Intent on creating a distributed national digital library, the German Research Foundation has funded Göttingen University Library's establishment of a Centre for Retrospective…
Abstract
Intent on creating a distributed national digital library, the German Research Foundation has funded Göttingen University Library's establishment of a Centre for Retrospective Digitisation of library materials. The Centre is engaged in evaluation of tools and techniques for image capture and text conversion, bibliographic description, document management and the provision of remote access. Current projects include the digitisation of important historical collections of Americana and mathematical yearbooks.
Dirk Lewandowski and Philipp Mayr
The purpose of this article is to provide a critical review of Bergman's study on the deep web. In addition, this study brings a new concept into the discussion, the academic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to provide a critical review of Bergman's study on the deep web. In addition, this study brings a new concept into the discussion, the academic invisible web (AIW). The paper defines the academic invisible web as consisting of all databases and collections relevant to academia but not searchable by the general‐purpose internet search engines. Indexing this part of the invisible web is central to scientific search engines. This paper provides an overview of approaches followed thus far.
Design/methodology/approach
Provides a discussion of measures and calculations, estimation based on informetric laws. Also gives a literature review on approaches for uncovering information from the invisible web.
Findings
Bergman's size estimate of the invisible web is highly questionable. This paper demonstrates some major errors in the conceptual design of the Bergman paper. A new (raw) size estimate is given.
Research limitations/implications
The precision of this estimate is limited due to a small sample size and lack of reliable data.
Practical implications
This study can show that no single library alone will be able to index the academic invisible web. The study suggests a collaboration to accomplish this task.
Originality/value
Provides library managers and those interested in developing academic search engines with data on the size and attributes of the academic invisible web.
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Dirk Pieper and Friedrich Summann
The purpose of this paper is to describe the activities of Bielefeld University Library in establishing OAI based repository servers and in using OAI resources for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the activities of Bielefeld University Library in establishing OAI based repository servers and in using OAI resources for end‐user‐oriented search services like Bielefeld Academic Search Engine (BASE).
Design/methodology/approach
Discusses OAI based repository servers.
Findings
BASE is able to integrate external functions of Google Scholar. The search engine technology can replace or amend the search functions of a given repository software. BASE can also be embedded in external repository environments.
Originality/value
The paper provides an overview of the functionalities of BASE and gives insight into the challenges that have to be faced when harvesting and integrating resources from multiple OAI servers.
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Susanne Dobratz and Frank Scholze
Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide an overview on certification of institutional repositories as a means to support open access in Germany and a description of…
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this article is to provide an overview on certification of institutional repositories as a means to support open access in Germany and a description of the DINI Certificate 2006 developed by DINI, the German Initiative for Networked Information. Design/methodology/approach – The “DINI certificate for document and publication repositories” shows potential users and authors of digital documents that a certain level of quality in operating the repository is guaranteed and that this distinguishes it from common institutional web servers. The certificate can also be used as an instrument to support open access. Findings – Repository certification will not be the main factor in achieving open access to academic information globally, but it can support the spread of institutional repositories and enhance visibility of the “institutional repository”‐service. Research limitations/implications – The DINI Certificate as a “soft” certificate aims towards interoperability of digital repositories, the coaching idea prevails. It does not provide an exhaustive auditing tool for trusted digital long‐term preservation archives. Practical implications – The “DINI certificate for document and publication repositories” pushed the development of institutional repositories in Germany according to certain organisational and technical standards and contributes to the interoperability amongst digital repositories worldwide. Originality/value – This paper describes a unique approach that has been implemented in Germany and could be transferred to other countries and communities.
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Reinhold Decker and Michael Höppner
The purpose of this paper is to refer to a current discussion on the effectiveness and efficiency of Bielefeld University Library and concentrates on requirements and conditions…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to refer to a current discussion on the effectiveness and efficiency of Bielefeld University Library and concentrates on requirements and conditions of implementing customer intelligence in academic libraries. Moreover, a conceptual framework for a library management information system based on a data warehouse that links external and internal data to support strategic planning processes is introduced.
Design/methodology/approach
Content‐related and technical aspects of customer intelligence in academic libraries are outlined and analogies are drawn to commercial enterprises to motivate the conceptual reflections. The paper closes with two examples that demonstrate how multifaceted the data pool for customer intelligence can be in librarianship.
Findings
The paper sensitizes to the advantages of systematically generating customer knowledge in academic libraries for strategic planning and customer orientation.
Practical implications
The suggested approach can serve as a basis for the development of data‐based decision support systems focusing on the tracking of the usage of library services and customer preferences over time.
Originality/value
Up to now the discussion of customer intelligence as a foundation of strategic planning in academic libraries has been almost a blank space in the literature. The paper contributes to fill this gap.
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The purpose of this article is to introduce the digital libraries of the future, their enabling technologies and their organisational models.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to introduce the digital libraries of the future, their enabling technologies and their organisational models.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first discusses the requirements for the digital libraries of the future, then presents the DILIGENT infrastructure as a technological response to these requirements and, finally, it discusses the role that libraries can play in the organisational framework envisioned by DILIGENT.
