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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2004

Systems Thinking: A Stepping Stone to Information Professional Integration by Rebecca Corliss, Sara Tompson, and Lorri Zipperer Systems thinking is many things to many people. The authors of this article each describe it in a different way from a way to see interconnectedness through understanding how actions affect one another to a set of methods for long-term problem solving to using systems thinking as a way to see the big picture. Their goal is to demonstrate to librarians and information professionals how systems thinking is related to their work and how they can use systems thinking to their advantage. The article includes a selected bibliography. In a sidebar, the authors provide a demonstration of how systems thinking can be used in problem solving.

Online Information 2004 by Sylvia James There was the usual densely packed Conference Program for the three days of the 2004 Online Information conference. Each day offered a different three-track program covering a wide range of information topics; including “information discovery,” open access and digital libraries, information architecture, “enterprise search,” intranets, blogs and portals, and managing complexity and change. There were also two tracks on consecutive days on knowledge management. On the first morning, Dr. Jacob Nielsen delivered the only conference-wide Keynote Address; his topic was usability. The track of most interest to business librarians and researchers was the Competitive Intelligence and Business Information Track held on the first day. James also tells you about a program she developed and chaired titled “Business Information Challenges of the Enlarged EU.” It included presentations from three company information vendors, Bureau van Dijk, Kompass International, and EuroInfopool. James also covered the exhibits, where she found that business information vendors were few and far between. She tells you about the ones who were there and describes the services of EuroInfopool, a company that intends to provide direct access to official company information from 15 company registries throughout Europe via a gateway.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Asian Marketing Data and Statistics 2003 (Euromonitor International, Inc.)

Reviewer: Denise J. Johnson, Reference & Government Documents Librarian, Library Liaison to the College of Business, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois

Whistleblower Law: A Guide to Legal Protections for Corporate Employees (Greenwood Publishing Group) Reviewer: Paul Pedley, Head of Research, Economist Intelligence Unit, London, UK

Women in Management Worldwide: Facts, Figures, and Analysis (Ashgate Publishing)
Reviewer: Judith Field, Senior Lecturer, Library & Information Science Program, Wayne State University, Detroit

OCTOBER 2004

Researching South American Company Information by Sylvia James This is another installment in our series of articles on researching company information in the continental regions of the world. In this article, James gives you the lowdown on research in South America. The companion articles (all written by James) are “Pan-European Union Company Information” (March/April 2004) “The Challenges of Researching Pan-Asian Company Information” (June 2004), and Pan-Asian Company Sources (July/August 2004). James tells you about the difficulties of researching South American companies, but reports that there are an increasing number of Internet sites with company coverage being developed. She reviews these and also gives you a chart of their offerings.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column, Terry addresses the issue with online journals, namely vendors transferring their special reports to separate paid databases. She does not dispute the reference value of the well-researched rankings and analyses that trade journals provide, but feels that managing a disparate collection of print, online and any gaps in coverage left by the removal of archives from journal web sites is an added burden for librarians. She provides a list of supplements that are free to subscribers of the journals. She also covers readership data and how this information can be obtained.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Rethinking Strategic HR: HR’s Role in Building a Performance Culture (CCH Inc.)

Reviewer: Robin Ewing, Assistant Professor/Reference Librarian, St. Cloud State University, Minnesota

The Web Library: Building a World Class Personal Library with Free Web Resources (Information Today, Inc.) Reveiwer: Janet Wamsley, Head Librarian, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Washington, DC

Managing Communications in a Crisis (Ashgate Publishing)

Reviewer: Mary Tao, Reference/Instruction Librarian, DePaul University, Chicago

SEPTEMBER 2004

Dialog Then and Now: Ten Years of Change and Growth by Elizabeth Farley In this article, Farley muses about Dialog and how it has changed and grown over the past ten years. She combines her own reflections with several conversations she had with Louise Dagit, Dialog’s manager of customer training. Farley worked for Dagit when she first joined Dialog in 1997. Both were in the Business Specialists Help Desk Group during the time the company was owned by Knight-Ridder. Farley also was a Dialog employee during the transition to MAID. Farley’s conclusion from her introspection is that Dialog was once a relationship between the information professional and the database vendor. End users, the Internet, and the complex information vendor industry have masked a partnership that was, at one time, effortless. She hopes the advances of today can be combined with the simplicity of those early years and bring this partnership full circle.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry Terry finds items in the new that needles her. She tells you about articles pronouncing the demise of the librarian. First she reports reading about a “Robot Librarian” that retrieves books from shelves. Next she quotes from a review of The Librarian in the New York Times Book Review in which the reviewer prophesies that librarians will go the way of blacksmiths and town criers. She also tells you about a program to fill vacancies in academic libraries with Ph.D. students. As an antidote to all this, she cites an article about what journalism schools don’t teach—namely research skills. She includes a quote about journalists’ relying solely on the Internet, eschewing other research. This column is must reading for all information professionals.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Design and Implementation of Web-Enabled Teaching Tools (Idea Group)

