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Library Automation and Digital Libraries. Class #5 LBSC 690 Information Technology. Agenda. Questions System Analysis Library automation What do libraries do? How can computers be used? What issues arise?. Applying Technology to Large Problems. System analysis - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Library Automation and Digital Libraries
Class #5
LBSC 690
Information Technology
Agenda
• Questions
• System Analysis
• Library automation– What do libraries do?– How can computers be used?– What issues arise?
Applying Technology to Large Problems
• System analysis– How do we know what we need?
• User-centered design– How do we discern and satisfy user needs?
• Implementation– How do we build it?
• Management– How do organizations use technology?
Systems Analysis
• First steps:– Understand the task
• Limitations of existing approaches
– Understand the environment• Structure of the industry
• Then identify the information flows– e.g., Serials use impacts cancellation policy
• Only then can you design a solution
Library Activities
• What do libraries do?– Which of those things benefit from automation?
Library Activities
• Collection statistics
• Acquisition– Including serials
• Cataloging
• Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC)
• Circulation
• Reserve, recall, fines, interlibrary loan, reference, weeding, budget, etc.
• Preservation
Analyze the Information Flows
• Where does information originate?– Might come from multiple sources– Feedback loops may have no identifiable source
• Which parts should be automated?– Some things are easier to do without computers
• Which automated parts should be integrated?
• What other systems are involved?– And what information do they contain?
User-Centered Design• Start with user needs
– Who are the present and future users?– How can you understand their needs?
• Evaluate available technology– Off-the-shelf solutions– Custom-developed applications
• Implement something
• Evaluate it with real users
Implementation Requirements
• Availability– Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)– Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)
• Capacity– Number of users for each application– Response time
• Flexibility– Upgrade path
System Architecture
• Batch processing– Save it up and do it all at once
• Useful for recall notices, management reports, ...
• Timesharing– Everyone uses the same machine
• Simple but expensive design, limited upgrade path
• Client-Server
• Peer to peer
Client-Server Systems
• Divide the workload– Between client and server– Across several servers
• Several advantages– Easier upgrade path
• More machines, different division of work
– Higher availability• Put the same data on several servers
• Examples: Z39.50, the Web
Peer-To-Peer Networks
• Every machine can be a client or a server
• Goal: Use available CPU cycles anywhere– Requires a network and a coordination strategy
• Challenging in a heterogeneous environment– A common “reference architecture” is needed– Java is a step in that direction
• Centralized data management still common– Simplifies coordination
Management Issues• Retrospective conversion
– Even converting electronic information is expensive
• Management information– Peak capacity evaluation, audit trails, etc.– Sometimes costs more to collect than it is worth!
• Staff training
• End user training
• Privacy
Library Automation Summary
• Systems analysis– Required for complex multi-person tasks
• User-centered design– Based on user needs assessment
• Implementation– Client-server systems are the present trend
• Management– An essential link in the chain
Digital Libraries
• A library with digital devices?– OPACs, CDROMs, online search services, ...
• A library with digital content?– Programs, data files, digitized media, ...
• Digital content organized like a library?– Collection policy, cataloging, access, preservation
• Something we can’t quite express?– What happens when content meets network ...– Traditional library as a metaphor
Characteristics of Digital Objects
• Perfect reproduction– Copies are as good as the original
• Inexpensive and rapid distribution– Anywhere on the planet
• Compact storage– Measured in rooms, not buildings
• Easily searched– With retrieval and browsing strategies
Problems with Digital Media
• Display technology is generally inadequate– Many tasks are easier on paper than on a screen
• Acquisition and cataloging costs are inverted– Cataloging can dominate the life cycle cost!
• Some traditional cues are missing– Shiny new book vs dog-eared pages, ...
Access to Digital Materials
• End user searching– Retrieval and browsing
• Expert human intermediation– Reference service, information brokering
• Emergent behavior– Recommender systems
The Research Agenda
• Create the technology– NSF Digital Library Initiative I
• Digitize the content– NDL, NAIL, BLS, performing arts library, ...
• Develop the process– NSF Digital Library Initiative II
• Build the systems– Industry