RSC pledges £1 million aid for UK chemical science researchers to publish OA papers

September 12, 2012

Yet again the RSC has demonstrated its foresight in the world of scientific publishing.

To support the transition to Open Access (OA), the RSC recently pledged £1 million to aid UK chemical science researchers to publish ‘Open Access’ papers in RSC journals. This gesture has now been followed by the UK Government, with an announcement on Friday that it will invest £10 million to support the transition to OA.

But the RSC questions the effectiveness of the government’s initial funding, saying that on its own, this may be too thinly spread to have a significant positive effect.

On Friday, science and universities minister David Willetts, pledged ‘extra’ money to aid thirty research-intensive universities as they make the shift to open access publishing. The government’s £10 million will be a one-off transfer of funding from the existing science budget (of £3bn annually) and will be in addition to block grants for article processing charges that will be made available by the research councils from April 2013. The amount and distribution of these block grants is still unclear.

The Finch Report estimated that in order to achieve a significant and sustainable increase in access to research content, an additional £50-60m a year in expenditure will be required.

In July, Dr Robert Parker, RSC Chief Executive, expressed concern that no new money was being found to help with the significant transition costs to the Open Access publishing model recommended in the Finch report.

To assist researchers during a period of uncertain funding for OA, the RSC announced its ‘Gold for Gold’ initiative. This enables researchers who do not yet have the funding to pay Open Access fees to make their paper available via Open Science – the RSC’s Gold Open Access model. All UK institutions subscribing to RSC Gold – the RSC’s premium collection of journals, databases and magazines – have received credit for future Open Science publication fees equal to their subscriptions paid.

UK institutions have responded positively to Gold for Gold, and the first journal article for publication through this initiative came from a research group based at the University of Hull.

Dr James Milne, Managing Director, RSC Publishing, said: “The initial £10 million funding is certainly welcomed. However, one should note that this will be shared across seven research councils, and restricted to just thirty eligible universities. For the chemical science community, as they try to understand and comply with funding agency mandates, this will be appreciated, but how it will be distributed and managed is somewhat uncertain. We also await news of the scale and distribution of the Research Council block grants, which we hope will make up the £40-50 million gap to support the funder led Open Access mandates.

“One also wonders what will happen to those UK institutions that are not included in the government’s selection of ‘research intensive’ universities. The first paper published as part of the Gold for Gold initiative came from the University of Hull, who will not receive any part of the £10m funding announced by the government. This shows the importance of the RSC’s Gold for Gold initiative in supporting researchers during this transitional period.”

The Complete SMPTE Digital Library Debuts on the HighWire Open Platform

September 12, 2012

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the worldwide leader in motion‐imaging standards and education for the communications, technology, media, and entertainment industries, is proud to announce the debut of their vibrant new Digital Library on the HighWire Open Platform. library.smpte.org

“We were looking to increase service to our members and the community through this new Digital Library,” said SMPTE Executive Director, Barbara Lange. “With our new online presence, we hope also to expand our visibility to those who don’t know us well, as we feel that HighWire’s close connection to the experts at Google Scholar and widespread use of open linked data will be instrumental in increasing our audience.”

The SMPTE Digital Library features new integrated search functionality, allowing users to expand their search across the entire SMPTE Digital Library material. Search results reveal the number of hits, and the source of the information, whether it comes from the Society’s Journal, Conference Proceedings or the Standards book content.

“The Society made a great decision to utilize HighWire’s future‐focused Open Platform to build their digital library,” said HighWire’s Director of Publisher Relations, Mark Johnson. “Our platform ensures that SMPTE will enjoy long‐term interoperability as we focus on our own strict use of standards to enhance cross‐publisher discoverability, and offer high‐end products such as mobile and multimedia.”

