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Arms, W., Daigle, L., Daniel, R., LaLiberte, D., Mealling, M., Moore, K. & Weibel, S. 1996, ‘Uniform resource names: a progress report’, D-Lib Magazine, February 1996, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february96/02arms.html].
This report summarises the emerging consensus within the library community of the criteria necessary to the development of Universal Resource Names which are independent of location, globally unique, persistent and accessible over time and the network. The emerging framework allows continued support for existing URNs. The issues of URN requirements, the URN framework and the development of URN registries is discussed. In conclusion the author states that the URN framework is to encourage flexibility within a stable system of naming and resolution.
Arms, W. 1995, ‘Key concepts in the architecture of the digital library’, D-Lib Magazine, July 1995, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/July95/07arms.html].
The author identifies the key issues in the transition to digital libraries from the networked services of today’s libraries and discusses the way in which each issue may be resolved. He points out that as names and identifiers are a vital building block for the digital library, these names and identifiers must be unique. Any digital content may described by the use of bit-sequences, handles and other digital objects. Security of digital objects must also be tight allowing only valid operations to be performed on the digital objects. As in all new concepts understanding is hampered by new terminology and words being assigned new meanings.
ASTEC 1994, The Networked Nation, [http://astec.gov.au/astec/net_nation/contents.html].
This paper was prepared and submitted by ASTEC in September 1994, in response to a request by Senator Peter Cook, the then Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Science, for a report on ‘the benefits of research data networks for universities, government research organisations, education and industry (and the) role of these networks for the wider community’.
A number of recommendations came out of the report, including the following:
The report contains not only policy proposals and recommendations but also a detailed discussion of a number of key issues: on the development of research data networks in Australia; on the benefits of those networks for industry and the community, as well as universities and governments; on the requirements of users of the network; and on ways of improving access.
The report notes the different approaches used by governments to promote network development, namely tender arrangements, consortia, direct grants, and so on. It refers to the support given to network capacity upgrades, which have helped to accommodate the increasing number of users and the high-bandwidth demand of new network applications.
It also notes the range of advantages for the research community which have been gained from the use of network facilities, and the generalisation of those benefits to the wider community. ‘Its open-access environment, non-proprietary standards, low use costs, and support for interactive communication are revolutionising access to information resources. Networked access to these resources is quickly assuming the shape of a public utility; that is, a service that should be available to all, equitably’.
Barry, T 1995, Caught in a Web—Australian Government network policy, [http://ningaui.anu.edu.au/CNASI/gov/augov/w5/paper.html].
This paper explores the development and current state of government policy on the Internet. He describes the recent creation of net services in Australia, and refers to the principle enquiries that have guided that development from the outset, namely those conducted by the Broadband Services Expert Group (BSEG), which produced Networking Australia’s Future, and the Australian Science and Technology Council (ASTEC), which produced The Networked Nation.
Barry also summarises formal Commonwealth Government policy statements, from the Creative Nation statement released in October 1994 to the series of Ministerial papers released in April 1995. He notes that Creative Nation covered more ground than just the network, emphasising the importance of content, but expresses disappointment that the policy focus was mainly on CD-ROM multimedia production. The series of papers released in April established Government policy on networking strategies, including the establishment of relevant Cabinet Committees and the formalisation of Government use of the network.
Barry concludes by noting that the period 1994 to 1995 saw an apparent reversal of the Government’s policy stand on the Internet, and a recognition of its importance and the need for its continued development. He also notes that policy seems to be driven by individual enthusiasts within government, rather than by the broad support of management.
Barry, T. 1996, ‘Libraries, the Web, interactive forms and CGI scripts’, Electronic dream? Virtual nightmare?: the reality for libraries, 1996 VALA Biennial Conference Melbourne 30 Jan–1 Feb 1996, [http://www.anu.edu.au/CNASI/pubs~/vala96.html].