Reviewer: Angela K. Horne, Assistant Director and Head of Public Services, Management Library, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

The Internet Encyclopedia (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Reviewer: Paul L. Anthony, Business & Engineering Librarian, Lovejoy Library, University of Southern Illinois, Edwardsville

The Extreme Searcher’s Internet Handbook: A Guide for the Serious Searcher (Cyber Age Books/Information Today, Inc.) Reviewer: Joan M. Jackson, Principal, JMJ Information Services, San Jose, California

Web Search Garage Tara Calishain (Prentice Hall PTR) Reviewer: Michael B. Reddy, Director of Research Services, Lewis and Roca LLP, Phoenix, AZ

JULY/AUGUST 2004

The Challenges of Researching Pan-Asian Company Information: Pan Asian Company Sources by Sylvia James This is the second article in the series covering problems and practicalities of research into companies in Asia. Here James reviews Pan-Asian company information sources and tells you how well they meet the challenge of covering the range of country groups and types of companies she described in the first article. the most important criterion for this survey are the sources that are in English since these are the ones most business researchers can use effectively. As in the first article, James provides charts that let you easily see the coverage details about the sources and where they can be accessed

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry Terry covers the “hot topic” outsourcing in her column in this issue. “Outsourcing is not a new concept,” she writes and goes on to describe its history. She quotes several government officials and policy analysts who give you the background on outsourcing and its place in today’s economy. As usual, Terry guides you to URLs and other sources for finding more information.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Strategic Management: Formulation, Implementation and Control in a Dynamic Environment (The Haworth Press, Inc.) Reviewer: Marc Vinyard, Business Reference Librarian, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA

Investigating Corporate Fraud (Gower/Ashgate Publishing) Reviewer: Beverly E. Walker, (Former) Research Administrator/FOIA Liaison, Office of Inspector General, Amtrak, Washington, DC

Net Effects: How Librarians Can Manage the Unintended Consequences of the Internet (Information Today, Inc.) Reviewer: Millie Gonzalez, Reference Librarian, MassBay Community College, Wellesley, MA

JUNE 2004

The Challenges of Researching Pan-Asian Company Information by Sylvia James In this article, James continues her series on understanding and using country groupings in company research. In the previous articles, she discussed European company research. Here she focuses on the problems and practicalities of researching companies Asia, which has become a major economic region. She provides charts that let you see the formal and informal trading groups, state-owned enterprises, and conglomerates. Knowing how Asian countries are grouped is a necessary factor for successful research.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column, Terry discusses the many changes in database content in the aftermath of acquisitions in the information industry, particularly the InfoUSA-OneSource deal. In addition to OneSource, Terry covers Reuters, Thomson Financial, Dialog, and EIN News. She also tells you about earlier availability of SEC filings and covers the SLA annual meeting in Nashville.

Print and Electronic Reviews

New Movements in Entrepreneurship (Edward Elgar Publishing) Reviewer: Karl G. Siewert, Business Reference Librarian, Hardesty Regional Library, Tulsa, OK

Strauss’s Handbook of Business Information: A Guide for Librarians, Students, and Researchers (Libraries Unlimited/Greenwood Publishing Group) Reviewer: Paul S. Koda, Professor, School of Library and Information Science, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C.

Directory of Tax Professionals (Kennedy Information) Reviewer: Jean Slocombe, Balkin Library & Information Services, Rochester, NY

MAY 2004

Teaching Non-Specialists about Financial Statements: A Guide to the Resources by Susan Cronin Ruderman In the business information world, librarians are asked to provide resources to give patrons broad overviews of complicated topics. The information center may be the first (or last) recourse for individuals who need to understand such business tools as balance sheets, proxy statements, and other financial filings. In this article, Ruderman outlines her criteria for a “dream guide” and then tells you about one that meets most of her requirements. She provides a detailed look at The EDGAR Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements: Tip, Tools, and Techniques for Becoming a Savvy Investor by Tom Taulli.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry The “What’s New” basket is bulging this month, and Terry gives you lots of information in a couple of pages. The resources she lists are free unless noted. She covers China Data Online, a new World Bank database on doing business abroad, and the “fascinating” Newseum. She also tells you about renamed sites from Reuters, Cyberatlas, and LexsiNexis. She also gives you information about the Econimist Intelligence Unit, Mindbranch, EBSCO’s Business Source Premier, and the retooled U.S. Census web site.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Building & Running a Successful Research Business: A Guide for the Independent Information Professional (CyberAge Books/Information Today, Inc.)

