Emerald offers as a free sample 16 issues from Volume 8 Number 1 to Volume 13 Number 1.
Table of Content 2003/1:
- Are ISO 15489-1:2001 and ISAD(G) compatible? Part 1
- Metadata, controlled vocabulary and directories: electronic document management and standards for records management
- The Scottish Postgraduate Archives Training Project - issues for the records management community
- Obstacles to utilization of information held by archival institutions: a review of literature.

The International Council on Archives has made available online two publications (as PDF files):
- Archival Automation: A Bibliography (2002)
- Market Survey of Commercially Available Off-the-Shelf Archival Management Software (2003).

The Arab Regional Branch of the International Council of Archives (ARBICA) has been observing with great anxiety the events of the war against Iraq which started on March 20, 2003 and is going on until now. [...] Archives institutions around the world have confirmed that the Code of Hamurabi (1792-1750 B.C.), the oldest archives in the history of the world, along with its 285 articles of social and administrative laws, is a collection of jurisprudence for the organization of social life. [...] At the turn of the 21st century, it is a historical compulsion for the masters of science and technology to
protect this unique heritage of mankind. Instead, we are watching the destruction of all museums, and further threatening the documents and archives with serious danger by fierce bombardment. [...] We are horrified and grieved to observe the mob looting plundering and destroying the Iraqi National Library with its manuscripts, books and rare historical journals, the National Archives Center which
represents the memory of modern Iraq, the museums in Baghdad and Mosul. Furthermore, 170,000 rare
and invaluable archeological pieces which date back to thousands of years, were also plundered and destroyed. The libraries of the museum and universities of Iraq were looted during daytime under the observation of the armed forces of the coalition who had the power to prevent such atrocities from taking
place. Is it possible that such an expedition was organized to demolish the identity of the Iraqi civilization?! (ICA.org)

BAGHDAD, 15 April 2003 — So yesterday was the burning of books. First came the looters, then came the arsonists. It was the final chapter in the sack of Baghdad. The National Library and Archives — a priceless treasure of Ottoman
historical documents including the old royal archives of Iraq — were turned to ashes in 3,000 degrees of heat. Then the Islamic Library of Qur'ans at the Ministry of Religious Endowment was set ablaze. I saw the looters, writes Robert Fisk (The Independent).
Read more in Netbib.

Canada's newly merged National Library and National Archives are refusing to give up their prestigious parliamentary address. [...] Officials say the big problem with the offer is timing. The two institutions -- now called the Library and Archives of Canada -- are still in the throes of merging their operations and couldn't be ready to move by the fall occupancy date. Besides, they say, it's impossible to determine how much and what kind of space is needed until the merger is completed.
Canada is the first country to merge its national library and archives, a move the Chrétien government said would boost the sagging visibility, relevance and accessibility of the two nearly invisible institutions. (Canada.com).

On April 2 2003, the Public Record Office (PRO) and the Historical Manuscripts Commission (HMC) joined together to form a new organisation: The National Archives. Both PRO and HMC already provide advice to records managers in central and local government and archivists in public and private archives on a wide range of archival issues. The combined expertise of PRO and HMC will provide a central
body of advice and expertise on important archival issues, in particular, electronic records management, conservation and digital preservation. [Information Law Weblog]

The Mundus Gateway is a web-based guide to more than four hundred collections of overseas missionary materials
held in the United Kingdom. These materials, comprising the archives of British missionary societies, collections of personal papers, printed matter, photographs, other visual materials and artefacts, are held in a large number of
libraries, record offices and other institutions in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The Mundus Gateway makes it easier for researchers to locate these collections and obtain sufficient information about their contents to enable effective planning of research visits. With a helpful link list. [via Ethno::log]

Feedster is a search engine for what is called an "RSS Feed". An RSS Feed is an XML tagged file which allows a website, news site or blog (actually any site) to provide to the world a list of its current contents. RSS feeds can contain all kinds of information from news to blog / weblog posts to stock quotes and more.
An RSS feed is generally not read in a web browser like a web page. Instead a special piece of software called a "News Aggregator" like Net News Wire or AmphetaDesk or Newsgator is used. What these products do is enable viewing of multiple RSS feeds in an easy fashion. If you read a lot of information on the web or like to keep up with things, you should definitely look into a News Aggregator. (About Feedster)

Library 'Blogs - Blake Carver and Steven M. Cohen have teamed up to provide LISFeeds. This is a one-stop-site for library related RSS feeds. There are about 25 sites so far. Just click on the 'blog title in the left hand pane and read postings in the right.
[via IuW Darmstadt - Die etwas anderen Nachrichten aus Mittelerde]