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DoIS news, Issue: December, 28 2003
by Concha Soler
In this issue there are news in English Italian French Spanish English  Italian French Spanish English 22/12/2003 Managing Information (go top)
Sunrise Medical System Selects EOS e-Library Service
EOS International has announced that Sunrise Medical System has selected EOS e-Library Service to automate its current manual Cardex information retrieval system. The three-hospital health care system will provide access to information for over 1,500 doctors and countless other health care professionals. Once implemented, the Sunrise Medical System expects to reap the rewards of decreased costs due to the reduced staffing requirements required by the innovative ASP-hosted library automation service verses an in-house operation. "EOS e-Library Service represents the best 'Bang for the Buck' in the industry," states library industry veteran Tony Saadat, CEO of EOS International. "Members of the service realize substantially lower staffing requirements and cost savings due to all hardware and software operations being taken care of behind the scenes for them." This leaves Library Director David Kettle free to concentrate on how he plans to improve access to library information. Plans include embedding links to online journals within MARC records which will provide doctors access to hundreds of journals and e-journals, such as the Journal of the American Medical Association. The library will also be delivering more value to all patrons by making the contents of their many continuing education classes available online. Class materials such as PowerPoint presentations, videos, and other supportive educational materials will be accessible from the library. < /a> 22/12/2003 Chinadaily (go top)
Largest Mongol genealogy listed in ancient archive
The genealogy of a Mongol family related to the descendants of the great Mongol Emperor Genghis Khan has been included in China's list of ancient archives. The eight-meter-long document of Tulin Gujen's family lists 14 generations with over 1,900 Mongols, most of whom served as high- ranking officials, from 1635 to the early 1900s, said Zhao Yunpeng, deputy head of the Liaoning Provincial Archives. The genealogy, the largest ever found, is kept at the archives of Harqin Left Wing Mongolian Autonomous County, west of Liaoning Province, northeast China. Mongolian scholars in the county say Tulin Gujen's family was closely linked to Genghis Khan's by marriage. "Tulin Gujen's forefather Djelme contributed tremendously to Genghis Khan's unification of Mongolian tribes," said Hu Guozhi, a Mongolian scholar, "The Mongolian emperor therefore decreed that his family ally with the Djelme's, and his daughter was married to Djelme's son." Genghis Khan, which means "universal ruler" in Mongolian, unified Mongol tribes and became the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire in 1206. Kublai, one of Genghis Khan's grandsons, later became the first emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. China's list of ancient archives was initiated by the State Archives Administration in 2002 to include ancient archive holdings and library collections that are either kept at museums or in the hands of private collectors at home and abroad. 22/12/2003 Stars and Stripes (go top)
USFK libraries to replace Korean-language cassettes with CDs
CAMP RED CLOUD, South Korea — Libraries at U.S. bases in South Korea are updating their Korean-language materials to help avoid damage from a magnetic security system. The entire Korean-language cassette library at Camp Red Cloud was wiped by the system, Dr. Kim Im-soon, Korea Regional Office acting command librarian, said Thursday. The system uses a magnetic field to sensitize materials at the library before they pass through a door scanner. Kim said the tapes would be replaced with more compact discs. She said libraries all over South Korea are replacing tapes with CDs, which are unaffected by the security system. “More people prefer CDs now. If a vendor brings out more [Korean-language] CDs with books we will prefer to buy those,” she said. “However, if an item we want only has cassettes we will still buy it.” The trend also is being seen with entertainment items, officials said. More patrons are looking for CDs instead of cassettes, so ordering priorities will shift for those products as well. USFK’s 23 libraries are good places to get Korean language-materials or other study aids — and everything is free, said Kim. 22/12/2003 Oakland Tribune (go top)
Anonymous gift to aid UC library. University officials say $5 million will enable a $20 million rebuilding to meet seismic standards
BERKELEY -- The proposed renovation of a 50-year-old university library that houses millions of historical documents, such as the original writings of Mark Twain and Joan Didion, has been boosted by an anonymous $5 million donation. The money, along with a $750,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will help pay for a$20 million upgrade to the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. Officials said the library needs to be rebuilt to meet seismic standards. The renovation will add climate controls, more ramps for wheelchairs and an up-to-date security system. Library director Charles Faulhaber said the current library, with 42 doors leading to an adjacent building, is a "security nightmare." The Bancroft Library has one of the most heavily used research collections in the nation -- more than 500,000 books, 50 million documents and 3.5 million photographs, university officials said. The collection includes fragments of a lost play by Sophocles, the Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) Papers, archives of San Francisco poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the university's own archives. Once the library is renovated, much of the collection will be stored three floors below ground level, with state-of-the-art temperature and humidity controls to prevent papers from disintegrating. With the $5 million anonymous donation, the university now has $12.5 million set aside for the project, scheduled to start in June 2005, officials said. A university spokeswoman said she does not know the identity of the donor. 17/12/2003 Nature (go top)
World's most mysterious book may be a hoax. The Voynich manuscript may be elegant gibberish.
