http://mimas.ac.uk/news/ Showcasing Mimas news and successes, and sharing our expert viewpoints and opinions en-gb Wed, 11 May 2011 12:30 GMT info@mimas.ac.uk (Laura Kaagan/Joy Palmer/Shiraz Anwar) info@mimas.ac.uk (Laura Kaagan) Copyright Mimas, The University of Manchester 2011 mimas-logo-gif-125x58-v2.gif http://mimas.ac.uk/news/ 125 58 Mimas logo http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2012/05/caird http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2012/05/caird We have a long history of providing access to census aggregate statistics for the academic community, but making the data available has, traditionally, been a long and complex process. Our Census Dissemination Unit is developing services that make it easier for researchers to find the census data they need, and we’re working with the Office for National Statistics to find better ways of disseminating the 2011 Census. Wed, 16 May 2012 12:39 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2012/03/autonomy/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2012/03/autonomy/ Together with our partners at JISC Collections, the British Library and Autonomy, we’re developing ground-breaking services that use meaning-based search to unlock significant research material, including previously inaccessible digitised editions of more than 65,000 books from the British Library’s 19th century collection. Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:40 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/08/scarlet/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/08/scarlet/ For students accustomed to an information-rich, online world, working with rare books and manuscripts can be an unfamiliar experience. Together with colleagues at The University of Manchester, we’re using Augmented Reality to bring special collections to life by surrounding original materials with digital online content. Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:01 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/07/copac-cmtool/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/07/copac-cmtool/ With demands on budgets and space at a premium, libraries need to make sure that their research collections are effectively used and managed. But how do they make informed decisions about the retention, conservation, and disposal of materials? Tue, 05 July 2011 16:13 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/05/jorum-listens/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/05/jorum-listens/ Jorum has been listening to its users and stakeholders and is changing to respond to the rapidly evolving Higher Education and technological environment that we inhabit. As we consider the feedback and plan Jorum's future trajectory, it becomes clear that if Jorum is to thrive in the future, we must examine our approaches anew – and with a critical eye. Wed, 11 May 2011 12:30 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/03/firepower-flame-burns/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/03/firepower-flame-burns/ In the mid-1990s, chemical information resources were scarce online. In 1997, Mimas introduced CrossFire, a chemical information service, covering more than 200 years of literature and connecting researchers to important chemical databases. This year, we're celebrating 14 years of this invaluable service, now replaced by Elsevier's Reaxys system. Join us as we take a look back at CrossFire's legacy to the UK's research chemists. Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:00 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/03/journey-of-discovery/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/03/journey-of-discovery/ Archives are a window into the past – documents and materials generated during day-to-day life, business and leisure activities, offering a unique perspective on our history and culture. Our Archives Hub team is raising awareness by getting actively involved with a new initiative, the UK Archives Discovery Network (UKAD), a group of like-minded archivists and information professionals whose aim is to facilitate the discovery of archives for all researchers. Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:40 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/01/europe-hair-net/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2011/01/europe-hair-net/ We recently established a relationship with the EU, winning funding through the prestigious Leonardo da Vinci Programme for Hair.Net, a project bringing Mimas together with four partners from three EU member states (Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania). Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:30 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/11/building-statistical-capacities/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/11/building-statistical-capacities/ World Statistics Day this October saw the launch of the Royal Statistical Society's getstats campaign, which aims to improve people's know-how and skills in using data and statistics and to raise "awareness of the benefits of statistics". At Mimas, we too would describe statistics use as an essential "lifeskill" – and throughout 2010, we've contributed significantly in addressing the issue of data and statistical skills gaps. Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:00 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/10/one-step-ahead/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/10/one-step-ahead/ To stay ahead of the game, it's essential that researchers keep up to date with new publications. That's why, over the last decade, we've been working with JISC and the British Library to make its extensive electronic table of contents database freely available to the UK academic community. Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:00 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/09/oecd-global-correspondent/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/09/oecd-global-correspondent/ Traditionally, economic growth has been used to measure societal progress. Increasingly, however, experts are asking whether growth in GDP really does improve a society's well-being. And if not, should this metric be replaced by other methods? The OECD-hosted Global Project on 'Measuring the Progress of Societies', which is actively involved in this debate, has recently welcomed Mimas, through ESDS International, as one of its new Correspondents. Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:00 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/08/china-uk-betterlives10/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/08/china-uk-betterlives10/ In the developing world, digital technologies have the potential to transform lives. Mimas, with RCUK China and other Chinese and UK partners, hosted an international workshop to tackle these issues. Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:30 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/07/analyse-usage-impact/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/07/analyse-usage-impact/ Libraries spend millions on electronic journal licences every year, but it has never been easy to gather statistics about how these resources are used. We're working with JISC Collections, Evidence Base and Cranfield University to develop the Journal Usage Statistics Portal (JUSP), a new project that will provide libraries – and librarians – with a simpler way of analysing the usage and impact of their e-journal subscriptions. Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:30 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/07/bringing-meaning-search/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/07/bringing-meaning-search/ Together with our partners, we're investigating new ways to 'mine' the UK's richest information assets. As institutions confront a massive and ever-increasing body of digital information, Mimas is taking a Meaning Based Computing approach to search and discovery so we can harness the true value of these knowledge assets for research and teaching. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 16:30 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/05/names-sorting-smiths/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/05/names-sorting-smiths/ Names identify us, but not always very effectively. That's where the JISC-funded Names Project comes in – we're developing a name authority system to disambiguate names and provide unique identifiers for individuals – making it easier to correctly associate researchers with their research work. Thu, 27 May 2010 14:00 GMT http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/03/conversations-with-researchers/ http://mimas.ac.uk/news/2010/03/conversations-with-researchers/ The key to developing easy-to-use applications is to listen to the people that use them. As technology and users change, Mimas is responding by enhancing our services – and to do this, we need to answer one major question: What do our users want? Fri, 26 Mar 2010 16:30 GMT