ITAL Information Technology and Libraries (E-Journal)
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Automatic Extraction of Figures from Scientific Publications in High-Energy Physics
Get PDFPlots and figures play an important role in the process of understanding a scientificpublication, providing overviews of large amounts of data or ideas that are difficult to in-tuitively present using only the text. State of art in digital libraries, serving as gatewaysto knowledge encoded in scholarly writings, does not take full advantage of the graphicalcontent of documents. Enabling machines to automatically unlock the meaning of scien-tific illustrations would allow immense improvements in the way scientists work and theknowledge is being processed. In this paper we present a novel solution for the initial problem of processing graphicalcontent, obtaining figures from scholarly publications stored in PDF format. Our methodrelies on vector properties of documents and as such, does not introduce additional errors,characteristic for methods based on raster image processing. Emphasis has been placed oncorrectly processing documents in High Energy Physics. The described approach makesdistinction between different classes of objects appearing in PDF documents and usesspatial clustering techniques to group objects into larger logical entities. A number ofheuristics allow the rejection of incorrect figure candidates and the extraction of differenttypes of metadata
Editorial Board Thoughts: "India Does Not Exist."
Get PDFEditorial Board Thoughts: "India Does Not Exist.
Learning to Share: Measuring Use of a Digitized Collection on Flickr and in the IR
Get PDFThere is very little public data on usage of digitized library collections. New methods for promoting and sharing digitized collections are created all the time, but very little investigation has been done on the effect of those efforts on usage of the collections on library websites. This study attempts to measure the effects of reposting a collection on Flickr on use of the collection in a library-run institutional repository. The results are inconclusive, but the paper provides background on the topic and guidance for future efforts
Examining Attributes of Open Standard File Formats for Long-term Preservation and Open Access
Get PDFThis study examines the attributes that have been used to assess file formats in literature and compiles the most frequently used attributes of file formats in order to establish open standard file format selection criteria. A comprehensive review was undertaken to identify the current knowledge regarding file format selection criteria. The findings indicate that the most common criteria can be categorized into five major groups: functionality, metadata, openness, interoperability and independence. These attributes appear to be closely related. Additional attributes include presentation, authenticity, adoption, protection, preservation, reference and others. 
Public Library Computer Waiting Queues: Alternatives to the First-Come-First-Served Strategy
Get PDFThis paper summarizes the results of a simulation of alternative queuing strategies for a public library computer sign-up system. Using computer usage data gathered from a public library, the performance of these various queuing strategies is compared in terms of the distribution of user wait times. The consequences of partitioning a pool of public computers are illustrated as are the potential benefits of prioritizing users in the waiting queue according to the amount of computer time they desire
Mobile Technologies & Academics: Do Students Use Mobile Technologies in Their Academic Lives and are Librarians Ready to Meet this Challenge?
Get PDFIn this paper we report on two surveys and offer an introductory plan that librarians may use to begin implementing mobile access to selected library databases and services. Results from the first survey helped us to gain insight into where students at Utah State University (USU) in Logan, Utah, stand regarding their use of mobile devices for academic activities in general and their desire for access to library services and resources in particular. A second survey, conducted with librarians, gave us an idea of the extent to which responding libraries offer mobile access, their future plans for mobile implementation, and their opinions about whether and how mobile technologies may be useful to library patrons. In the last segment of the paper, we outline steps librarians can take as they “go mobile.
Editorial Board Thoughts: Appreciation for History
Get PDFEditorial Board Thoughts: Appreciation for Histor
The Next Generation Integrated Library System: A Promise Fulfilled?
Get PDFThe adoption of Integrated Library Systems (ILS) became prevalent in the 1980s and 1990s as libraries began or continued to automate their processes. These systems enabled library staff to work, in many cases, more efficiently than they had been in the past. However, these systems were also restrictive – especially as the nature of the work began to change, largely in response to the growth of electronic and digital resources – for which these systems were not intended to manage. New library systems – the second (or next) generation library systems are needed in order to effectively manage the processes of acquiring, describing and making available all library resources. This article examines the state of library systems today and describes the features needed in a next generation library system. The authors also examine some of the next generation library systems currently in development that purport to fill the changing needs of libraries
Student Use of Library Computers: Are Desktop Computers Still Relevant in Today's Libraries?
Get PDFAcademic libraries have traditionally provided computers for students to access their collections and, more recently, facilitate all aspects of studying. Recent changes in technology, particularly the increased presence of mobile devices, calls into question how libraries can best provide technology support and how it might impact the use of other library services. A two-year study conducted at California State University San Marcos library analyzed student use of the computers in the library, both the library’s own desktop computers and laptops owned by students. The results found that, despite the increased ownership of mobile technology by students, they still clearly preferred to use desktop computers in the library. It also showed that students who used computers in the library were more likely to use other library services and physical collections