Towards an automated method to assess data portals in the deep web

The rising number of data portals has been increasing demand for new techniques to assess data openness in an automated manner. Some methods have emerged that presuppose well-organized data catalogs, the availability of API interfaces and natively exposed metadata. However, many data portals, particularly those of local governments, appear to be misimplemented and developed with the classic website model in mind, which provides access to data only through user interaction with web forms. Data in such portals resides in the hidden part of the web, as it is dynamically produced only in response to direct requests. This paper proposes an automated method for assessing government-related data in the deep web on the basis of compliance with open data principles and requirements. To validate our method, we apply it in an experiment using the government websites of the 27 Brazilian capitals. The method is fully carried out for 22 of the capitals' websites, resulting in the analysis of 5.6 million government web pages. The results indicate that the keyword search approach utilized in the method, along with the checking of web pages for multifield web forms, is effective for identifying deep web data sources, as 1.5% of web pages with potential government data that are analyzed are found to contain data stored in the deep web. This work contributes to the development of a novel method that allows for the continuous checking and identification of government data from surface web data portals. In addition, this method can be scaled and repeated to assure the widest possible content coverage.     

Older people’s health information needs

This paper, originally given at the Health Libraries Group conference ‘First aid for the front line’ in September 1998, argues that older people’s health information needs are in many respects little different to anyone else’s. It looks at different formats of information that may be helpful for older people, and at the needs of two specific groups, carers and elders from ethnic groups. Direct user involvement in the development of information is seen as important. It is emphasized that there is a particular need for primary care workers to know how other services, such as those within social care and the voluntary sector, operate. The paper ends by looking at the information professional’s role in providing resources and training to such workers, and suggests a broader remit for the profession as a whole, to help to ensure social inclusion for older people.     

Distance learning for MLA’s centennial!

In celebration of the Medical Library Association’s Centennial, their Continuing Education Committee developed a year of distance learning opportunities concerning evidence-based health care. The Centennial Distance Learning Program, as it became known, strove to reach as many members as possible by offering a wide variety of formats, including a teleconference, Web resources, journal clubs, and a suite of traditional CE courses at the annual meeting. This was the first time that MLA had attempted a multi-level distance learning project and it proved to be a rousing success! For more details, visit the ‘EBHC in Action’ Web page on MLANET at: http://www.mlanet.org/education/telecon/index.html .     

Chan Screven’s Contributions to Visitor Studies

Abstract The recent passing of Chan Screven—for the last 50 years a giant in the field of visitor studies—compels a pause for reflection. The professional legacy he left behind is briefly described in this article.     

A deep search method to survey data portals in the whole web: toward a machine learning classification model

The emergence of standardized open data software platforms has provided a similar set of features to sustain the lifecycle of open data practices, which includes storing, managing, publishing, and visualizing data, in addition to providing an out-of-the-box solution for data portals. Accordingly, the dissemination of data portals that implement such platforms has paved the way for automation, wherein (meta)data extraction supplies the demand for quantity-oriented metrics, mainly for benchmark purposes. This has given rise to an issue regarding how to survey data portals globally, especially reducing the manual efforts, while covering a wide variety of sources that may not implement standardized solutions. Thus, this study raises two main problems: searching for standardized open data software platforms and identifying specific developed web-based software operated as data portals. This study aims to develop a method that deeply searches each web page on the internet and formalizes a machine learning classification model to improve the identification of data portals, irrespective of how these data portals implement a standardized open data software platform and comply with the open data technical guidelines. The contributions of this work have been demonstrated through a list of 1,650 open data portals generalized in a training model that makes it feasible to distinguish between a data portal (that may or may not implement a standardized platform) and an ordinary web page. The results provide new insights on how machine-readable, publicly available data are affected by artificial intelligence, with special focus on how it can be used to understand data openness worldwide.     

Spreading the digital word: ISI’s Electronic Library Project

Describes the process behind – and the progress of – a unique project designed to explore many of the technical and economic issues pertaining to the implementation and use of an electronic library.     

The Museum Visit: It’s an Experience,Not a Lesson

Abstract Museums offer visitors direct experiences—such as visual experiences—that are not available elsewhere in daily life. Learning through verbal information is part of it, yet the aesthetic experience is always outside of the “right‐answer paradigm.” Cognitive development occurs when perceptions inform thinking, thoughts are expressed in language, and expressed thoughts invite reconsideration of the material at hand. Both science and art require the development of these skills. Science and art museum educators can and should advocate the value of looking, thinking, wondering about complexity, and discussing the results.     

From gentleman’s club to the marketplace: the library experience

In March this year I retired after a library career spent almost entirely in one institution. From this limited experience I hope to draw examples of changes in the library world, and their consequences, which I believe have general application.     

The research process: a beginner’s guide

The introduction of evidence-based health care and the importance of library services in supporting this trend mean that librarians should at the very least understand the research process. The research process is often misunderstood and feared. This paper explains the research process step by step, giving examples. The major research designs, experimental, quasi-experimental, survey and action research are described. This paper is deliberately practical rather than academically focused. Its structure could be used to structure a small-scale research project, with the help of the literature in the annotated bibliography.