The author presents an overview of the current capabilities of information retrieval products relating to the Internet. New developments in interfaces between program and server are discussed such as inbuilt interfaces in programs. Another aspect of new technology is the ability of automated web robots which scan the network generating keyword indexes with a good level of performance and at a lower cost than traditional methods. In conclusion the author states that libraries exist in an environment of rapid change which will redefine the role of both publishers and libraries.
Boering, N.L. 1995, ‘Changing Focus—Tomorrow’s Virtual Library’, Serials Librarian, Vol. 25, No. 3/4, pp. 73–94.
Paper addresses the changing role of libraries and the growing need to move from the electronic library to the virtual library, bringing the world to the desktop using all the different mediums and tools which are developed daily. Author stresses the importance of integration of existing and new systems, and the important position of the library in the growing knowledge industry. Describes the function of a virtual medical library to illustrate points.
Brandreth, M. & MacKeigan, C. 1994, ‘Electronic document delivery—towards the virtual library’, Interlending & Document Supply, Vol. 22, No. 1, 1994, pp. 15–19.
This article describes two systems developed to provide an electronic document delivery service to clients of the Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI). One system consists of an Ariel workstation which was designed to handle low volume document delivery at a new branch, at the same time an agreement with Faxon resulted in the development of a second electronic delivery system, which was designed to deliver a high volume at high speed. The author believes that both systems have a place in electronic document delivery depending on the size of the delivery operation.
Burrows, T. 1994, ‘Integrating electronic services into the Academic Library: The Scholars’ Centre at the University of Western Australia’, In Australian Academic and Research Libraries, Vol. 25, No. 4, pp. 213–220.
Outlines the establishment of the Scholars Centre at the University of Western Australia which was designed as a response to the proliferation of electronic resources. The centre incorporates study facilities, specialist research collections and electronic services which are promoted and supported vigorously. The centre includes document delivery facilities and is based around a philosophy of empowering users. The article concludes with a discussion of important issues faced in providing such services.
Caplan, P. 1995, ‘You call it corn, we call it syntax—Independent Metadata for Document—Like Objects’, The Public-Access Computer Systems Review, Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 19–23.
Summary of the official record of the OCLC/NCSA metadata workshop report held in Dublin, Ohio. Defining metadata as ‘data about data’, (for example a catalogue record) the author explains the workshop eventuated from the need to create a uniform protocol for authors to use as they put their documents on the net, while at the same time allowing easy searching and retrieval of the document by others. The author works through the process of deciding on the core elements of the protocol and explains problems encountered due to different perspectives of workshop delegates and so on. Concludes that the core elements will continue to be developed until all parties are satisfied, but in the meantime, ‘there is a tremendous need for some standard and that an imperfect standard would be better than no standard at all.
Cavnar, W.B. & Gillies, A.M. 1994, ‘Data retrieval and the realities of document conversion’, Proceedings of the first annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 19–21, 1994, College Station, Texas, [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/DL94/position/cavnar.html].
The author points out certain problems which are inherent in the conversion of paper and microfilm documents, non text documents and handwritten documents into electronic form using scanning and optical character recognition. Three options are put forward which may be utilised to overcome some of these problems. These are N-gram-based inexact matching, oversegmentation-based word matching and image based retrieval. In conclusion the author states that these methods are currently being researched and are providing encouraging results.
Charity, M.N. 1994, ‘Multiple standards? no problem’, Proceedings of the first annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 19–21, 1994, College Station, Texas, [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/DL94/position/charity.html].
It is not necessary, the author believes, for the developing global infrastructure to be based on a small number of carefully designed standards and protocols. Instead the use of gateways/bridges to access information via one protocol and make it available in another is suggested. The author perceives some limits to the use of gateways as a lack of interoperability and the inability to gateway very complex protocols. The author suggests a variety of standards and protocols are a sign of a vital industry and declares that difficulties stem from practices which do not emphasise interoperation.
