Re: [CODE4LIB] World Bank opens up data and developer API

[Tom Cramer]

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 (dl...@worldbank.org). 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 * jdebue...@worldbank.org  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 

[CODE4LIB] SPAM ALERT: if you got a recent message from me, do not click the fishy links

[jenny]

I assume we are all pretty good by now at spotting virus-y fwds, but in case
you are puzzled--yes, my gmail got cracked, somehow, and if you received a
message from me with some random link and very little info, DON'T CLICK IT.
Which is a generally good principle to operate on in any online situation.
If it looks fishy, it probably is.

I'm deeply sorry for any inconvenience. I hope I covered everyone; I'm
honestly not clear on how gmail stores this kind of info. Ex., I started
getting bounce-backs from listservs, while I'm pretty sure I don't have
those email addresses saved to my Contacts, so who knows how the worms got
in.

Jenny

[CODE4LIB] Norbert Heinrich

[jenny]

http://www.clickwebcams.com/home.php

Re: [CODE4LIB] World Bank opens up data and developer API

[John Fereira]

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*>
I heard about and took at list site yesterday.  It's done using Drupal 
and apparently by the same folkes that developed the FeedApi and Feeds 
modules (DevelopmentSeed).  In any case, it's a really impressive site.


--
John Fereira
Cornell University
Twitter: @john_fereira
Google Wave: fere...@googlewave.com

[CODE4LIB] World Bank opens up data and developer API

[Roy Tennant]

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
*

[CODE4LIB] OCLC Research to Host TAI CHI Webinar on Mobile Development

[Roy Tennant]

OCLC Research to Host TAI CHI Webinar on Mobile Development

29 April at 2 pm EDT (UTC 18:00)

DUBLIN, Ohio, USA, 21 April 2010—Join OCLC Research consulting software
engineer Bruce Washburn for an update on the latest developments in mobile
applications.

The landscape is changing rapidly for mobile application development. While
some libraries, archives and museums were early adopters or have recently
launched mobile ventures, others are still weighing their options. In this
webinar, OCLC Research consulting software engineer Bruce Washburn will
provide a brief update on current conditions, discuss choices to be made
between "native" and Web mobile application development paths, look at some
recent efforts, and consider the impact our mobile apps might have now and
in the near term. Webinar participation is free and open to all but advanced
registration is required.

This is the third webinar in the OCLC Research Technical Advances for
Innovation in Cultural Heritage Institutions (TAI CHI) Webinar Series
developed to highlight specific innovative applications, often locally
developed, that libraries, museums and archives may find effective in their
own environments, as well as to teach technical staff new technologies and
skills. Recordings of these webinars are made available on the OCLC Research
Web site and in the iTunes Store.
More information

Register to Attend the 29 April OCLC Research TAI CHI Webinar on Mobile
Development
https://oclc.webex.com/oclc/j.php?ED=135379072&RG=1&UID=1123622887

OCLC Research Technical Advances for Innovation in Cultural Heritage
Institutions (TAI CHI) Webinar Series
http://www.oclc.org/research/events/taichi.htm#md

OCLC Research Webinars in the iTunes Store
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=284764834


For more information:

Roy Tennant
Senior Program Officer
OCLC Research
tenna...@oclc.org
+1-707-287-5580


Melissa Renspie
Senior Communications Officer
OCLC Research
rensp...@oclc.org
+1-614-761-5231

Re: [CODE4LIB] Bibliographic data on Freebase

[Owen Stephens]

I can't wait to get my hands on Gridworks - very excited (sad, I know), but
think potential for checking/correcting metadata and adding links to
relevant Freebase topics is very exciting

If anyone hasn't seen the demos of this yet, suggest having a look at the
screencasts at
http://blog.freebase.com/2010/03/26/preview-freebase-gridworks/

Owen

On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 2:45 PM, Sean Hannan  wrote:

> Also, David Huynh (of Gridworks and Freebase Parallax fame) dropped into
> IRC last week asking about MARC4J and its possible use with Gridworks.
>
> Things are afoot.
>
> -Sean
>
>
> On Apr 22, 2010, at 7:27 AM, Owen Stephens wrote:
>
> > Thought that some on the list might be interested in various discussions
> > happening on the Freebase email list at the moment:
> >
> > Firstly some stuff on dealing with ISBNs
> >
> http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/thread.html
> ,
> > and secondly (and more interesting I think) work on loading a University
> > Library catalogue (see the link for emails with the subject "UniversityX
> > Book Load<
> http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/001200.html
> >",
> > and also this page http://wiki.freebase.com/wiki/UniversityX_Load),
> which
> > includes work on mapping place of publication to existing Freebase
> location
> > information (
> >
> http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/001218.html
> )
> >
> > Owen
> >
> > --
> > Owen Stephens
> > Owen Stephens Consulting
> > Web: http://www.ostephens.com
> > Email: o...@ostephens.com
>



-- 
Owen Stephens
Owen Stephens Consulting
Web: http://www.ostephens.com
Email: o...@ostephens.com

Re: [CODE4LIB] Bibliographic data on Freebase

[Sean Hannan]

Also, David Huynh (of Gridworks and Freebase Parallax fame) dropped into IRC 
last week asking about MARC4J and its possible use with Gridworks.

Things are afoot.

-Sean


On Apr 22, 2010, at 7:27 AM, Owen Stephens wrote:

> Thought that some on the list might be interested in various discussions
> happening on the Freebase email list at the moment:
> 
> Firstly some stuff on dealing with ISBNs
> http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/thread.html,
> and secondly (and more interesting I think) work on loading a University
> Library catalogue (see the link for emails with the subject "UniversityX
> Book 
> Load",
> and also this page http://wiki.freebase.com/wiki/UniversityX_Load), which
> includes work on mapping place of publication to existing Freebase location
> information (
> http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/001218.html)
> 
> Owen
> 
> -- 
> Owen Stephens
> Owen Stephens Consulting
> Web: http://www.ostephens.com
> Email: o...@ostephens.com

[CODE4LIB] Bibliographic data on Freebase

[Owen Stephens]

Thought that some on the list might be interested in various discussions
happening on the Freebase email list at the moment:

Firstly some stuff on dealing with ISBNs
http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/thread.html,
and secondly (and more interesting I think) work on loading a University
Library catalogue (see the link for emails with the subject "UniversityX
Book 
Load",
and also this page http://wiki.freebase.com/wiki/UniversityX_Load), which
includes work on mapping place of publication to existing Freebase location
information (
http://lists.freebase.com/pipermail/freebase-discuss/2010-April/001218.html)

Owen

-- 
Owen Stephens
Owen Stephens Consulting
Web: http://www.ostephens.com
Email: o...@ostephens.com