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Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Assessment Submission Form
Student Name Betty Maguire
Student Number 10290273
Assessment Title Assignment 2 learning journals
Module Code IS 40560
Module Title Digital Libraries
Module Co-ordinator Andrea Johnson
Tutor (if applicable)
Date Submitted 29-4-11
Date Received
Grade/Mark
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you have read the
University.s Briefing for Students on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism and
the UCD Plagiarism
Statement, Plagiarism Policy and Procedures, (http://www.ucd.ie/registrar/)
Declaration of Authorship
I declare that all material in this assessment is my own work except where
there is clear
acknowledgement and appropriate reference to the work of others.
Signed...Betty Maguire................ Date .....28-4-11............
Assessment submission form_modular
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Learning Journal week 1
Description
This week, we discussed the concept of a „digital library‟ and attempted to define
what a digital library is. We discovered that there are two main definitions of digital library,
one which was developed from a Computer Scientist‟s perspective and one which was
developed from a professional Librarian‟s perspective.
Analysis
According to Borgman (1999, 239): The research community’s definitions (of a
digital library) serve to identify and focus attention on research problems and to expand the
community of interest around those problems. The library community’s definitions focus on
practical challenges involved in transforming library institutions and services. A librarian‟s
definition of a digital library therefore focuses mainly on the function of the digital library in
providing access to knowledge to a wider audience than was previously possible prior to the
development of digital libraries (in Chowdhury & Chowdhury, p. 5). Borgman (2000b, 41)
goes on to describe the key four components of a digital library which she regards as being a
combination of „ 1) a service 2) an architecture 3) a set of information resources, databases
of text, numbers, graphics, sound, video etc and 4) a set of tools and capabilities to locate,
retrieve and utilize the information resources available‟ (in Chowdhury & Chowdhury, p. 5).
Evaluation
In my reading on the topic of digital libraries, I discovered that most libraries today
have digitized resources in some format as well as printed books and that therefore most
libraries would today be termed „hybrid libraries‟. Knowledge of digitized resources and how
to develop a collection of digitized resources is therefore becoming increasingly important in
today‟s library profession. According to the introduction of the Scholarly Communications
Project Report, June 1998, digital library involves not only a collection of digitized items
such as books and journal articles in order to preserve these items, but also the making
available of information to a wider audience than was previously possible through the
digitizing of that information: “The "digital library" is not merely equivalent to a digitized
collection with information management tools. It is also a series of activities that brings
together collections, services, and people in support of the full life cycle of creation,
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
dissemination, use, and preservation of data, information, and knowledge”
(http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/DLI2/defineDL.html).
Conclusion
There are therefore many different definitions of a digital library. In his paper entitled
„Creating services for the digital library (Online Information 96, Proceedings of the
International On-line Information Meeting, London, 3-5 December, 1996), Dennis J. Crane
states his view that „ the intelligent, informed experienced, reference librarian provides the
greatest service value in many libraries‟ and goes to explain that, in his view, „the service
most essential to fully enabling a digital library will be the Digital Researcher‟ (Crane, 1996,
p. 2) Crane goes on to explain the Digital Researcher will be therefore a service and not just
a technology (Crane, 1996) . It is Crane‟s view that these Digital Researcher services will not
replace information professionals but will enhance and extend the value delivered by these
professionals (Crane, p.1 1996). I find this view of the changing role of the librarian and the
from an agent of service delivery to digital researchers very interesting. Given that the paper
was written in 1996, I believe that Crane possessed great hindsight in his assertions as the
changes in the role of the librarian and the information professional which he describes are
evident in many libraries today.
Feelings
I was apprehensive about the topic of digital libraries before the introductory lecture on the
subject as I believed that digital libraries were replacing the „librarian‟ and resulting in the
need for less staff in the library. Following the lecture, I believe that this is not entirely true as
people value face-to-face contact in the library and librarian‟s are still valued in the digital
library, where there role has extended to include that of an instructor who teaches patrons
who to access and utilize digital resources.
Action Plan
I am going to find out more about the instructor role of the librarian. I will also explore
different definitions of a „digital library‟ in order to better understand all the concepts
associated with the term „digital library‟.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Learning journal week 2: Presentations from Library Staff
Description
In today‟s lecture, four members of UCD Library staff gave presentations on different aspects
of the UCD Library Management System (LMS), form the management of information
technology services to the management of the marketing of the library. The titles of the
presentations included; „Managing Information Resources in UCD‟, „Reader Services‟, and
„Institutional Repository Management‟. Towards the end of the presentation there was a short
group exercise during which we were asked to discuss in groups of 5-6 any aspect of digital
libraries which interested us. Each group was allowed to ask three questions. Topics of
interest which arose in the group discussions included; innovations of the digital repository
service in UCD Library in the next 5-10 years; The interoperability of the UCD Library
digital repositories with other systems; digitization as a means of preservation and
collaboration between digitization projects.