Cheney, B., Garland, W., Cody, K., Kent, P.G. & Belkin, L.M. 1993, ‘Adonis in a network environment’, Drinking from a fire hose: managing networked information, 7th biennial conference and exhibition of the Victorian Association for Library Automation (VALA) 9–11 November 1993, Melbourne: Victorian Association for Library Automation, pp. 70–75.
This article provides a description of the function of the ADONIS document delivery software, along with its benefits and limitations as experienced by the CSIRO after the implementation of the software in this organisation. The initial use of ADONIS by the CSIRO as a dedicated single user system did not allow for maximum effectiveness, and the process of constructing the networked ADONIS is described in detail on the second half of the paper. Problems faced by the CSIRO in the design and implementation of a networked prototype for searching and delivery are described. Future plans will see the possibility of networking whole article images, as opposed to networking only the index which is the present situation.
Cibbarelli, P.R., Gertel, E.H. & Kratzert, M. 1993, ‘Choosing Among the Options for Patron Access Databases: Print, Online, CD-ROM, or Locally Mounted’, Reference Librarian, Vol. 39, No. 10, pp. 85–98.
Paper discusses changes in requirements and issues of collection building; libraries not only have to consider what to buy, but what form to buy it in (print, microform, CD-ROM, Online hosts, local databases). Each format is surrounded by further issues, such as cost and system capabilities, and these must be considered. Issues such as time lines, retrieval modes, system capabilities, costs, information transfer, FTP, telnet and integration are individually discussed in relation to the different forms of information.
Croft, B.W., Cook, R. & Wilder D. 1995, ‘Providing government information on the Internet: experiences with THOMAS’, Digital libraries ’95: the second annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 11–13, 1995, Austin, Texas, [http://csdl.tamu.edu/DL95/papers/croft/croft.html].
The THOMAS system is a search and retrieval system designed to make legislative information available to the public over the Internet. The author explains in detail the content of the THOMAS database and the INQUERY retrieval engine which is used to access it. One problem found with the THOMAS database occurred because of user unfamiliarity with searching protocols, which has since been addressed. In conclusion the THOMAS database is continually being assessed to determine the effectiveness of the improvements and to rank performance against other similar systems.
Croft, W.B. 1995, ‘What do people want from information retrieval?’, D-Lib Magazine, November 1995, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/November95/11Croft.html].
This paper describes ten of the most important issues concerning information retrieval identified by the experiences of the National Science Foundation Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval. On many of the issues research is currently being undertaken and the focus of this research is given. The author mentions other areas in which research is required and believes that the experience provided by the explosion of operational text-based systems will be invaluable for information retrieval research.
Dempsey, L. 1994, Network resource discovery: a European library perspective, Bath, UKOLN, 4 August 1994, [http://www.ub2.lu.se/UB2proj/LIS-collection/lorcan.html].
This paper offers a discussion of various aspects of resource discovery. The rapid development of search tools has resulted in various shortcomings of current Internet discovery systems becoming evident. The main problem identified by the author is that no one access tool allows searchers to reach all resources of interest. The provision of gateways between access tools and the development of infrastructual components to support increased access is necessary. In conclusion the author believes that immature resource discovery systems are now a major inhibitor of effective use of network information.
Graham, P.S. 1995, ‘The digital research library: tasks and commitments’, Digital libraries ’95: the second annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 11–13, 1995, Austin, Texas, [http://csdl.tamu.edu/DL95/papers/ graham/graham.html#RTFToC7].
The author sets out what must be done for a digital research library to be successful in meeting user needs. Two main tasks are identified, that of establishing the repository of electronic scholarly materials and implementing the tools to use it. Solutions to technical problems inherent in these tasks are becoming clear. To conclude the author states that fiscal viability of the digital research library is of paramount importance if long term commitment to the maintenance of scholarly information is to be achieved.
Haddad, P. & Jones, M. 1995, Electronic publishing: access, bibliographic and preservation issues, Report to the Electronic Working Group, AVCC, National Library, Canberra, [http://www.adfa.oz.au/EPub/AVCCNLA.html].