A strange sixteenth-century book may be cunningly crafted nonsense, says a computer scientist. Gordon Rugg has used the techniques of Elizabethan espionage to recreate the Voynich manuscript, which has stumped code-breakers and linguists for nearly a century1. "I've shown that a hoax is a feasible explanation," says Rugg, who works at Keele University, UK. "Now it's up to believers in a code to produce evidence to support their ideas." He suspects that English adventurer Edward Kelley produced the Voynich to con Rudolph II, Holy Roman Emperor and collector of antiquities, out of a fortune in gold. The explanation is plausible, but not conclusive, say Voynich scholars. "It's an excellent piece of work," says Philip Neal, a former medievalist based in London. "I haven't given up hope that the manuscript contains meaning, but this makes it less likely." The Voynich manuscript is often described as the world's most mysterious book. It is hand-written in a unique alphabet, about 250 pages long, and contains pictures of unrecognizable flowers, naked nymphs and astrological symbols. The manuscript first appeared in the late 1500s, when Rudolph II bought it in Prague from an unknown seller for 600 ducats - about 3.5 kilograms of gold, worth more than US$50,000 today. The book passed from Rudolph to noblemen and scholars, before disappearing in the late 1600s. It surfaced again around 1912, when US book dealer Wilfrid Voynich bought it. The manuscript was donated to Yale University after Voynich's death. No one has worked out whether Voynichese is a code, an idiosyncratic translation of a known tongue, or gibberish. The text contains some features that are not seen in any language. The most common words are often repeated two or three times, for example - the equivalent of English using 'and and and' - giving weight to the hoax theory. On the other hand, some aspects, such as the pattern of word lengths and the ways in which characters and syllables occur with each other, are similar to real languages. "Many people have believed that it is too complicated to be a hoax - that it would have taken some mad alchemist years to get such regularity," says Rugg. But this complexity could have been produced easily, Rugg demonstrates, with an encryption device invented around 1550 called a Cardan grille. This is a table of characters. Moving a piece of card with holes cut in it over the table makes words. Gaps in the table ensure different-length words. Using such grilles on table of Voynichese syllables, Rugg has produced a language with many, although not all, of the manuscript's features. About three months' work would have been enough to produce the entire book, he says. "It's an interesting angle, but it's too early to say whether it's correct," says Nick Pelling, a computer programmer based in Surbiton, UK, who also studies cryptography and the Voynich. To prove that the manuscript is a hoax, one would need to produce entire sections using this technique, says Pelling. Tweaking the grilles and tables should make this possible, reckons Rugg. It seems that the Voynich resists deciphering attempts because its author knew enough about codes to make the text plausible yet hard to crack. The book appears to contain cross-referencing, just the kind of thing that cryptographers look for. The characters of Voynichese are also ambiguously written, so it is hard to work out how large the alphabet is, and drawing naked figures makes it impossible to date the text by styles of dress. I haven't given up hope that the manuscript contains meaning Philip Neal, medievalist The chief suspect for producing the book is known to have used Cardan grilles. As well as a cryptographer and inventor of languages, Edward Kelley was a forger, mystic, alchemist, mercenary and wife-swapper. He travelled to Prague to meet with Rudolph in 1584, and may have sold him the manuscript then. Kelley was lost to history after escaping from prison at the end of the sixteenth century. "If it's a hoax Kelley is the obvious candidate," says Neal. But he adds that Rudolph bought many alchemical texts that are far cruder forgeries than the Voynich manuscript. "Rudolph was easily fooled. If the Voynich was a hoax by Kelley, it looks a bit like overkill," Neal says. References Rugg, G. An elegant hoax? A possible solution to the Voynich manuscript. Cryptologia, (in the press). 21/12/2003 Pennlive.com (go top)
Manuscripts, old Nash poem found in library storage room
WILLIAMSPORT - An unpublished poem by Ogden Nash titled "Telegrams" and written in 1944 has been discovered in a box in a storage room at the city library. "Who knows how long it was over there in the dark," said Janice L. Trapp, director of the James V. Brown Library. Material by several other noted authors also were in the box found about three weeks ago by the library's mail and supply clerk. The poem by Nash, who died in 1971, is about War Department telegrams telling relatives of a death. "Telegrams" is written in pencil on lined yellow paper but is legible, Trapp said. It is a somber piece for Nash who has been described as a master of light, whimsical and sometimes nonsensical verse, she said. Also in the box was a typed version on onion skin of the book "Tilda Wyatt" by Mark Van Doren and a manuscript called "Adventures of a Best Selling Novelist" written by Betty Smith, best known for "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and "Joy in the Money." It is difficult to place a monetary value on old manuscripts and poems such as these, said Cameron Whiteman of PBA Galleries in San Francisco, a rare-book seller. The Nash poem probably would bring $5,000 to $7,000 at an auction unless someone wanted it for a special reason such as to complete a collection, he said. That would drive up the value, he said. The onion-skin version of Van Doren's book and the Smith manuscript would probably bring more at a sale because a manuscript in which the author's work is seen is historically more important, Whiteman said. The items found at the Brown library sold for much more than they were worth in 1944 because the buyers probably considered it a donation to the war effort, he said. A card signed by Smith, who died in 1972, is attached to her manuscript. Places the author went back and made corrections is visible on the onion skin version of "Tilda Wyatt," Trapp said. It appears the poem, manuscript and book were donated to the library after being purchased as part of a War Bond drive in 1944, she said. The sixth War Bond drive was kicked off that year on the East Coast with rallies in three cities, one of which was Williamsport, she said. Authors donated things to be auctioned at rallies, Trapp said. Stroehmann Brothers Bakery paid $80,000 for the Nash poem and Hadassah successfully bid $140,000 for the Smith manuscript, according to library records. 