Digital Libraries

Digital Libraries - R. Jantz, Feb. 27, 2002

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Topics in Digital Libraries

Introduction – Perspectives on Management & Roles

The Scholarly Communication Center and Digital Projects

Digital Library Architecture

Reusable Platforms


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“ . . . librarians must begin to design an imaginative, easily identifiable space in cyberspace as the centrality of the library as a physical phenomenon slowly fades.” (Martrell, 2000)


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Perspectives on Digital Librarianship

“Librarians could not have helped us.” (Marcum, 1998)

“We’ve chosen to emphasize extrapolation rather than identify and understand emerging discontinuity” (Lynch, 1999)

“…we can expect a further dissolution of the traditional structures of the library.” (Raschke, 1999)

We have handled 23% fewer reference desk questions at RU Libraries in AY 96/97 than in AY 98/99. (Boyle, 1999)


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Issues and Opportunities in the Emerging Digital Library

Competition

Technological Discontinuities

Innovation


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Innovation

“. . . innovation is the process by which industry generates new and improved products and production processes. It includes activities ranging from the generation of an idea, research, development and commercialization to the diffusion throughout the economy of new and improved

products, processes, and services.” (Zairi, 1992)


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The Scholarly Communication Center(Rutgers University Libraries)

Goals Allow scholars to apply state-of-the-art technology

Teach and demonstrate the latest electronic tools

Share the resources of the library

More Importantly: An opportunity to experiment and innovate, rather than extrapolate.


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SCC Project Types(http://www.scc.rutgers.edu)

Bibliographic databases Digital libraries Directories E-journals Encyclopedias Instructional Numeric data Online surveys Research guides Web hosting


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SCC Digital Library Projects(http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/)

The NJ Environmental Digital Library (with NJ DEP) (http://njedl.rutgers.edu)

The Alcohol Studies Database (with Center for Alcohol Studies)(http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/alcohol_studies)

Public Opinion Data (with Eagleton Institute) (http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/eagleton_tst) (requires password)

The REALITI Project(http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/realiti)

http://njedl.rutgers.edu/






http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/alcohol_studies

http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/eagleton_tst

http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/realiti








HTML & script output

Request to access Web

InternetInternet Info. Server

• Web Server • Cold Fusion/Verity• Database Access

Server (NT)

MS Access

Desktop

WWW Browser

• Submit records and documents• Search/Browse Ref. Database• Retrieve document

ReferenceDatabase (Metadata)

Documents

DigitalDocuments

GIS/NumericDatabases

Digital Project Architecture

PrintDocuments

Archival Storage


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Digital Library Development Environments

Computing and Network HardwareHardware

Operating System

Web Server

Database Management

Middleware/Scripting Languages

Application Servers


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SCC Development Environment


Operating System NT (W2000)

Web ServerIIS

Database ManagementMS- Access

Middleware/Scripting Languages ColdFusion/Verity

Application Servers SPSS, ArcIMS


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An “Open Source” Environment


Operating System Linux/Unix

Web ServerApache

Database Management MySQL

Middleware/Scripting Languages PHP/Tomcat(cocoon)

Application Servers SPSS, ArcIMS

ColdFusion/Verity


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Reusable Platforms

Reuse can dramatically improve productivity and quality Reusable Platforms (RPs)

– RP – a collection of software which can be used in many applications with little or no modification.

– Examples can include complete system architectures, generic project structures, reusable objects, or code segments

SCC Examples– An online survey platform (http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/platforms/survey– A digital library platform (based on the NJ Environmental Digital Library)


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Stand-alone Tools

Adobe tools Djvu plug-in and workgroup encoder LF Format Scanner, Printer HiRes digital camera Video digitizer

See the SCC ColdFusion Tutorials: http://www.ceth.rutgers.edu/intromat/cfres/main.cfm http://sccweb.rutgers.edu/scchome/technical/tech_support.htm


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An OAIS is an organization of people and systems that has accepted the responsibility to preserve information and make it available for a designated community.

The information is deemed to need long term preservation.

