The British Library and Adobe have leveraged the Library's expertise in distributing digital content with Adobe's encryption technology to set a new standard for secure electronic document delivery (EDD) services. The British Library has integrated Adobe Content Server encryption and Adobe Acrobat eBook Reader software into its electronic document delivery operations, allowing customers of the Library's inside service to order PDF files of articles from Elsevier Science and other publishers on a strict pay-per-view basis. Working together, the British Library and Elsevier Science have used Adobe's technology to answer publishers' needs to help provide secure delivery of articles and to help companies and publishers enforce copyright and manage rights in the digital environment.

The British Library's approach has won the endorsement of Elsevier Science, a leading publisher of scientific, technical, and medical information products and services. Elsevier Science will make articles from 1,700 of its titles available in PDF format to the Library's document supply customers. Titles covered by the agreement include journals such as The Lancet, Tetrahedron and Brain Research, through to more specialist periodicals.

The British Library can now supply PDF files of journal articles from over 2,500 key titles from the top research publishers (including 800 titles covered by separate deals with S. Karger AG and Kluwer Academic Publishers). Using the Library's inside service, customers can search for relevant articles; select the items they require; and quickly obtain print-quality copies of articles delivered directly to their desktop. Articles can be viewed on screen and printed using Adobe's Acrobat eBook Reader.

Prices for the new PDF electronic delivery service include copyright fees and customers can pay using a secure credit card payment facility. In the future, PDF electronic delivery will also be available on other British Library Web-based services.

(http://www.adobe.com), (http://www.bl.uk), (http://www.elsevier.com)

Vignette Corp. has completed its acquisition of San Francisco-based Epicentric Inc. By offering Epicentric's family of portal solutions in addition to its content management products, Vignette intends to help its customers achieve competitive advantage by rapidly building and deploying enterprise Web applications. The combination of Vignette and Epicentric technologies enable organizations to build and deploy Web applications that leverage virtually every electronic asset regardless of where it is stored and deliver it in the context of any user's needs. Under the terms of the agreement announced on Oct. 29, 2002, Vignette paid $26 million in cash for outstanding Epicentric stock and may pay up to $6 million in a combination of cash and restricted stock for retention-related payments over the next two years. Michael Crosno, chairman, president and CEO of Epicentric, has joined the Vignette leadership team as executive vice president of worldwide operations.

(http://www.vignette.com)

Outsell, Inc. has released a market sizing study of the Scientific, Technical, and Medical (STM) segment of the Information Content (IC), examining changes in 2001, the current state of the market, and prospects for the future. Outsell found that revenues for the 237 companies in the $9.3 billion STM segment of the IC declined by 0.8% in 2001.  Much of the decline can be attributed to overall economic conditions, according to Outsell, but prospects for the future are solid for the STM content that plays a large role in the development of new products. The top three overall players in this segment, Elsevier Science, Wolters Kluwer, and Thomson Scientific & Healthcare, grew by 32.6, 8.3, and 6.7%, respectively.  The top 10 STM publishers' revenues were up a total of 15.4%. Outsell's report analyzes the size, growth rates, and market shares of 237 STM content companies. With data from the Outsell 60 Company Monitor and Outsell's proprietary information about end user information habits and preferences, the study aims to provide a comprehensive picture of the STM content marketplace. Industry Trends, Size and Players in the Scientific, Technical & Medical (STM) Information Market is available for $1,295, including an Industry Overview.  Additional industry segments cost $895.  The entire series is available for $6,000, which includes all seven segment Briefings and the Industry Overview.