This paper discusses the dilemmas facing libraries which have arisen with the advent of electronic publishing. Issues discussed include:
The authors refer to a range of uncertainties for library administrators, concerning the terms of contracts for access to electronic material. They note that ‘libraries are already moving from a scenario where most of their information is in the form of a product that the library has bought and owns, to one where the purchaser does not own, but merely has the right to use. Subscriptions are giving way to licences’ (p. 1).
On the problems of standardisation of hardware and software, they note that the transience of electronic media presents scholars with the real possibility that their access to electronic texts may be limited in the near future. This in turn points to problems with preserving material in readable formats. ‘Given that an increasing amount of scholarly material is in digital form, and that this trend can be expected to continue, the need to address the ongoing maintenance of material in this form is emerging much more rapidly than the problems posed by brittle paper’ (p. 4).
This paper indicates that the dilemmas posed by electronic publishing are technical as well as administrative. Technological innovation currently outstrips planning and decision making processes. The authors of this paper emphasise the need for cooperative decision making within and across research establishments, and in relation to governments and the rest of the community.
Hakala, J. 1996, Z39.50-1995: Information retrieval protocol: an introduction to the standard and its usage, Helsinki, Automation Unit of Finnish Research Libraries, 18 January 1996, [http://renki.helsinki.fi/Z3950/Z3950pr.html].
This article reviews the information retrieval protocol Z39.50. Included is a list of important terms and their meanings, there is also a table defining attribute semantics for Z39.50 and the author states that it is easy to enhance the existing attributes with new attributes or create new sets for new search domains. The services of Z39.50 are given and explained. A problem identified by the author is the lack of a consensus on how to handle character set conversions, although work is being done in this area, much remains to be achieved. Current developments are also discussed and to conclude the author gives a summary of the ONE project.
Hammer, S. & Favaro, J. 1996, ‘Z39.50 and the World Wide Web’, D-Lib Magazine, March 1996, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march96/03indexd.htm].
Discusses the role of Z39.50 in searching on the Internet and notes the increased versatility of the 1995 version which enables it to provide powerful services outside the strictly bibliographic application domain. The World Wide Web has become an inexpensive and popular method of providing user friendly access to on-line catalogues; however, a serious drawback of this method is that no two information systems share the same interface characteristics. Z39.50 allows diverse information resources to look and act the same to the individual user and it is suggested that there is a strong potential for a profitable synergetic relationship between the WWW and Z39.50.
Hylton, J. 1996, ‘Access and discovery: issues and choices in the design of DIFWICS’, D-Lib Magazine, March 1996, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/ march96/03hylton.htm].
A comparison of systems which attempt to organise online computer science literature is provided. The author describes the Digital Index for Works in Computer Science (DIFWICS) prototype of his own design, which integrates diverse bibliographic records into a centralised index for computer science literature. The system is compared to two others in this field in terms of such areas as data integration and indexing. The Networked Computer Science Technical Report is a system which provides common interfaces for searching reports from 40 participating institutions, and the Unified Computer Science Technical Report Index provides a centralised index of technical reports stored on nearly 200 ftp servers. Provides citations for web pages mentioned in paper.
Iannella, R. 1995, Internet resource discovery issues, Queensland, Distributed Systems Technology Centre, [http://www.dstc.edu.au/RDU/reports/QuestNet95.html].
The author discusses some of the central issues in the area of resource discovery in the Internet environment. The main issue is the formulation of a unique system to identify resources, which is independent of file or directory, as any restructuring would make void the name. Another issue is that of scaleability and federation. The author believes that manageable indexes would result if indexes were partitioned into domains and the queries threaded to each index. To conclude the author believes that a unique naming system will form the groundwork upon which research into other areas may be undertaken.
Kling, R. & Elliott, M. 1994, ‘Digital library design for useability’, Proceedings of the first annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 19–21, 1994, College Station, Texas, [http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/DL94/paper/kling.html].
