Smart Buildings: An Introduction to the Library of the Future

ABSTRACT

Advances in building technologies are combining energy efficiency, networked sensors, and data recording in exciting ways. Modern facilities can adjust lighting, heating, and cooling outputs to maximize efficiency, provide better physical security, improve wayfinding for occupants, and provide detailed reports of building use. This column will briefly explore the idea of “smart buildings,” describe some of the technologies that are being developed for these buildings, and explore their implications for libraries. A brief listing of selected smart building technologies is also provided.     

Visualizing the Virtual Library

In my article "Planning the Virtual Library," published in the last issue of the Medical Reference Services Quarterly, visioning was included in the implementation process. Visioning is such a critical component, however, that I wanted to provide a follow- up article that would vividly illustrate its importance. Eugenie Prime needs no introduction to the medical librarian community; she is well known for her many years of work with CINAHL¹ and with the Medical Library Association. Since 1987, Eugenie has been the Manager of the Corporate Libraries at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, the research and development component of HP.     

Energy,Climate, Food and Health

ABSTRACT

On June 3–5, 2008, international organizations and heads of state met in Rome to discuss the critical situation in global food supplies and prices during the World Food Crisis Summit. The intent of this column is to provide approaches to identifying the complex issues that impact public health, public safety, and nutrition on a global basis. The Web sites selected provide a background for the complex issues involved (energy, climate and environment, agriculture, and politics) and reveal controversial and competing agendas with many far-reaching implications.     

FROM THE LITERATURE: Terry Henner,Column Editor

This article explores automated task services, a type of website that allows users to create rules that are triggered by activity on one website and perform a task on another site. The most well-known automated task service is If This Then That (IFTTT), but recently a large number of these services have sprung up. These services can be used to connect websites, apps, business services, and even devices such as phones and home automation equipment. This allows for millions of possible combinations of rules, triggers, and actions. Librarians can put these services to use in many ways, from automating social media postings to remembering to bring their umbrella when rain is in the forecast. A list of popular automated task services is included, as well as a number of ideas for using these services in libraries.     

A Review of: “Training Paraprofessionals for Reference Service: A How-To-Do-It Manual for Librarians. 2nd ed. Morgan,Pamela J.”

QR codes, or “Quick Response” codes, are two-dimensional barcodes that can be scanned by mobile smartphone cameras. These codes can be used to provide fast access to URLs, telephone numbers, and short passages of text. With the rapid adoption of smartphones, librarians are able to use QR codes to promote services and help library users find materials quickly and independently. This article will explain what QR codes are, discuss how they can be used in the library, and describe issues surrounding their use. A list of resources for generating and scanning QR codes is also provided.     

Wolfphram|Alpha: A Brief Introduction

On May 18, 2009, British computer scientist Stephen Wolfram officially launched a new search product called Wolfram|Alpha (WA). This launch was preceded by months of speculation and hype online about exactly what WA would be and how it would compare to Google and other search engines. This article will explore the basic features of WA, show some example queries and results, and discuss the usefulness and limitations of this new tool.     

Health Sciences Librarians' Research on Medical Students' Use of Information for Their Studies at The Medical School,University of Queensland,Australia

This study reports the findings of research undertaken by health sciences librarians at the University of Queensland Library into how medical students use information for their studies, particularly resources and services provided by the Library. The methods utilized were an online survey and focus groups. Results indicated that students favor print resources over electronic, value accessing resources on a one-stop basis, and prefer training to be delivered flexibly. The implication of these results for future resource selection, service provision, and instructional design and delivery is discussed.     

From Google Print to Google Book Search: The Controversial Initiative and Its Impact on Other Remarkable Digitization Projects

Google's initiative to scan and add book content into its search engine has resulted in much praise and protest. Changing its digitization project's name from Google Print to Google Book Search and adding information to its site did not keep Google out of copyright court. However, publicity surrounding this project has spawned renewed interest in book digitization projects, with collaborative efforts quickly growing. This article will look at Book Search's history, highlight how it has been altered along with its name, and point out other interesting book digitization projects that Book Search has spawned or recently brought into the limelight, such as those associated with the Internet Archive.     

国外Web Archive研究与实践进展

Web Archive采集并保存Web内容,满足当前和未来的访问和使用,其重要性已得到图书馆、档案馆、政府、企业等机构的广泛认可.本文在文献与网络资源调研的基础上,以Web采集、Web Archive的保存、访问和使用为主线,构建了一个系统化的研究框架,并在此框架下梳理国外的相关研究与实践进展.国外的研究与实践值得国内借鉴,如:多主体参与、广泛的交流与合作、注重标准和规范的建设、构建类型多样的Web Archives、对访问与使用的优化等方面,但该领域仍面临法律与伦理、新Web应用内容的归档、存档内容的长期保存、存档内容的多元化应用等问题和挑战.     

普通高校图书馆集成系统问卷调查及启示

为更好地了解国内高校图书馆自动化系统的使用情况,并为CALIS四期开发下一代图书馆自动化系统提供研究报告,课题组通过问卷调查的方式,收集了集成系统总体使用情况、使用满意度以及未来使用计划等三个方面的第一手数据;通过数据分析,得出结论,并为CALIS四期开发面向普通高校和高职高专图书馆的下一代ILS提出建议。