(http://www.outsellinc.com)

Vancouver Public Library, in partnership with NewspaperDirect, now offers a service that provides patrons with the possibility of same-day access to over 150 international newspapers. Newspapers are laser printed within the library on 11x17 paper from PDF files from NewspaperDirect. The response of our patrons has been enthusiastic. With the time difference between Vancouver and many of the newspapers offered, VPL will actually be able to offer tomorrow's news today. Vancouver Public Library will be providing access to a selection of these papers at the Central Library's Newspaper & Magazines Division, and at a number of Branches. The Central Library will begin this service by offering El Pais (Spain), Korea Daily News (South Korea), the LA Times (USA), Le Monde (France), the Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines), the UK Times (England), and the Washington Post (USA). Patrons will be encouraged to suggest future titles in order to expand the choice of the core group of papers. Established in 1999 to open new distribution channels for international newspaper publishers and to provide global business travelers with their favorite newspaper, NewspaperDirect is a local electronic newspaper delivery company. NewspaperDirect joins a range of newspaper and magazine resources available to Vancouver Public Library's patrons. Other recent additions to Vancouver Public Library include the Community Newspaper Index, a web gateway to articles from past issues of The Georgia Straight, The Vancouver Courier, and The Westender, and Globe and Mail: Canada's Heritage from 1844, an electronic full-image version of the complete works of The Globe and Mail newspapers from its inception in 1844 to December 1999.

(http://www.newspaperdirect.com), (http://www.vpl.ca)

NextPage Inc. has announced that Thomson, Reed Elsevier, and Wolters Kluwer have deployed NextPage solutions. More than 500 professional publishers use NextPage products. Numerous subsidiaries of Thomson, Reed Elsevier, and Wolters Kluwer and other companies use NextPage technology, including ABG Professional Information; Aspen Publishing; BNA; Butterworths Tolley; Carswell; CCH Canadian; Editions du Juris Classeur; Facts & Comparisons; LexisNexis; Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; Martindale-Hubble; Matthew Bender; Practitioners Publishing Company; RIA; Sheshunoff Information Services; Sweet & Maxwell; Thomson Learning; Warren, Gorham & Lamont; and West Group. With NextPage solutions, publishers hope to increase revenue by enabling users to search for and navigate to the right information quickly, easily, and in the way they want via the Internet, intranet, extranet, DVD, or CD-ROM. This flexibility allows publishers to offer and promote new products, services and business models, and cross-market and cross-sell existing content. Publishers can decrease their production and delivery costs by using NextPage solutions. With one solution from NextPage, publishers edit, manage, assemble, and deliver content to the electronic mediums required. The technology includes integration with editorial processes, versioning, workflow, link validation, and rich content delivery. NextPage publishing solutions have been deployed primarily in the financial services, legal, healthcare, insurance, education and science industries.

(http://www.nextpage.com)

General Electric has selected Zycus Inc.' automated UNSPSC classification engine, AutoClass, to drive company-wide adoption of UNSPSC and enhance spend analyses. The solution, available in real-time and batch classification modes, is designed for use by thousands of requisitioners across the company. In the Live Connect mode, AutoClass classifies all catalog and non-catalog purchases at the source, thus ensuring data integrity. GE users employ AutoClass daily to classify free text procurement requests. Results are received within seconds and assists in providing granular spend classification for GE's purchases. In the Batch Connect mode, AutoClass classifies historical purchase data or inventory data, thus providing ongoing insight into GE s spend landscape and increased inventory visibility. AutoClass is capable of integration with numerous purchasing systems like Oracle iProcurement, and XML punch-out sites. The solution's ability to handle multi-industry data is an added advantage given GE's diverse range and area of operations.

(http://www.ge.com)

Dialog, a Thomson business and a provider of online-based information services and integrated information solutions, announced that its Dialog NewsRoom service, a database of more than 7,000 news sources from around the world, is now available through the Dialog NewsEdge service. Dialog NewsEdge is an industry-specific, personalized current awareness and news alerting service for corporations. It combines news, analysis, and research culled from thousands of global sources with customized editorial relevance ranking, managed by editors specializing in specific industry sectors. Launched in March 2002, Dialog NewsRoom is a database of news sources that may be searched simultaneously using a single search command. Content sources include broadcast transcripts, newspapers (including hundreds of newspapers from around the world), periodicals, newswires, trade and scholarly journals, and other content sources, in English and ten other languages, drawn from nearly 100 countries. A large proportion of sources have archives going back to 2000, with some extending back to 1990. Document pricing is $2.95 per document, with unlimited usage subscription pricing available. In addition to Dialog NewsEdge, Dialog customers may access the news service through a variety of other Dialog services.  It is a stand-alone Web-based service available through subscription, and also a component of other online services offered by Dialog, including the Dialog-branded platform of online services, Dialog DataStar, Dialog Profound, and Intelligence Data InSite. Users of the stand-alone service can now access Dialog NewsRoom Publications List through the Web-based service.

