Beyond digitization: access and preservation

This paper is a desk study that examines issues around and beyond digitization within the context of Nigeria. The paper focuses on access and preservation as some of the main objectives of digitization. It indentifies Institutional Repositories (IR) as panacea to achieving these aims. The enabling technologies and challenges for the deployment of IR are also discussed. The need for the libraries to form a consortium to share cost of infrastructures and ICT skilled personnel for the successful deployment of IR is recommended

Capacity Building For Library and Information Centre Personnel In ICT Environment

The paper examined the concepts “ICT environment’ and ‘digitized/virtual library and information centre’ and discussed the features of digitized/virtual library and information centre and the need for capacity building especially in ICT-based libraries and information centres. It highlights the skills, competencies and training needs expected of personnel in typical digitized libraries and information centres, the avenues for their education and training and the basic questions to address in capacity building plans and strategies. The paper concluded by putting forward strategies to adopt to ensure the available of requisite relevant manpower in virtual libraries and information centres to cope with the changing needs of the time

Ultrasonic study of the gelation of gelatin: phase diagram, hysteresis and kinetics

We map the ultrasonic (8 MHz) speed and attenuation of edible-grade gelatin in water, exploring the key dependencies on temperature, concentration and time. The ultrasonic signatures of the sol-gel transition, confirmed by rheological measurements, and incomplete gel formation at low concentrations, enable a phase diagram of the system to be constructed. Sensitivity is also demonstrated to the kinetics of gel formation and melting, and associated hysteresis effects upon cyclic temperature sweeps. Furthermore, simple acoustic models of the sol and gel state enable estimation of the speed of sound and compressibility of gelatin. Our results demonstrate the potential of ultrasonic measurements to characterise the structure and visco-elasticity of gelatin hydrogels.Comment: 15 pages, 8 figure