23/12/2003 U.S. Newswire (go top)
National Archives to Display Emancipation Proclamation on Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23 -- On Monday, Jan. 19, for one day only, the original Emancipation Proclamation will be on display in the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom in observance of the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday and in conjunction with the final day of The People's Vote exhibition. The Emancipation Proclamation, which was most recently displayed at the National Archives in 2001, was voted as the 6th most important document in American history by thousands of Americans nationwide in The People's Vote: 100 Documents That Shaped America. The special display of the Emancipation Proclamation is free and open to the public. The National Archives Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom is located on Constitution Avenue between 7th and 9th Streets, N.W., and is open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily except Christmas Day. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, during the American Civil War, formally proclaiming the freedom of all slaves held in areas still in revolt. The issuance of this Proclamation clarified and strengthened the position of the Union government, decreased the likelihood of European support of the Confederacy and, as the Union armies extended their occupation of the southern states, brought freedom to the slaves in those states. The Proclamation invited black men to join the Union Army and Navy, resulting in the enlistment of approximately 200,000 freed slaves and free black people before the War's end. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it placed the issue squarely on top of the wartime agenda. It added moral force to the Union cause and was a significant milestone leading to the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865, formally outlawing slavery throughout the nation. The Emancipation Proclamation linked the preservation of American constitutional government to the end of slavery and has come to take its place with the great documents of freedom. For press information, contact the National Archives public affairs staff at 202-501-5526. 23/12/2003 24hourmuseum (go top)
UK: Habitual drunkards at Wolverhampton Conuncil's City Archives
Cards, showing pictures of convicted drunkards from nearly 100 years ago, have been purchased at auction by Wolverhampton City Council’s Archive Service. The set of six cards were issued to the New Inn on Dudley Road, Brierley Hill (now the Dog and Lamp Post) in about 1905 by Wolverhampton Police. "I am delighted these fascinating documents have been added to our collections where they are available for anyone to come and see them", says Peter Evans, Wolverhampton City Archivist. "They give us a glimpse as to how the authorities sought to tackle drunken behaviour 100 years ago." The cards show four women and two men, and give their names, addresses, ages and occupations together with details of their appearance and any distinguishing marks. Under the Licensing Act of 1902 the local police issued cards like these to ensure those convicted of being habitual drunkards were not served in local pubs. If the landlord of the pub was convicted of supplying alcohol to the person on the card they could be fined £10. The cards compliment other archive material housed at Wolverhampton Council’s City Archives and Local Studies Unit. Peter Evans says, "The habitual drunkard cards tie in with other records we have, for instance each of these convictions appears in the magistrates’ court records we hold. According to the register kept in the archives for example, Sarah Haywood, was convicted of being drunk three times in one year which led to her being classified as an 'habitual offender.'" "We also have copies of the local newspapers for the time which may well have carried reports of the convictions," he added. Wolverhampton Council’s City Archives and Local Studies Unit is based at 42-50 Snow Hill. It is open Monday, Tuesday and Friday 10am until 5pm, Wednesday 10am until 7pm, closed on Thursday and open 10am until 5pm on the first and third Saturdays of each month. To contact the unit call 01902 552 480 or visit 24/12/2003 Quad-City Times (go top)
Woman accused in library book thefts pleads not guilty
