ITAL Information Technology and Libraries (E-Journal)
Not a member yet
885 research outputs found
Sort by
The Impact of Web Search Engines on Subject Searching in OPAC
Get PDFThis paper analyzes the results of transaction logs at California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) and studies the effects of implementing a Web-based OPAC along with interface changes. The authors find that user success in subject searching remains problematic. A major increase in the frequency of searches that would have been more successful in resources other than the library catalog is noted over the time period 2000-2002. The authors attribute this increase to the prevalence of Web search engines and suggest that metasearching, relevance-ranked results, and relevance feedback ( "more like this") are now expected in user searching and should be integrated into online catalogs as search options
The Internet as a Source of Academic Research Information: Findings of Two Pilot Studies
Get PDFAs a source of serious subject-oriented information, the Internet has been a powerful feature in the information arena since its inception in the last quarter of the twentieth century. It was, however, initially restricted to government contractors or major research universities operating under the aegis of the Advanced Research Projects Network (ARPANET).(1) In the 1990s, the content and use of the Internet was expanded to includemundane subjects covered in business, industry, education,government, entertainment, and a host of otherareas. It has become a magnanimous network of networks the measurement of whose size, impact, and content often elude serious scholarly effort.(2) Opening the Internet to common usage literally opened the flood gates of what has come to be known as the information superhighway. Currently, there is virtually no subject that cannot be found on the Internet in one form or another
Policies Governing Use of Computing Technology in Academic Libraries
Get PDFThe networked computing environment is a vital resource for academic libraries. Ever-increasing use dictates the prudence of having a comprehensive computer-use policy in force. Universities often have an overarching policy or policies governing the general use of computing technology that helps to safeguard the university equipment, software, and network against inappropriate use. Libraries often benefit from having an adjunct policy that works to emphasize the existence and important points of higher-level policies, while also providing a local context for systems and policies pertinent to the library in particular. Having computer-use policies at the university and library level Helps provide a comprehensive, encompassing guide for the effective and appropriate use of this vital resource
Using GIS to Measure In-Library Book-Use Behavior
Get PDFThis article is an attempt to develop Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techology into an analytical tool for examining the relationships between the height of the bookshelves and the behavior of library readers in utilizing books within a library. The tool would contain a database to store book-use information and some GIS maps to represent bookshelves. Upon analyzing the data stored in the database, different frequencies of book use across bookshelf layers are displayed on the maps. The tool would provide a wonderful means of visualization through which analysts can quickly realize the spatial distribution of books used in a library. This article reveals that readers tend to pull books out of the bookshelf layers that are easily reachable by human eyes and hands, and thus opens some issues for librarians to reconsider the management of library collections
Editorial Board Thoughts: Arts into Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – STEAM, Creative Abrasion, and the Opportunity in Libraries Today
Get PDFBy actively seeking out opportunities to bring art into traditionally STEM-focused activity, and vice-versa, we are deliberately increasing the diversity of the environment. Makerspace services and activities, to the extent they are open and visibly accessible to all, are a natural for the spontaneous development of trans-disciplinary collaboration. Within the spaces of the library, opportunities to connect individuals around shared avocational interest might range from music and spontaneous performance areas to spaces salted with LEGO bricks and jigsaw puzzles; the potential connections between our resources and the members of our communities are as diverse as their interests. Indeed, when a practitioner from one discipline can interact and engage with others from across the STEAM spectrum, the world becomes a richer place – and maybe, just maybe, we can fan the flames of curiosity along the way
Managing Metadata for Philatelic Materials
Get PDFStamp collectors frequently donate their stamps to cultural heritage institutions. As digitization becomes more prevalent for other kinds of materials, it is worth exploring how cultural heritage institutions are digitizing their philatelic materials. This paper begins with a review of the literature about the purpose of metadata, current metadata standards, and metadata that are relevant to philatelists. The paper then examines the digital philatelic collections of four large cultural heritage institutions, discussing the metadata standards and elements employed by these institutions. The paper concludes with a recommendation to create international standards that describe metadata management explicitly for philatelic materials
Prospector: A Multivendor, Multitype, and Multistate Western Union Catalog
Get PDFThe Prospector project represents a unique union catalog. The origin, goals, and design of the union catalog that uses the INN-Reach system are presented. Challenges of the union catalog include the integration of records from libraries that do not use the Innovative Interfaces system and the development of best practices for participating libraries
Digital Resource Sharing and Library Consortia in Italy
Get PDFInterlibrary cooperation in Italy is a fairly recent and not very widespread practice. Attention to the topic was aroused in the eighties with the Italian library network project. More recently, under the impetus toward technological innovation, there has been renewed (and more pragmatic) interest in cooperation in all library sectors. Sharing electronic resources is the theme of greatest interest today in university libraries, where various initiatives are aimed at setting up consortia to purchase licenses and run digital products. A number of projects in hand are described, and emerging trends analyzed