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TOP STORIES FOR MONDAY, MAY 23, 2005 Google Under Fire for Library Project Databases Go Portable Valdosta Investigates Security Breach Latest Loss of Personal Information: MCI GOOGLE UNDER FIRE FOR LIBRARY PROJECT The Association of American University Presses has become the latest group to voice objections to Google Print for Libraries, a project in which the search engine is scanning some or all of the books in five university and public libraries in the United States and Britain. In a letter to Google, the organization questions the notion that copyright law allows Google to scan copyrighted works into its database, even if only small portions of those texts are available online. Peter Givler, the group's executive director, said that copyright law fundamentally applies to making copies, regardless of what is done with them. The Publishers Association, which represents publishers in England, has also objected to the project, raising many of the same objections as the Association of American University Presses. For its part, Google said it is working with publishers to address their concerns and to make the project beneficial to them as well. Hugh P. Jones, copyright counsel of the Publishers Association, said he has been in contact with Google but that so far the two groups have failed to agree. Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 May 2005 http://chronicle.com/free/2005/05/2005052301t.htm DATABASES GO PORTABLE As handheld computing devices become increasingly common, organizations that maintain a variety of databases are modifying their content to allow for easy access by handheld devices. Chemical Abstracts Service, which is a division of the American Chemical Society, is finalizing a "mobile" version of a database that contains data on roughly 25 million molecules, allowing users of handheld devices to access molecular weights, boiling points, and other information in a format designed for portable devices. The final database will be available to the public later this year. Medical sciences already have a broad range of databases designed for handhelds, and many librarians see the trend continuing for other fields. As for the upcoming chemistry database, reactions are mixed, even at single institutions. At Yale University, David Austin, associate professor of chemistry, said the database will be extremely valuable, whereas Glenn Micalizio, assistant professor of organic chemistry, said he sees little value in it, given widespread access to laptops and desktops. Chronicle of Higher Education, 27 May 2005 (sub. req'd) http://chronicle.com/prm/weekly/v51/i38/38a03401.htm VALDOSTA INVESTIGATES SECURITY BREACH Officials at Valdosta State University (VSU) are investigating a security breach in which a computer hacker may have accessed personal information for as many as 40,000 students and employees. Last week, a hacker gained access to a campus server that contained information for the university's VSU 1Cards, which serve both as ID and debit cards for students and staff. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is looking into the matter and has advised those affected to notify credit reporting agencies about the possible theft. The database that was accessed contained information on all VSU students since 1997, current employees of the institution, and employees who left between 1997 and 1999. A similar breach occurred last month at Georgia Southern University. Associated Press, 21 May 2005 http://www.wsbtv.com/news/4515697/detail.html LATEST LOSS OF PERSONAL INFORMATION: MCI Officials from long-distance carrier MCI are investigating the loss of employee data after a laptop was stolen from the car of an MCI financial analyst. The laptop contained names and Social Security numbers for about 16,500 employees, whom the company has notified. A spokesperson for MCI said the machine was password-protected but did not say whether the employee data were encrypted. MCI is reviewing the incident to see whether the analyst violated any company policies, such as those concerning what types of information may be put on laptops and what information must be encrypted. MCI is also taking this opportunity to make sure employees who have access to sensitive information are clear on company policies. The company said that so far there have been no reports that any of the information on the laptop has been sold or misused. Wall Street Journal, 23 May 2005 (sub. req'd) http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB111680003245940129,00.html ***************************************************** EDUPAGE INFORMATION To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your settings, or access the Edupage archive, visit http://www.educause.edu/Edupage/639 Or, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] To SUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SUBSCRIBE Edupage YourFirstName YourLastName To UNSUBSCRIBE, in the body of the message type: SIGNOFF Edupage If you have subscription problems, send e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***************************************************** OTHER EDUCAUSE RESOURCES The EDUCAUSE Resource Center is a repository for information concerning use and management of IT in higher education. 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