Feelings
I was apprehensive about some aspects of the presentations before the presentations began as
I felt that some of the content concerning the management of the Information Technology
services of the library would possibly require greater background knowledge of Library
Information Technology Services than that which I possess in under to understand the subject
fully. I found that the material was presented in such a way that I understood the majority of
it. At the end of the presentations, I felt that I had gained great insight into the inner
workings of UCD Library and how the systems within UCD Library are interconnected.
Evaluation
Challenges for electronic integration systems include; integration and flexibility. Challenges
as a result of increased user expectations have also arisen. One of the many systems of UCD
Library includes the system of acquisitions of which there are three main types which are
shown in the diagram below:
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
More books are now coming into UCD Library shelf-ready; to which there advantages and
disadvantages.
Analysis
There are several layers within the Information System of UCD Library, such as the
Discovery Application Layer and the System Layer. The future of the UCD Library
Information System may include cyber infrastructure and Data Curation.
Conclusion
There are many systems operating within UCD Library and these systems seem to be
interconnected. Marketing of UCD Library through face book, twitter and library blogs or
through the design of marketing products such as the UCD Library bag is becoming more
important.
Action Plan
I found the presentation on the digital repositories UCD Library and the Irish Virtual
Research Library & Archive (IVRLA) particularly interesting. It occurred to me that one
group of people which digitization projects such as the IVRLA have not targeted there
projects is older people. I think that older people would be very interested in learning how to
digitize photographs or other resources, such as old transport tickets. Digitization projects
involving the older members of the community would be beneficial not only from a historical
viewpoint but also from a community relations view point as younger members of
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
communities could also be involved in such a project through showing older members of
their community how to digitize items.
Learning Journal Week 3: The Digital Humanities Observatory (DHO)
Description
This week, we were presented with two very interesting talks from Shawn Day and Faith
Lawrence who work at the Digital Humanities Observatory. Shawn Day is an historian and
Faith Lawrence is principally a Computer Scientist; therefore the DHO was presented to us
from two differing perspectives. Shawn Day first asked us who amongst the group had heard
of the term „Digital Humanities‟. Day then went on to discuss how digital technology may be
used within the Humanities sector to humanities research. He then spoke about Digital
Humanities Projects specifically. Faith Lawrence then spoke about meta-data, mark-up and
encoding, focusing on xhtml and the different types of metadata which may be encountered.
Feelings
I felt apprehensive when being introduced to the topic of metadata as I felt I had very little
knowledge of the topic and that the topic would require a background in Information
Technology in order for it to be completely comprehensible. I enjoyed the activity at the
beginning of the talk during which we were required to write the name of an inanimate object
in the room on a post-it and to then stick the post-it on to the named object. It helped me to
understand that to mark-up something is essentially to name it so that other people will know
what you mean it to be, as different people can have different names for the one object.
Analysis
The DHO is a knowledge resource providing out reach and education on a broad range of
digital humanities topics. There are many definitions of digital humanities; Paul Spence of
Kings College London defines Digital Humanities as “encompassing all work combining
humanities research and digital tools and
methodology”(http://tapor.ualberta.ca/taporwiki/index.php/How_do_you_define_Humanities
_Computing_/_Digital_Humanities%3F) while Jentery Sayers, University of Washington,
USA defines the Digital humanities as “the synthesis of technical competencies in
computing with critical thinking in fields such as history, literary criticism, cultural studies,
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
textual studies, and information management”
”(http://tapor.ualberta.ca/taporwiki/index.php/How_do_you_define_Humanities_Computing_
/_Digital_Humanities%3F)
Evaluation
I particularly liked the exercise which was conducted at the beginning of the talk on Meta-
data during which we had to write down on separate post-it‟s the name of five every-day
items in a room. It enabled me to understand that marking up is effectively adding electronic
post-its to electronic objects; the format we had used for marking-up during the exercise at
the beginning of the talk were post-its and the standard which we had adopted to „mark-up‟
items in the room was tagging.
Conclusion
Definitions of metadata include the following; „data which describes attributes of a resource
(Dempsey and Heery 1997, in Chowdhury and Chowdhury „An introduction to digital
libraries‟ ,p.138); Meaningful data describing another discreet object‟ (Gill, 1998, 9 in
Chowdhury&Chowdhury, p.138)‟ and „Data associated with objects which relieves their
potential users of having to have full advance knowledge of their existence or characteristics‟
(Dempsey and Heery, 1998, p.149, in Chowdhury&Chowdhury, p. 138). Metadata may be
categorized into five categories on the basis of their use; administrative metadata, descriptive
metadata, preservation metadata, technical metadata and use metadata (Gilliland-Swetland
1998, in Chowdhury&Chowdhury, p. 139).