A Bettendorf woman arrested for allegedly stealing nearly 450 books from Quad-City public libraries has pleaded not guilty to felony theft charges. Kristin Grace, 37, entered the plea in Scott County District Court during an arraignment on Tuesday. She was arrested Nov. 21, two days after Bettendorf police said they found the items during a search of her apartment. Grace was taken to the Scott County Jail and is out on pretrial release. A pretrial conference is scheduled for Jan. 16, and should the case go to trial, a tentative date of Jan. 26 has been set. Police officials said they had been investigating the disappearance of books from local public libraries for more than two years prior to charging Grace with felony second- degree theft. Staff at the Bettendorf Public Library noticed 117 hardcover cookbooks had mysteriously disappeared, most likely a few at a time. Door alarms had not been triggered, and staff members were clueless as to where the items had gone. Shortly after the arrest, police officials said they give a lot of the credit for solving the case to library workers, who carefully examined the dates of when each book was checked out, and when it could no longer be found. “Library staff looked into it, and we were so diligent in solving this because it was bothersome,” Bettendorf Public Library Director Faye Clow said last month. Purchased at retail, the books missing from the Bettendorf library alone would cost more than $2,300. The value listed by the library was actually $1,391, a number that represented about 5 percent of the library’s $28,000 nonfiction purchasing budget. Books were not missing from other subject areas at the Bettendorf facility, but other types of publications were among the items stolen from other area libraries. Second-degree theft is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500. 24/12/2003 New Kerala (go top)
Libraries to spread information about America in Nepal
Kathmandu - The US has invested $45,000 to fund libraries in four districts of Nepal to help disseminate information about America. The US government, which has increased its assistance from $24 million to $38 million to help Nepal's beleaguered government fight the eight-year-old Maoist insurgency, has invested the additional funds to set up four libraries outside the capital in collaboration with the local chambers of commerce. To be set up at Bhairahawa, Biratnagar, Pokhara and Nepalgunj, the libraries will operate out of premises donated by local business organisations while the books and audiovisual equipment are to be provided by the American Centre. Officials said the centres are not intended to be extensions of the American Centre and would not be manned by employees of the American embassy in Nepal. The object in funding the libraries is to provide further information on American history, geography, culture and other areas. So far, the Indian embassy, which plans to open a consular office in the border town of Birgunj, is the only one to operate an office outside the capital. The announcement about the libraries comes in the wake of a visit to Kathmandu by US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca. At the same time, the US State Department has updated its travel warning for Nepal, citing increased threats to American citizens in the country. The advisory, issued December 22, warned of increased violence from Maoist rebels and an increased anti-American sentiment among rebel leaders over the past few months. 27/12/2003 B92 (go top)
Archive takes over security files
BELGRADE – The Belgrade History Archive has taken possession of more than 1,500 documents and files from the Security-Information agency. The files include documentation from the special police, the World War Two government of Milan Nedic and the German Gestapo. Archive director Branka Prpa said today that the documents include a number of personal files from the security services which operated in the wake of the 1939-1945 war. She told B92 that the files will change the view of Serbia’s history, adding that the documents would soon be made available to the public. “In accordance with the practice and laws of Europe and the region, we will introduce a procedure for personal files. We have an ethical duty to protect individuals. All of this material will be accessible, of course,” said Prpa. Security Agency representative Milos Teodorovic described the handover as the beginning of mutual cooperation with the History Archive. The documentation includes files on a number of significant figures from the period of the second world war. 27/11/2003 Chinadaily (go top)
China: Ancient masterpieces at National Library
Chinese calligraphy, the art of writing, is usually learned by imitating the rubbings. In the millennia before the invention of photocopy technology, the rubbings, which appeared as black paper with white characters, were important in the preservation and circulation of calligraphy works. Rubbings have been made since the end of the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD220). The Chinese then inscribed important writings or calligraphic masterpieces on stone tablets, bronze artifacts, wood and shells, and covered them with a piece of wet paper. They carefully brushed the paper black so the inscribed characters copied in white. In this way the writings were preserved even when the manuscript was missing. In the wars and fires throughout China's long history, most manuscripts of important calligraphic works before the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and tablets inscribed with such works were destroyed, and rubbings became one of the few clues to the ancient masterpieces. Rubbings of works by master calligraphers are called "fatie" (model letters), or simply "tie." Among all kinds of collections, including paintings, ceramics, bronzes, artifacts, books and tie, the collection of tie is usually considered in China to be of top level because it requires great knowledge in evaluation, said Shi Anchang, director of the research department of the Palace Museum. The National Library in Beijing is hosting an exhibition of more than 30 precious tie in its collection until January 8 at the Wenjin Hall near the library's major reading room. The free exhibition is presented by the Ancient Book and Document Department of the national institute. Ji Yaping, a researcher with the department, said those on display were chosen from about 500 samples of tie in the library's collection, all of which have been purchased or received through donations since the founding of the library in 1909. China's major collections of tie are in the National Library, the Palace Museum, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Shanghai