The SMPTE Digital Library provides one‐stop access to SMPTE resources, informing professionals about the latest technology products and industry research as they happen. The SMPTE Digital Library ties together the various elements of the society’s products, including the SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal, from 1916 to the present, the Society’s conference proceedings, and the full suite of SMPTE standards, recommended practices, and engineering guidelines. SMPTE Motion Imaging Journal is the Society’s key publication providing peer‐reviewed articles on topics in 3D, imaging processing, display technologies, audio, compression, digital cinema, and much more.

The use of motion‐imaging technologies continues to move into new applications in the military, healthcare, security, marketing, technology, and other industries. The launch of the SMPTE Digital Library creates a new repository, which will be accessible to SMPTE members and non‐members – as well as academic and corporate librarians – around the world.

Bowker and LibraryThing launch BookPsychic

September 11, 2012

LibraryThing and Bowker^® have launched BookPsychic, a new concept in readers advisory — a personal recommender system for libraries. BookPsychic is a service within LibraryThing for Libraries™, distributed by Bowker^®, an affiliate of ProQuest. It went live at its first site earlier this month at Maine’sPortland Public Library.

BookPsychic works by inviting library patrons to rate books using an interface that early users felt was familiar and intuitive. Books to rate and recommendations are split into simple genres, like “Recent Fiction,” “History” and “Home and Garden.” As patrons rate more books, the system learns more and more about their likes and dislikes, enabling the creation of “Just for You” recommendations.

“We are excited about BookPsychic because it fits right in with our library’s focus on engaging readers with particularly relevant recommendations for their next read. It’s simple, fun, and fast at doing just that,” said Sarah Campbell, Head of Lending, Technical Services and Systems at Portland Public Library. “It’s good for the library too because BookPsychic recommends what the library actually owns. It’s a way for the library to be of immediate service to our community anywhere, all the time.”

“BookPsychic isn’t just a new service,” said Tim Spalding, president of LibraryThing, “It’s also a new idea — a recommendation system for single libraries. Commercial websites have such systems, but, useful as they can be, they’re about pushing you to buy their products. There’s never been something driven by library values and recommending items you can get for free and often that day.”

BookPsychic’s recommendation system runs off more than 200 million data points from members of LibraryThing.com, a social network for book lovers. It also analyzes book and DVD popularity in the library, and across the more than 300 libraries that use LibraryThing for Libraries. BookPsychic integrates with the social networks Facebook and Twitter for signup, and users can import ratings from LibraryThing.com and Goodreads.

Initial reactions from the library and technology worlds have been positive. Tech publisher and speaker Tim O’Reilly tweeted “More libraries should adopt bookpsychic”. Carli Spina of the “Novel Technology” blog wrote “For an automated tool, I think Book Psychic does a surprisingly good job of coming up with personalized book recommendations. I expect that it will be a hit with libraries and patrons alike.” Twitter user @ethanharris tweeted “OK, bookpsychic.com is seriously GREAT! The recommendations are spot on. It’s like Netflix for my books. Well done.”

Libraries interested in further information on BookPsychic can contact Peder Christensen at 877-340-2400 or emailPeder.Christensen@bowker.com.

The Knovel University Challenge Launches With New Weekly Prizes For Solving Engineering Problems

September 11, 2012

Knovel, the leading provider of a Web-based application integrating technical information with analytical and search tools, kicked off the Knovel University Challenge today with a new twist: additional prizes will be awarded on a weekly basis, giving students 12 more opportunities to win.

The annual Knovel University Challenge, now in its seventh year, continues to grow in popularity among engineering students globally. Faculty increasingly use it as a tool to introduce future engineers to top-notch resources available in the library as students learn how to research, problem-solve and prepare for a competitive workforce. Engineers at more than 300 companies worldwide incorporate Knovel into their workflow, so the University Challenge helps students to jumpstart their use of a resource that will be relevant throughout their careers.

More than 400 of the world’s top universities provide access to Knovel. Current engineering and science students from any of these universities can learn more, register and participate at www.knoveluniversitychallenge.com. Participation spans the globe and many professors incorporate the challenge into their curriculum.