In this report two forms of digital library usability are discussed, that of interface and organisational usability. Interface usability refers to the manner in which a person uses the system, and organisational usability refers to the way that computer systems can be effectively integrated into the work practices of organisations. A comparison of two DL tools, Gopher and Mosaic is made using the attributes of interface and organisational usability as points of reference. The author concludes that a significantly more effective system should be developed building on the models of the past and taking usability into consideration.
Koch, T. 1995, Improving resource discovery and retrieval: existing approaches and the EU project DESIRE, [http://www.ub2.lu.se/tk/demos/BFD9602-en.html].
This articles highlights some problems in searching for resources on the Internet, including new object types being insufficiently indexed, and the rapid change in the locale and content of documents. An overview is given of the current state of the search services, weaknesses are pointed out and possible enhancements are advanced. The author then goes on to give an overview of the DESIRE project and lists some basic goals of the subproject ‘Resource discovery and retrieval’.
Lancaster, F.W. (ed) 1995, ‘A networked approach to scholarly publishing within Universities’, Library Trends, Spring 1995, 43 (4) pp. 515–644.
This issue of Library Trends considers the subject of electronic publishing in the scholarly environment from different perspectives. Many issues are covered, including a comparison of online journals with that of print-on-paper journals. The problem of effective access and that of copyright are discussed in further articles. The importance of the electronic journal in facilitating the routine discourse processes of scholarly communities is discussed in another article, while another contributor concludes that as yet electronic publishing is not a high priority.
Lim, E. 1996, ‘The virtual library meets the virtual campus: strategies for the 21st Century’, Paper prepared for the VALA Biennial Conference, Melbourne, 30 Jan–1 Feb 1996, pp. 21–37.
Against a background of changing technologies, increasing costs of printed material and diminishing budgets it was decided by Monash University to develop its newest site as a virtual campus. Course delivery is multi-modal and the author details the range and manner of delivery methods. The library service consists of three components, print, on-line information services and an electronic-reserve system. Some problems have been identified with the virtual campus, and these are discussed. The environment in which academic libraries operate is changing, in the future libraries will have to be adaptive, innovative and responsive to these changes and to the new initiatives of their parent institutions.
Lucier, R.E. & Brantley, P. 1995, ‘The Red Sage project: an experimental digital journal library for the health sciences’, D-Lib Magazine, August 1995, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/august95/lucier/08lucier.html].
The Red Sage project which has been initiated by the University of California, San Francisco is designed to build, deploy and evaluate a working Digital Journal Library of the Health Sciences at that University. Publishers are participating in this project to gain an understanding of how they will need to modify their journal publications to produce electronic versions in a format which will be satisfactory to electronic library users. In the future the University expects publishers to provide direct electronic input of journals to the University. Eventual commercialisation of this project is anticipated and it is hoped that this will ensure its continuation past the end of the current project.
Manjunath, B.S. 1995, ‘Image browsing in the Alexandria digital library (ADL) project’, D-Lib Magazine, August 1995, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/august95/alexandria/08manjurath.html].
In the management of multimedia data, particularly images and video, two important issues are that of efficient storage and fast retrieval. The author gives a brief outline of how these two issues are being addressed at the Alexandria Digital Library. Users require images to be available at different resolutions, both low and high. To meet these needs the author suggests the use of storage by wavelets which allows images to be retrieved at different resolutions. Searching and retrieval of texture images is enhanced by the use of Gabor filters. He concludes by asserting that results on texture based searching are very encouraging.
Morton, D. & Silcot, S. 1995, ‘Systems for providing searchable access to collections of HTML documents’, AusWeb 95 Conference, Ballina NSW, 30 April–2 May 1995, [http://www.scu.edu.au/ausweb95/papers/indexing/morton/].
