Harvesting for disseminating, open archives and role of academic libraries

The Scholarly communication system is in a critical stage, due to a number of factors.The Open Access movement is perhaps the most interesting response that the scientific community has tried to give to this problem. The paper examines strengths and weaknesses of the Open Access strategy in general and, more specifically, of the Open Archives Initiative, discussing experiences, criticisms and barriers. All authors that have faced the problems of implementing an OAI compliant e-print server agree that technical and practical problems are not the most difficult to overcome and that the real problem is the change in cultural attitude required. In this scenario the university library is possibly the standard bearer for the advent and implementation of e-prints archives and Open Archives services. To ensure the successful implementation of this service the Library has a number of distinct roles to play

Harvesting for disseminating, open archives and role of academic libraries

The Scholarly communication system is in a critical stage, due to a number of factors.The Open Access movement is perhaps the most interesting response that the scientific community has tried to give to this problem. The paper examines strengths and weaknesses of the Open Access strategy in general and, more specifically, of the Open Archives Initiative, discussing experiences, criticisms and barriers. All authors that have faced the problems of implementing an OAI compliant e-print server agree that technical and practical problems are not the most difficult to overcome and that the real problem is the change in cultural attitude required. In this scenario the university library is possibly the standard bearer for the advent and implementation of e-prints archives and Open Archives services. To ensure the successful implementation of this service the Library has a number of distinct roles to play

Academic Staff Perception and Expectations About Open Archives: A Survey of Social Sciences Sector in the Brescia University

The literature review gives a well referenced context to your research project and it could be useful if you would have related the major recent researches in the same field to yours. The statement of the problem of “scholarly communication paradox” is clear, however you do not define the research question. Aims and objectives are focussed on general factors which can have an incentive or disincentive role on using OAI self-archiving but they are not related to the fieldwork of your research (Brescia University, Social sciences faculty)

Sistema automatico di gestione con RFID presso la Biblioteca Centrale Interfacoltà dell’Università degli Studi di Brescia

RAILS™ ASRS (AUTOMATED STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM) is an innovative system in robotic technology. The RAILS™ system provides double the storage capacity when compared with any other existing high density crane storage system, and up to 12 times if compared to traditional shelves and compacts. Its implementation can generate massive savings for libraries, archives and document centers both in terms of reduced initial investment and reduction of ongoing costs for maintenance and collection management. The paper illustrates the experience of the Interfaculty Central Libray of the Univerity of Brescia, Italy, in implementing RAILS™ system, based on RFID

Crisi dei periodici e modelli emergenti nella comunicazione scientifica : uno spazio d'azione per le biblioteche

The rise of the prices of scientific journals, often called the "journals crisis", has become a concrete threat for the free circulation of scientific communication. The paper examines the most significative experiences and some criticism in the fields of scholarly communication

Il ruolo del bibliotecario nel processo di diffusione della comunicazione scientifica. La strategia dell'open acces

Paper presented in Parma on the role of librarians in Open Access strategy

Il context-sensitive linking alla prova degli utenti

The introduction, in the first years of 2000, of tools which can guarantee a context-sensitive linking to the library collections has represented a great innovation as well as a possible answer to a long-lasting expectation. The present article analyses the use of SFX - renamed SIRIO: Servizi Informativi e Risorse Online - at the three libraries of the Universitiy of Studies of Brescia in the first 4 months of 2006. In the examined period 11,258 demands have been recorded, originating 8,420 clickthrough (74,8%), to be considered as effective uses of specific SFX services. The highest relationship between demands and clickthrough on a service has been recorded for the link to the full text document (85,1%), followed by the access to the printed materials catalogues (55,2%) and by the demands for interlibrary services (12,0%)

Biblioteche universitarie : immaginare il cambiamento (…e gestirlo!)

University Libraries are facing deep innovations. Some approaches coming from management theories can orient libraries in their effort towards managing the change. Scenario Planning and Theory of Chaos are discussed, with the aim to outline a new possible organisational structure, able to face this challenge

Approval plan in EDI : il futuro delle acquisizioni in biblioteca?

The article discusses the system of acquisition of library material through an Approval plan, using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) technology. The approval plan establishes both a system of acquisition and a policy of development of the library patrimony. The fundamental principle on which it is based is the replacement of an incremental or arbitrary flow of orders with a flow of monographs that have a character of automatism and methodicalness. This flow originates from a "profile of relevancy" carefully determined on the basis of the requirements of the users, such as to guarantee (at least tendentially) the coverage of all the subjects of specialization of the library. The elements that take part in the definition of the profile are both semantic and of other nature. In parallel with the automatic flow of monographs generated by the plan, a residual-complementary flow of orders remains for the purchase of monographs that are not intercepted by the profile of interest of the library and for those of non-current publication considered of interest by the user. The system of acquisition and development with the Profile of Relevancy will be even more effective and efficacious with the adopting of the EDI system. It consists in an exchange of structured trade messages which takes place directly between information systems. The direct information flow between supplier and customer takes place in telematic mode (that is, using the networks, such as Internet) and it is controlled by data processing procedures. The system of acquisition and development with Profile of relevancy and the EDI system of information transmission can be justified autonomously, but their combined application increases their usefulness. The integrated application of the two systems discussed in this work seems to have suitable characteristics for establishing it as one of the main development policies for acquisitions within Italian libraries, especially those of a highly specialized natur

Ancora su Open Archives ed Open Access: tra "golden road" e "green road", lo scenario permane… grigio. (Pubblicato come: Open Archives e Open Access tra "golden road" e "green road": lo scenario permane… grigio)

Even though there is a large and intense debate on open access nowadays in process, the Open Access strategy is still characterized by some ambiguities. First of all, we have to make a basic distinction between the neutral and technical meaning of Open (which means interoperable and it is assured by protocols and standards) and the substantial meaning of the whole expression meaning freedom of access to scholarly literature without any barrier, above all the removal of economic barriers. It is obvious that the second definition is a consequence of the first, but the scholarly and scientific environment should be interested in the opportunity to have free and open access to scientific documents both theoretically and practically! As a consequence, when we use the expressions “Open Access” or “Open Archives” we refer to the second meaning. It is important to take into account this basic distinction: assuring the accessibility to materials through protocols and standards (for example, OAI-PMH, Open Archives Initiative - Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) is not the same thing of assuring open access to scholarly production because the you have to pay for the standards and protocols used by commercial publishers to provide access to their sources. In brief, the interoperability of the archives doesn’t imply necessarily the open access to their contents. There is ambiguity also in the strategies to assure open access to scholarly publications ( that is the second meaning of the definition). As a matter of fact, often the strategy called “golden road” (based on journals) and the one called “green road” (based on self-archiving repositories) have been united and assimilated. Actually, it is true that these strategies are complementary but we have to point out that their presuppositions, aims and ways are different