Our govdocs librarian reports that this release has generated a ton of buzz in the documents community, and forwarded the message below from the Wold Bank pubs office. Note that:
> the Bank authorizes and encourages free use of it's data both for > non-commercial and commercial use. Therefore you are absolutely free to > incorporate our data in library catalogs and any other data application or > mash-up. We only request to provide attribution to the World Bank. - Tom > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > > Dear all, > > As you may be aware, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors recently > approved a new Access to Information policy, which will become effective July > 1, 2010. In keeping with this new policy, I am pleased to inform you that the > World Bank Group now provides free, open, and easy access to its > comprehensive set of data on living standards around the globe—some 2,000 > indicators, including hundreds that go back 50 years— through its new data > portal at http://data.worldbank.org > > This new site currently contains the full World Development Indicators (WDI), > Global Development Finance (GDF), and Africa Development Indicators (ADI) as > well as several other World Bank databases such as Global Economic Monitor > (GEM), Education Statistics, etc... For a full list of data sets available > please go tohttp://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog Most of the data is > available in Arabic, French, and Spanish in addition to English. > > To read the terms of use for the Bank data please go to: > www.worldbank.org/terms-datasets. The Bank authorizes and encourages free use > of it's data both for non-commercial and commercial use. Therefore you are > absolutely free to incorporate our data in library catalogs and any other > data application or mash-up. We only request to provide attribution to the > World Bank. We have created a restricted category for indicators for which we > do not hold copyright. For now no indicators fall in this category but we > encourage you to regularly check: www.worldbank.org/terms-datasets-restricted > > We invite you to visit the new site. It is rich with new functionality both > for the lay user that simply wishes to access basic data by country, topic or > region, as well as for the advance user that wishes to download the datasets > in excel, csd, xml as well as other formats. Advance users can also access > and retrieve data via the DataBank, a platform similar to the previous WDI, > GDF and ADI platform. To access the DataBank simply go to the catalog page > and click on the icon "Databank" next to each dataset. Among other features > the site also includes a link to the World Bank Data API and encourages > developers to create new applications with the data. It also has a link to > DataFinder, the new World Bank iphone application. > > Libraries that currently hold a subscription to the WDI, GDF, ADI or GEM are > entitled to receive a prorated refund for their subscription fees. We sent on > April 20 personalized e-mails to all existing subscribers with detailed > information. If you are a subscriber and did not hear from us please let me > know ASAP. The previous WDI, GDF, and ADI platform will remain functional > until the end of the year, and probably well into 2011. Existing customers > have the option of maintaining access to the previous platform, switching to > the new free one and receive a refund or witching to the new one applying the > funds to a subscription to the World Bank e-Library > (www.worldbank.org/newelibrary) that will remain a subscription product. > > I will be attend the IDTF round table meeting at ALA annual conference in DC > in June and I will be happy to answer any questions. In the meantime feel > free to contact me or my colleague Devika Levy ([email protected]). I can > be reached at the e-mail and phone number below. > > We will appreciate your help in spreading the news. If you think I should > contact any other listserv, discussion forums or anyone else in particular > please let me know. We are very excited about this new development and we > want to spread the good news! > > Kind regards > Jose > > ________________________________________________________________________ > Jose de Buerba > Marketing Manager > World Bank Publications > 1818 H Street NW, MSN U11-1104 > Washington, DC, 20433 - USA > ' Work: +1.202.473.0393 * [email protected] þ > http://www.worldbank.org/publications > www.facebook.com/worldbank | www.twitter.com/WBPubs > > WORLD BANK PUBLICATIONS | The Reference of Choice on Development > ________________________________________________________________________ > On Apr 22, 2010, at 9:16 AM, Roy Tennant wrote: > Seen via my colleague Stu Weibel:* > > April 20, 2010*—The World Bank Group said today it will offer free access to > more than 2,000 financial, business, health, economic and human development > statistics that had mostly been available only to paying subscribers. > > The decision─part of a larger effort to increase access to information at > the World Bank─means that researchers, journalists, nongovernmental > organizations (NGOs), entrepreneurs and school children alike will be able > to tap into the World Bank's databases via a new website, data.worldbank.org. > <*http://data.worldbank.org*> > > News Release: * > http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22547256~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html<http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22547256%7EpagePK:64257043%7EpiPK:437376%7EtheSitePK:4607,00.html> > *