Reviewer: Ruth Balkin, CEO, Balkin Library & Information Services, Rochester, NY

King Arthur’s Round Table:How Collaborative Conversations Create Smart Organizations (John Wiley & Sons)

Reviewer: Mark Estes, Director of Library Services, Holme, Roberts & Owen, Denver

E-ffective Writing for E-Learning Environments (Information Science Publishing)

Reviewer: Penny Scott, Reference Librarian/Business Liaison, Gleeson Library/Geschke Center, University of San Francisco, CA

Nanocosm: Nanotechnology and the Big Changes Coming from the Inconceivably Small (Amacom) Reviewer: Janet Wamsley, Head Librarian, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Washington, DC

The People Measurement Manual: Measuring Attitudes, Behaviours and Beliefs in Your Organization (Ashgate Publishing)

Reviewer: Patricia Zamoya, Assistant Professor, Chicago State University

Business Statistics on the Web: Find Them Fast-At Little or No Cost

(CyberAge Books/Information Today, Inc.) Reviewer: Celia Ross, Reference & Instruction Librarian, DePaul University, Chicago

MARCH/APRIL 2004

Pan-European Union Company Information by Sylvia James In May 2004, the countries of the European Union (EU) expanded to 25 members. Ten additional countries joined and with this has come the requirements of EU business practice for companies located in these new member countries. In this article, James presents a survey on the current position of pan-EU company information. Charts accompany the article.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column this month, Terry looks at a part of the world that is attracting the attention of the financial services industry. She examines the investment conditions that have inspired global financial institutions to get up to speed on MENA (Middle-East North Africa). As usual, her column is full of sources for information and data on Islamic finance.

Librarian at Large by Terese Terry Here Terry gives us a special and personal look at Ireland in a short article titled “Ireland – Is the Tiger Tamed?” Ireland still ranks high in preferred locations for global business, and Terry gives you sources to check when you need information on Ireland and its business climate. Along the way, she tells you about a family reunion she attended and what her relatives and their compatriots think.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Learning in the Internationalisation Process of Firms (Edward Elgar Publishing Inc.)

Reviewer: Maggie Weaver, Principal, Shaftesbury Associates, Toronto, Canada

Information Representation and Retrieval in the Digital Age (Information Today, Inc.)

Reviewer: Judith Field, Senior Lecturer, Library and Information Science Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

Handbook of Research in International Marketing (Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.)

Reviewer: Ruth Zietlow, Assistant Professor / Minneapolis Campus Librarian, Metropolitan State University, Minneapolis, MN

Multinational Strategic Management: An Integrative Entrepreneurial Context-Specific. Process (The Haworth Press, Inc.) Reviewer: Marc Vinyard, Business Reference Librarian, Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA

JANUARY 2004

Compiling Company Lists: A Case Study by Sylvia James This is the last of three articles on compiling international company lists. This final article gives you a look at an actual case study. Many of the criteria discussed in this case study were also discussed in the first two articles in this series where James showed how these company lists can be used in business research.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry This month Terry focuses on Latin America, asking if this region is the “comeback kid” of 2004. She lists free and fee-based sources of information on Latin America and its current financial climate. She also includes several “info briefs” and closes with a bit of flu season trivia.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Environmental Research and Development: U.S. Industrial Research, the Clean Air Act and Environmental Damage (Edward Elgar publishing Inc.) Reviewer: Deborah Lee, Associate Professor/Interim Coordinator, Corporate and Statistical Research Center, Library Instructional Services, Mississippi State University Libraries, Starkville

Internationalization, Technology and Services (Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.)

Reviewer: Marc Vinyard, Business Reference Librarian, Pepperdine University, Malibu CA

How To Get Organized Without Resorting to Arson (Clara Fyer™ Books)

Reviewer: Nina Wendt, Senior Editor, Business Information Alert, Baltimore MD

Super Searchers on Competitive Intelligence: The Online and Offline Secrets of Top CI Researchers. Margaret Metcalf Carr (CyberAge Books/Information Today, Inc.)

