name The Research Vessel!
http://www.mote.org/code/6/name_the_boat.phtml
Win a chance to go on a research cruise with the Mote Marine Laboratory crew!
Now there is a contest worth entering …
Honeymoon on Mars? Sabbatical on a Space Station?
Oh, yes, the days of space tourism are almost here. All it takes is … money. Well, maybe
that's not all it takes, but you don't have to be an astronaut, either. There is a budding industry
out there, and the
Space Future(http://www.spacefuture.com/)
web page will keep you apprised of its development!
All items from the Scout Report are copyright Susan Calcari, 1994-2000. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of the Scout Report provided the copyright notice and this paragraph is preserved on all copies. The InterNIC provides information about the Internet to the US research and education community under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation: NCR-9218742. The Government has certain rights in this material.
Blue Web'n is a searchable library of Blue-Ribbon Web sites categorized by grade level, content area, and type. Visit Blue Web'n online at http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/bluewebn/.
Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this newsletter are those of the participants (authors), and do not necessarily represent the official views, opinions, or policy of the National Science Foundation.