“In Fall 2011, I incorporated the Knovel University Challenge in a graded homework assignment that I provided to the 600+ students in the freshman engineering orientation session,” said Kevin Drees, Engineering Librarian at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater. “I included Knovel because the research shows that hands-on searching with a database in an instruction session followed by an assignment completed afterwards increases the likelihood that students anchor the memory of the respective database and its usefulness.”

The Knovel University Challenge presents a series of questions on engineering-related topics, and students are encouraged to use Knovel and related features to find the correct answers. Prizes are awarded weekly to students of top-participating universities and at the conclusion of the contest. Chances to win include:

A Grand Prize Drawing for an Apple iPad selected from all eligible entries.
Weekly Drawings for a new Western Digital HD TV Live Streaming Media Player from the pool of student entries that week.
The first 10 universities with 100 players join a contest-within-the-contest, with one student participant from each university winning a set of Beats Tour earphones.
The deadline for Grand Prize entries is Midnight on December 1, 2012.

To take this year’s University Challenge, register here. You can also connect with Knovel on Twitter by searching @KnovelUpdates or using the #UC2012 hashtag.

Edinburgh University Press and Boydell & Brewer are set to join University Publishing Online

September 11, 2012

Cambridge University Press announces the addition of over 450 scholarly titles to University Publishing Online, from two of the UK’s most prestigious academic presses.

Launched in October 2011 by Cambridge University Press, University Publishing Online provides access to thousands of titles from scholarly presses around the world, accessible through quick, powerful search and browse functionality. With the addition of Edinburgh University Press and Boydell & Brewer, University Publishing Online will offer access to around 16,000 titles from nine global presses.

One of the largest university presses in the UK, Edinburgh University Press will launch with around 185 titles. Edinburgh publishes around 130 books a year in the humanities and social sciences, with particular focus on classics and ancient history, Islamic and Middle Eastern studies, language and linguistics, law, philosophy and politics.

The Boydell & Brewer Group publish across the humanities and is scheduled to go live with over around 290 titles. With specialist lists in African, Hispanic and German studies, it has an established partnership with the University of Rochester Press.

Timothy Wright, Chief Executive of Edinburgh University Press, said: “The unprecedented speed of change in the electronic publishing environment presents both challenges and significant opportunities for publishers. We are delighted to be working with Cambridge University Press and specifically withUniversity Publishing Online. Cambridge have a great deal of experience of working with a global network of academic institutions, libraries and scholars. This presence will enable Edinburgh to continue to innovate in how we sell our books and journals using a single online platform whilst maintaining our individual profile and branding.”

Peter Clifford, Managing Director, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, said: “As an increasing number of scholars and researchers in the humanities turn to electronic resources, we are pleased to join University Publishing Online‘s roster of blue-chip publishing partners. There are, of course, many channels that librarians can use to acquire e-books, but few are backed by the long print publishing tradition and online innovation of Cambridge University Press. We are certain that this partnership will be advantageous for Boydell & Brewer’s authors and customers alike.”

Richard Fisher, Managing Director, Academic and Professional Publishing, Cambridge University Press: “The addition of two such esteemed presses as Edinburgh University Press and Boydell & Brewer really highlights the commitment of Cambridge and University Publishing Online to providing users with scholarly content of the highest quality.”

To view UPO, go to www.universitypublishingonline.org.

Landmark Papers on the Higgs Boson Published and Freely Available in Elsevier’s Physics Letters B

September 11, 2012

Physics Letters B, Elsevier’s flagship journal in high energy physics, announced today that the observations of the long-sought Higgs particle, hailed as one of the greatest scientific discoveries of all time, have been published. The papers: “ Observation of a new boson at a mass of 125 GeV with the CMS experiment at the LHC” and “ Observation of a new particle in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson with the ATLAS detector at the LHC” are freely available online on ScienceDirect.