Reviewer: Joan M. Jackson, Owner and Principal, JMJ Information Services, San Jose CA

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2003

Sources for Compiling International Company Lists by Sylvia James This is the second of three articles on compiling international company lists in business information research. After discussing the rationale for preparing lists as a routine practice for many international business research projects in the first article, James describes the sources that might be used to help construct the list in this article.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry Terry takes you to Hollywood in her column. She looks at media/entertainment deals and tells you that show biz upstaged other business news in the final quarter of 2003. She lists useful and free web sites for directories and tells you about the “U.S. Entertainment Industry Market Statistics for 2002”where you can find statistics on cable TV, music, movies, Internet radio, outdoor media, DVD, video, and broadcast radio.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Creating Business Value with Information Technology: Challenges and Solutions

(Idea Group Publishing) Reviewer: Dave Hook, Business Research Supervisor, MD Robotics Ltd., Brampton, ON, Canada

The Enlarged European Union: A Statistical Handbook (Euromonitor) Reviewer: Crystal Sharp, Owner/Director, InformAction, CD Sharp Information Systems, Ltd., London, Ontario

Corporate Governance, Market Structure and Innovation (Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.)

Judith Field, Library & Information Science Program, Wayne State University, Detroit

The Internet and Mobile Telecommunications System of Innovation (Edward Elgar Publishing) Reviewer: Maike van Wijk, Infopreneur, Content Solutions, Evanston, IL

OCTOBER 2003

Compiling International Company Lists by Sylvia James To research companies effectively, efficiently, and thoroughly, James advises compiling company lists and shares her strategies, structure, and research routes for compiling company lists. She discusses the value of preparing and researching accurate lists of companies located all around the world. This analytical skill is required of many business information professionals. Prepared well, the lists are real value-added business information products. This is the first of three articles on compiling company lists in business information centers.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terrym This month, Terry goes “undercover” to provide some “Internet Intelligence.” Asking if the Internet industry is shrinking, she refers to the cross-outs on her personal 2002 e-commerce research guide. Noting that free web sites that track online user and business activity have dwindled, she tells you about the ones that remain.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Electricity Economics: Regulation and Deregulation

(John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Reviewer: Bill Crowley, President, Competitive Analysis Technologies, Cypress, TX

Information Architecture: Blueprints for the Web (New Riders Publishing)

Reviewer: Michael Dashkin, Senior Researcher, PricewaterhouseCoopers, New York

China and its Regions: Economic Growth and Reform in Chinese Provinces.

(Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.) Reviewer: William M. Modrow, Assistant University Librarian, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL

The Bottom Line: Determining and Communicating the Value of the Special Library (Libraries Unlimited) Reviewer: Beth Perell, Information Specialist, Mercer Human Resources Consulting, Washington, DC

SEPTEMBER 2003

Taming Online Research: Tracking, Reporting, and Cost Recovery by Catherine Sanders Reach Cost recovery and usage reporting has become a complex and important part of a librarian’s job. Online resources, digital collections, and portals have created new challenges in collecting usage statistics. In this article, Sanders Reach discusses all aspects of tracking usage and cost recovery from billing for services to tracking usage for acquisitions to negotiating online contracts. She also reviews software packages and vendor tools that make these processes easier.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column this month, Terry tells you about all the hidden patches of information right at web sites that you visit regularly, and sites that did an apparent fade-out. She shows you where and what some of this information is and gives you details on accessing it. Terry covers hidden information from the IRS, on biotechnology, and on company financials. This is a must-read article, if you can’t find information today that you found easily yesterday.

Print and Electronic Reviews

The Handbook of Human Resource Management Policies and Practices in Asia-Pacific, Volumes 1 & 2 (Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.) Reviewer: David A. Flynn, Interim Head of the Asia Collection, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu

Managing the Human Side of Information Technology (IRM/Idea Group Publishing)

Reviewer: Patricia Zomoya, Assistant Professor, Chicago State University

Network Knowledge in International Business (Edward Elgar Publishing, Inc.) Reviewer: Jeongmin Lee, Business Reference Librarian, Earl K. Long Library, University of New Orleans

Super Searchers on Madison Avenue: Top Advertising and Marketing Professionals Share Their Online Research Strategies (CyberAge Books) Reviewer: Penny Scott, Reference Librarian/Business Liaison, Gleeson Library, University of San Francisco, CA

JULY/AUGUST 2003

An Introduction to RSS by Michael Sauers What if you could be automatically notified when new articles appear on sites you are monitoring? You would no longer have to check those sites daily. In this article, Michael Sauers introduces you to RSS, one of the newest technologies on the Internet, which gives you the ability to automatically retrieve headlines from Web sites. Sauers tells you about the technology behind RSS. He provides details about what you need to get started and how you how you can harness its power.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column this month Terry takes you to New York for the annual SLA Conference. She tells you about new vendors and new products from familiar ones. She also covers some of the more social events. If you missed this year’s meeting, be sure to catch up here.