“Long term” is long enough to be concerned with the impact of changing technologies and with a changing user community.

Overview of OAIS reference model at: http://ssdoo.gsfc.nasa.gov/nost/isoas/

Logical Model for a Digital Repository(Based on the Open Archival Information System Model)


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The OAIS Functional Model

Producer Ingest

DataManagemen

t Access

ArchivalStorage

Preservation Planning

Administration

Management

Consumer


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An Open Systems Digital Repository

Problem/Requirements– Lots of digital collections amassed with little integration– Need to scale to millions of objects– Flexibility to handle many digital formats– Ability to customize by adding special tools and services

FEDORA – a possible solution– Flexible and Extensible Digital Object and Repository Architecture– Research by Cornell/CNRI (Corp. for National Research Initiatives)– Implementation by UVA

METS – A major component of FEDORA– An XML standard for describing digital objects– Four parts: descriptive, administrative, file, and structural– At: www.loc.gov/standards/mets


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Digital Library Architecture

Major Issues (both institutional and technological):

Digital Archiving

Metadata

Open source and inter-operability

Innovation and technology transfer


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New Roles for the Librarian

Software bibliographer/selector– Library applications for commercial software

Digital projects librarian– Programming, databases, architecture, metadata, project management

Digital preservation– Systems, digital formats, migration, library policies

Electronic publishing (databases, journals, encyclopedias)– Markup languages, ocr, image technology,copyright

Intranet librarian– Library organization, knowledge management, informal knowledge


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References

1. Boyle, J. (1999). Annual Report, 1998/99. Public Services and Communications: Rutgers University Libraries.

2. Lynch, C. (1999). On the threshold of discontinuity: The new genres of scholarly communication and the role of the research library. In H. Thompson (Ed.), Racing Toward Tomorrow: Proceedings of the Ninth National Conference of the Association of College and Research Libraries, April 8 – 11, Detroit, Michigan. (pp. 410 – 418). Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries.

3. Marcum, D. (November/December, 1998). Educating leaders for the digital library. Council on Library and Information Resources, (6), 1-4.

4. Martrell, C. (2000). The disembodied librarian in the digital age. College and Research Libraries, (61), (1), 10 – 28.

5. Raschke, C. (November/December, 1999). The age of transition and the scene of digital learning. Syllabus, 13, (4), 14 – 19.

6. Staples, Thornton, and Ross Wayland, "Virginia Dons Fedora: A prototype for a digital object repository," D-LIb Magazine, July 2000, http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july00/staples/07staples.html

7. Zander, E. (2000/June 7). Ahoy, Internet companies – huge icebergs ahead. USA today. p. 15A.

8. Zairi, M. (1992). Managing user-supplied interactions: Management of R&D activity. Management Decision, 30, (8), 49 - 57.


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Exercise

Many think of the library website as a digital library There are many different users of the library website

– First 2 years, junior/senior, graduates– Faculty– Staff– Academic departments

“One size” doesn’t fit all The “my-library” concept targets different user segments Exercise: design a my-library website for MLS students We’ll review your websites in the March 13 class


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Directions for the Future

Libraries Access will become more important than ownership resulting

in a proliferation of user interfaces.

Technology Lower costs and improved capacity in bandwidth, storage, and

processor speed will offer new opportunities for innovation.

Innovation “. . librarians must begin to design an imaginative, easily

identifiable space in cyberspace . . .”


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Digital Library Tools Platforms


Operating System NT or Linux/Unix

Web ServerIIS or Apache

Database ManagementAccess, MySql, Oracle, SQL Server

Middleware/Scripting Languages ColdFusion, PHP, JSP, ASP

Application ServersSPSS, XML, ArcIMS,Real Server

Digital Libraries - R. Jantz, Feb. 27, 2002 1 Topics in Digital Libraries Introduction – Perspectives on Management & Roles The Scholarly Communication.

Documents

ru libraries

alcohol studies http

realiti project http

alcohol studies database

nj dep http

scc project types http

eagleton institute http