TALON--the first five years.

The South Central Regional Medical Library Program, Region IX in the national network of medical libraries, was one of the last to be organized and funded. The particular makeup of this organization has permitted a good deal of flexibility in the identification and implementation of various types of network services and activities. The following is a brief account of some of these network functions during the first five years relating the successes and failures in network strategies and describing the further evolution of programs and refinement of a regional plan which will advance network services.     

‘The feeling of exclusion’: Young peoples' perceptions of art galleries

This article first looks at the relationship between museums and art galleries and their potential audiences and, in particular, the under-represented sector of young visitors. It examines the main findings from the limited research available on young visitors, and goes on to discuss theories delineating the differences between the cultures, identities and values of culture consumers and culture providers. The second part of the article looks at what specific museums have done towards being more inclusive in their appeal, and then reports the findings of a survey of young people in relation to New Zealand's Auckland Art Gallery. The survey found that young people's ideas of what constitutes modern, relevant art do not match standard art criteria, and that most exhibitions and marketing methods do not mesh with their worldview. The article concludes by using data from the survey to suggest ways of engaging more young people with public art galleries.     

The Concept of Record in Interactive, Experiential and Dynamic Environments: the View of InterPARES*

This article presents the concept of electronic record as articulated by the first phase of the InterPARES (International research on Permanent Authentic Records in Electronic Systems) Project (1999–2001) and discusses it in light of the findings of the second phase of the Project (2002–2006). While InterPARES 1 focused on records produced and/or maintained in databases and document management systems, InterPARES 2 examined records produced and/or maintained in interactive, experiential and dynamic environments. The authors describe the characteristics of these environments and of the entities found in them in the course of case studies conducted on systems used for carrying out artistic, scientific and e-government activities, and propose the new concept of record that InterPARES 2 is eleborating, which expands on that formulated by InterPARES 1.The authors would like to thank InterPARES 2 research assistant Randy Preston for his careful editing and constructive criticisms. Some of his suggestions have been incorporated in the text of this article.     

Eric Shiraev and Richard Sobel (2006). People and Their Opinions. Thinking Critically About Public Opinion. New York: Pearson Longman, 368 pp., ISBN 0-321-07898-5.

The authors of this book, Eric Shiraev and Richard Sobel, feltthe need to write a textbook on public opinion that would capturethe imaginations of the readers. In order to engage studentsand teachers alike in an active exploration of this domain theychose a combination of a critical thinking approach, an internationallycomparative perspective, and the use of numerous practical examplesof public opinion research on current political and social issues.The book is intended for introductory or middle level undergraduatecourses in public opinion, but could also be beneficial to upperlevel