From the Editor by Donna Tuke Heroy. (Note: This is included here due to its content this month.) Editor and publisher Donna Heroy gives you her report on SLA. She provides details on the programs she attended and gives you her take on the exhibits. Put this together with Terese Terry’s column and you will feel as if you’d been there. Heroy met with several regular Business Information Alert writers; she tells you the results of this networking and what it means for future issues.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Great Consulting Challenges: And How To Surmount Them (Jossey Bass/Wiley) Reviewer: John Lescher, Vivamus Concepts, Wakefield, MI

National Competitiveness and Economic Growth: The Changing Determinants of Economic Performance in the World Economy (Edward Elgar Publishing Inc.) Reviewer: Jan Sykes, Information Management Services, Inc., Chicago

Emerging Issues in International Business Research (Edward Elgar Publishing Inc.) Reviewer: Caitlin Tillman, Yale University, New Haven, CT

Essentials of Patents (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Reviewer: Alyson Danowski, Collier Shannon Scott, Washington DC

Essentials of Trademarks and Unfair Competition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Reviewer: Alyson Danowski, Collier Shannon Scott, Washington, DC

Essentials of Intellectual Property (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Reviewer: Alyson Danowski, Collier Shannon Scott, Washington DC

JUNE 2003

The Somewhat Virtual Library by Roberta Brody Familiar reference sources are increasingly available in several formats. Thus, Brody asserts in her article, buying decisions include a long list of considerations that did not exist in the recent past. Buying decisions also reflect the social setting in which collections are built and maintained and the information seeking behaviors of the users. Costs are a primary concern with accessibility following next. These mean different things to different people. In this article, Brody offers guidelines for deciding how you can make these decisions and develop as much of a virtual library as fits in your organization.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry This month Terry talks you about rankings surveys. Companies appearing on the PricewaterhouseCooper/Financial Time’s “World’s Most Respected Companies.” were selected by “insiders,” She also looks at a Fortune list of “most admired” companies. Rounding out her column, she tells you about ten valuable web sites that are free.

Librarian at Large by Michelle Williams Williams goes to the spring NEASIS&T (the New England chapter of ASIS&T) conference, She thoroughly reviews this meeting whose theme was “A World of Blogs and Search Engines.” Read her full report and you will almost feel as if you were there yourself.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Information Literacy and Workplace Performance (Quorum Books, Greenwood Publishing Group) Reviewer: Thad Dickinson, Nestlé Library, School of Hotel Administration, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

Attracting, Educating, and Serving Remote Users Through the Web (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.) Reviewer: Greta D. Ober-Beauchesne, International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC

Career Choice and Development (Jossey-Bass/John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Reviewer: Shonna Froebel, Business Librarian, Barrie Public Library, Thornhill, ON, Canada

Global Market Share Planner (Euromonitor International) Reviewer: Meg McCully, Director of Information and Research, The Boston Consulting Group, Bethesda, MD

Parexel’s Pharmaceutical R&D Statistical Sourcebook 2002/2003 (Parexel/ Barnett International) Reviewer: Judy Blaine, Librarian, ArQule, Inc., Woburn, MA

MAY 2003

Trade Journal Jackpot: Buried Treasure in Trade Magazines by Michael Keating

Trade publications are a valued source of information used by business researchers, librarians, and other information professionals to find the information they need about companies, people, and industries. In his article, Michael Keating gives you the lowdown on locating trade journals in print and on the Web. He also offers statistics on the numbers of trade journals and provides success stories from librarians who rely on trade publications for business research.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column this month, Terry covers several developments that will interest librarians and business researchers. She examines the trend in magazines publishing to go digital. She tells you that library print periodical collections “could go the way of the inkwell.” She tells you about two online archival literature collections that she uses since these are becoming essential resources. In other news, she tells you about the acquisition fever among search engine companies in a piece title “Let’s Get Google.” Terry also applauds librarians who have created collection development and ready reference aids, telling you about several that she finds useful.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Business: The Ultimate Resource (Perseus Publishing)

Reviewer: Shonna Froebel, Barrie Public Library, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