In July 2012, The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva announced they had captured a new particle that may be the elusive Higgs boson in two gigantic experiments, ATLAS and CMS, both of which independently confirmed the particle’s existence. A world-wide collaboration of more than 5,000 researchers contributed to the discovery.

“These papers present the first observations of a new particle discovered by two big experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in the search for the Standard Model Higgs boson which has spanned many decades and has involved many experiments,” explains physicist Joe Incandela, spokesperson of the CMS experiment. “They are the most important papers to come from the LHC so far and the findings are key to the field of particle physics. We are very pleased to see them published in Physics Letters B, accessible to all who may want to read them.”

“The discovery reported in these papers is a momentous step forward in fundamental knowledge,” added ATLAS experiment spokesperson Fabiola Gianotti. “It is the culmination of more than 20 years of effort of the worldwide high-energy physics community to build and operate instruments of unprecedented technology, complexity, and performance: the LHC accelerator and related experiments.”

The existence of the Higgs particle was first predicted in 1964 by three groups of leading physicists independently — François Englert and Robert Brout in August, Peter Higgs in October, and Gerald Guralnik, C. R. Hagen, and Tom Kibble (GHK) in November. Its discovery completes the Standard Model of particle physics and, most importantly, validates the theories developed over the last 50 years explaining how elementary particles can have mass.

“Elsevier has been working in close relationship with CERN in many ways, from publishing in Open Access LHC results, to SCOAP3, to improve our support for the CERN analysis framework ROOT files with scientific articles,” said Eleonora Presani, publisher of Physics Letters B at Elsevier. “We are proud that this relationship has been strengthened by their decision to publish in Physics Letter B two of the most important articles in their field in the last decade.”

From the outset, Physics Letters B has played an important role in publishing some of the milestone papers in the hunt for the Higgs boson — from Professor Higgs’ letter nearly half a century ago, “ Broken symmetries, massless particles and gauge fields”, to more recent experiments that narrowed the search for the Higgs particle. For example, ” Combined results of searches for the standard model Higgs boson in pp collisions at sqrt(s)=7 TeV” and “ Combined search for the Standard Model Higgs boson using up to 4.9 fb−1 of pp collision data at sqrt(s)=7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC” .

MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States joins Oxford University Press

September 11, 2012

Oxford University Press (OUP) is pleased to announce a publishing partnership with the Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States to publish their quarterly journal, MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States.

A prestigious and rigorous journal in the field of multi-ethnic literature of the United States, MELUS has been a vital resource for scholarship and teaching for more than thirty years, illuminating the national, international, and transnational contexts of US ethnic literature. By including interviews with established authors such as Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, and Richard Rodriguez, as well as more recent writers such as Junot Díaz, Ruth Ozeki, and Diana Abu-Jaber, MELUS remains on the cutting edge of literary and cultural scholarship. The journal plays a pivotal role in the field of US Ethnic Literature and is an indispensable resource for any library or any scholar of US Ethnic Literature.

As the only academic journal focusing exclusively on multi-ethnic literary and cultural studies of the United States, MELUS will enhance OUP’s literature list and contribute to its vision as an indispensable home for a cross-cultural exchange of views and a multi-ethnic community of scholars.

Niko Pfund, President of OUP USA, commented: “Too often in history, American literature has, by default, been limited to overly restrictive interpretations of what qualifies as such. Among its many other valuable contributions, MELUS forcefully corrects this myopic perspective by examining the many contributions of multi-ethnic literature to the American cultural landscape. We at OUP couldn’t be more pleased to be joining forces with MELUS in this important mission.”

Martha J. Cutter, the Editor-in-Chief of MELUS and a professor of English at the University of Connecticut, noted: “Increasingly, the MELUS journal has taken a transnational and intercultural approach to the concept of American literature. Our partnership with Oxford University Press is absolutely crucial to our goal of bringing content to new audiences in the US and outside the US. We look forward as well to making the journal available in new formats and with new features such as online access and ordering, searchable digital archives, and mobile optimization for smart phones. The MELUS society is very excited about the new possibilities for future access and readership enabled by our partnership with Oxford.

