Here is a link to the PA Digital Library.
http://padl.pitt.edu/index.php/index
Dewy Meets Turing
In this article the advantages gained by the computer science (CS) field and the library science (LS) world are discussed. These were a direct result of the National Science Foundations launch of the Digital Libraries Initiative (DLI). The DLI changed the way we use digital resources.
CS were able to impact the daily lives of library users, such as moving the card catalog from the shelf to the web. This has led to instant access/locateability of resources from around the world. It has also led to information being published at a greater speed. Instead of the lag between a scholarly article being accepted for publication and published being a year, it can now be published instantly.
Libraries thought they would be able to gain funding for these projects because of the DLI. However, they ended up feeling like the computer science field used all of the grants.
There were problems between the CS and LS fields. CS couldn't understand the importance of fields for metadata. They thought a simple search algorithm would take care of the problem.
Digital Libraries
This article describes the growth of digital libraries and the sources for funding. A major accomplishment of the DLI is the creation of standards in digital libraries. This program also had a hand in creating Google and the Open Archives Initiative for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH).
The project at Illinois involved the use of scholarly journals on the web. Current online journals still use some of the innovations that came out of the project.
Institutional Repositories: Essential Infrastructure fo Scholarship in the Digital Age.
Universities are now keeping a repository of works authors publish. MIT developed open source software for repositories of papers, which lowers the cost of producing this type of database.
The author has concerns that policy might make placing information into the repository more work. However, these depositories will perhaps create standards for preservable formats, identifiers, and Rights Documentation and management.
When searching for a journal article that Pitt might not have, I never thought to look at the institution where a author works. I often searched to see if they had a web page.
Bee Cause
3 years ago
4 comments:
I really found the conflict between computer scientists and librarians fascinating. Two very different groups having to work together made for some interesting problems. And imagine what might have been different if the librarians and the computer engineers had gotten along?
I agree with your comment about the importance of "open source" repositories. While it might increase work, it has significant long-term benefits, especially considering that so much new information is being produced in university settings.
Also, the standardization between digital libraries, Google, the(OAI-PMH)can only serve to increase accessibility and promote a uniformity that is sorely need on the Web.
I agree with Elizabeth; the level of innovation was undercut by the egos, if they put that aside, more accomplishments would have been made.
I was very interested in the institutional repository. I work for Gannon University in Erie, PA and our new library director would like to get funding for one. So far no success, but I'd really like to see it myself. Not just for faculty and student work, thought that is quite important; I think the institutional history belongs there, annual reports, fundraising campaign publications, alumni magazines, press releases, student newspapers.
Great suggestion on going to the author's institution!
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