First Among Equals: How to Lead a Professional Group (The Free Press/Simon & Schuster) Reviewer: John Lescher, Vivamus Concepts, Wakefield, MA

Managing Innovation and Change: Second Edition (Sage Publications)

Reviewer: Gene Hayworth, Colorado University, Boulder CO

Social Marketing: Improving the Quality of Life. (Sage Publications)

Reviewer: Susan Cronin-Ruderman, Veritas Information Services, Arlington, MA

APRIL 2003

Compiling Global Market Research – A Tried and True Approach by Sylvia James Market sector and industry evaluations, when combined with company information, are key components of business information research. As these components become more and more global, researchers are looking for reports on the global market for X product. In her article, Sylvia James, a UK-based business writer and research, draws in her experience in compiling market research reports, presents a model for structuring global markets research into authoritative packages that can be used by business executives for any type of market in any geographic region.

News and Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry In her column this month, Terry examines the advertising game. As she asks and answers the question, “does advertising pay?,” she points you to the resources commonly used to research advertising effectiveness, ad spending, global advertising, and the costs of placing ads.

Conference Report by Susan M. Fingerman With attendance at the 2003 Computers in Libraries conference in Washington DC exceeding expectations, Fingerman tells you what you missed and how you can find out when went on via audiotapes and internet postings. Business Information Alert columnist, Gary Price was on hand for several session on search engines and the perils of using Google as your sole access point. She also reports on sessions on intranets, standards available on the Web, and what she saw in the exhibit t hall.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Enterprise Information Portals and Knowledge Management (Butterworth-Heinemann) Reviewer: Lorri Zipperer, Zipperer Project Management, Evanston, IL

The Coaching Manager: Developing Top Talent in Business (Sage Publications) Reviewer: Judith Field, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI

New Product Development: Successful Innovation in the Marketplace (Haworth Press) Reviewer: John Lescher, Vivamus Concepts, Wakefield, MI

The International Yearbook of Industrial Statistics 2002 (Edward Elgar Publishing) Reviewer: Andrea Meyer, Working Knowledge, Boulder, CO

March 2003

Funding for Libraries and Information Centers: What’s Out There, by Susan Cronin Ruderman

Budget support is almost always paramount on the minds of beleaguered library and information center managers Susan Cronin Ruderman is an expert in the field of philanthropy, and offers a comprehensive view of the support offered by foundations, corporations, individuals, and even the government.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry Terry spent a few weeks in India and gives us an amusing and enlightening picture of both the street scene and a variety of libraries she visited while she was there.

Conference Report-Online Information 2002, London, by Nina Wendt

Senior Editor Wendt attended the conference and exhibition and brings us back some highlights of sessions by US and British information experts.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Internet Power Searching: The Advanced Manual (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.) Reviewed by Thad Dickinson, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

The Manager’s Handbook to Preparing and Using Financial Reports (Thomson Learning) Reviewed by Crystal Sharp, CD Sharp Information Systems, Ltd. London, Canada

Streamlining: Using New Technologies and the Internet to Transform Performance (Palgrave) Reviewed by Judith Blaine, ArQule, Inc., Woburn, MA.

February 2003

Leveraging Knowledge Through Visualization Technology – The Big Two Visualized by Ann Sigsby

The extensive information holdings of Reed Elsevier and the Thomson Corporation are presented through the use of visualization technology (VT). The article not only provides valuable information about these two information giants, but illustrates and explains the power of VT for your information audience.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry The next big thing in education is already here – Terry alerts us to many sites covering the e-learning craze, then illustrates some of the pitfalls of auto-categorization.

Price’s Post by Gary Price If Google is all you use to search the Web, then prepare to be admonished, and perhaps surprised by all that it does NOT do. Gary’s concerns that information professionals are being way too narrow in their searching is profound and well-founded.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Job Analysis: Methods, Research, and Applications for Humand Resource Management in the New Millennium (Sage Publications) Reviewed by Beth C. Perell, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Washington, D.C.

Value-Based Fees: How to Charge- and Get- What You’re Worth (Jossey-Bass) Reviewed by Amelia Kassel, Competitive Intelligence and Market Research, Sebastopol, CA

January 2003

The Future of Financial Services and the Information Professional by Sylvia James.

Unemployment is not just a dry statistic; it is hundreds of our colleagues losing their jobs. Sylvia James lends her expertise in the financial services industry to highlight some of the latest sector trends. She points out the opportunities in new areas of growth for the entrepreneurial information professional.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry Terry hops on board with a multitude of international U.S. transportation-related resources.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Cataloging Nonprint and Internet Resources: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians (Neal-Shuman Publishers, Inc.) Reviewed by Suzanne C. Pilsk, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, D.C.