Library, Peking University and the Capital Library. Of those, the National Library's collection is one of the best as it includes tie rubbed from the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) through all following dynasties until the 20th century. "From those on display, we can see the development of calligraphy art and rubbing techniques through history and can sense the variation in aesthetic tastes in the past millennium," said Ji. Documents indicate tie first appeared in the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) as "dan tie" - model letters rubbed from a single piece of calligraphic work. In the Northern Song Dynasty, Emperor Taizong (AD 939-997) ordered a comprehensive collection of rubbings be made from masterpieces of calligraphic letters in the imperial archives. In AD 992, an assortment of 400 masterpieces by 100 calligraphers from antiquity through the mid-Tang Dynasty were inscribed on wooded blocks, and subsequent rubbings from those blocks appeared in 10 volumes which comprise the "Chunhuage Tie" series. The "Chunhuage Tie" was the earliest "cong tie" - model letters rubbed from more than one calligraphy works recorded in the country's history. Cong tie, a collection of works, are more valued than the dan tie. There are about 400 kinds of cong tie remaining today, and the National Library has about 300, said Ji. Displayed at the exhibition is the earliest and most precious cong tie in the National Library's collection, titled the "Jiang Tie." The earliest model letters rubbed by an individual, it was inscribed and rubbed by collector Pan Shidan during the Huangyou and Jiayou (1049-1063) Reign of the Northern Song Dynasty on the basis of the "Chunhuage Tie." The library boasts six volumes of the 20-volume rubbings. "Very few cong tie of the Northern Song Dynasty remain today, and the surviving ones are all incomplete," explained Wu Yuanzhen, researcher with the library. The Song Dynasty rubbings are extremely valuable, said Wu. Last July the Shanghai Museum bought back four volumes of the "Chunhuage Tie" at a hefty price of US$4.5 million from a US collector. The remaining volumes of "Jiang Tie" are believed to have been handed down by Pan's eldest son. They were especially important because the original mounting of the rubbings was left when the mountings of most other ancient rubbings were changed by their collectors in the centuries of circulation, said Wu. The 1,000-year-old "Jiang Tie" impresses visitors most among the exhibits with its ancient magnanimous style. Another important rubbing of the Song Dynasty displayed in the exhibition is the "Zhengzuowei Tie," which was inscribed according to a masterpiece by Yan Zhenqing (AD 709-785), a Tang Dynasty calligrapher. The piece is acclaimed as one of the two most representative dan tie, the other being the Song Dynasty inscription and rubbing of "Lanting Xu" written by 4th-century calligrapher Wang Xizhi (AD 303-379), the original copy of which was missing. The flourishing of rubbings ended with the founding of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), when only two cong tie were recorded in historical documents. One survives to this day. At the exhibition visitors can also see the only remaining calligraphic collection of the Yuan Dynasty "Leshantang Tie," which is a collection of calligraphy works and paintings by Zhao Mengfu (1254-1322), a representative artist of the dynasty. Government official Gu Xin had it inscribed and rubbed in 1318. In the succeeding Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), independent intellectuals played a more prominent role in the collection of calligraphy works than governments that had been dominant in the field since the 10th century. A best collection is the "Tingyunguan Tie" on display. Artist and collector Wen Zhengming (1470-1559) and his sons, who were also calligraphers, modeled on masterpieces from the Jin Dynasty (AD 265-420) to their time and had their writings inscribed and rubbed in 1560. The Wens' modeling maintained the various styles of calligraphers and has been most often imitated by beginners in calligraphy. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) the royal family was enthusiastic about its calligraphy collection. In 1750 it had inscribed the amazing 32-volume "Sanxitang Fatie," which included more than 340 works of 135 major calligraphers from the 4th to the 14th century. The collection was called "Sanxitang" (Hall of Three Rarities) because it included three rare pieces by calligraphers Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi (AD 344-386) and Wang Xun (AD 350-401), which had been missing before joining the royal collection. Rubbings were seldom made at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Today the ancient technique is only used to document writings on ancient tablets. "We can preserve calligraphy works in various ways other than inscribing them on stones," said Ji. However, sources with the State Administration of Cultural Heritage said the illegal rubbing of ancient stone tablets by individuals, which often led to damaged tablets, happened continuously because of the profitable market of rare rubbings of ancient writings. "In such cases ink is often painted directly onto the tablets and then a paper is put on, the rubbings made in this way have inverted characters and the tablets are damaged," said Ji. The exhibition also includes valuable documents from the Dunhuang Grottoes in Northwest China's Gansu Province. The National Library is working with the British Museum and other international organizations in restoring and studying the documents. Italian 23/12/2003 design-italia (go top)
Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione
Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione via Palermo 6 - Parma Tel. +39 0521 270847-+39 0521 270847 Fax. +39 0521 271227 Sarà il complesso dell'abbazia cistercense a Valserena la nuova sede del CSAC, Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione, dell'Università di Parma. Nel corso degli anni si è infatti giunti a una raccolta di materiale documentario molto ricca. L'area di interesse corrisponde alle cinque sezioni del CSAC: arte, fotografia, progetto, media e spettacolo. Nella sezione progetto sono conservati circa 1.500.000 originali fra schizzi, disegni, modelli dei più importanti designer e architetti italiani del `900, fra cui Luigi Figini e Gino Pollini, Ignazio Gardella, Gio Ponti, Enzo Mari e Marcello Nizzoli. French 22/12/2003 Transfert.net (go top)
11 094 924 000 pages Web indexées par le nouveau moteur de recherche de l'Internet Archive
L'Internet Archive, comme son nom l'indique, archive des copies de sites Web. Et les propose, en ligne, aux internautes. Les archives de cet organisme américain à but non lucratif remontent à 1996. Jusqu'à présent, il était seulement possible d'effectuer des recherches à partir des URL de ces sites. On pouvait ainsi accéder aux anciennes versions et mises en page de sites connus, ou retrouver des sites qui ont disparu de la Toile. L'Internet Archive vient d'annoncer le lancement d'un moteur de recherche permettant d'effectuer des requêtes à partir de mots-clés. Encore en phase beta, Recall (c'est le nom du moteur) permet d'affiner ses recherches par périodes données (entre décembre 1996 et janvier 1998, par exemple) ou à partir de mots-clés, puis d'une liste de catégories proposées pour chacun de ces mots-clés. Lors de chaque requête, Recall affiche aussi des graphiques qui indiquent l'évolution, sur plusieurs années, du nombre de pages Web dans lesquelles apparait le terme recherché. Recall BETA 23/12/2003 Le Jeune Indépendent (go top)
Colloque national des bibliothécaires et archivistes. Vers un portail Internet des bibliothèques algériennes
Les travaux du colloque national sur le thème de l’uniformisation des procédures techniques dans les bibliothèques algériennes ont débuté hier à la Bibliothèque nationale d’Algérie. Pas moins d’une soixantaine de bibliothèques et de services de documentation et d’archives représentant tout le territoire national participent à cette rencontre d’évaluation et d’échanges. Premier du genre, ce colloque qui a été présidé par le directeur de la Bibliothèque nationale, M. Amine Zaoui, en présence du recteur de la faculté des sciences humaines et sociales, M. Mahmoud Boucenna, et de Mahmoud Bouayed, conseiller auprès de la présidence de la République, se propose comme un espace de débat sur la situation des bibliothèques et des services documentaires et sur l’élaboration d’une politique documentaire en Algérie. Le constat dressé par le premier responsable de la Bibliothèque nationale dans son intervention est plus qu’amer et renseigne en même temps sur la situation dans laquelle se débattent les bibliothécaires et les archivistes. Les structures bibliothécaires souffrent de nombreux problèmes, notamment les ressources d’entretien et de conservation du fonds d’ouvrages. Un autre problème se pose avec acuité aujourd’hui dans le secteur de la bibliothéconomie. Il s’agit d’informatisation des bibliothèques. Les participants, intervenus hier, ont souligné en particulier l’importance de ce chapitre incontournable. Les stocks documentaires nationaux disponibles actuellement sont sous-exploités et manquent d’accessibilité, comme par exemple certaines catégories d’anciens manuscrits, considérés comme des références précieuses pour les chercheurs et les étudiants. C’est ainsi qu’il a été proposé la création d’un portail Internet des bibliothèques algériennes, un outil «plus que nécessaire» et qui pourra «contribuer à la mise en place de la carte nationale des bibliothèques algériennes et de la plate-forme pour de nouveaux développements et expériences». Le directeur de la Bibliothèque nationale a promis aux participants de porter l’ensemble des recommandations, qui seront adoptées lors de ce colloque, aux autorités compétentes et de les vulgariser à travers les différents supports de communication. Les participants ont décidé pour leur part de se structurer afin de créer une association nationale des bibliothécaires algériens. Cette association sera annoncée à la clôture des travaux du colloque se donne la mission de défendre les intérêts professionnels des bibliothécaires et archivistes. Spanish 22/12/2003 El Siglo de Durango (go top)
Incendio en edificio de Archivos Nacionales de capital de EEUU
Washington.- Un incendio en uno de los edificios de los Archivos Nacionales de EU en Washington causó en la madrugada de hoy daños menores, aunque cerca de un centenar de cajas con documentos quedaron empapadas del agua lanzada por los bomberos. Fuentes del Cuerpo de Bomberos informaron hoy de que el incendio tuvo su origen en un corto circuito en uno de los centros de almacenaje de esas instalaciones. Una portavoz de los Archivos Nacionales dijo que las cajas empapadas están diseñadas contra el agua y que no resultaron dañados los valiosos documentos históricos que contienen. Añadió que el incendio se registró en una de las partes que no están abiertas al público, y situadas lejos del local donde están los ejemplares de la Ley de Derechos Civiles, la Declaración de Independencia de EU y la Constitución. 23/12/2003 El Universal (go top)
Abrirá un alemán biblioteca en la Antártida