Findings
Digital libraries of the future will give access to a large variety of multimedia and multi‐type documents created by integrating content from many different heterogeneous sources that range from repositories of text, images, and audio‐video, to scientific data archives, and databases. The digital library will provide a seamless environment where the co‐operative access, filtering, manipulation, generation, and preservation of these documents will be supported as a continuous cycle. Users of the library will be both consumers and producers of information, either by themselves or in collaborations with other users. Policy ensuring mechanisms will guarantee that the information produced is visible only to those who have the appropriate rights to access it. The realisation of these new digital libraries requires both the provision of a new technology and a change in the role played by the libraries in the information access‐production cycle.
Practical implications
Digital libraries of the future will be core instruments for serving a large class of applications, especially in the research field.
Originality/value
The paper briefly introduces one of the most innovative technologies for digital libraries, and it discusses how it contributes to the realisation of a novel digital libraries scenario.
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The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) shows the political dimension of the global information society. The purpose of this article is to consider the state of WSIS…
Abstract
Purpose
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) shows the political dimension of the global information society. The purpose of this article is to consider the state of WSIS after the second phase and show possibilities for libraries to participate in the WSIS implementation. Furthermore, relations between WSIS, GATS and the “UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions” are explained. IFLA, as leading library organization, as well as national associations, is taking up the challenge of advocating libraries as agencies of information societies.
Design/methodology/approach
Provides a report and analysis of WSIS Summit 2003‐2005 and WSIS Stocktaking for Libraries.
Findings
Relevance of WSIS Summit 2003‐2005 and WSIS Stocktaking for Libraries.
Originality/value
The paper offers first‐hand information on the WSIS process. It outlines proposals for networking between libraries and advocacy for libraries on global political level.
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One of the unresolved problems of the global information society is ensuring the long‐term accessibility of digital documents. The project kopal tackles this problem head‐on: in a…
Abstract
Purpose
One of the unresolved problems of the global information society is ensuring the long‐term accessibility of digital documents. The project kopal tackles this problem head‐on: in a three‐year project kopal's objective is the practical testing and implementation of a cooperatively created and operated long‐term archival system for digital resources.
Design/methodology/approach
The system will be implemented in accordance with international standards for long‐term archiving and metadata within the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) framework. The project partners, Die Deutsche Bibliothek (DDB), Göttingen State and University Library (SUB Göttingen), IBM Deutschland GmbH and the Gesellschaft für wissenschaftliche Datenverarbeitung mbH Göttingen (GWDG), will establish a cooperatively transferable solution for cultural heritage institutions, as well as for business and industry.
Findings
Within the project, the project partners DDB and SUB Göttingen are developing software for the input and access of data, which will be released under an open‐source license.
Research limitations/implications
Long‐term preservation methods and strategies will be discussed in general in the paper.
Practical implications
The project will present a stable and reusable platform for additional partners and users, especially for cultural heritage organisations.
Originality/value
The solution is based on Digital Information and Archiving System (DIAS), jointly devised by IBM and the National Library of The Netherlands in The Hague, and it will be adapted to the needs of the project with several extensions. Establishing a collaborative solution for long‐term preservation is a milestone in the development of systems for the long‐term availability of digital objects.
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Dale Peters and Norbert Lossau
DRIVER embodies a bold vision – that of worldwide networks of scientific data repositories. This paper seeks to examine the aims of the European Union funded project, to explore…
Abstract
Purpose
DRIVER embodies a bold vision – that of worldwide networks of scientific data repositories. This paper seeks to examine the aims of the European Union funded project, to explore the development of a distributed infrastructure that enables enhanced interoperability of data, resulting in a global knowledge infrastructure supporting the scholarly communication of the future.
Design/methodology/approach
The primary objective of DRIVER was to establish a flexible, robust, and scalable infrastructure for all European and world‐wide digital repositories, managing scientific information in an open access model increasingly demanded by researchers, funding organisations and other stakeholders. Adopting a result‐driven approach, activities focused on the expansion of the content base with high quality research outputs, including textual research papers, data sets and other scholarly publications.
Findings
The release of the D‐NET v1.0 open source software proved a successful basis for a distributed service‐oriented architecture, enabling enhanced interoperability of data and service‐providers, and offering wide‐ranging functionality including search; recommendation; collection building, and personal profiling as innovative tools for repository managers. In addition, it was found that in building a robust network of voluntary content providers, known as the DRIVER Confederation, the infrastructure came to support a durable organisational structure, now formally constituted as the Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR). The international repository organisation enables further collaboration between research communities in a co‐ordinated network comprising a growing number of institutional repositories, national federations and research institutions and data aggregators.
Practical implications
The development of COAR is the extension of the EU‐based infrastructure to global research communities in China, India, Africa and Latin America, deploying a vigorous awareness and advocacy programme. Evolving from the DRIVER Confederation, COAR aims to provide an ongoing support service for repository managers, in a dynamic set of guidelines aimed at data interoperability, and to provide the strategic support required to implement new forms of scholarly communication. These issues are addressed in terms of technical infrastructure developments but will focus on strategic issues of policy development, improved services and additional functionality offered to the scholarly community.
Originality/value
This paper outlines DRIVER's unique response to the changing global information environment. Concepts of strategic international collaboration are pursued in COAR, based on the scientific and technical collaboration achieved in DRIVER. The paper addresses significant repository development goals that currently challenge repository managers, librarians, scholars and funders and that indicate the future of Open Access publication – in the ultimate goal of a global and interactive representation of human knowledge.