Action Plan
I would like to find out whether there are similar digital humanities observatories outside of
Ireland and if so, what existing collaboration exists between the foreign DHO and DHO
Ireland. I would also like to find out whether there is resistance amongst humanities scholars
to the digitization of their work.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Learning Journal Week 4 UKSG Road show
Description
In this week‟s lecture, we were presented with four different talks on Reader Services and
Collection Management (including processing activities, checking issues and claiming
missing items issues), The Business of Journal Publishing (including peer review, how
journals are sold and open access) and database agents, including Swetswise, Ebsco, Prenax
and Local Agents.
Feelings
I was unfamiliar with the operating systems between database subscription agents and
libraries and felt a little overwhelmed at the beginning of the lecture. By the end of the
lecture, however, I felt that I had grasped a good understanding of the role of the journal
publisher and the role of subscription agents such as Swetswise.
Analysis
The use of electronic journals is growing within the library sector; for example, within the
library at Trinity College Dublin between 1997 and 2003, the number of journal titles has
increased from 200 titles to approximately 70, 997 titles. The work of a journal publisher
may be described as illustrated in the diagram below:
Author
↕
Editor
↕
Reviewer
↕
Editor
↓
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Production Editor
↓
Print Editor
↓
Electronic Editor
The above diagram illustrates that the work-flow between author, editor and reviewer is
iterative and that it is the most important aspect of the journal publishing cycle. Leading
journal publishers include: Elsevier, Springer and Blackwell. Springer publishes
approximately 1, 900 journals. Journals are sold usually through one researcher purchasing
one annual subscription to a journal.
Evaluation
I have gained an understanding of the relation between libraries, electronic journal publishers
and subscription agents. These three bodies are inter-linked via an institution such as a
library; subscription agents and are dependent on journal publishers to publish journals on
their database; subscription agents are also dependent on libraries to subscribe to their
journals. In turn, libraries are dependent on subscription agents to increase the number of
journals which the library subscribes to and thus increase the number of people who access
the library, via their website for example, in order to access particular journals. Library
personnel responsible for subscribing to journals, must therefore be aware of the journals
which currently have the biggest impact factor. Markets for journal publishers such as
Springer include
Conclusion
Agents such as Swetswise and EBSCO can assist library and information services in reducing
their invoicing and processing costs as the information service/library personnel can renew,
order, claim, and invoice items through an agent.
Action Plan
I would like to find out more about the process of peer view, in particular, I wish to find out
how people are chosen to review a research article an d whether the reviewer is aware of the
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
name of the author of the research article as he/she is reviewing the article or whether the
researcher‟s name remains anonymous to the reviewer.
Learning Journal Week 5: ‘Interleaf Presentation’
Description
This week, we were introduced to Interleaf Technology in a powerpoint presentation given by Charles
Quain, Director of interleaf. Interleaf Technology has responsibility for the sale& installation of
SIRSIDynix products in Ireland, the sale& installation of Softlink products in Ireland and is the sole
agent for single source records in Ireland.
Feelings
At the beginning of the presentation, I felt that libraries here were not making an effort to adapt
themselves and make themselves relevant to today‟s library user; after listening to the presentation,
however, I think that library‟s are adapting to today‟s library user and are making themselves more
relevant, in particular, through the way in which certain libraries abroad, and recently in Ireland, are
considering the possibility of OpenSource, in which users have more control of developments and in
which there is no competition for proprietary or competition for support. It was mentioned that a local
authority library in Ireland will be adopting OpenSource next year.
Analysis
OpenSource has been developed in part due to a change in Current trends in Library Systems
Management market. Among the changes highlighted during the presentation were; the segmentation
of the market place into Academic, Public, Institutes of Technology, Special and School/College
Libraries each with individual requirements for a LMS. For example, Horizon is the LMS
predominantly used in Public Libraries and Tallis is predominantly being used in Academic Libraries,
though Tallis is now repositioning itself as a result of the development of Opensource. Another trend
in the market place which was highlighted is the consolidation of suppliers such as McDonnell
Douglas into Dynix and Exlibris into Endeavour.
Evaluation
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
There are several definitions of OpenSource which can be found on the internet: some are listed here
below:
Definitions of open source on the Web:
of or relating to or being computer software for which the source code is freely available
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
refers to software products that are freely available and offered by development
communities online. They come with no warranty but are usually very well tested by
development groups.
www.geemultimedia.com.au/glossary.asp
Software that has the source code used to build it available for everyone to view, enabling
other people to modify the code if necessary.
4umi.com/web/glossary.php
I visited the Open Source Library Operations website (www.oslo.ie) to investigate OpenSource
further. Open Source Library Operations was formed to offer technical support for a variety of Open
Source Library Systems mainly the Evergreen and Koha Library Management Systems
(http://www.oslo.ie/support).
