Railroads and the Making of Modern America -- Tools for Spatio-Temporal Correlation, Analysis, and Visualization

This project aims to integrate large-scale data sources from the Digging into Data repositories with other types of relevant data on the railroad system, already assembled by the project directors. Our project seeks to develop useful tools for spatio-temporal visualization of these data and the relationships among them. Our interdisciplinary team includes computer science, history, and geography researchers. Because the railroad "system" and its spatio-temporal configuration appeared differently from locality-to-locality and region-to-region, we need to adjust how we "locate" and "see" the system. By applying data mining and pattern recognition techniques, software systems can be created that dynamically redefine the way spatial data are represented. Utilizing processes common to analysis in Computer Science, we propose to develop a software framework that allows these embedded concepts to be visualized and further studied

Analyzing Concepts and Measurements of Overlap: A literature Review

Purpose: The study׳s aim is to determine the concepts, methods, and applications of overlap and to describe the differences between the domestic and international studies. Methodology: The documentary method is used in this study to analyze the concepts of overlap and the differences between the domestic and international studies through a literature review. Findings: In the overlap area, title overlap, information resources overlap, and topic overlap, have been reported in measuring the databases overlap. A literature review showed that overlap studies had been carried out for one of the following objectives: Overlap theoretical development, explanation of statistical and sampling methods, comparison of the indexing policy of secondary resources, selection of appropriate databases, determination of proper Web search engine, the establishment of interlibrary cooperation, and drawing the relationships among the sciences. It is recommended to use statistical methods to provide the right and enough information for studies. Finally, one may say that the advent of some terms such as journal overlap, journal article overlaps, and topic overlap is due to the researchers' different views. Thus, the topic overlap is used to investigate the indexing policy of the databases and to draw the relationships between the sciences. Conclusion: Finally, it must be said that theory and practice are intertwined. Therefore, choosing the appropriate method to measure the overlap depends on the research objectives. Value: This theoretical study is worthwhile as the local studies carried out up to now, are only practical ones

A bibliometric study of taxonomic botany

AIMS — The aims were: to investigate the citation-patterns of monograph books in taxonomic botany (looking mainly at publications and publishers, and the age of current literature); to provide information for collections management and reference services in libraries that hold botany materials. METHOD — 454 citations were collected from 47 botanical monographs; Impact Factors of journals based on these citations were calculated and compared with conventional Impact Factors from ISI Web of Science; age-distributions of citations were drawn up; other analyses were also carried out. RESULTS — A small Bradfordian core of highly-cited journals was established; monograph Impact Factors were not useable; the important publishers of monograph books were identified; monographs were more often cited than journal articles; older materials were more important than in other sciences; monographs were used by botanists for current awareness purposes; coverage of botanical journals by citation indexes was inadequate. CONCLUSIONS — Librarians should: note the core botanical journals identified here; note the importance of British journals to British botanists; continue to acquire botanical monographs and to retain older materials; display new botanical monographs prominently and include them in current awareness services. PROBLEMS — The small size of the sample means that results were merely indicative. Further studies should: take larger samples; look at citations in journal articles, theses, conference proceedings, etc.; look at citations made over several years. ORIGINALITY — The bibliometrics of taxonomic botany have previously been little studied; likewise citations from monographs. Some of the bibliometric methods of J. M. Cullars were applied to botanical literature

The American Literature Scholar in the Digital Age

Essays reflecting on the development of the first wave of digital American literature scholarshi

E-Book Program Development Study: Results and Recommendations

This document contains the final results and recommendations from the E-Book Program Development Study, an ambitions two year assessment project aimed at gathering essential data to drive policies and best practices related to e-book collections and services at Columbia University Libraries (CUL). Findings support CUL's mission to support research, teaching, and learning initiatives across campus. They also create a bridge between the current information landscape and CUL's vision for the future of e-book programs and services

Towards a Rutland bibliography: a study of the concept, practice and purpose of county bibliographies with specific reference to research for a Rutland bibliography

The thesis has grown out of an extensive survey of the literature pertaining to the county of Rutland. The survey was an original idea to produce a county bibliography which had both a short-title catalogue of conventional references and full physical descriptions of the books of the county. Two types of bibliography, analytical and systematic, are combined in one survey. The thesis is an account of this project together with a rigorous review of the theoretical background against which it was conducted. The practice of bibliography, and specifically of bibliographies of counties, is reviewed. A new definition of county bibliography is offered, together with its appropriate objects of study (book, pamphlet, leaflet, ephemera and publication are some of the specific concepts defined here). The research methods employed for the Rutland project are described and a plan outlined showing how a comprehensive survey of any English county's literature could be achieved. Especially important here are the lessons learned from on-line searching. There is a detailed discussion of inclusion and exclusion policies appropriate for a county bibliography, and an account of how this material should be presented and described. A new classification system for a county bibliography is outlined, and older solutions to the classification problem reviewed. The lessons of the Rutland project are discussed, including presentation of a statistical breakdown of the Rutland material, and whether the way in which the Rutland project was conducted could be copied for other counties. The Rutland statistics are contrasted with those for other counties. Several appendices present bibliographical information, lists of categories of literature encountered and samples from the Rutland survey

National information networks for the advanced developing countries: a study on their functional organisation

Increasing demand in the advanced developing countries for more information more quickly has called into serious question the traditionally fragmented nature of information services by creating a need for greater inter-institutional cooperation. Libraries and information centres have responded to this need by the formation of networks serving limited geographical areas or various special interests. Unless an inclusive network is established on a national scale, expendi tures, facilities and efforts will be unnecessarily duplicated and interconnection will become increasingly difficult as regional and specialised networks develop without a common approach. The time has come in every advanced developing country to create a national information network which would weld together its separate insulated information resources into a nationwide network. The purpose of this study is to identify common information needs and desires responsible for the present information services in the advanced developing countries, and to design a generalised structure of national information networks based on the common factors identified. This study was carried out by postal questionnaire, personal interview and literature review. The countries investigated are: Brazil, Colombia, Hong Kong, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Taiwan, Turkey, Venezuela and Yugoslavia. The data gathered by questionnaire and interview have been arranged in fifteen country reports to be summarised later by crocos-section characteristics, requirements and constraints. By choosing between the alternative network models and configurations, a generalised structure of national information networks based on the common characteristics of the information needs and desires existing in the advanced developing countries has been presented. The investigator has attempted in this study to view a network as an arrangement of different functional units working together to accomplish the purpose of the whole rather than an integrated set of different specialised networks such as those in agriculture, chemistry, economics, education, etc

Lost Books

Questions of survival and loss bedevil the study of early printed books. Many early publications are not particularly rare, but many have disappeared altogether. Here leading specialists in the field explore different strategies for recovering this lost world of print. ; Readership: Scholars of early modern history, literature and religion, students of bibliography, book history. Advanced level undergraduates and postgraduate students with interest in these fields, members of the antiquarian book trade