Complexity of Work Families and Entity-Based Visualization Displays

Abstract

Conceptual modeling of bibliographic data, including the FR models and the consolidated IFLA LRM, has provided an opportunity to shift focus to entities and relationships and to support hierarchical work-based exploration of bibliographic information. This paper reports on a study examining the complexity of a work's bibliographic family data and user interactions with data visualizations, compared to traditional displays. Findings suggest that the FRBR-based visual bibliographic information system supports work families of different complexities more equally than a traditional system. Differences between the two systems also show that the FRBR-based system was more effective especially for related-works and author-related tasks.     

Reference Question Answered: Bibliographic Sources for the Ukrainian Periodical Press in the 1840s: Encyclopedias,Bibliographies, Guides,and Library Catalogs

The author answers a reference question on bibliographic sources for the Ukrainian periodical press 1840–1850. Helpful publications include bibliographies, guides, and library catalogs. These potentially make mention of revolutionary developments in Hungary (such as the Twelve Points paragraph of the Demands of the Hungarian Nation in March 1848, the subsequent April Laws, and Hungary's declaration of independence in April 1949), and elsewhere in the Hapsburg Empire.     

WorldCat Local and Information Literacy Instruction: An Exploration of Emerging Teaching Practice

Since the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) unveiled its WorldCat Local library catalog discovery layer in 2008, library instructors have debated how to incorporate this tool into their teaching. WorldCat Local's faceted searching brings both educational benefits and unexpected challenges to the classroom. Instructors frequently hold formal and informal discussions on such topics as which search features are most effective during teaching and which patron groups benefit most from this tool. The authors of this article surveyed instruction librarians at U.S. academic libraries that are using WorldCat Local in order to gather and organize this feedback. This article presents the findings of this survey.     

Beyond Title Lists

Abstract

Librarians and patrons can access many thousands of electronic journals today. Librarians who incorporate records for these journals into their OPACs will maximize the journals' access and use, but accurately tracking them can be difficult. This paper describes a commercial solution to the problem. Serials Solutions combines aggregator title lists with CONSER MARC records to improve access to these titles. This paper reviews the benefits and challenges associated with this process, and identifies several areas in which aggregators and OPAC vendors can improve the services they provide, to facilitate this process.     

Prioritizing natural-selection signals from the deep-sequencing genomic data suggests multi-variant adaptation in Tibetan highlanders

Human genetic adaptation to high altitudes (>2500 m) has been extensively studied over the last few years, but few functional adaptive genetic variants have been identified, largely owing to the lack of deep-genome sequencing data available to previous studies. Here, we build a list of putative adaptive variants, including 63 missense, 7 loss-of-function, 1,298 evolutionarily conserved variants and 509 expression quantitative traits loci. Notably, the top signal of selection is located in TMEM247, a transmembrane protein-coding gene. The Tibetan version of TMEM247 harbors one high-frequency (76.3%) missense variant, rs116983452 (c.248C > T; p.Ala83Val), with the T allele derived from archaic ancestry and carried by >94% of Tibetans but absent or in low frequencies (<3%) in non-Tibetan populations. The rs116983452-T is strongly and positively correlated with altitude and significantly associated with reduced hemoglobin concentration (p = 5.78 × 10⁻⁵), red blood cell count (p = 5.72 × 10⁻⁷) and hematocrit (p = 2.57 × 10⁻⁶). In particular, TMEM247-rs116983452 shows greater effect size and better predicts the phenotypic outcome than any EPAS1 variants in association with adaptive traits in Tibetans. Modeling the interaction between TMEM247-rs116983452 and EPAS1 variants indicates weak but statistically significant epistatic effects. Our results support that multiple variants may jointly deliver the fitness of the Tibetans on the plateau, where a complex model is needed to elucidate the adaptive evolution mechanism.     

Online Information Retrieval in School Library Media Centers

Abstract

In the 1990′s, school library media specialists must stress their expertise as teaching professionals in order to make informed decisions relating to the automation of library catalogs. The cognitive paradigm provides a user-centered perspective of the information retrieval process and confirms the problematic nature of the new technology for children. By applying the cognitive viewpoint to online information retrieval, school library media specialists can help guide system design and plan instructional programs that are developmentally appropriate for children.     

Potential and Challenges of Subject Access in Libraries Today on the Example of Swedish Libraries

Column Editor's Notes

The “Advances in Library Data and Access” column examines technological advances internal and external to libraries. The focus is on how library data is created and used. The strength of the column is its broad, international focus, and contributors are encouraged to explore issues and recent advances in information technology relevant to their geographical region, as well as the larger, global audience. Interested authors are invited to submit proposals and articles to the column editor at moulaisonhe@missouri.edu. Please include “IILR Submission” in the subject line of the e-mail.     

BUBL LINK / 5:15

Abstract

As the World Wide Web continues to grow, the problem of locating quality resources becomes progressively more acute. While search engines can be invaluable tools for locating certain specific types of information, the technology is more limited in dealing with broad enquiries. This article outlines the development of the BUBL LINK / 5:15 service, which combines powerful browse and search options with a selective approach toresource discoveryand cataloging, and describes how the service overcomes some of the problems in locating Internet resources.     

Special Collections and Archives Code (SPAC): Preserving Provenance in a Bibliographic Catalog

The recording of provenance is of particular importance in special collections cataloging, as knowledge of provenance lends authenticity and reliability to the materials held. A method of cataloging collection-level provenance in bibliographic records through a short mnemonic code, a Special Collections and Archives Code (SPAC), is described which enhances visibility of collections and retrieval in a catalog. A collection code not only collocates unique individual items that share a common characteristic, but can also constitute part of a linked data approach to visualizing integrated collections in the form of a “virtual bookplate.”