This paper details the University of Melbourne’s experience in implementing a keyword search system to access HTML documents. The functionality and software requirements for a searching system were defined. Initially a WAIS gateway was implemented and evaluated against the defined criteria. While the WAIS gateway provided an adequate search system, user functionality fell short of that required. Then the GLIMPSE indexing and query system was considered and implemented. Experiences with GLIMPSE were good, although local extensions were added to improve functionality. A brief description of the enhancements which were added to GLIMPSE are provided.
Mosher, P.H. 1995, ‘Real access as the paradigm of the nineties’, Journal of Library Administration, Vol. 21, No. 1–2, p. 39–48.
Mosher examines the difficulties and directions of document access in the nineties. Recent trends in serials expenditure are identified using the example of Association of Research Libraries members. In comparing current models of access with previous models of ownership, the solution of virtual libraries is considered. Concludes by exploring the process of change in document delivery.
Nürnberg, P.J. 1995, ‘Digital libraries: issues and architectures’, Digital libraries ’95: the second annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 11–13, 1995, Austin, Texas, [http://csdl.tamu.edu/DL95/papers/nuernberg/nuernberg.html].
This paper presents a framework for discussing the research issues which are central to the building of digital libraries and how these issues affect the developing digital library systems. Although research into digital libraries is carried on in a variety of different fields, the authors believe that for the digital library to reach its full potential research must be viewed as a union of fields from a variety of domains with the addition of new goals. Problems which occur in the development of the digital library will require solutions which are a blend of approaches from a variety of fields.
OCLC/NCSA Metadata Workshop; Library of Congress 1995, Mapping the Dublin core metadata elements to USMARC, Discussion paper No. 86, [http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/documents/libraries/cataloging/dublin1.txt].
This discussion paper summarises the results of the Dublin Metadata Workshop which was convened to consider which elements are necessary to facilitate resource discovery on an electronic medium. A list of core data elements that were
defined at the Dublin Metadata Workshop is given and possible mapping to particular USMARC fields is indicated. Problems are identified regarding mapping and possible solutions offered. Both the Dublin Metadata elements and the USMARC format may have to be altered in future to better accommodate each other.
Owen, J.S., Mackenzie & Wiercx, A. 1996, Knowledge models for networked library services: final report, Version 1.0, January 1996, [http://www.nbbi.nl/ftp/kms/kmsfinal.zip].
Final report of European Commission study ‘Knowledge models for networked library services’ conducted by NBBI, Project Bureau for Information Management in the Netherlands. Libraries have traditionally provided a mediation function between the user and the material being sought. Information technology and networking have increased the range of services available to the user and is changing the mediation role of the library, as users increasingly have direct access to information electronically. Libraries must redefine their mediator role and move into the area of networked resources, services and tools. This paper addresses these issues which are facing today’s libraries.
Pettengill, R. & Arango, G. 1995, ‘Four lessons learned from managing World Wide Web digital libraries’, Digital libraries ’95: the second annual conference on the theory and practice of digital libraries, June 11–13, 1995, Austin, Texas, [http://csdl.tamu.edu/DL95/papers/pettengill/pettengill.html].
This paper describes the experiences of a corporation in developing and maintaining a digital library of project documents. Several points are raised; these include automating the maintenance of documents by using checklists and templates, and the necessity to record processes to ensure repeatability. Of special importance in project libraries is the need to access multiple versions of documents to trace the history of decisions. The authors offer a solution to the problem of control and access of versioned documents. In conclusion the authors point out several problems which remain to be solved, that of improving usability and the security of the corporate knowledge base.
Place, T. & Dijkutra, J. 1996, Z39.50 or www: Which way to go? ELVIRA 95 conference, May 2–4, 1995, Milton Keynes, UK, [http://www./se.ac.uk/decomate/docs/confrnce.html]
This paper describes the function of Z39.50 and HTTP as information retrieval protocols and addresses the main differences, including the positive aspects and weaknesses of each protocol. A decision is made towards which protocol Tilburg University will adopt for their system. It is concluded that they can work separately or in conjunction, both to the benefit of users.
