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Smithsonian images on Flickr

The Smithsonian is up and running on Flickr Commons ... the photos are all labeled "no known copyright restrictions" and the photos are high-res. I was particularly intrigued by the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology, with photos of famous scientists and inventors.

http://flickr.com/photos/smithsonian

Discovered today on: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/06/19/smithsonian-copyrigh.html

New resources May/June 2008

Here's a number of new resources, now available via the gateway:

Statesman's Yearbook Online was conceived of by Robert Carlyle and brought into being with the help of William Gladstone. Their vision for the book was an authoritative and accessible volume containing information essential for diplomats, politicians and all statesmen involved with international affairs. It quickly gained recognition as an indispensable reference tool and has been published continuously since 1864, through two world wars, without missing an edition. It was ranked by Library Journal as one of the top 20 best reference resources of the millennium. Today, international affairs concern almost every one of us and the scope of the book has become correspondingly broader, with expanded coverage of history, politics, economics, trade and infrastructure for each country, all thoroughly researched and verified by a dedicated editorial team. It also provides extensive further reading lists and web links for further research.

The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd edition, edited by Steven N. Durlauf and Lawrence E. Blume, contains over 1,850 articles by more than 1,500 of the world's leading economists.
While some classic articles from the 1987 were retained, around 80% of the text was either entirely new or substantially rewritten to reflect the depth of change within the discipline between the editions. This new edition retains the inspiring tradition of bringing together the world's most influential economists writing in their own voice on their areas of expertise, but in its online incarnation it has married this tradition with the benefits of a dynamic, updated resource serving the information needs of a new generation of economists

TRIAL: HarpWeek is a web site that provides electronic access to Harper’s Weekly, the illustrated 19th century "Journal of Civilization," for a 56-year period: 1857-1912. HarpWeek's electronic database makes it possible for you to discover the lively news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature and even advertisements that shaped and reflected public opinion in this era. Using HarpWeek’s powerful features, you can browse through 56 years of Harper’s Weekly page by page, locate specific articles based on search terms or phrases you specify, or use sophisticated indexing and synopsis tools to comb through thousands of Harper’s Weekly articles. Trial expires JULY 3, 2008.

TRIAL: Shakespeare Survey is a yearbook of Shakespeare studies and production. Since 1948 Survey has published the best international scholarship in English and many of its essays have become classics of Shakespeare criticism. Each volume is devoted to a theme, or play, or group of plays; each also contains a section of reviews of that year's textual and critical studies, and of the year's major British performances. The virtues of accessible scholarship and a keen interest in performance, from Shakespeare's time to our own, have characterised the journal from the start. The books are illustrated with a variety of Shakespearean images and production photographs. Shakespeare Survey Online makes all issues of the Survey, including over 90% of the original images, available online for the first time. The latest volume, Theatres for Shakespeare (Volume 60), has been added to the collection as part of the November update to Cambridge Collections Online. TRIAL EXPIRES June 26, 2008.

PLATFORM CHANGE: As of July 1, 2008 both America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts will cease to be available on the ABC-CLIO interface but will now be offered on the EBSCOHost platform. Redirect links will be put in place.
The URL has been constructed so that when you click on either product from the db A-Z listing you will be searching both simultaneously. For a preview: America: History & Life and Historical Abstracts

TRIAL: Canadian Points of View Reference Centre™ is a full-text database designed to provide students with a series of essays that present multiple sides of a current issue. The database provides information on 100 key topics of interest to Canadian researchers, each with an overview (objective background/description), point (argument), counterpoint (opposing argument), and Critical Thinking Guide. Topics covered include: environment, health, human rights, crime, race, technology, substance abuse, and many more. Canadian Points of View Reference Centre contains a balance of materials from all viewpoints, including 400 main essays, leading political magazines from both sides of the aisle, newspapers, radio & TV news transcripts, primary source documents, and reference books. The database also offers guides to debate, developing arguments and writing position papers. Additionally, this database contains the Video Encyclopedia of the 20th Century, providing students with a searchable collection of some of the most important social, political, and cultural moments of the 20th century. Canadian Points of View Reference Centre provides the basis from which students can realize and develop persuasive arguments and essays, better understand controversial issues and develop analytical thinking skills. Critical Thinking Guides for every topic covered helps the student judge Fact vs. Opinion and enhances the student's ability to read and think critically. TRIAL EXPIRES June 19, 2008

UPGRADE: People's Daily. It is now available online with daily updates rather than monthly.
Description (from website): With publication started in June 1946 and a current circulation of 3 million, People's Daily is the most influential and authoritative newspaper in China. It is the official voice of the central government of the People's Republic of China For the last over 60 years, the People's Daily has published daily issues that provide the single location where the central government and the Communist Party of China announce their respective policies and disseminate governmental, political, and economic messages to the public and the world. Most importantly, since its inception the newspaper has been the true barometer of the political climate of Chinese society on a daily basis.

NEW: GreenFILE offers well-researched but accessible information covering all aspects of human impact on the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles include content on the environmental effects of individuals, corporations and local/national governments, and what can be done on each level to minimize negative impact. Topics covered include global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more. GreenFILE is multidisciplinary by nature and draws on the connections between the environment and a variety of disciplines such as agriculture, education, law, health and technology. The database provides indexing and abstracts for approximately 295,000 records, as well as Open Access full text for more than 4,600 records.
Note: This resource is being offered free to existing EBSCO customers.

CRKN final announced

Attached is the CRKN announcement regarding the newly licensed digital content for the humanities and social sciences.
CRKN pdf