Thomson Reuters Inc. has sued George Mason University and the Commonwealth of Virginia in Richmond City Court for alleging that Zotero, an open source software application developed by GMU's Center for History and New Media, makes improper use of Thomson Reuters' EndNote citation software. $10 million in damages for each year that GMU has offered the software is being sought as well as an injunction. See "Maker of EndNote Citation Softward Sues George Mason U.," by Jeffrey R. Young, Chronicle of Higher Education Wired Campus blog, September 29, 2008.

This is pretty cool! An alumnus of Oregon State University who surrounded himself with books has surprised his alma mater by giving OSU’s Valley Library the vast majority of his estate. Franklin A. McEdward, a 1957 OSU electrical engineering graduate, left a total of $2.6 million to the university. His gift, designated primarily for OSU’s Valley Library, will fund a new professorship dedicated to undergraduate learning initiatives and a new reading room. A portion of his estate will also support the College of Engineering, naming a lounge in the Kelley Engineering Center. McEdward died in May 2007 at the age of 82. For the past 40 years, McEdward, who worked as a Boeing test engineer in Seattle, lived next door to Sam Rondos, whom he befriended and – unbeknownst to Rondos – named executor of his estate. McEdward’s gift, the second largest from an individual ever given to the OSU library, also took the OSU faculty and staff by surprise. “I was astounded,” said Karyle Butcher, the Valley Library director and holder of the Delpha and Donald Campbell University Librarian Endowed Chair. “The entire library staff is thrilled about this incredible generosity – both Frank McEdward’s gift and Sam Rondos’ work to ensure that his friend’s wishes be fulfilled here at Oregon State.” Almost half of the gift will establish the Franklin A. McEdward Endowed Professorship for Undergraduate Learning Initiatives. The inaugural holder will be Anne-Marie Deitering, an OSU assistant professor of library science, who is well-known for her research into how today’s students learn and access information.
http://www.examiner.com/a-1592460~Alum_gives_Oregon_State__2_6_million.h...
http://oregonstate.edu/

See Sue Polanka's blog for September 12, 2008 -- http://www.libraries.wright.edu/noshelfrequired/?p=97
Anyone interested in eBooks should take a look at the Charleston Conference program, November 5 - 8th. And if you have an opinion on patron driven purchasing, stop by the Lively Lunch session Friday at Charleston. Alice Crosetto (Univ. of Toledo) and Sue will debate traditional collection development with patron-driven purchasing. They may even have Michelle Harper from NetLibrary to describe this biz model better. Friday, November 7 - 12:50 - 2:00 “Tossing Traditional Collection Development Practices for Patron Initiated Purchasing: A Debate.” Embassy Suites Historic District, Downtown Charleston.

WOW!!!! Blackwell has just appointed Andrew Hutchings Blackwell Group Chief Executive Officer! In his new role Andrew will have full responsibility for both Blackwell Book Services and Blackwell UK Ltd. Andrew takes up his new role with immediate effect and the BUK Board now report directly to him. Andrew joined Blackwell's Oxford office in 1987. He led both the Information Technology and Marketing departments in Oxford while also completing the Blackwell's Management Training program. After a three year assignment in Blackwell USA Oregon offices leading the integration of the global businesses, Andrew took on global responsibility for the Acquisitions and Distribution functions. Andrew took on the role of BBS UK Managing Director in March 2005 and led the recovery in performance within that business unit. Andrew was appointed Blackwell Book Services CEO in March 2007. During Andrew’s time, Blackwell have acquired Everett’s Library Services and more recently Houtschild Library Booksellers in The Hague.

Just announced and sent courtesy of the johnny-on-the-spot Ramune Kubilius (Galter Health Sciences Library Northwestern University)! Wolters Kluwer Health intends to acquire UpToDate, the evidence-based electronic clinical information resource. This acquisition (expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2008 pending regulatory approval) will strengthen Wolters Kluwer Health's portfolio in the growing point of care and electronic medical record markets by expanding its product and services offerings. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. UpToDate is expected to generate annualized projected revenue of $80 million in 2008. UpToDate has approximately 250 employees and is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts with international sales offices in the Netherlands and Japan. UpToDate collaborates with some 3,800 physician experts, who use their clinical experience and review of the latest research to create recommendations on how to diagnose and treat thousands of conditions in 13 medical specialties. Nearly 320,000 clinicians in 130 countries, thousands of patients and the majority of academic medical centers in the U.S. look to UpToDate for clinical guidance, practice guidelines, peer-reviewed articles, photographs, and X-ray illustrations. UpToDate is accessible through the Web, desktop and PDA.
http://www.uptodate.com
http://www.WKHealth.com
http://www.wolterskluwer.com