Conclusion
Opensource software includes ptfs and Equinox. There are currently thirty companies who can
develop Opensource software.
Action Plan
One part of the presentation which I found particularly useful was the section on issues to consider if
you are in the position of selecting a LMS for a library. I think the considerations mentioned will
definitely be of benefit to me in my professional career . Even if I am not asked to select a LMS for a
library, I think I would be able, following the presentation, to offer advice to someone who was
choosing a LMS. Issues to consider when selecting a LMS include; the company‟s with whom you are
dealing track record, the financial and personal stability of the company, future development plans for
the software, developing and writing a proposal, and choosing appropriate people to demonstrate the
system to library staff.
Learning Journal Week 6
Description
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
In today‟s lecture we discussed various aspects of the presentations of the Guest Speakers
whom we had heard so far during the course of the module which we found particularly
interesting; for example, it was commented that a presentation on e-reader services in UCD
Library, such as sending a query to the information desk via the library blog, was particularly
interesting. We also discussed how the digitisation of materials is changing the role of the
librarian. It was commented that today‟s librarian must embrace the role of a „translator of
information‟; I think this is a very interesting perception of the role of the librarian.
Feelings
I enjoyed discussing the content of the presentations of the guest speakers which have been
given so far during the course of the module. Before the lecture, I felt apprehensive when
discussing the topic of Metadata and Metadata Standards as I felt that I knew very little about
the subject; after the lecture, I realised that I know more about the topic that I first believed
and that, though I would not be able to programme a computer to a new metadata schemes, I
would be able to talk about metadata schemeata, such as MARC21 and Dublin Core, with a
computer programmer or computer scientist.
Analysis
The role of the librarian is changing; according to a „report from the field‟ article in
„Information Today‟, Vol 28, Issue 2, February 2011, one way in which the librarian role is
changing revolves around university research and assessment: „..the historical approach to
research is assessment is evolving to include social media, interdisciplinary and non-peer-
reviewed publishing and.. libraries need a seat at the table‟ („Information Today‟, Vol 28,
Issue 2, February 2011, p. 16).
Evaluation
The digitisation of material is changing how people use a library. For example, many people
may look at a digitised version of a manuscript which a library has made available as means
of preparation of looking at the physical object. The digitisation of material has therefore not
led entirely to the making obsolete of physical material such as books and manuscripts.
I visited the website of europeana.eu and found some fascinating photographs of Christ
church Cathedral, which is near where I live:
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Source: http://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/STP_2194?loadLightbox=yes
I also found a photograph of a ceramic vase which was installed in the Breton Museum
(Musée de Bretagne) in Rennes, a town which I visited, in 1847. Coming across this item in
the europeana digital archive highlighted for me the importance of digital archives such as
that of europeana which gives people immediate access to photographs of objects and places
many miles away.
Source:
http://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/03901/457E97C6F414690E16A4AA1E15984B8A3A4BFE77.html?quer
y=Rennes&qf=-TYPE:Wikipedia&start=12&startPage=1&view=table&pageId=brd
Conclusion:
Traditionally, the librarian was seen as a „ gatekeeper‟ or custodian of information; only the
librarian could facilitate access to the information and it was largely the librarian who
influenced the process in which that information was going to be used. However, the
digitisation of material has led to a change in the role of the librarian. The librarian is now
seen as a middle ground between the person seeking information and the information
required.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Action Plan
Today I learned that Open Source is a computer encoding language and that there are
numerous computer programmes within the Open Source but I would like to find out more
about Open Source.
Learning Journal Week 7: Web 2.0;
Description
In this week‟s lecture, we discussed aspects of the Web 2.0, second generation web based
communities and hosted services, and in particular social networking sites such as Bebo,
MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Second Life. In particular, we discussed how, in this era
of reduced budgets and decreased resources, libraries can utilise web 2.0 features such as
social networking sites, to maximise their availability to their current target audiences and to
engage and recruit new target audiences.
Feelings
At the beginning of the lecture, I was sceptical about the effectiveness of social networking
sites in reaching a wider target audience as I believed that the majority of social network
users were young people aged 16- 30 years if age, and so the utilisation of social networking
sites by libraries would widen access to the above mentioned target audience but not other
possible target audiences, such as the 5-8 yrs age group, the 30-55 yrs age group and old-
age pensioners.