Among the recently added content sources (and their countries of origin) now available for full-text searching and article retrieval through Dialog NewsRoom are: Business A.M. (United Kingdom--weekday newspaper covering Scottish business, government, culture and society); Business Standard (India--publishers of Business Daily, with regional editions and supplements); Emerald (United Kingdom--publishers of management and library and information services journals); Heren Reports (United Kingdom--produced by energy data reporting service PH Energy Analysis Ltd. Reports cover European energy markets in English and German); Newspress (France--online distributor of official news releases issued by various units of French government); Prime Tass (Russia--news service offering its English-language newswire, covering general news and business topics in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States); and Le Temps (Switzerland--French-language newspaper published in Geneva). Previously added content sources include the Boston Globe, The New York Times, The Financial Times, The South China Morning Post and numerous others. Dialog said it will continue adding content sources from around the world to the Dialog NewsRoom service.

Dialog has also announced the launch of a searchable database of more than 65 million current and historic Internet domain name records. The database includes records for about 20 million currently active domain names, with most containing detailed "Whois" information. The Whois record attached to a domain name is part of a publicly available registration document that lists registrant and technical information for each domain name. Unlike the simple domain name look-up services available on the open Web, Dialog subscribers may search from more than 50 indexed Whois data fields contained in domain registrations, including the registrant's name, corporate affiliation, address, phone number and specific technical information such as IP addresses. The domain names database might be used by Dialog subscribers for: trademark clearance, litigation and infringement investigations; new product development; audits of domain names during merger or acquisition due diligence; maintenance of product names and internal corporate domain name inventories; monitoring competitors; or criminal investigations by law enforcement officials, including cyber crime. Unique to the new Dialog database is historic information that allows users to follow trails of domain registration transfers and changes. The new content source is available through the online services DialogWeb, DialogClassic and DialogLink. Containing more than 65 million records - a number Dialog says it expects to expand in the months ahead - the new database, File #225, is now Dialog's largest single database. The database includes data from several leading registrars from around the world, including VeriSign, BulkRegister, DomainPeople, DomainSite, eNameCo, eNom, MelbourneIT, NamesBeyond and Tucows. Additional registrars will be added later.

(http://www.dialognewsroom.com), (http://www.thomson.com)

Canto, a provider of DAM solutions, has announced the immediate availability of "Web Publisher Pro", a new Option that allows users to publish Cumulus catalogs and to market digital assets on dynamic Web pages on the Internet. The new Option is based on the Cumulus Java Classes and JSP technology and is designed for users intend to use their published assets for marketing and generating business, as is the case in marketing departments, ad agencies, publishing houses, PR departments, and also in museums, mail-order-houses, and other users. The new Internet solution is compatible with Cumulus Workgroup Edition and Enterprise Edition. Web Publisher Pro enables users to create dynamic Web pages allowing visitors to search for images and other documents within Cumulus catalogs using a standard Web browser. The new Option features an incorporated ordering system and offers improved performance over the existing Cumulus Web Publisher Option, which will continue to be offered. Web Publisher Pro uses Cumulus' format conversion functions so that assets can be converted into other file formats, color spaces, or resolutions before downloading them. The integrated ordering system enables users to choose a preferred method of asset delivery-download, email or physical fulfillment, e.g. CD-ROM. A separate management of users and groups has now been implemented, based on the Cumulus database so that no additional installation and licensing efforts are required. Web Publisher Pro is based on the Cumulus Java Classes and JSP technology. Contrary to Java script implementations, all actions are performed on the server with the Java implementation used here. Web Publisher Pro is immediately available with English, German, and French user interfaces on Mac OS X, Windows, Solaris, and Linux platforms. Web Publisher Pro costs $1495 per server installation and is available from a Canto sales partner or in Canto's eShop. Upgrades for existing Web Publisher installations are offered. UAP customers who signed their Web Publisher UAP agreement before November 30, 2002 will get the upgrade as part of the Upgrade Advantage Program. Online demos as well as demo versions for download are available.