Hooray! Have just learned that our own Richard E. Abel, known as the “father of the modern day library approval plan” and founder of numerous publishing presses including Timber Press, has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Jack D. Rittenhouse Award by Publishers Association of the West. Richard Abel was selected from a slate of nominees for having established vibrant and profitable publishing businesses that serve as a model to his colleagues. As we all know from his memoirs currently being published in the print edition of Against the Grain, Richard worked in a bookstore, became a bookstore owner, started a private press for limited edition books, founded a company that grew into an international library distributor, founded a book marketing and distribution company, started a trade publishing company that has grown into a well respected mid-sized publisher, and is the author of numerous articles and a forthcoming book. Presentation of the Riittenhouse Award will take place at PubWest’s annual National Publishing Conference and Book Industry Trade Show in Portland, OR on Saturday, November 15, 2008. The Rittenhouse Award is given annually in memory of Jack D. Rittenhouse, the West’s consummate bookman. During his long career, Rittenhouse was a writer, bookseller, publisher, lecturer, and mentor. He left a lasting mark on the book community, both in his work and with the people who followed him and this award was established as a way to honor those who have made outstanding contributions to the book community in the West. Prior winners of the Rittenhouse Award are Jene and Jetta Lyon (1991), Fred Pruett (1992), David Flaccus (1993), Dwight and Carol Myers (1994), Gordon Saull (posthumously in 1995), Tom Auer (1996), Joyce Meskis (1997), Tony Hillerman (1998), Katharine J. McCanna (1999), Lisa Knudsen (2000), Robert C. Baron (2001), Mary Powell (2002), Fredrick A. Praeger (posthumously in 2003), Dick and Judy Noyes (2004), Elizabeth A. Geiser (2005), Linda Ligon (2006) and Gibbs Smith (2007).
http://www.pubwest.org

Senator John McCain's announcement on Friday that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be his vice presidential running mate created an unexpected demand for Palin's biography (released in April 2008), published by Epicenter Press: Sarah -- How a Hockey Mom turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down -- by the author Kaylene Johnson (ISBN 978-0-9800825-6-2. To meet the sudden and significant volume of bookseller orders, Epicenter turned to the Ingram Publisher Services and Lightning Source Inc. for the immediate manufacture and shipment of books to retail booksellers. David "Skip" Prichard, CEO of Ingram Lightning Group, said: "A relatively obscure book became the 'must read' for everyone following the closely contested presidential race." Ingram approached Epicenter Press on August 29, shortly after the announcement of Gov. Palin's selection as Senator McCain's running mate. Lightning Source was instrumental in assisting Epicenter Press with the conversion of the original hardcopy version of the title to a trade paperback edition. Within only a few hours of receiving the files from Epicenter Press on Friday evening, Lightning Source was printing books, with over 30,000 copies printed to date. John R. Ingram, Chairman of the Ingram content companies, commended the Ingram team as "yet another example of how print on demand can minimize order loss and maximize sales for publishers." Since its founding in 1988 in Fairbanks, Alaska, Epicenter Press Inc. has become a leading trade book publisher of general nonfiction titles about Alaska, and a leading publisher of books about sled dog racing and the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Ingram content companies provide a broad range of physical and digital services to the book industry. The content companies are Ingram Digital, Lightning Source Inc., Ingram Book Company, Ingram International Inc., Ingram Library Services Inc., Coutts Information Services, Ingram Periodicals Inc., Ingram Publisher Services Inc., Spring Arbor Distributors Inc., and Tennessee Book Company LLC.
http://www.lightningsource.com
http://www.epicenterpress.com

Rush out and buy the October 2008 issue of Esquire magazine, hitting newstands in September. Reportedly, Esquire, celebrating its 75th anniversary, will release the October issue with an electronic paper cover featuring "words and images that scroll across the flexible electronic page." Also the inside cover will contain the "first e-paper advertisement, with automaker Ford pitching its new Flex vehicle in a double-page ad." 100,000 copies will be printed. Pretty cool, right? Who said librarianship was dull?
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/
http://lisnews.org/node/31039/

WOW! Just heard from Geane DeLima, Executive Director of the newly-created (5 months ago, no less!) Miller-McCune Center for Research, Media and Public Policy. The tag line is "turning research into solutions." We might have thought that Sara was retired, but no siree! Geane -- who has attended the Charleston Conference many times -- says that the Center was created to promote the results and promise of academic research in solving current issues to the general public. They are publishing articles, research briefs, and stories (in accessible language) in a consumer-like magazine that is national and mailed to about 100,000 subscribers. They also run a website with daily news and stories. Like I said, WOW! Check it out!
htp://www.miller-mccune.com

This sort of inspires me to begin more blogging! From the New York Times, August 24, 2008 -- A group of scholars are trying to make George Orwell more relevant to the younger generation by creating a blog of his extensive diaries. For example on September 7, 2008, Orwell's entry for September 7, 1938, will be posted from his political diary when Orwell was "consumed by the clouds gathering" for the second World War. Jean Seton, a professor at the University of Westminster in London, had the idea for the blog and administers the project. Seton says the site will be publishing at least until 2010 and has received many visitors. The original material can be found in University College London where many of our ATG friends are located -- Anthony Watkinson, David Nicholas, Liz Chapman, and I could go on and on -- but putting the material on the Web will make it more visible and accessible. This has also been covered on BBC and NPR! See -- "What George Orwell Wrote, 70 years Later to the Day," by Noam Cohen
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/25/business/media/25orwell.html?_r=1&ref=...
http://orwelldiaries.wordpress.com.