Conducting the Reference Interview: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.) Reviewed by Judith Field, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI.

The Development of Modern Business (Palgrave) Reviewed by Adrienne A. Bien, Medical Group Management Association, Englewood, CO

Knowledge Mapping and Management IRM Press) Reviewed by John Lescher, Vivamus Concepts, Wakefield, MA

November/December 2002

Sources of U.S. Economic Indicators by Andrea Schulman.

Andrea Schulman, Collection Development Librarian at the Harvard Business School Baker Library, provides cohesive, concise yet comprehensive descriptions of the public and private organizations behind the economic data so prevalent in today’s news. Her accompanying table defines and links the data to the appropriate source.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry Terry covers both national and international sources of tourism statistics. She even suggests some books in addition to Web sites. And a recent trip to Ireland afforded her an interview with the sole proprietor of Nua.

Price’s Posts by Gary Price In this issue, Gary continues with Part 2 of his insightful descriptions of great audio and video Internet resources.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Digital Futures (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.) Reviewer: Judith Field, Senior Lecturer, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.

Net Crimes & Misdemeanors: Outmaneuvering the Spammers, Swindlers, and Stalkers Who are Targeting You Online (CyberAge Books) Reviewer: Christine De Bow Klein, MSLIS, Fairfield, CT.

Trade Associations & Professional Bodies of Continental Europe (Graham & Whiteside, Ltd.) Reviewer: Maggie Weaver, Shaftesbury Associations, Toronto, Canada

Web of Deception: Misinformation on the Internet (CyberAge Books) Reviewer: Christine De Bow Klein, MSLIS, Fairfield, CT

October 2002

The Business of Healthcare by Adrienne Bien. Author Bien is a Certified Association Executive. She has worked within the healthcare industry for over 20 years and is an experienced and able teacher on the topic.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. Terry alerts us to some exciting changes in the way the government is watching and reporting on economic information.

Print and Electronic Reviews

E-Business for Tourism: Practical Guidelines for Destinations and Businesses, reviewed by Ellen Shapley (Bernan Associates)

Information Management for the Intelligent Organization: The Art of Scanning the Environment, reviewed by Lorri Zipperer (Information Today, Inc.)

Plunkett’s E-Commerce & Internet Business Almanac, 2001-2002, reviewed by Martha Jo Sani (Plunkett Research, Ltd.)

September 2002

The Korean Climate for Foreign Business Investment by Hongchan Chun

Dr. Chun is an independent consultant and Professor of Political Science at Pusan National University in Pusan, Korea. He knows whereof he speaks and writes in a clear and comprehensive manner about the pros and cons of investing in his country.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. Terry tackles the telecom industry, which is currently hot in more ways than one! Here are the sites to get the facts and figures behind the news stories.

Price’s Post: Audio and Video on the Web: Do You Hear What I Hear? By Gary Price Gary provides Part 1 of his recommendations for some of the best sites for finding audio and video on the Net.

Print and Electronic Reviews

Historical Information Science: An Emerging Unidiscipline, reviewed by Gretchen McNeely (Information Today, Inc.)

Managing Web Usage in the Workplace: A Social, Ethical and Legal Perspective, reviewed by DeAnna Jones (Idea Group Publishing)

Organizing for High Performance: Employee Involvement, TQM, Reengineering, and Knowledge Management in the Fortune 1000 – The CEO Report, reviewed by Ernie Evangelista (Jossey-Bass)

JULY/AUGUST 2002

E-books: A Corporate Survey Update by Susan Fingerman. Updating our first e-book survey of April 2000, we find that corporate e-book use is still in its infancy, but the types of special libraries using e-books have broadened.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. The Special Libraries Association Annual Conference in Los Angeles this past June had some intriguing new products. Terry covers these and continues with some thoughts on the FBI and corporate fraud detection.

Information Highways 2002 Conference and Showcase: Canada’s Annual Event for the e-Content Community, March 2002, Toronto by Crystal Sharp. Sessions on enterprise content management, information ROI, knowledge-sharing, and e-learning are covered by our reporter.

7th Annual Search Engine Meeting, April 2002, San Francisco, by Ellen Shapley. Shapley subtitles her coverage, “Sex and the Search Engine.” And after she gets our attention, she provides a tour of the meeting highlights.