El artista alemán Lutz Fritsch ha puesto en marcha su proyecto de "biblioteca de hielo", un cálido refugio literario en la Antártida, para el que se ha ganado el apoyo de los escritores Günter Grass y Christa Wolf y del cineasta Tom Tykwer. Fritsch, quien ha recolectado unos mil volúmenes, ha superado la primera fase de su proyecto, al lograr que el rompehielos "Polarstern" trasladara a la estación de investigaciones alemana Neymayer, en el círculo polar, el contenedor que deberá alojar su biblioteca. Según su concepto, su interior deberá ser una lugar acogedor, con estanterías de madera de cerezo y sofás de piel, donde el lector pueda sumergirse en sus libros, en un ambiente cálido, pero alejado de la civilización perturbadora y entre bloques de hielo antártico. Fritsch prevé que los libros, donación de intelectuales y personajes de la vida pública -entre ellos Grass, Wolf y Tykwer-, queden depositados en el contenedor entrado el próximo año. El proyecto cuenta con el apoyo del Instituto Aldred Wegener para Investigaciones Polares y Marinas, con sede en Bremen (Alemania), que asume los costes del transporte y del contenedor. La decoración interior se costeará con una serie especial de soportes para libros en aluminio, así como la venta de ejemplares de un volumen cuyo título puede traducirse como "Biblioteca en el hielo". 23/12/2003 El Comercio (go top)
La biblioteca de Ribadesella (Asturias) es distinguida por el plan de fomento de la lectura
La biblioteca pública de Ribadesella ha sido galardonada por quinto año consecutivo en la VI Campaña de Dinamización Lectora convocada por la Federación Española de Municipios y Provincias, en colaboración con el Ministerio de Cultura y la Fundación Coca Cola España. Este certamen se enmarca dentro del programa de fomento de la lectura, en el que ha tomado parte nuevamente el centro riosellano. La recompensa que recibirá la biblioteca municipal de Ribadesella será un lote de libros de literatura infantil y juvenil que podrán disfrutar los jóvenes aficionados a la lectura del concejo. El proyecto que ha sido galardonado en esta ocasión se titula 'Los cazadores de palabras', donde se han recogido las actividades organizadas con motivo del Día del Libro 2003, como la feria del libro, cuentacuentos, exposiciones, teatro y concursos, entre otras. Asimismo, desde ayer se puede ver en la Casa de Cultura una exposición de fotografía en la que se recogen los fondos de los concursos organizados por la Asociación Cultural Amigos de Ribadesella. Esta muestra permanecerá abierta al público hasta el próximo 10 de enero, en horario de lunes a viernes de cinco de la tarde a ocho. Por otra parte, dentro de la programación festiva de estas navidades, los más pequeños podrán pasar un rato entretenido el próximo lunes 29, con la proyección de la película 'El planeta del tesoro'. Un título de la factoría Disney que se emitirá en la Casa de Cultura, a las 18 horas, dentro del ciclo de cine infantil organizado por Navidad. 18/12/2003 Invertia (go top)
FCC asigna fondos para conectar escuelas EEUU a Internet
La comisión federal de comunicaciones de Estados Unidos dijo el miércoles que destinará alrededor de 420 millones de dólares de fondos no usados para proveer acceso a Internet y otros servicios de telecomunicaciones a bibliotecas y escuelas. La entidad agregó más controles para evitar el derroche, el fraude y el abuso del denominado programa E-Rate, donde algunos desembolsos inadecuados se han descubierto en los últimos meses. El programa, que cuenta con un fondo de 2.250 millones de dólares, ofrece a las escuelas y bibliotecas descuentos en los servicios de telecomunicaciones, acceso a Internet e infraestructura para esos servicios, tal como instalación de cables. Los fondos que serán destinados no fueron utilizados entre 1999 y el 2001. Bajo los nuevos reglamentos adoptados por la FCC, a las escuelas y bibliotecas se les prohibirá en la mayoría de los casos transferir equipo que ha sido comprado con fondos de E-Rate a otros locales durante tres años, después de que fueron comprados. La FCC también decidió limitar a las entidades usar los fondos para actualizar o reemplazar la infraestructura interna, hasta dos veces en cinco años, excepto para mantenimiento básico. El financiamiento para el programa proviene de operadoras de larga distancia como AT&T Corp. y MCI, que pasan esos costos a sus clientes. Varias investigaciones por parte de la oficina federal de invesigaciones (FBI) y el Departamento de Justicia se llevan a cabo sobre si entidades que usan fondos de E-Rate se vieron involucradas en manipulación de propuestas o hicieron reclamaciones falsas por servicios y productos que no fueron suministrados. 24/12/2003 La Tercera (go top)
Günter Grass apoya biblioteca en la Antártida
Escritores alemanes como Günter Grass y Christa Wolf y el cineasta Tom Tykwer donaron libros para el proyecto Biblioteca de Hielo, refugio literario ubicado en la Antártida impulsado por el artista alemán Lutz Fritsch. El mentor de la iniciativa, quien ha recolectado unos mil volúmenes, superó la primera fase de su proyecto, al lograr que el rompehielos Polarstern trasladara a la estación de investigaciones alemana Neymayer, emplazada en el círculo polar, el contenedor que deberá alojar la biblioteca. Fritsch adelanta que los libros queden depositados en el contenedor dentro del próximo año. Según el proyecto, el interior del lugar deberá ser acogedor con estanterías de madera de cerezo y sofás de piel. 24/12/2003 Diario Vasco (go top)
Ayudas a archivos de museos diocesanos
El Consejo de Gobierno aprobó ayer financiar con 360.000 euros las labores de digitalización y clasificación de los archivos históricos diocesanos de los tres territorios, realizados durante el año 2003, labor que se desarrolla dentro del Plan de Euskadi en la Sociedad de la Información. También se acordó dotar con 12.000 euros la digitalización y clasificación y copia de los archivos referidos a Eibar, Mutriku y Soraluze-Placencia. 26/12/2003 Agencia EUROPA PRESS (go top)
La Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes ha servido durante este año 40 millones de páginas
La Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes ha servido durante 2003 alrededor de cuarenta millones de páginas, con lo que la cifra de páginas servidas, desde su creación en julio de 1999, alcanza ya los noventa millones. Un ejemplo de los resultados de este web son los récords sucesivos de páginas servidas registradas en los últimos meses. Así, en noviembre, con 5,51 millones, superó por tercer mes consecutivo su récord, ya que la última cima había quedado fijada en octubre, cuando se sirvieron 4,68 millones de páginas. Por procedencia de las peticiones de páginas continúan destacando las realizadas desde España (más de 2,6 millones), Estados Unidos (casi 800.000), México, Argentina, Chile, Perú y Venezuela, aunque se han realizado consultas desde los cinco continentes. 26/12/2003 Las Provincias (go top)