Analysis
In his article entitled Effectiveness Of Social Networking In An University Library
Environment, by Hou Ieong Ho & Jieh Hsiang, Department of Computer Science and
Information Engineering, National Taiwan University,
brent@turing.csie.ntu.edu.tw,jhsiang@ntu.edu.tw
(http://gra103.aca.ntu.edu.tw/gdoc/99/D93922021a.pdf), a paper given at the 2010 KMIS
Conference on Knowledge Management & Information Sharing, Ho and Hsiang make
reference to a type of library patron known as a „webized patron‟, patrons who are effectively
young, undergraduate students who make use of the web not only as source of information
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
but also for also as a „working and social networking environment (p.1)‟. In the paper, Ho &
Hsiang go on to describe the social networking services provided by National Taiwan
University Library
(NTULIB). They describe how they introduced a bookmarking service via facebook and
Plurk, a free micro-blogging service that allows users to post micro-blogs (called
“plurks”) of up to 140 text characters in length, to demonstrate that there were in fact
webized patrons accessing the library. They then incorporated different services of NTULIB
into Facebook and Plurk, without announcing them officially, at first. The Facebook page
contained library information, librarian selected library events, library news, and an NTULIB
Search box. The study found that, the number of patrons accessing library services via
facebook increased from 2,400 users in April 2009, before the official announcement of the
facebook service, to 5.686 users in July 2010, after the service having being announced
officially in November 2009. The researchers at NTULIB, on analyzing the statistics
provided by facebook, found that 90% of the facebook patrons were under the age of 34 and
that the majority were undergraduates
(Ho&Hsiang, 2010, p.3).The NTULIB Plurk Service was launched in July 2009 when it
acquired 150 friends and 30 fans before the official announcement was made in November
2009. By 14
July 2010, it has accumulated 1,057 friends and 145 fans (Ho&Hsiang, 2010, p.3). By
analyzing the statistics provided by Google Analytics between 1 November 2009 and 17 July
2010, the researchers noted that there were 1,448 visits (via 656 different Plurk pages) from
Plurk to the NTULIB webpac system. Plurk also ranked 1st in visits (from external sites) to
the NTULIB‟s Featured New Books Blog, recording 2,024 such visits (Figure 1)
(Ho&Hsiang,2010, p.3).
Figure 1
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Evaluation
Social Networking is a valuable collaborative tool which libraries should utilize to promote
and provide access to library services. However, as social networking sites are as of yet
predominantly used by a very specific target audience, libraries should use other
collaborative tools, such as blogs, RSS feeds, microblogs and wikis, in conjunction with
social networking sites, to reach as wide an audience as possible1. One collaborative project
which successfully utilized other collaborative tools apart from social networking sites was
the FOREASt: The Internet East Asian Library Project, the primary aim of which is to
facilitate the discovery and use of free and open access resources in the field of East Asian
studies with web 2.0 technologies2. The main site is built on WordPress.com, which includes
a blog, static web pages, and RSS feeds, while all the relevant resources are also bookmarked
and shared on del.icio.us3. The user comments feature in WordPress is facilitating the
participation of East Asian studies librarians across North America, especially in terms of
suggesting new resources and identifying issues with existing resources4.
Conclusion
Libraries can utilize social networking sites to promote and provide library services among a
wider target audience, such as distance users, as demonstrated in the Effectiveness of Social
1 http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Collaborative_Tools_in_Libraries
2 http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Collaborative_Tools_in_Libraries
3 http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Collaborative_Tools_in_Libraries
4 http://www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Collaborative_Tools_in_Libraries
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Networking in an University Library Environment study. Library Services are accessed via
Social networking sites predominantly by patrons under the age of 34.
Action Plan
Following the lecture, I would really l.ike to investigate how web 2.0 features such as social
networking sites can be utilised to provide access to library resources for people in disadvantaged
areas and people with reduced mobility for whom physical access to a library would be difficult. I
would also like to investigate the use of social networking sites by public libraries, as the research
which has been conducted in the area to date, seems to be predominantly in the Academic Library
sector.
Learning Journal Week 8: Digitisation (DMS Digital Asset Management)
Description
Mr. Brendan Dempsey from the DPI introduced us, by way of a Microsoft powerpoint presentation, to
the core elements to consider when beginning a Digitisation Project. He also familiarized us with
some of the equipment currently being used in digitization projects. We then gained hands-on
experience in using some of this equipment through the medium of a digitization Master Class.
Feelings
Prior to the digitization presentation and Master class, I felt that digitization of items was primarily
used as a means of preserving items which would have historical significance in the future. I also
held the belief that one type of equipment would be sufficient to scan different types of materials,
such as maps and photographs. I was also apprehensive about digitization as I felt that it would
require a high level of technical skill in order to be able to digitize an item. Having listened to the
presentation and having participated in the Master Class, I now feel that I could, with practice, digitize
a set of slides or pages from a book with relative ease. I also learned that digitization is not only used
to preserve items of historical significance but also to preserve items, which if lost through fire or
flood damage, would be irreplaceable.
