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CHEST DATA NEWS * CHEST DATA NEWS * CHEST DATA NEWS * CHEST DATA NEWS *C
H The CHEST DATA MESSENGER No 171 H
E - bringing you news, updates & other snippets E
S w/e 23 June 2000 URL: http://www.chest.ac.uk/ S
T DATA NEWS * CHEST DATA NEWS * CHEST DATA NEWS * CHEST DATA NEWS *CHEST
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This issue is being sent to:
* CHEST HE and FE Site and Data Contacts
* CHEST (Ireland) Site Contacts
* CHEST Associated Site Contacts
* chest-news: register yourself on chest-news to ensure you keep up
to date with all that's going on.
* lis-link
* lis-sitereps
Note: Nikki Green will be out of the office from 28th to 30th June
inclusive. Please copy any messages to [log in to unmask] if you require a
response.
Contents:
1. BIDS ISI Closure
2. FT Discovery Update
3. Gale products request for feedback
4. Withdrawal of ArdenOnline
1. BIDS ISI Closure
-------------------
Licensed Institutions are reminded that the BIDS ISI
Service will end on 31st July 2000. Therefore Institutions
should ensure that all users have been converted to the ISI
Web of Science service, available from MIMAS, as soon as
possible.
2. FT Discovery update
----------------------
Licensed Institutions will have recently been contacted
by Amanda Yerolemou, Regional Manager for FT/Lexis Nexis
about a proposed change to the product content of FT
Discovery. This is as a result of the acquisition of FT
Electronic Publishing by LEXIS-NEXIS Europe which has led
to a restructuring and re-branding of all the products
within the company portfolio.
EduServ (CHEST) would like to reassure Licensed
Institutions that if after a 60 day trial of the new
product set, "Executive" they do not wish to continue with
their subscription they will be able to cancel, as long as
they notify CHEST by 31st August 2000.
As a result of this trial CHEST will not be issuing the
Year two invoices (due 30th June 2000) until 1st September
2000. This will allow Institutions to have the opportunity
to trial the new product set and decide whether to continue
or cancel the subscription.
Please find below details from Amanda about the new changes.
"The product upgrade provides us with the opportunity to re
brand and redesign the service so as to provide a simpler
form based search screen. It will furthermore enable us to
provide you with an even faster and more reliable service.
Once again the product offering is a unique combination of information,
providing exceptional comprehensive coverage of news,
companies and business activities.
More specifically, I can confirm the following:
General
· The current monthly subscription to LEXIS-NEXIS Executive will
remain the same.
· LEXIS-NEXIS Executive will provide a comparable content set to that
of FT Discovery.
· Each registered user will be issued with a new id, password and
account number.
Company
· ICC Financial Analysis replaces Jordan's. ICC Financial Analysis
offers a superior coverage of UK companies and more in-depth reports.
· Geographic range of company reports extended with the addition of
Worldscope and Disclosure.
· ICC Full Text Reports and Disclosure replace reports previously
accessed through Investext
· Fully searchable Extel News Cards replace Stock Exchange
Announcements.
News
· The Newsplus Module offers the following easy to use
forms: All News, Company News, Industry News, People News
and Product News. Each form offers access to the options
listed below:
· Global News - a comparable news collection in breadth and depth to
Business News / World Reporter options.
· European News - replaces Europe Intelligence Wire.
· Asia/ Pacific News - replaces Asia Intelligence Wire and China
Intelligence Wire.
· Additional news options are also now available: UK News, US News and
a range of original language news options (French, German, Italian,
Dutch) have also been added.
· The LEXIS-NEXIS Executive news options all extend the archive
available to over 20 years.
Country
· LEXIS- NEXIS Executive News Plus module will offer access to QUEST
economic /country reports. These include approximately 30 providers,
such as Barclays Bank and ABN AMRO.
Sector
· Newsplus Industry News category will replace Sector News.
Finally, the share price and sector performance charts previously
offered in FT DISCOVERY are no longer available. This is
largely because these are now widely available free of
charge on the internet (recommended www.iii.co.uk).
Over the coming weeks, we will be inviting you to a series of
presentations in London and the regions so as to prepare support
staff for the new academic year. However, free ids are also available,
for anyone wishing to acquaint themselves before and/or after the
upgrade.
All registered CHEST members (currently Licensed
Institutions) will receive new ids and documentation in the
next week.
I am sure you will have plenty of questions, so I will look forward
to speaking to you over the coming few days. My new telephone number
is 0161 877 5608, alternatively please contact me on 0374
484803."
3. Gale Products feedback
-------------------------
CHEST Data Messenger No 168 (wk/e 26th May 2000)provided
information about the discussions CHEST has been in with
the Gale Group for the last six months about several
products, most notably the Times Literary Supplement
Centenary Archive on behalf of the JISC. Details were also
provided for access to trials of three products:
*Literature Resource Center
*The Times Literary Supplement Centenary Archive
*Biography Resource Center
In tandem with the trial there was also an offer for
reduced pricing, which if enough Sites decide to take this
up will lead to a full agreement between CHEST and the Gale
Group commencing at the start of the academic year on 1st
September 2000.
CHEST would be grateful if Sites that have had trials of
any of the products could please provide detailed feedback
to CHEST as soon as possible. Emails should be addressed
to Emma Thompson [log in to unmask] with the subject
line Gale trial.
4. Arden Online
---------------
CHEST has recently been contacted by Thomson Learning
(owner of Arden Online) to let us know that they are
withdrawing Arden whilst a "Market Research activity" is
carried out. The statement they issued is appended below:
"Thomson Learning wishes to invest in a major market
research exercise and to carry out a review of the
technical and software aspects of theproject. Both of these
initiatives will involve time and investment and while they
are ongoing we will cease to sell ArdenOnline, for a
temporary period.
This does not mean that Thomson intend to close the project down.
We are keen to commit substantial expenditure on market research and
on technical review. Our objective is to use our findings to relaunch
a revised and technically improved ArdenOnline as soon as possible.
Obviously the range of research we need to carry out will take time
as will any development of new aspects of the project. We aim to
relaunch in as early as possible in 2001.
The reasons behind our decision to temporarily stop selling ArdenOnline
are as follows.
We have encountered problems on the technical side and feedback from
end users has raised some concerns about the structure of the program
that we currently use. This temporary shutdown will allow us to
rebuild aspects of the system and improve it.
We also need time to resolve issues relating to the images currently
featured as a major selling point in ArdenOnline. Copyright issues
have meant that over 90% of the images we obtain cannot actually be
downloaded and printed off by users of ArdenOnline. We need to
investigate ways round this and seek advice from our future customers
about what material they want and how they plan to use it. Again we
need time to carry out this research and this has also informed our
decision to stop selling the product for the moment.
A major part of our ongoing research will be to talk to the Shakespeare
academic community, professors and teachers, librarians and
students, to get an even clearer idea of the range of
content the market would welcome in a product of this kind.
Unfortunately this means that we can no longer offer the service to
you at this. We will of course keep you updated of further
developments and details of the relaunch. During our market
research period we are also interested in users' feedback
on all aspects of the resource; if you would like to take
part in this market research please contact [Rachel
Bridgman on +44 (0)20 7497 4036 or
[log in to unmask]]
We hope that you agree with us that taking this time out and
relaunching the project can only strengthen ArdenOnline and ensure
its future success.
*****************END OF CHEST DATA MESSENGER No 171**************
http://www.chest.ac.uk
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