Self-published since 1974, MELUS features articles, interviews, and reviews encompassing the multi-ethnic scope of American literature, film, and culture. Articles also engage newly emerging art forms, such as graphic narrative and internet blogs. Most issues are thematically organized for greater understanding of topics, criticism, and theory in the full picture of American literature MELUS hopes to present.

OUP will publish MELUS beginning in 2013. For more information about the journal, including subscriptions, article submission guidelines, and how to register for free content-alerting services, please visit melus.oxfordjournals.org.

Simba Report – In Higher Ed, Multimedia Materials Pave the Way for Digital Classrooms

September 10, 2012

An effective means to creating programs that enable more efficient student learning, multimedia materials are settling in and becoming the driving force behind digital adoption in higher education. According to “eTextbooks and Multimedia in Higher Education,” a recent report from publishing forecast firm Simba Information, the market for multimedia materials will post a compound annual growth rate of 42.7% from 2011-2015.

Defined as tools and content delivered via a technology-based platform that includes homework assignments, assessments, clickers, downloadable lectures and web-site access, multimedia materials were created to supplement the textbook and increase its value. The report finds this segment will represent 12.3% of the media used in college classrooms by the end of 2012, when compared with new and used textbooks.

“A majority of these materials are providing students with the tools needed for self assessment, to help them get through a class; they have more functionality than a textbook,” said Kathy Mickey, senior analyst at Simba Information and author of the report. “At their current trajectory, multimedia materials will drive the acceptance of digital materials in the classroom.”

Currently, publishers are experimenting with institutional licensing programs that include a package of e-textbooks and multimedia materials. According to the report, these licensing programs will enable a rapid adoption of digital materials as universities strive to get needed instructional materials to as many students as possible and publishers want to move away from traditional distribution channels encumbered by used books and textbook rental programs.

“Print textbooks will remain relevant for many years to come, although textbooks may shift to become a resource as opposed to a core material,” said Mickey. “The concept of the textbook is changing; even e-textbooks will require more interactivity, bolstered with other multimedia materials in order to remain effective.”

The report, “eTextbooks and Multimedia in Higher Education”, examines the current penetration of e-textbooks and multimedia materials on college campuses and projects where they will grow through 2015. It provides comparative insight into the digital market penetration of select publishers, highlighting major players such as Pearson, Cengage Learning, McGraw-Hill and John Wiley & Sons. In addition, it delves into how e-textbooks are impacting traditional marketing and sales channels. It is available at: http://www.simbainformation.com/redirect.asp?progid=84134&productid=7114152

New Editor-in-Chief appointed to lead the future development of Expert Reviews of Molecular Medicine

September 10, 2012

Cambridge University Press announces the appointment of a new Editor-in-Chief, Professor Timothy Cox, University of Cambridge, to lead its journal Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine.

Professor Cox is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK, with clinical responsibility in acute internal medicine and metabolic diseases at Addenbrooke’s Hospital. He qualified in medicine in 1971 and has conducted scientific investigations principally on the inborn errors of metabolism. His recent research has focused on the lysosomal storage disorders (LSD) – their molecular pathogenesis and treatment by enzyme and gene therapy. In addition, he brings with him many years of editorial experience as he has served on the editorial board of several journals, is a member of the Cambridge University Press Publishing Syndicate and an Editor of the Oxford Textbook of Medicine.

Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine has been publishing high-quality peer-refereed review articles since late 1997, with the aim of producing a resource of engaging and authoritative overviews in the area of molecular medicine. The journal also received its impressive first Impact Factor of 7.143, placing the journal in a strong position amongst its competitors. Therefore, the time is right to look at new ways of increasing the exposure and reach of the journal which can only be achieved by the leadership of an Editor-in-Chief.