Analysis
When embarking upon a digitization project, there are a number of considerations which it is
necessary to take into account: These are: Use- intended use of the material; User- how the target
audience of the material is going to be; the User Experience- how you wish the user to experience
using the digitized material; the Infrastructure available, Presentation of the images, and whether to
use a working copy or adopt a long-term archiving approach. It is necessary to examine the
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
digitization project under each of the above headings before deciding on the digitization hardware and
software to be used.
Evaluation
I found the Digitization Master class very useful in terms of the Group Project in which I am engaged;
I am part of the Literature Review for the Slides Group and I feel that my contribution to the literature
review will be more insightful after having been given the opportunity to physically digitized a set of
slides during the Master class.
Conclusion
I found the Digitization Master class particularly beneficial and I can see how some knowledge of
how different items are digitized will be beneficial to me in my future career. I was particularly
interested in the digitization of a set of slides which I observed during the Master class; the piece of
equipment which was used to digitize the slides was an Epson perfection v 750 PRO photo scanner.
When digitizing any item, the three important steps to consider are: 1 choosing hardware and
software, 2 choosing and saving your settings (for example, in the case of scanning the slides, the
slides were scanned to a size of 800 epi) , 3 scanning and 4 saving the final product.
An Epson Perfection V 750 Photo scanner
Source: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.sciencemagnews.com/wp-
content/uploads/images/Epson_Perfection_V750_M_Pro_Scanner.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.sciencemagnews.
com/epson-perfection-v750-m-pro-scanner.
Action Plan
I would like to learn more about how to correct pages scanned erroneously from a book, for example,
how to erase finger shadow from a scanned image or how to correct pages which were accidentally
scanned at angle or skewed pages, as I found this particularly difficult to do during the Masterclass.
From what I understand, it would be necessary to export the scanned image to a USB and to correct it
on a desktop computer and to then scan the image back into to where the original image was scanned,
but I would like practice in doing this.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Learning Journal week 10: Users and Use
Description
In this week‟s lecture, the issues and challenges surrounding the identification of a user group
and the specific needs of user groups within a library context were identified. Different types
of library users were identified, such as female, school children, undergraduate students,
postgraduate students, the over fifties, the unemployed, and families. These users were then
further subdivided into categories according to Donald Case‟s (2007) identification of user
classification according to three main classifications: the role /occupation of the user (e.g.
student), the social description of the user/s (e.g. family), the demographic description of the
user (e.g. over 50). It was highlighted that this model of descriptive- classification of a user
is perhaps does not reflect the full user description of the user; for example, several types of
descriptions could apply to the same user. Also, people move from category to category
during a life, such as moving from the „single‟ category to the „married‟ category or from the
„gainfully employed‟ to the „unemployed‟ category. The needs of a user will therefore
change as they move between these categories during their lifetime. It was then mentioned
that many studies were conducted on the needs of peripheral or hard-to-reach groups, such as
people with disabilities, members of different ethnic groups, and people with literacy
difficulties. However, these studies were conducted prior to the economic downfall and,
therefore, many of the recommendations made in these reports have yet to be implemented
due to lack of funding resources.
Feelings
I was familiar, within the context of information behaviour, with Donald Case‟s (2007)
writing on the classification of users according to three specific descriptions. I hadn‟t
considered the shortcomings of this method of user classification and I felt that it was useful
to be presented with the criticisms of Case‟s method.
Analysis
In an article entitled „Growing up digital‟ by John Sealy Brown (fresh, D., The Whole Digital
Library Handbook, 2007, p 70) Sealy discussed some of the characteristics‟ of the generation
who have grown up with the Internet and the World Wide Web, who are sometimes referred
to as „digital natives‟. I thought that this was a particularly interesting article for libraries that
wish to draw in this particular user group and therefore must understand this user group.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Brown says for example, that this generation is particularly skilled at multiprocessing. In
their article entitled „Chips and dips: Educating and serving the Net Generation‟, (fresh, D.,
The Whole Digital Library Handbook, 2007, p 76) Stephen Abram and Judy Luther also
identify the ability to multi-task as a characteristic of this generation and suggest that the
principal impact of this on libraries is that „The Net Generation expects that all information
appliances-desktop, mobile telephones, and PDAs-will support multitasking‟ (Kresh, D.,
2007, p. 79). Abram and Luther also suggest that „libraries should provide signage for the
PCs that limit functionality (Kresh, D., 2007, p. 79). In the long-term, Abram and Luther
suggest that „we must ensure that we have the hardware that matches this generation‟s needs
to access information, share it and place it into their workflow patterns simultaneously‟
(Kresh, D., 2007, p. 79). Abram and Luther also identify information use characteristics of
the net generation, identified through studies published by the Pew Internet and American
Life Project, OCLC , Ontario Libraries Strategic Directions council and the Digital Library
Foundation among others, which are defined as follows:;format agnostic, nomadic, and multi-
tasking (Kresh, D., 2007, p. 82). Each of these characteristics of information use will impact
upon how this group uses the library and searches for information within the library. For
example, the nomadic characteristics of the net generation means that „this generation expect
information and entertainment to be available to them whenever they need it and wherever
they are‟ (Kresh, D., 2007, p. 78). The implication of this upon libraries is that „librarians
need to be able to reach members of the Net Generation on their devices of choice which
operate on a wide range of standards and formats‟ (Kresh, D., 2007, p. 78).
