TRIAL: Faculty of 1000 Biology

The Library has taken out a trial database to Faculty of 1000 Biology until 16th May. Feedback about this resource would be appreciated

"Faculty of 1000 Biology is the next generation literature awareness tool. It is a revolutionary new online research service that will comprehensively and systematically highlight and review the most interesting papers published in the biological sciences, based on the recommendations of a faculty of well over 1000 selected leading researchers.

Faculty of 1000 Biology will be run by scientists for scientists, and will provide a rapidly updated consensus map of the important papers and trends across biology.

Faculty of 1000 Biology:

• Provides scientists with a continuously updated insider's guide to the most important papers within any given field of research
• Highlights papers on the basis of their scientific merit rather than the journal in which they appear
• Offers the researcher a consensus of recommendations from well over 1000 leading scientists
• Systematically organizes and evaluates the mass of information within scientific literature
• Offers an immediate rating of individual papers by the authors' peers, and an important complement to the indirect assessment provided by the journal impact factor."

COURSE: Image Management in Bio- and Environmental Sciences: New Directions

a UKeiG and IAALD Course

to be held at

The John Rylands University Library, University of Manchester Thursday, 31st May, 2007, 9.30 - 16.30

Workshop Outline The bio- and environmental sciences cover a broad spectrum from taxonomy to bioinformatics, farming to climate change, with a correspondingly wide range of information resources ranging from historic manuscripts to genomic databanks. Images form an important component of all these and achieving holistic management of diverse resources to allow easy correlation of their information content is challenging, especially for small information units and 'one-man-bands'. Developing technologies offer new opportunities but can themselves produce new demands in devising effective strategies for their use. This workshop aims to share experiences and float ideas in areas where there are as yet no 'right answers'!

The workshop will comprise a mix of presentations and group discussion, with demonstration of some examples of good practice. Topics are expected to range over:

* Locating sources: what to look for and where to look * Digital libraries and repositories: cross searching effectively * Embedded images: searching within documents * Metadata content and ontologies: requirements for effective retrieval * Rights issues and commercial factors * Storage and preservation: short- and long-term issues * Using images in teaching and learning: the role of the information specialist * Taxonomic trails: specimen collection to DNA * Image Bioinformatics: developing new tools * The impact of web 2.0 technologies: salvation or hype?

The workshop is presentein association with the new UK/Ireland chapter of IAALD (International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists), provisionally known as FIBS - Focus on Information in the Bio- and environmental Sciences.

Who Should Attend Anyone whose work involves the use of images in this subject area will benefit from this meeting, from any sector - university, college, government, NHS, charity, learned society, commercial etc. We hope for a good mix as we all have much to learn from each other!

Presenters A panel of speakers is being arranged, chaired by Roger Mills, Bio- and Environmental Sciences Librarian, Oxford University Library Services. Roger is currently President of EBHL (European Botanical and Horticultural Libraries) and co-ordinator of IUFRO (International Union of Forest Research Organisations) Unit 6.03.00 Information Services and Knowledge Organisation. He is co-author of The New Walford: Volume 1: Science Technology and Medicine, Facet, 2005, as subject specialist for Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries and Food.

Further details of the speakers and programme will be announced on http://www.ukeig.org.uk/training/ as available.

Image Management in Bio- and Environmental Sciences: New Directions

The John Rylands University Library, University of Manchester Thursday, 31st May 2007, 9.30 - 16.30

Costs (including lunch and refreshments):

UKeiG and IAALD members £130 + VAT (£152.75); others £160 + VAT (£188.00)