Valencia: El Ateneo Mercantil rescata de sus archivos documentos falleros del 36
En las cerca de 80 cartas, enviadas y recibidas entre las comisiones y el Comité Central Fallero, se muestra como era la fiesta fallera antes de la guerra civil. A través de los documentos hallados se comprueba como las comisiones de falla se adherían al Comité Central Fallero por medio del pago de una cuota que ascendía a 23,55 de las antiguas pesetas. Si toda la documentación es interesante y debería formar parte del archivo de la Junta Central Fallera, lo es más la circunstancia de la existencia de una serie de fallas que se reunían en un bar, como es el caso de la comisión Cádiz-Huguet-Vivons, que se reunían en el bar Monopol. Por su parte la falla de Mislata celebraba sus reuniones en el bar Récord; la que conocemos por La Ferrovaira, antaño se llamaba Unión Ferroviaria-Puerto Rico y sus falleros se reunían en un lugar llamado El Club de los Soleros. Destacar que la entonces llamada falla Socorro-Lepanto estaba completamente constituñida por mujeres, algo muy avanzado para la época. Documentos que deben ser estudiados en profundidad por ser parte de la historia íntima de la fiesta de las Fallas. 24/12/2003 El pueblo (go top)
México: Resguardan Municipios Archivos Históricos
De acuerdo con un decreto emitido por el Congreso del Estado a propuesta del diputado Oscar González Luna, será facultad y obligación de los ayuntamientos resguardar sus archivos históricos. En la actualidad, existen en los municipios miles de documentos históricos importantes no incorporados a los archivos, los cuales se encuentran fuera del control y de la norma de los archivos por lo que se requiere contar con este acervo documental, que pase a ser del dominio público, y que pueda ser consultado de acuerdo a los requisitos que fije el Ayuntamiento, comentó el legislador panista. La Ley General del Sistema de Documentación e Información Pública del estado de Chihuahua reconocía al Instituto Chihuahuense de la Cultura como el encargado de operar y administrar el Archivo Histórico del Poder Ejecutivo y previo convenio que para tal efecto se suscriba, podrá administrar los archivos históricos de los Poderes Legislativo y Judicial, así como de los municipios y dependencias federativas que lo soliciten. El dictamen a la propuesta del legislador de Acción nacional establece que serán los Ayuntamientos, a través de un sistema municipal de documentación, los que organicen de la mejor manera el funcionamiento de sus archivos administrativos y la investigación y conservación de documentos históricos como una respuesta a mejorar los mecanismos de administración de documentos de importancia para los municipios. El espíritu de la nueva disposición se orienta a salvar y resguardar el patrimonio documental administrativo e histórico de la vida del Municipio, y que pueda ser accesible a toda la comunidad, "para que no sea privilegio de unos cuantos hombres", señaló el diputado González Luna. Este compromiso se señala en el Plan Estatal de Desarrollo 1999-2004, en el cual se plasma el rescate y protección de archivos históricos y bibliotecas municipales en todo el estado con el fin de que la historia chihuahuense se conserve y de paso, recuperar la vida pasada del Municipio y conservar en palabras "nuestra vida presente", citó el legislador parralense. 27/12/2003 La Calle ON line (go top)
Mayores posibilidades para ciegos: Uruguay recibió Biblioteca Parlante
Promovidas por la Asociación de Ciegos y Disminuidos Visuales de Entre Ríos se realizaron las Primeras Jornadas sobre Discapacidad Visual. Las exposiciones y debate se desarrollaron en el Colegio Repœblica de Italia, quien ofició de anfitrión. Hubo una parte práctica sobre Orientación y Motricidad a cargo de las docentes Teresita Corbalán y Belkis Fernández. A través de su relato, Néstor Dri Monch, reseñó: Previamente, expusieron la Dra. Susana Charreun de Argachá, sobre Legislación Provincial y Nacional como herramienta presente al alcance de las personas discapacitadas, ofreciendo a la Defensoría como referente y a disposición de quienes la necesiten. Entre los expositores, resultó muy explícito el Prof. Marcelo Raœl Calvo, Director de la Biblioteca Braille de La Plata, reconocido a nivel nacional por su trayectoria a lo largo de 40 años en esta actividad. El Dr. Diego Greco sorprendió a los asistentes con sus investigaciones sobre la prevención y estadísticas manifestando junto a su esposa Alicia Greco, la más amplia predisposición a seguir colaborando para llevar adelante el proyecto. Además la Biblioteca Argentina para Ciegos ofrecó por medio de su representante la Srta. Verónica Carolina González, un convenio de integración y extensión institucional que próximamente se concretará. También el INTA, representada por los Ings. Juan José Bruno, César Será y Martina Boxler, firmaron un convenio de integración dentro de los Programas Santa Lucía y Pro Huerta, donde se destaca el apoyo para la provisión de semillas y material bibliográfico que será traducido al Braille en la Biblioteca de La Plata. Asimismo se recibió la adhesión de Rotary Club Internacional por medio de su Presidente, Ing. Alejandro Barbich, donde a través de distintos programas oficiaron de intermediarios para convenios de integración. Se sumó la Carrera de Locución, a través de Hugo Barreto, apoyará con grabaciones destinadas a enriquecer la Biblioteca Parlante. Por último, los Profs. Miguel A. Carletti y Daysi Prieto brindaron su apoyatura desde el instituto que representan. For comments about this page please contact Concha Soler
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