Evaluation
Methods of measuring user needs may not accurately reflect the true characteristics of the
user or their needs. Users move between different user classification descriptions through out
their life and, as such, their needs will change. Libraries must examine the needs of their
users through a variety of measures in order to adequately meet their needs.
Conclusion
The Net Generation is an important user group for a library to draw in order to ensure its
continued use. However, this user group also appears to be among the most difficult to
please, as it seems to expect a particular user interface, to be able to access information
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
wherever they are and whenever they want it, and to be able to carry out a number of tasks
on the same device at the same time. This user group also appears to be very out spoken
when their user expectations are not met.
Action Plan
I am going to go into my local public library and record observations on measures which it
has taken to attract this user group into its library, such as the introduction of a virtual
reference service through Instant Messaging.
Learning Journal Week 11: The Digital Curriculum Laboratory
Description
In today‟s lecture, Professor Michele Cloonan, the Dean of Library and Information Studies at
Simmons College, Boston, New York, came to speak with us , within the context of preservation,
about the Digital Curriculum laboratory at Simmons College. The Digital Curriculum Library at
Simmons College is „a web-based space. It can be used to experiment with a range of archival and
preservation procedures for digital records, following a continuum from record creation through
arrangement, description and delivery‟ (Michele Cloonan, Powerpoint Presentation, 14-4-11).
Feelings
As I knew little about the topic of preservation within the context of digital libraries, I felt a little
overwhelmed at the beginning of the lecture. I found that the scenario which Prof. Cloonan presented
to us, a sample scenario which she presents to her students at Simmons College, helped me to better
understand the concept of preservation within the context of digital libraries. The scenario was „a
retiring professor wishes to hand over his papers and other resources to the library. These resources
include cassettes, papers on floppy discs and papers on an old apple-mac computer from the 1980‟s.
How would you proceed to digitize and preserve these items?
Analysis
Prof. Cloonan identified a cycle through which preservation is occurs, known as the DDC Curation
Life Cycle Model, illustrated below.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
The DDC Curation Life Cycle Actions are divided into Full Life Cycle Actions, Sequential Actions
and Occasional Actions. Each of these actions is described below:
Key elements of the DCC Curation Lifecycle Model
(source:http://www.dcc.ac.uk/resources/curation-lifecycle-model)
Data
Data, any information in binary digital form, is at the centre of the Curation Lifecycle. This includes:
Digital Objects: simple digital objects (discrete digital items such as text files, image files or sound
files, along with their related identifiers and metadata) or complex digital objects (discrete digital
objects made by combining a number of other digital objects, such as websites)
Databases: structured collections of records or data stored in a computer system
Full Lifecycle Actions
Description and Representation Information
Assign administrative, descriptive, technical, structural and preservation metadata, using appropriate
standards, to ensure adequate description and control over the long-term. Collect and assign
representation information required to understand and render both the digital material and the
associated metadata.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Preservation Planning
Plan for preservation throughout the curation lifecycle of digital material. This would include plans
for management and administration of all curation lifecycle actions.
Community Watch and Participation
Maintain a watch on appropriate community activities, and participate in the development of shared
standards, tools and suitable software.
Curate and Preserve
Be aware of, and undertake management and administrative actions planned to promote curation and
preservation throughout the curation lifecycle.
Sequential Actions
Conceptualise
Conceive and plan the creation of data, including capture method and storage options.
Create or Receive
Receive data, in accordance with documented collecting policies, from data creators, other archives,
repositories or data centres, and if required assign appropriate metadata.
Appraise and Select
Evaluate data and select for long-term curation and preservation. Adhere to documented guidance,
policies or legal requirements.
Ingest
Transfer data to an archive, repository, data centre or other custodian. Adhere to documented
guidance, policies or legal requirements.
Preservation Action
Undertake actions to ensure long-term preservation and retention of the authoritative nature of data.
Preservation actions should ensure that data remains authentic, reliable and usable while maintaining
its integrity. Actions include data cleaning, validation, assigning preservation metadata, assigning
representation information and ensuring acceptable data structures or file formats.
Store
Store the data in a secure manner adhering to relevant standards.
