ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

Ovid Technologies announced in London today a first-of-its-kind partnership between a federated search technology vendor and an information aggregator.

Joining me in the Ovid stand at the London Online Information trade show just after the official press release was approved for release this afternoon, were, pictured left to right, Kate Noerr, CEO of MuseGlobal (the technology partner in this deal); and representatives from Ovid Rossella Proscia, Connie Hughes, and Pedja Pavlicic.

Pavlicic, Ovid’s director of software product management, said, "This is the first time a federated search solution will be applied by a non-library system vendor."

Kate Noerr referred to this development as "the commoditization of a new technology." MuseGlobal, she said, currently makes its federated search technology available to library system vendors, but with this first publicly announced cooperative deal with an aggregator, she is confident the benefits of federated searching will soon be enjoyed in many new markets.

"MuseGlobal’s knowledgebase was selected, because it satisfies 95% of the needs of our customers, right out of the box," said Rossella Proscia, Ovid’s director of marketing and international customer development.

The service will be released as an ASP (application service provider) packaged solution and will be fully customizable, according to Ovid’s Connie Hughes.

The new service is scheduled to be released in the first quarter of 2005. Watch ITI’s publications for news of further developments.

Dick Kaser
ITI VP Content

• Online Information 2004

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

Thanks to Jenny The Shifted Librarian for her very kind post about this conference blog — always nice to be appreciated! Sure would be easier if there were wireless connections in the session rooms and exhibition area!

Marydee Ojala

Editor, ONLINE: The Leading Magazine for Information Professionals

www.onlinemag.net

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

When I saw a long line (queue, as they call it here in England) of people outside the door of one of the conference rooms, I wondered what was going on. Maybe they were lining up for tickets to the zoo or something like that. It turned out that the organizers of the conference are tracking session attendance, and each attendee’s badge is scanned as they entered. The session was on taxonomies, and there were so many people wanting to hear it that a long line formed.

Taxonomies are indeed a hot subject these days!

Don Hawkins
Information Technology and Database Consultant
Information Today, Inc.

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

The International Forum for the Italians met today. Organized by AIDA (The Associazione Italiana di Documentazione Avanzata), three speakers made it easy for non-Italian-speakers to understand: all spoke English.

The topic–certification for information professionals–crossed borders, too. A representative from CILIP (the UK’s Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) described certification of educational institutions and a portfolio credentialing process for continuing education of experienced professionals. We also heard about CERTIDoc, a cooperative credentialing with participation from nine European countries, and the challenges of credentialing for independent information professionals. US organizations should take note!

Susanne Bjorner

Searcher magazine, “Both Sides Now” columnist

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

Thomson Scientific hosted a party tonight at Madame Tussauds’ famous wax museum on Baker Street.

Standing among the wax figures, who appeared quite lifelike at first blush, it was sometimes difficult to tell the guests from the statuary.

Here David Hoole, Nature Publishing, and Matthew Cockerill, BioMed Central found themselves in the company of Nicholas Cage.

Leaving the museum I exchanged words with a gentlemen in the elevator who observed, “at first the dummies looked real. Later it was the people who started to look artificial. But that’s what good art is.”

“Real art,” he said, “is supposed to make you change your perspective. And this did.”

Hats off to Thomson Scientific for selecting a most unusual and unforgettable party venue.

Dick Kaser

ITI VP Content

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

Okay. I admit it. I had to read the label at her feet and come back to the room and Google her. She’s Sarah Michelle Gellar (a.k.a. Buffy the Vampire Slayer). And, yes, at the Thomson party she ignored me all night.

Dick Kaser
ITI VP, Content

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

At tonight’s Dialog bash, the band was featuring a medley of Beatles hits. But for the most part the Dialog users in attendance looked too young to remember these tunes. Yet everyone was singing along.

It’s often said that our industry is graying. It’s nice to see a new generation stepping onto the scene.

Dick Kaser

ITI VP Content

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

ISI Founder and President Emeritus Eugene Garfield made an appearance in the Thomson Scientific stand today to sign copies of "A Festschrift in Honor of Eugene Garfield"–a book written in honor of Dr. Garfield’s life and work, and describing him as "the undisputed patriarch of citation indexing."

Seated with him at the book singing was ISI’s Jay Trolley.

Dick Kaser
ITI VP, Content

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

I have to confess when I first saw them coming down the exhibit floor aisles, I thought the show was being picketed.

But a local bystander explained to me that British labour would never be so uncouth as to participate in an unannounced strike.

No, they were not picketers. The troop of lab-coat clad scientists, bearing signs advertising BOOTH 248, were actually employees of Thomson Scientific.

Their mission? To lure attendees to the ISI Web of Knowledge booth to celebrate Thomson’s Century of Science initiative. The project involves the filling in of ISI records (which currently go back only to 1945) all the way back to the beginning of the 20th century.

According to the press release, “Many groups within Thomson went to extraordinary lengths to identify, locate, acquire, and index the journals from this 45-year period.”

Those who followed the lab-coated “picketers” today, found themselves at a lavish reception in the Thomson stand for a preview. The service will be available in the first half of next year.

Dick Kaser

ITI VP Content

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ITI Bloggers December 1st, 2004

Gary Price had them sitting on the floor and standing outside the door for his session today on the hall floor entitled, “15 Specialized Web Databases Available Free Over the Internet.”

The Online show this year is featuring dozens of “masterclasses” like Gary’s session, information content seminars, and special presentations on content management, enterprise document management, enterprise search, epublishing solutions, and technology and content cases studies–all free to exhibitors goers.

(Though seats are limited.)

Dick Kaser

ITI, VP Content

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