“After a long association with Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine, I am delighted to be appointed as Editor-in-Chief of this highly ranked Journal. The team at Cambridge will accept only the best manuscripts in this ever-burgeoning field: we will provide our readers with authoritative reviews and a formidable diversity of coverage – we also offer our authors the opportunity of having their first-rate scholarly work and scientific wisdom put before a wide and research-minded readership.” commented Professor Tim Cox, Editor-in-Chief, about his new appointment.

Molecular medicine as a broad definition refers to elucidating the pathogenesis of disease at the molecular or physiological level, which may lead to the design of specific tools for disease diagnosis, treatment or prevention – highlighting the timeliness and importance of the journal in the field. Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine is an exciting online-only journal featuring high-quality reviews of the latest developments in this fast-growing field. Coverage includes gene therapy, immunotherapeutics, drug design, vaccines, genetic testing, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genomics, diagnostics and techniques. The reviews are written by experts, peer-reviewed and include informative illustrations.

OCLC receives $4.1 million grant to support ongoing operations of WebJunction for five years

September 10, 2012

OCLC has received a $4.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support five years of ongoing operations of WebJunction, the learning place for libraries.

Built with grant funding from the Gates Foundation and launched in 2003, OCLC’s WebJunction has helped more than 70,000 library staff build the job skills they need to meet the challenges of today’s environment. WebJunction.org provides a wealth of training resources—including online courses, webinar presentations, downloadable curricula, and real-world examples collected from libraries—to share the knowledge, skills and support that power relevant, vibrant libraries. WebJunction programs support library staff working daily to connect their local communities with the content, space and services they need to enrich and transform lives.

The new grant will support OCLC’s continued development of the programs, content and systems of WebJunction.org, and provide long-term sustainability of services that will help libraries thrive in changing and challenging technological environments today and into the future.

“Since 2002, we have worked with OCLC to ensure that public libraries—especially small and rural public libraries—have had the resources they need to be portals to vital information,” said Deborah Jacobs, Director of the Global Libraries at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “Together, our goal has been to equip these libraries with the technologies and skills needed to change lives and strengthen communities through access to information.”

“Over these 10 years we have seen how offering technical assistance and training to library staff through the WebJunction.org online community can help us accomplish this goal and make a powerful difference in the effectiveness of a library,” said Ms. Jacobs. “In these tough economic times, libraries are more of an essential community resource than ever. This grant will help them, many of whom face shrinking budgets, stay up to speed.”

“The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and OCLC have developed an outstanding partnership based on our mutual interest and shared passion to help libraries succeed,” said Cathy De Rosa, OCLC Vice President for the Americas and Global Vice President of Marketing. “As we celebrate the 10th anniversary of WebJunction, we are grateful to the Gates Foundation for their continued support and to the library staff members who have built WebJunction into a vital hub for public libraries to gather and share best practices, experiences and expertise.”

WebJunction’s training resources, programs and content have been used by staff in 69 percent of U.S. public libraries. From July 2011 through June 2012, staff enrolled in more than 19,000 courses via WebJunction and more than 17,000 staff members registered for 26 free webinar programs offered on hot topics in the library profession.

“Library staff must keep their skills current to face the evolving needs of library users,” said Sharon Streams, Senior Manager, Community Services, WebJunction. “But managing staff training can be expensive, inconvenient, and difficult to fund and maintain. With WebJunction, OCLC partners with state library and other service agencies to provide cost-effective training and staff development programs that are convenient to access and easy to manage.”

Eighteen state library agencies partner with OCLC to offer their members sponsored access to self-paced courses and localized training content through WebJunction.org. One of the first state library partners was Connecticut State Library.

“For Connecticut, WebJunction is our main resource for library development,” said Kendall Wiggin, State Librarian. “We use WebJunction to provide information and courses on technology, managing a library, advocacy at a time of diminishing resources, and ways to better assist people coming into the library. It is also a great place for librarians to share and discuss experiences on timely issues or projects.”