PRINT AND ELECTRONIC REVIEWS

Embracing Uncertainty: The Essence of Leadership, reviewed by Lorri Zipperer (M.E. Sharpe)

Ethical Issues of Information Systems, reviewed by Adrienne A. Bien (IRM Press)

Manual of Online Search Strategies: Volume II – Business, Law, News, and Patents, reviewed by Shonna Froebel (Gower Publishing)

Social Responsibility in the Information Age: Issues and Controversies,

reviewed by Adrienne A. Bien (Idea Group Publishing)

JUNE 2002

Selling Library Services: Selling Your Expertise by Susan M. Klopper. Klopper knows whereof she speaks. After 17 years at her firm, her staff was doubled; she served 18 regional locations and supported global industry practices. We found this presentation, given to top management in her sixth year at the company, as compelling and true today as when originally presented.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. The China trade has taken on a whole new meaning these days, and Terry comes to our aid with a host of resources on the topic. She also discusses the hottest trend in this very cool market – hedge fund trading.

PRINT AND ELECTRONIC REVIEWS

Creating Value with Science and Technology, reviewed by Andrea Schulman (Quorum Books)

The Illustrated Book of World Rankings, Fifth Edition, reviewed by Beth C. Perell (M.E. Sharpe, Inc.)

The New Entrepreneurs of Europe and Asia: Patterns of Business Development in Russia, Eastern Europe, and China, reviewed by Andrea Meyer (M.E. Sharpe, Inc.)

The Role and Impact of the Internet on Library and Information Services, reviewed by DeAnna Jones (Greenwood Press)

MAY 2002

A Call to Mentoring by Dee Magnoni. Magnoni takes the mentoring concept to a higher plane and provides us with insight into how the process works and why we should be mentors or mentees. As in her April article, she describes many resources to guide us. Dee presented more on her efforts to encourage mentoring among information professionals at the Special Libraries Association conference in June.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. Terry focuses on a topic that is often hard to investigate. Emerging companies across many industries can be found by using her sources this month.

Price’s Posts by Gary Price. Read all about it! Gary Price has decided to start his very own list of favorites, and they’re not all web sites.

PRINT AND ELECTRONIC REVIEWS

Marketing Masculinities: Gender and Management Politics in Marketing Work, reviewed by Gretchen McNeely (Greenwood Press)

Marketing Strategies, Tactics, and Techniques: A Handbook for Practitioners, reviewed by John Lescher (Quorum Books)

Online Public Relations: A Handbook for Practitioners, reviewed by Ellen Shapley (Quorum Books)

The World Database of Business Information Sources on the Internet, reviewed by Judith Field (Euromonitor International)

APRIL 2002

Green Business by Dee Magnoni. Magnoni was recently appointed to the Special Libraries Association Board to fill a one-year term. She gives us an inspiring and well-rounded look at the world of environmentally sound business. This issue touches many industries and we know you’ll find it useful.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. News from the online business front and from the U.S. government as well. Including a new site from the SEC of special interest, with investment advisor information.

PRINT AND ELECTRONIC REVIEWS

Developing Teams Through Project-Based Learning, reviewed by Adrienne A. Bien (Gower Publishing)

Knowledge Media in Healthcare: Opportunities and Challenges, reviewed by Adrienne Bien (Idea Group Publishing)

Marvelous Meetings, reviewed by Ernie Evangelista (Gower Publishing)

Seven Steps to a Successful Business Plan, reviewed by Jane John (AMACOM)

MARCH 2002

The Competition Directorate of the European Union: International Mergers Regulation De-mystified by Sylvia James. Economic globalization ensures that the fate of mergers is often decided by both U.S. and European regulators. Of potential importance to every business researcher, this article guides you through the European Union merger approval process, with appropriate URLs.

News & Trends by Terese Mulkern Terry. Terry spring cleans her URLs on stock information and gives us some great tips in the process.

Price’s Posts by Gary Price. More of the wonders of the Google search engine, such as their new catalog search, advanced image searching, reverse link searching, and specialty searches for stock symbols, addresses, and company information. Things we never would have known just from the Web page, without Gary’s help.

PRINT AND ELECTRONIC REVIEWS

The Facts on File Dictionary of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (Checkmark Books)

Manual of Online Search Strategies: Volume III - Humanities and Social Sciences (Gower Publishing)

Protecting Library Staff, Users, Collections, and Facilities: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians (Neal-Schuman Publishers, Inc.)

FEBRUARY 2002

The Competitive Business Intelligence Intranet: A Knowledge Management Solution by May Hasso.