Wireless Networking in Libraries

Since the turn of the 21st century, libraries of almost all types have been providing clients with access to the Internet through wireless networks. In the process, wireless networking has become an important part of the continuing effort to extend access to library services through networked information technologies. The expansion of the wireless access offered by libraries, now approaching ubiquity among academic and public libraries, has been driven by a number of factors, not the least of them being the tremendous growth in the numbers of so-called “smart” devices capable of connecting to wireless networks and the parallel increases in the bandwidth available via wireless networks. Looking to the future, wireless access as provided libraries is vital to their function as public computing centers. The continued development of and improvements in mobile applications is also essential, but the construction of mobile-friendly Websites is probably far more important, given the evidence that mobile users are accessing content with increasing frequency and in progressively larger numbers. Similarly, the security and privacy of mobile applications and services must be ensured with the greatest possible vigor, inasmuch as the confidence of users is closely aligned with their continuing use of digital library resources

The World Wide Web

An encyclopedic review of the World Wide Web, its origins, workings, and current statu

Using Peer Assessment to Improve Student Writing

Report on an experiment involving a Web-based peer assessment system to address issues in graduate-level writing

Building a Digital Repository on a Shoestring Budget

A review of open source software used to build digital archives and repositories, with an analysis of current products and an assessment of near term trends in development and implementation

Challenges and Supports for Accessing Open Government Datasets

The importance of open government data is often associated with increased public trust, civic engagement, and accountable administrations. While there is a myriad of benefits, the existing literature suggests that many open government datasets lack accessibility and usability for diverse users. This study seeks to explore what contextual information users require when they access these datasets. Using mixed methods, we aim to discover the challenges of accessing data, and the necessary contextual information needed by the users to overcome these challenges. As the outcome of this study, we propose a framework called "Data Guides", which is composedof the identified important contextual information. In future work, we will test the effectiveness of the Data Guide in aiding users’ accessing and understanding open government data