Rand, R.Y. 1995, ‘Assisted search for knowledge (ASK): a navigational tool set to global change data and information’, Information Technology and Libraries, Vol. 14, No. 2, June 1995, p. 87–91.
The author details the development of an online search system through four prototypes, which provides Internet and dial-up access, recording improvements and enhancements. The fundamental concept of the project is to develop a system that links diverse databases, while enabling users with different skills, needs, and access methods to obtain relevant information from these databases. The search system is designed to support unstructured full text, information images, and map information. Queries in Smart and Expert mode are described and the author concludes by suggesting further refinements which could be implemented.
Rand, R.Y. 1995, ‘The global change data and information system—Assisted Search for Knowledge (GC-ASK) project’, D-Lib Magazine, August 1995, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/august95/08rand.html].
Key issues identified by the author in the area of global data storage and retrieval are the diverse nature in content and format of information provided by participating agencies and the varying ability of the global change community to effectively utilise search tools to access data and information. These issues are discussed in terms of the client module, the assisted search module and the data collection module. A Users group has been formed to evaluate the project and report their results thereby providing direct input to the development process.
Smith, T.R. 1996, ‘A brief update on the
Alexandria Digital Library Project’,
D-Lib Magazine, March
1996, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march96/03smith.htm].
The author presents an update on the progress made on the Alexandria Digital Library Project which was initiated to build a distributed digital library for geographically-referenced materials. Most notable has been the construction of a test-bed library prototype accessible from the WWW and a brief overview is given of the functions of this library. Future plans consist of designing and implementing a system which will support access to documents by geographic reference, and the development of a metadata model is planned. To conclude the author states that developments are being made in close cooperation with the different partners for testing and feedback purposes.
Spring, M.B. 1995, ‘The virtual library: explorations in information spaces’, Fantastic Futures: virtual and in the flesh, National Reference and Information Services Conference, Adelaide, September 13–15, 1995.
The author acknowledges the impact of the rapidly changing technologies of the information age on the library. The changes are viewed in an historical, technological and functional framework. The evolution of library services to the present networking on the Internet are traced. The point is made that universal connectivity leads to an awareness of standards for information sharing and several important developments in this area are discussed. Reproductions of screens using net browsing tools are given as illustrations as the author moves through the Internet using net browsing tools. The author concludes by saying that the virtual library is dynamic and is very much in the development stage.
Steele, C. 1995a, ‘The digital library: dos and don’ts and developments’. The Electronic Library, vol. 13, no. 5, October 1995, [http://www.learned.co.uk/li/newswire/nw2.5/teledit.htm].
The author discusses some of the issues of concern to libraries as they attempt to balance the maintenance of their print collections with the need to make information available electronically. The rising price of printed monographs provides an incentive for libraries to develop the technology and collaborate with publishers to access their archives and download to the desktop. Another point is to ‘freeze’ the printed collection allocating budgetary savings to electronic information provision. Copyright issues will also need to be dealt with. In conclusion the author believes the concept of universally accessible collections is becoming more of a reality.
Steele, C. 1995b, The evolving virtual library, [http://www.anu.edu.an/caul/steele.htm].
This paper describes the way in which universities are using digital technology to provide courses electronically. This enables universities to access the global education market, conversely students may now study at the university of their choice. Lectures and all reference and research material is offered in digital form, communication between university and student occurs via e-mail. A feature of the digital university is 24 hour access. Security of information and students’ privacy is maintained by the use of passwords. The paper concludes by asserting that we are on the threshold of monumental changes in the provision of information and education.
Stern, D. 1995, ‘SGML documents: A Better System for Communicating Knowledge’, Special Libraries, Vol 86, No. 2, p. 117–124.
The author outlines some of the features of Standard Generalised Markup Language (SGML) and discusses their implications when compared to the utilities of other document and database systems such as text formatters, desktop publishers and search engines. Problems associated with the use of these systems for electronic searching and retrieval are pointed out. To conclude the author identifies some areas needing further development in order to allow these SGML systems to improve researchers’ searching, and the display and manipulation of electronically stored data.