(http://www.canto.com)

H.W. Wilson has announced that several of its most popular print reference works will soon be available in libraries as ebooks. Famous First Facts, 5th Edition, Famous First Facts About Sports, Facts About the Presidents, 7th Edition, and Speeches of the American Presidents, 2nd Edition will be released in the new format next month through netLibrary, an ebook publisher and distributor. netLibrary (a division of OCLC Online Computer Library Center) provides libraries and their patrons with anytime, anywhere access to reference, scholarly, and professional ebooks that can be viewed, searched, and checked out via the Internet.  By combining the traditions of the library system with electronic publishing, netLibrary hopes to offer an easy-to-use information and retrieval system for accessing the full text of publications. More than 48,000 titles are currently available in ebook form through netLibrary, for academic, public, corporate, K-12, and special libraries.

(http://www.hwwilson.com), (http://www.netlibrary.com)

Endeca, a provider of Guided Navigation with advanced search solutions, has announced that it is working with IBM, as a preferred provider, to bring Endeca's technology to ebusinesses. Endeca and IBM hope to deliver a comprehensive solution to ecommerce company Ritz Interactive that combines Endeca's search, Guided Navigation, and dynamic merchandising with IBM WebSphere Commerce's personalization, security, and business intelligence capabilities. Implementing Endeca InFront and integrating it with WebSphere Commerce 5.4 was accomplished in two weeks, so that the Ritz Interactive network would have new site functionality up in time for the holiday shopping season. WebSphere Commerce is IBM's ecommerce software for deploying and managing both consumer and business commerce sites. With WebSphere Commerce's platform, ebusinesses of all types will be able to deploy Endeca technology.  Also, with this announcement, IBM officially joins the Endeca Alliance Program as a technology partner.

Ritz Interactive will be the first joint customer to deploy Endeca InFront, Endeca's product for advanced search and Guided Navigation of commerce and catalog sites, on the IBM WebSphere Commerce 5.4 platform. Ritz Interactive has rolled out Endeca InFront's Guided Navigation and search capabilities to enable its customers to find the products they are looking for, compare them for pricing and functionality, and make informed purchases. The Endeca and IBM WebSphere Commerce implementation at Ritz Interactive was deployed as a common infrastructure to support Ritz Interactive's ecommerce network of fourteen sites, which includes photo specialty sites RitzCamera.com and WolfCamera.com, marine specialty site BoatersWorld.com, electronics product RitzElectronics.com, and other popular online shopping destinations.

(http://www.endeca.com), (http://www.ibm.com/software/commerce), (http://www.RitzInteractive.com)

Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), a provider of chemical information and a division of the American Chemical Society, reports that more than 50% of the organic and inorganic chemical substances recorded in the CAS Chemical Registry System during 2002 were derived from patent documents as opposed to journal literature and other publications. This finding highlights a trend evident since at least 1998 in which an increasing percentage of substances of this type have been reported for the first time in patents. CAS registers substances of all types as they are newly reported and come to the attention of CAS scientists who analyze and index patents from 37 issuing authorities, articles from more than 9,000 scientific journals, books and other documents published around the world.  These scientists study each patent document, identify key concepts along with possibly dozens of claimed substances, and provide indexing that anticipates researchers' interests and the pathways they would explore to find this specific document. According to CAS, other important sources of organic and inorganic substances in addition to patent documents are journal literature and screening libraries, which generate many compounds for drug discovery.

