Effects of Computerization Requirements on the BahA'i Classification Scheme in Use at the Bahi'i World Centre

The Bahi'i World Centre Library developed a classification for Bahi'i materials by expanding the Library of Congress BP300-395 section. With the development of a computerized cataloguing system (called MAGE) at the Bahi'i World Centre Library, and particularly with the review of authorities for Bahi'i subject headings, this classification has been further modified. The experience provides an interesting example of how the process of computerization can affect classification schemes.     

Applying Library of Congress Demographic Group Characteristics for Creators

Abstract

This research project explores how to ethically, efficiently, and accurately add demographic terms for African American authors to catalog records. A Department of History graduate student located evidence of self-identification as African American for authors, and catalogers added the demographic term to bibliographic records and are in the process of creating work level Name Title Authority Records for titles written by those authors. This work is the beginning of systematically enhancing catalog data with author characteristics to support making such information available in faceted results.     

To Google or Not to Google,That Is the Question: Supplementing Google Book Search to Make It More Useful for Scholarship

ABSTRACT

This article looks at two different projects, the Google Book Search project and the Text Creation Partnership, both linked to the University of Michigan Library. Though on the surface they are very different, the Text Creation Partnership, a model of cooperation between scholars, librarians, and publishers, may have some useful lessons for how to make Google Book Search more useful for academic research, particularly in full-text searching.     

An Exploratory Study of School-Age Children's Use of a Heterogeneous Resource Site

ABSTRACT

In this study, students' use of a new educational Web portal was evaluated with particular emphasis on searching and browsing strategies. The effects and implications of a federated search system are also discussed. Fifty-four students, ranging from 5th to 12th grade, were given five tasks to complete using the SchoolRooms interface. The tasks required students to use both the search box and the categorical browse feature on the Web portal. Data collected were analyzed to determine time on task, rate of success and the subjects' awareness of success, and the type of search method chosen to complete the tasks. In general, students preferred the search-box strategy to the categorical-browse strategy, but exposure to both strategies resulted in increased use of the browse strategy. Success rates varied widely by task. Students had a difficult time distinguishing between various media and format types returned by the federated search. Results suggest that while students prefer a search-box strategy, it is by no means the only way they search for information. Students experienced difficulty in trying to de-aggregate the results of a federated search engine. These findings have implications for information literacy and library instruction. Forthcoming analysis of these data will address the factors related to search success.     

Promise Fulfilled? An EBSCO Discovery Service Usability Study

Discovery tools are the next phase of library search systems. Illinois State University's Milner Library implemented EBSCO Discovery Service in August 2010. The authors conducted usability studies on the system in the fall of 2010. The aims of the study were twofold: first, to determine how Milner users set about using the system in order to better inform customization choices, which in turn would create better search experiences, and second, to find out whether discovery tools fix the problems of federated search. With federated search technology, users often felt frustrated by the search experience. Some reasons for the frustration included a desire for better ways to determine the relevancy of search results and for more information about the material included in the records. The authors determined that while many federated search problems were solved, some issues persisted. Overall, the move to EBSCO Discovery Service at Milner Library has been a positive experience for its users.     

Using Drupal

Libraries today face an increasing challenge: to provide relevant information to diverse populations with differing needs while competing with Web search engines like Google. In 2009, a large group of libraries, including the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, joined with Innovative Interfaces as development partners to design a new type of discovery tool. The concept of information portals best supports the research and instructional needs of our communities by organizing and presenting information that incorporates licensed databases, text, multimedia, and other relevant sources. The discovery tool under examination by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Encore integrates searches of the catalog, locally created full-text and image sources, and articles from licensed databases with navigation options that facilitate narrowing and expanding search results. This information portal development is an ongoing process with the goal of providing a tool that is as easy to use as Web search engines and that preserves the quality that library users expect. This article explores the requirements for an information portal and describes the challenges University of Nebraska-Lincoln faced when implementing Encore. Statistics from the initial implementation are presented, along with recommendations for future usability studies to evaluate where additional improvements should be made.     

新形势下高校文献检索课的教学改革

在高等教育发展的新形势下，献检索课对培养跨世纪信息人才具有重要意义。当前，该课应从教材，教学内容，实习环节，师资队伍及教学课时等方面加以改革。     

元数据标签Keywords在搜索引擎的应用现状研究

随着网络信息量的急剧增长，人们习惯运用各种搜索引擎在海量互联网信息资源中来查找所需的信息，但查寻的结果往往不尽人意。本文通过利用不同主题范围的检索词在中英文搜索引擎检索的结果，对元数据标签Keywords在网页中的应用情况进行了调查和分析。并就提高搜索引擎的检索效率提出自己的一些建议。     

An integrated framework for discovering digital library collections

INTRODUCTION “Cornell’s situation vis-à-vis digital collection dispersion is worse than at most institutions because Cornell was a digitization pioneer and created digital content long before relevant metadata and other standards emerged. At this stage, no new effort should be undertaken without a sense of how it will be merged with other existing collections and where the resources for long-term maintenance will come from.” —A Cornell digital projects librarian Currently, users are…     

R&D投资、搜寻与多个国家风险投资周期性波动研究

文章对Barlevy的R&D投资波动模型进行了扩展,建立了R&D投资、风险投资与宏观经济总量(GDP)波动这三者之间的逻辑联系机制。论文认为,当宏观经济处于下行阶段时,企业进行R&D投资的机会成本较小,企业适于增加R&D投资。但是,企业此时进行投资的风险性也很大,有必要引入能承担更高风险的风险投资基金。风险投资的进入提高了企业的R&D投资资金和技术创新成功概率,并增进了宏观经济增长潜力。论文对12个国家在1995-2010年期间的R&D投资、风险投资和宏观经济周期性波动之间的关系进行了Granger因果检验,检验结果进一步证实了模型中的有关推论。论文最后建议,在我国经济增长较为缓慢阶段,我国应进一步开放资本市场,鼓励和引导更多社会资金进入创业风险投资领域。通过引入更多的风险投资,提高企业进行R&D投资和技术创新的动力,培育宏观经济在未来各个时期增长的潜力。