Storey, T. 1994, ‘The Internet and OCLC: broadening access to the world’s information’, in Kinder, R. (ed), Librarians on the Internet: impact of reference services, Haworth Press, New York, p. 375–385.
The author summarises the OCLC’s use of the Internet to deliver information electronically. Using the Internet OCLC are able to deliver information to a new audience of end users, utilising a new product with new technologies designed for them. The OCLC offers three reference products via the Internet: The FirstSearch catalogue, the EPIC service, and The Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials. An overview of each of these services is given. To conclude OCLC is committed to integrating its activities into the emerging digital community by linking with the Internet to broaden access to their services.
Sugimoto, S., Gotou, S., Zhao, Y., Sakagucki, T. & Tabata,
K. 1995, ‘Enhancing usability of network-based library
information system—experimental studies of a user interface
for OPAC and of a collaboration tool for library services’, Digital
libraries ’95: the second annual conference on the theory
and practice of digital libraries, June 11–13, 1995,
Austin, Texas,
[http://csdl.tamu.edu/DL95/papers/sugimoto/sugimoto.html].
In this paper the author describes two experimental studies of library information system usability. One is a Graphical User Interface oriented Online Public Access Catalogue with a bookshelf browser, the other is a Collaborative Support System which includes TV-phone, Shared Virtual Display, Image Tool, and White Board. Both systems were developed on a conventional workstation LAN. The author concludes by saying that information providers should move towards the library digital library gradually, starting from existing library information systems and evaluating new systems and innovations as they proceed.
Tillman, H.N. 1996, ‘Evaluating quality on the net’, Computers in Libraries Arlington Virginia, 26 February 1996, [http://www.tiac.net/users/hope/findqual.htm].
This article addresses the issue of critically evaluating resources on the Internet. The author advocates using a systematic approach to evaluate both the search tools and the data received as a result of the search. Points discussed include the authority of the reviewer and the appropriateness of the multimedia nature of the resource. Also there are now sites on the net which provide evaluation of net resources, and these sites in turn should be evaluated to determine their value. Key indicators to critically evaluate resources is given, the author also stating that an understanding of the current state of the net is necessary to best identify the quality of an Internet resource.
Vanzyl, A. 1995, ‘Expanding web functionality by incorporating external programs—a case study of a search system’, AusWeb 95 Conference, Ballina NSW, 30 April–2 May 1995, [http://www.scu.edu.au/ausweb95/papers/integrating/vanzyl/].
The author describes the development and integration of a Web search system to allow it to integrate with an already existing Macintosh based web server. Implementation consisted of creating the interface code to handle the CGI events produced by the server and marking up the returned search strings in html. Generating the html links for the list of context hits so that each link ‘knew’ which file it related to, was the most difficult problem to solve. Although the program was written in C the author believes that a language which has cross platform capability and is optimised for string handling would be more appropriate to use.
Weibel, S. 1995, ‘Metadata: the foundations of resource description’, D-lib Magazine, July 1995, [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/July95/07weibel.html].
Valuable collections of texts, images and sounds which may now exist only in electronic form and which are accessible from the Internet, are so difficult to locate they may be effectively unavailable to most users. The author proposes the content of a simple resource description record to overcome the difficulty of locating electronic works. To conclude the author sets forth further steps to advance the standard for the description of networked information resources.
Weibel, S., Godby, J. & Miller, E. 1995, OCLC/NCSA metadata workshop report, [http://www.nic-bnc.ca/documents/libraries/cataloging/oclcmeta.html].
The author reports on the progress made at the Dublin Metadata Workshop which was convened to develop a resource description model for networked electronic information objects. Metadata elements were isolated and described. Further discussion and refinement of the core element set is expected and expansion to include other object types is an ongoing issue. Larger problems to solve include that of versions, extensibility and character sets. In conclusion it is obvious that refinement and standardisation of the metadata element set defined in this document will be a dynamic process.