STN International, an online database network for science and technology, has enhanced STN Easy for Intranets. The enhancements make it easy for information professionals to use their expertise to deliver customized sci-tech information from databases to their corporate end users. The new capabilities in STN Easy for Intranets available later this month will enable information professionals to deliver additional value to their end users through new options that support a wide range of user preferences and expertise: pre-defined and editable search strategies from over 80 databases on STN Easy and the ability to post search results from the more than 200 sci-tech databases on STN.

(http://www.cas.org)

ContentGuard Inc. has announced a global licensing agreement with Sony Corporation.  Under the agreement ContentGuard, which has a large portfolio of Digital Rights Management related technologies, including early foundation patents covering DRM systems and digital rights languages, has licensed its DRM intellectual property to Sony for the development, manufacturing and marketing of Sony products and services.  ContentGuard will receive license fees for Sony products and services that use patented ContentGuard DRM technologies.

(http://www.contentguard.com), (http://www.sony.com)

Taylor & Francis, an academic publisher, has selected Convera and Semantico for four separate online publishing initiatives. Semantico, Convera's UK-based partner that specializes in delivering online solutions to publishers, has already embedded Convera's RetrievalWare search and retrieval technology in three of Taylor & Francis' major Web sites, including The Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, The International Who's Who, and The World of Learning. Taylor & Francis also will use RetrievalWare on its biggest project to date, the new online version of The Europa World Year Book, expected to launch in 2003. Semantico has developed a range of extensions for Convera's RetrievalWare to specifically meet Taylor & Francis' reference publishing requirements.  The extensions have enabled Taylor & Francis to tailor search requirements and functionality, ultimately allowing users to search more efficiently and accurately across the wealth of information available.

(http://www.convera.com), (http://www.semantico.com), (http://www.tandf.co.uk)

Equilibirum, a provider of rich-media servers for the enterprise, has announced a broadening of their strategic relationship with Microsoft Corp. to include solution support and channel development incentives for integrating Equilibrium MediaRich Image Server with Microsoft Content Management Server 2002, Commerce Server 2002, and SharePoint Portal Server 2001. The dynamic imaging integration is intended to reduce the time and costs required to generate, modify, and deploy digital images, text graphics, and video assets for mutual enterprise customers. Equilibrium MediaRich is server-based software that automates the repetitive production and enables multi-channel delivery of digital assets though rich-media templating. As a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, Equilibrium will provide solution support by developing prototypes that incorporate dynamic imaging functionality with Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers. Equilibrium will also take a more active sales role in identifying key accounts and appropriate system integrators for joint channel development activities.

(http://www.equilibrium.com), (http://www.microsoft.com)

VentureWire, a daily news and information service for the venture capital community, and MIT's Technology Review have signed a strategic partnership to jointly publish Semiconductor Innovation Letter, an exclusive, twice-monthly electronic newsletter covering technical advances, research innovations, market shifts, and venture-capital activity in the semiconductor industry. Designed for industry executives and investors, Semiconductor Innovation Letter gives readers an inside view into the sector by providing analysis, insight, news, and quantitative evaluation of companies within the semiconductor industry. Written by a team of editors from both organizations, the newsletter focuses on innovations from newly funded start-ups, university labs, and established public companies. Example topics include the convergence of communication and computation, 3D architectures, silicon nanowires, and organic semiconductors. Each issue includes three main sections: R&D Analysis: A forward-looking analysis of a technical innovation that is poised to effect existing semiconductor markets; Venture Briefings: Exclusive, incisive reports on the progress and plans of venture-backed chip startups; and Datastream: A collection of charts, tables, and graphics that show readers what sectors are hot, which investors are making the most deals, and which way the chip-investing crowd is moving at any moment. The Semiconductor Innovation Newsletter is delivered via email as an electronic publication. Yearly subscriptions (24 issues) are now available for $995 and corporate licenses.  

(http://semiconductorinnovation.com), (http://venturewire.com)