The Summon Discovery Service Expands Coverage of Open Access Scholarly Content

September 10, 2012

Thanks to new agreements with three publishers of scholarly open access journal and book content, libraries using the Summon service from Serials Solutions can offer researchers more access to freely available resources outside of their own collections. Making these resources accessible through the library discovery interface broadens the number of highly relevant and appropriate results returned to researchers, while further making the library the “go-to” resource for credible content.

Libertas Academica, based in New Zealand, publishes 87 peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals, containing more than 2,800 articles. Of the journals, 81 are open access while six are pay-per-view or subscription only. Medical titles are prominent in the collection, including a set of journals devoted to clinical practice in the major medical specialties. There are also journals related to biotechnology topics as well as other sciences.

eScholarship@McGill, the McGill University open access collection, showcases the publications and theses of McGill University faculty and students. The collection includes more than 30,000 full-text documents of electronic theses, research articles and reports, working papers, conference papers and books.

The Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), provided by Open Access Publishing in European Networks (OAPEN), is a discovery service for peer-reviewed monographs published under an Open Access license. The DOAB’s searchable index will be added to the Summon service, including links to the full texts of the publications at the publisher’s Web site or repository. More than 1100 academic peer-reviewed books from 28 publishers will be indexed and discoverable.

Since its launch in 2009, the Summon service has been the leading solution for the discovery of open access content. The Summon service contains more than 24 million open access records from a variety of scholarly sources with a significant portion of this content searchable in full text. With the Serials Solutions Client Center administrative module libraries can easily expand their collections simply by choosing to display selected open access content within their Summon results.

Elsevier’s Policing in America: Exam Cram app now available exclusively on the App Store

September 10, 2012

Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, today announced the release of Policing in America: Exam Cram, the third in a new series of apps for the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad based on Elsevier books. The first two apps, NeuroApps: MRI Atlas of Human White Matter and ChemApps: Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis (SANROS), are also available on the App Store.

Created from the classic textbook Policing in America by Larry Gaines and Victor Kappeler, Policing in America: Exam Cram provides students with a set of user-friendly quizzes that test the student’s knowledge of policing basics, including personnel systems; organization and management; operations; discretion; use of force; culture and behavior; ethics and deviance; civil liability; and police-community relations.

“We’re honored to create a unique test prep tool for the iPhone and iPod touch, based on Gaines’s and Kappeler’s landmark textbook,” said Suzanne BeDell, Managing Director, Science and Technology Books, Elsevier. “With this new app, busy students will be able to easily prepare for their midterm and final exams, and those working in law enforcement and criminal justice can get a quick refresher on the basics in policing.”

Policing in America: Exam Cram, available exclusively on the App Store, enables students to test their knowledge of a wide range of subjects extracted from the book using unique features:

Practice Questions: Arranged by chapter subject, “true or false” questions provide a quick and easy method for measuring students’ retention. At the end of each set of practice questions, the app tabulates the score so the student will know what they need to review.
Flash Cards: The app includes a set of flash cards for each chapter to help students memorize definitions. If a particular definition proves particularly challenging, students can digitally mark flash cards for review at a later date. Students can also create their own flash cards based on the content of any chapter and compile personalized decks to prepare for an upcoming test.
Quizzes: Multiple-choice quizzes for each chapter give students a chance to test themselves under timed conditions in a randomized or customized order. After completing the quiz, the app gives students a percentage score and the opportunity to review the incorrectly answered questions. A grade book at the end of the quiz has a graphing function that allows students to quickly spot their strengths and weakness regarding comprehension of the material and identify those problem areas on which they need to focus. Students can also share their scores on Facebook or in an email to classmates.
“Policing in America: Exam Cram is ideal for undergraduate students in introductory policing courses,” said Shirley Decker-Lucke, Publisher of Anderson Publishing, an imprint of Elsevier.

The Policing in America: Exam Cram App is available for $1.99 from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore.