UK Subject Gateways Tackle Information Overload

[Linda Kerr]

**Apologies for cross-posting**

Dear list members

An update on the elib ANR projects.  The following press release has 
also been sent to a number of UK Internet and library publications, 
and also the national dailies.

*UK Subject Gateways Tackle Internet Information Overload*

Seven UK Subject Gateways are tacking the problem of how to find
useful information on the Internet as part of a national strategy
funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC).  The fruit
of nearly three years work by a large number of subject specialists
based at higher education sites throughout the UK, the combined
gateways direct users to over 15,000 of the best hand-picked resources
on the Internet.

Covering the areas of art, design, architecture, media, biomedicine,
business, engineering, history, social sciences and conflict studies,
the gateways provide access to high quality information not only for
the UK higher education and research communities, but also for anyone
looking for information on the Internet.  Use of the gateways is free.

The gateways are part of the Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) and
are providing a model for other gateways throughout Europe, the US and
Australia.  Several mirror sites are planned outside the UK.

Chris Rusbridge, the Programme Director for eLib, said "Every Internet
user knows the frustration of wading through long lists of links, many
of which are totally irrelevant, or of poor quality.  In fact, a
recent survey showed that the most significant barrier to increased
use of the Internet by academics was the problem of locating suitable
material.  Now, researchers have seven free services which pin-point
only the most useful and substantial web sites and other Internet
resource in particular subject areas."  

Already popular with those "in the know", the gateways currently
receive over 150,000 hits per week from Internet users.  As well as
providing an important focus for subject-based searching, many of the
gateways offer additional services, including training, printed
resource guides, bibliographic databases, factsheets, thesauri,
forums, study skills materials, ejournal search engines, launchpads,
glossaries, events diaries, and even a virtual factory.  The Gateways
will continue to develop new services, and to expand the number of
Internet sites covered.

For more information, contact:
Linda Kerr, Project Officer EEVL: Edinburgh Engineering Virtual
Library, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Tel: 0131 451 3572  Fax:
0131 451 3164  L.Kerr at hw.ac.uk


The projects are:

ADAM: Art, Design, Architecture & Media Information Gateway
http://adam.ac.uk/

Biz/ed: Business Education on the Internet
http://www.bized.ac.uk/

CAIN: Conflict Archive on the Internet
http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/

EEVL: Edinburgh Engineering Virtual Library
http://www.eevl.ac.uk/

History
http://www.ihrinfo.ac.uk/

OMNI: Organising Medical Networked Information
http://omni.ac.uk/

SOSIG: Social Science Information Gateway
http://www.sosig.ac.uk/

The Gateways are part of the Electronic Libraries Programme.
http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/