ITU-T Recommendations now free

Recommendations on standardisation from the International Telecommunication Union are now free in view of the overall success of a recent trial. The ITU Council 2007 has adopted this policy on a permanent basis. The new policy also includes access to in-force and superseded ITU-T Recommendations (posted in PDF format only). It should be remembered this information is relative to ITU-T Recommendations only.

ITU-T Recommendations can be accessed at the International Telecommunication Union website.

Online material for mechanical engineers

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is in the process of building a digital library to provide a single point of access for all its publications. When the full service is launched in 2008 users will be able to view the following:

• ASME's current Transactions Journals
• ASME's journal archive dating back to 1990
• ASME's conference proceedings dating back to 2002
• ASME Press e-Books

The test/ preview site currently provides subscriber access to ASME's Transactions Program online journals and can be found at:

http://www.asmedl.org/

We are encouraged to visit the site frequently as much more will be added throughout the rest of 2007. Feedback on the progress of the site is welcomed.

New British Library Service

The British Library have announced the launch of a new database to aid resource discovery - British Library Direct Plus. This subscription-based service provides access to details of over 67,000 journals and 400,000 conference proceedings in the British Library collection. Articles identified through this service may be ordered via the British Library Document Supply Service.
A basic service is now live, but an advanced version is planned for early 2008 which will allow users to build up individual libraries of resources including websites and e-journals.

For further information and to request a free trial contact: marketing@bl.uk

Science and Innovation report published

Lord Sainsbury recently published his Review of the UK science and innovation system which examines the role of science and innovation in ensuring the UK remains competitive in our increasingly globalised economy.

Key recommendations in the review include:

• A new leadership role for the Technology Strategy Board Working with the RDA's the Research Councils and government departments to co-ordinate public sector support for technological innovation, leverage public sector resources and simplify access to funds for business.
• Building on our success in knowledge transfer by giving more support through the Higher Education Innovation Fund to business-facing universities, setting targets for knowledge transfer from Research Councils, doubling the number of Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and extending these further to FE Colleges.
• A major campaign to enhance the teaching of science and technology including raising the number of qualified STEM teachers, increasing the number of young people studying triple science, improving careers advice, establishing a National Science Competition, and rationalising the many schemes to inspire our young people to take up careers in science and engineering.
• A key role for Government Departments based on an improved procurement capability, a reformed Small Business Research Initiative managed in partnership with the TSB, and consideration for the incorporation of innovation into the duties of the economic regulators.
• Increasing the focus of RDAs on science and innovation by encouraging them to put additional resources into TSB programmes, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, high-technology clusters around world-class research universities, and proof-of-concept schemes consistent with a nationally agreed specification.

The relevant PDF documents relating to the review can be downloaded from the HM Treasury website:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_reviews/sainsbury_review/sainsbury_index.cfm

Or go direct to the Review:

http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/5/E/sainsbury_review051007.pdf

Web 2.0 - What It's all About - an Aslib Engineering workshop held at at Brunel University

On a warm and promising day last week, Phil Bradley did an excellent job of guiding a room full of 'first-timers' through the essentials of Web 2.0. Essentially Web 2.0 brings things together favourite links, "to do" lists, key searches, contacts, and so on, and provides the ability to share what you've found and stored with friends, colleagues, or just the world in general!

The big advantage is that you clearly do not need any real technical knowledge in order to do this. You can create your own web page complete with blog and even a customised search engine in a matter of minutes. Phil introduced us to some of the best tools available - Pageflakes, Rollyo and Zimbio - as well as offering comparable alternatives from the thousands available. The real benefit of the day (aside from Phil's immense knowledge and experience!) was Time - time to play and experiment without interruption.

So what is Web 2.0 all about? Constant change - forget your ideas of the Internet as it is, we're moving on. Not sure if it's for you or afraid to get started? We left with Phil's advice ringing in our ears: "Just Do It!!!"

For more information on Web 2.0 please see Phil's website.

Phil's presentation on Web 2.o is available to download from Slideshare (another great Web 2.0 tool!)

If anyone reading this was at the workshop, please do share your thoughts with us! Have you started using any of the skills or tools you learned about last week?

Free access to Royal Society Digital Journal Archive

Following a recent announcement from the Royal Society, the Digital Journal Archive, dating back to 1665 and containing in excess of 60,000 articles, will be free online from 1st September to 30th November 2007. During this three month period, librarians and academics will be able to access and download any article from arguably the most comprehensive publishing resource in science.

More details may be found at:

www.publishing.royalsoc.ac.uk/archive

New sports engineering journal announced for 2008

Professional Engineering Publishing, publishers to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, has launched the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, which will commence publication in 2008. The journal will form Part P of the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The launch of this journal comes at a time when academic activity within Sports Engineering and Technology is on the increase. Many Universities, over 20 in the UK alone, offer undergraduate degree programmes in Sports Engineering or Sports Technology. Coupled with the increasing number of global sports engineering associations this is a discipline that is flourishing.

Professor Mike Caine, Loughborough University, has been appointed Editor of the new journal. Professor Caine commented: “There can be no better home for the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology than that of the Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. I am delighted that the IMechE have elected to publish such a contemporary journal within their Proceedings.”

The Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology aims to become the publication of choice for authors seeking to disseminate original research findings related to the development or application of technology in sports.

The scope of the journal includes but is not limited to papers on:

Equipment used for competition, training, rehabilitation and coaching
Sports equipment related design and innovation (the ideation process, concept creation, embodiment refinement, design for mass manufacture and for sustainability)
The development and validation of instrumentation, processes or software to enhance research activities within sports engineering and technology

The Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology will be available as a combined print and online subscription in 2008. For more information about the journal visit:

http://journals.pepublishing.com/jset