Perception and Use of Semantic and Social features of Digital Libraries among Library and Information Professionals

Purpose – The paper identifies awareness among library and Information professionals (LISPs) on Semantic and Social technologies in digital library in Special Library and Information Centers (SLICs) of Delhi NCR (National Capital Region), India, and examine whether the existing semantic web technologies are capable of addressing the problems and concerns of Digital Library Systems in tune with the needs of the intended users and/or beneficiaries. Design/Methodology/Approach – As part of the survey of the special libraries in NCR of Delhi, the questionnaires and personal visit were made to 48 libraries (spread over 16 categories) to collect the primary data. The requisite data of 48 special libraries, were collected, collated and analyzed accordingly. Findings - The study has made clear that library and information professionals of SLICs have a fair knowledge of semantic and social solutions for the digital libraries. There are a lot of semantic and social features available in the digital libraries and there is an urgent need to increase its familiarity and use among LISPs. The study also, revealed that a couple of impediments that prevents the effective use and implementations of semantic and social features of the digital library features of the semantic digital library. Practical implications- The study hopefully has given to an understanding the semantic solutions for the digital libraries based on semantic web technologies and results of the study can be accepted as a pointer for further experiment and training to improve these features of DLs to a new height. Originality/value - The present study looks at awareness of semantic and social solutions for the digital library in different large scientific and special libraries of repute in Delhi and NCR is a comprehensive study which provides a subject of paramount significance and interest not only to LIS professionals, but also to web-technocrats and digital librarians in particular. Keywords – Semantic Web, Semantic Digital Library, Digital Library, Social Semantic Digital Library Paper type - Case stud

Panel: The Architectural Touch: Gestural Approaches to Library Search

This panel centers on the LibViz project—a touch and gesture-based interface that allows users to navigate through library collections using visual queries—and the issues surrounding such efforts. The LibViz project, for which we have done initial research and constructed a prototype, aims to increase the discoverability of library materials, particularly those of non-textual objects, which are difficult to access via traditional search and which do not circulate. Many collections are currently preparing large scale digitizing of threedimensional objects and it is imperative to develop appropriate methods to work with this new kind of data. The established methods only do a poor job at providing access to 3D-object data. Based in theories of “grounded cognition,” the LibViz interface will be optimized for use on personal mobile devices, but it can also be used on large format touch screens equipped with depth cameras that track user gestures. In other words, the interactive flow of LibViz allows both gestural interaction and touch commands, effectively extending the sensory modalities involved in the cognitive processing of the search results. By engaging a fuller range of human cognitive capabilities, the LibViz interface also hopes to help transform search. The amount of data generated in the digital era is growing exponentially, and so we must find novel ways of analyzing and interpreting these vast data archives. Moreover, the ways in which information is categorized and databases are created are value laden. As such, the processes by which these structures are established should be more transparent than conventional systems currently allow. The project turns library search into a powerful and pleasurable experience, stimulating engagement with the collections and the library itself

Enhancing information literacy via MOOC and library’s i-Space

Equating search with research, as reaffirmed by the studies led by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library, is a widespread misconception among undergraduates in Hong Kong. Base on real findings of the studies, a self-paced, asynchronous, non-credit bearing online MOOC courseware “InfoLit for U”, has been launched in early 2018. The “InfoLit for U” MOOC courseware was jointly designed by the libraries of all public funded universities in Hong Kong. Its design takes reference from the relational model of information literacy, in particular, the knowledge creation face of informed learning. The focal module, developed by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library, addresses essential concepts and common misconceptions about using information in university learning and career settings, while the eight discipline modules designed by participating libraries focus on discipline-specific information literacy (IL) practices. All modules start with the “IL & Me” series of video sharing by professionals to highlight the personal relevance of information to university learning, research and future career. Animated scenarios, games and exercises help students to adopt appropriate learning-to-learn dispositions and best practices of information literacy. An i-Space has been set up in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library in October 2017 to enrich students’ information experience. It is a technology-rich space furnished with a variety of easy to use digital equipment and facilities for students from all disciplines to experience evolving technologies, to learn, evaluate and create digital content. The Digital Makerspace provides 3D Printers, 3D scanners, laser cutter, VR Experience Zone, IoT (Internet of Things) and Large Format Printing equipment while the Digital Visualisation Room is equipped with a high performance computer and high-resolution Video Wall to facilitate visualisation of data. The Multimedia Commons provides a Digital Studio and a number of multimedia workstations

Exploration of the knowledge of and motivation for learning preservation practices for personal digital information

This research investigated preservation practices related to personal digital information. It sought to answer three main research questions: 1. What kinds of personal digital information do public library users collect and why? 2. What are the cognitive, affective, and psycho-social influences that contribute to the preservation of personal digital information? 3. How can individuals improve their digital preservation practices and what would motivate them to make improvements to these practices?Twenty-six participants were recruited from public library friends groups from a large metropolitan region on the east coast of the United States. Three areas within the study of information behavior informed the research design: everyday life information seeking (ELIS); information horizons and information source horizons; and cognitive and affective issues in information behavior. Data analysis entailed the use of the constant comparison method and descriptive statistics.Data analysis led to the creation of a theoretical model of personal digital preservation practices. The model shows the effects of social, cognitive, and affective conditions on personal preservation decisions, as well as the effects of memory loss and technological advances over time, combined with information escalation over time. Because the preservation of personal digital information is the result of personal, social, and technological interactions, the integration of these factors in the study of digital preservation practices is necessary for a viable solution to the digital preservation problem. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of implications for future research.Ph.D., Information Studies -- Drexel University, 200

Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should: On Knowing and Protecting Data Produced by the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society

A recent project at the University of Denver Libraries used handwritten text recognition (HTR) software to create transcriptions of records from the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society (JCRS), a tuberculosis sanatorium located in Denver, Colorado from 1904 to 1954. Among a great many other potential uses, these type- and hand-written records give insight into the human experience of disease and epidemic, its treatment, its effect on cultures, and of Jewish immigration to and early life in the American West. Our intent is to provide these transcripts as data so the text may be computationally analyzed, pursuant to a larger effort in developing capacity in services and infrastructure to support digital humanities as a library, and to contribute to the emerging HTR ecosystem in archival work.Just because we can, however, doesn’t always mean we should: the realities of publishing large datasets online that contain medical and personal histories of potentially vulnerable people and communities introduce serious ethical considerations. This paper both underscores the value of HTR and frames ethical considerations related to protecting data derived from it. It suggests a terms-of-use intervention perhaps valuable to similar projects, one that balances meeting the research needs of digital scholars with the care and respect of persons, their communities and inheritors, who lives produced the very data now valuable to those researchers

Just Because We Can Doesn’t Mean We Should: On Knowing and Protecting Data Produced by the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society

A recent project at the University of Denver Libraries used handwritten text recognition (HTR) software to create transcriptions of records from the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society (JCRS), a tuberculosis sanatorium located in Denver, Colorado from 1904 to 1954. Among a great many other potential uses, these type- and hand-written records give insight into the human experience of disease and epidemic, its treatment, its effect on cultures, and of Jewish immigration to and early life in the American West. Our intent is to provide these transcripts as data so the text may be computationally analyzed, pursuant to a larger effort in developing capacity in services and infrastructure to support digital humanities as a library, and to contribute to the emerging HTR ecosystem in archival work. Just because we can, however, doesn’t always mean we should: the realities of publishing large datasets online that contain medical and personal histories of potentially vulnerable people and communities introduce serious ethical considerations. This paper both underscores the value of HTR and frames ethical considerations related to protecting data derived from it. It suggests a terms-of-use intervention perhaps valuable to similar projects, one that balances meeting the research needs of digital scholars with the care and respect of persons, their communities and inheritors, who lives produced the very data now valuable to those researchers

Personalisation and recommender systems in digital libraries

Widespread use of the Internet has resulted in digital libraries that are increasingly used by diverse communities of users for diverse purposes and in which sharing and collaboration have become important social elements. As such libraries become commonplace, as their contents and services become more varied, and as their patrons become more experienced with computer technology, users will expect more sophisticated services from these libraries. A simple search function, normally an integral part of any digital library, increasingly leads to user frustration as user needs become more complex and as the volume of managed information increases. Proactive digital libraries, where the library evolves from being passive and untailored, are seen as offering great potential for addressing and overcoming these issues and include techniques such as personalisation and recommender systems. In this paper, following on from the DELOS/NSF Working Group on Personalisation and Recommender Systems for Digital Libraries, which met and reported during 2003, we present some background material on the scope of personalisation and recommender systems in digital libraries. We then outline the working group’s vision for the evolution of digital libraries and the role that personalisation and recommender systems will play, and we present a series of research challenges and specific recommendations and research priorities for the field

Re-designing Greenstone for Seniors

The golden generation have a wealth of experience and knowledge from throughout their lifetimes that younger generations wish to retain. In our technology filled world an obvious means of collecting this information is electronically. Digital library col- lections are increasingly used by libraries and large institutions to record their large amounts of information but they can also be used for personal collections. Seniors are often willing and keen to impart their years of experience upon people of the younger generation but time is not always on their side as they grow older. Throughout a lifetime a person could collect large amounts of papers, diaries, pho- tos and media but the time it takes to organise these documents can be long and exhausting and the person's health is not always at its best in old age. Greenstone is a suite of software for creating digital libraries, which are organised collections of documents. Greenstone has the ability to distribute collections either using a server or CD-ROM, and provides advanced searching and organization tools. While Greenstone is a versatile and useful tool in creating digital collections, its in- terface is not designed for senior users. Seniors are commonly perceived to have more physical and mental disadvantages as they get older. These disadvantages can dramatically affect how usable seniors find a piece of software. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how usable the current Greenstone interface is for use by seniors and to re-design the interface so that Greenstone may be more easily used by senior users. This thesis focuses upon what types of documents and descriptive data seniors would like to include in a collection about their life. This is to ascertain exactly what parts of the interface must be improved when it comes to metadata and classifiers. The results of this investigation also helped in the creation of a customised metadata set for senior users use

Organizing digital music for use: an examination of personal music collections

Current research on music information retrieval and music digital libraries focuses on providing access to huge, public music collections. In this paper we consider a different, but related, problem: supporting an individual in maintaining and using a personal music collection. We analyze organization and access techniques used to manage personal music collections (primarily CDs and MP3 files), and from these behaviors, to suggest user behaviors that should be supported in a personal music digital library (that is, a digital library of an individual's personal music collection)