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Access, Use and Reuse
Ensure that data is accessible to both designated users and reusers, on a day-to-day basis. This may be
in the form of publicly available published information. Robust access controls and authentication
procedures may be applicable.
Transform
Create new data from the original, for example: by migration into a different format, or by creating a
subset, by selection or query, to create newly derived results, perhaps for publication
Occasional Actions
Reappraise
Return data which fails validation procedures for further appraisal and re-selection.
Migrate
Migrate data to a different format. This may be done to accord with the storage environment or to
ensure the data's immunity from hardware
Sample Scenario 1 from: http://calliope.simmons.edu/dcl/lab/scenarios/preservation1
your university library has received a donation of old media (three-and-a quarter inch diskettes and
Zip disks) containing digital files that need to be preserved so that they are usable in the future. The
files are all word-processed files, files created using simple database software, and files created by
Microsoft Word. They date from the mid 1980s to about 2005.
Evaluation
EvaluatioEvaluation
Conservation, Preservation, and restoration are terms that apply to all heritage, movable, immovable,
natural, man-made and socially constructed (Cloonan, M.V., (2010) „Conservation and Preservation
of Library and Archival materials‟, Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, Third Edition,
1 :1, 1250-1268, p. 1250). As more and more information becomes available for digitization through,
for example, items which have become out of copyright, „there needs to be constant appraisal: the
analysis of what to keep and what to let go‟ (Cloonan, M.V., (2010), p. 1266). According to Michele
Cloonan, „Today‟s challenge of caring for our heritage is daunting; so preservation continues to
demand our best efforts‟ (Cloonan, M.V., (2010) p. 1266).
Conclusion
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
Consideration for preservation identified by Prof. Cloonan were: standards, copyright, and the social
and cultural value of the item to be preserved. Prof. Cloonan also highlighted the importance of
preservation as a means of passing on cultural heritage for future generations.
Action Plan
I now understand that the concept of preservation does not apply only to libraries but also to the realm
of cultural and historical heritage. Preservation also occurs within a life cycle, the DCC Curation
Lifecycle Model which I would like to find out more about.
Evaluation of Digital Libraries Module IS40560
I enjoyed this module very much and I learned many aspects of the Digital Library during the module.
I choose this module as I understood that digital libraries and hybrid versions of digital libraries are
becoming common place and thus it is important to have at least a basic understanding of how digital
libraries work and how items are digitized. I certainly gained this understanding during the model.
An aspect of the module which I found extremely useful was the Master-class on digitization during
which I gained hands on experience of scanning pages from a book using a desktop scanner. During
the Master-class, I also viewed the digitization of slides using an Epson Perfection V 750 Photo
scanner. The master-class allowed me to put into practice some of what I had learned about
digitization up to that point in the module.
Another aspect of the Digital Libraries module which I found interesting was the technology
assignment on e-books and e-readers. I learned a lot about how e-books are being used in the states
through sharing of e-books through consortiums between universities. I also learned a lot about e-
readers and some of the difficulties users, particularly visually impaired users; have in using and
navigating through an e-reader.
I also really enjoyed the lecture on the Digital Humanities Observatory during week 3. I also found
the lecture in metadata which followed the lecture on the DHO very useful as it helped me gain a
better understanding of the concept of „tagging‟ or encoding information and how it is important to
use standards when encoding information as people can associate the same object with different
terms.
I also enjoyed the group project. I was in the literature review group for slides. Through the literature
review, I learned a lot about the planning of a digitization project. I found it interesting, for example,
that the most time consuming aspect of a digitization project is actually selecting items for
digitization. Bauer, Catherine and Follett, Roslyn (2002). Digitisation of unique collections of
architectural and historical images at the University of Queensland Library. In: E-volving information
futures : proceedings. Victorian Association for Library Automation. Conference and Exhibition (11th
Betty Maguire 10290273 betty84@eircom.net
: 2002 : Melbourne), Melbourne Exhibition and Conference Centre, 6-8 February 2002, the
determinants in selecting items for digitization identified by Paul de Stefano are discussed; these are :
„pedagogical utility, intellectual or scholarly value, and the need to reduce handling of fragile items‟
(p.3. Another time and cost consuming aspect of a digitization project, I learned is the indexing of the
digitized items. This was also discussed in particular in Bauer, Catherine and Follett, Roslyn (2002):
„The descriptive process consumed more time and resources than originally envisaged and
represented the major cost of the project‟ (p. 10).
During the group project, I also learned that the aspects of any digitization project, from scoping, to
digitization, to curation and preservation are inter-related and influence each other. For example, the
scoping of materials will influence the materials selected for digitization. Finally, during the digital
libraries module, I have developed an understanding of the concept and practice of digitization which
will benefit greatly in my future career and have developed a personal interest in aspects of „the
library‟ which I had not previously considered.
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