359 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
359 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
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_Current Cites_
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Volume 9, no. 2
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February 1998
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The Library
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University of California, Berkeley
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Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne
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ISSN: 1060-2356
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http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/1998/cc98.9.2.html
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Contributors:
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Christof Galli, Kirk Hastings, Terry Huey,
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Margaret Phillips, Richard Rinehart, Roy Tennant
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Jim Ronningen, Lisa Yesson
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Digital Libraries
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Arms, William Yeo. "Implementing Policies for Access Management" D-Lib
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Magazine (February 1998)
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(http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february98/arms/02arms.html). - Virtually
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any digital library will require methods by which it can control
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access to content. Whether the content is commercial data for which a
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licensing agreement stipulates only certain users may view it, or
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internal collections such as electronic reserve material, libraries
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will have a need to enforce access policies for digital objects. This
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article outlines a sophisticated yet fairly simple architecture for
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libraries to stipulate policies that can interact dynamically with
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information about a particular user (and that user's _role_) and a
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particular digital object (and that object's _attributes_) to derive
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an appropriate _operation_ (for example, delivery or denial). This
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piece reflects work that the Corporation for National Research
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Initiatives (http://www.cnri.reston.va.us/) has been undertaking along
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with the Library of Congress (http://www.loc.gov/). - RT
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Lamont, Melissa. "Managing Geospatial Data and Services" The Journal
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of Academic Librarianship 23(6) (November 1997):469-473. -- This
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article addresses three often neglected aspects of geospatial data
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management: collection, description, and access of spatial data. The
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author identifies federal, state, and local government agencies as
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possible data resorces. She stresses the importance of standardized
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metadata and points out that, besides appropriate computing
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facilities, skilled staff and user-friendly interfaces, it is the the
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essence in the successful delivery of GIS services in libraries. The
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article emphasizes the ever increasing importance of web-based
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geospatial data services. Not only does the web, as a convenient
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remote access mechanism, mitigate increased demand on local resources,
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it is also evolving into a prime source for information on GIS as well
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as for geospatial data sets. Sites such as the Consortium for
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International Earth Science Information Network (CIESN)
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(http://www.ciesin.org) or Starting the Hunt: Guide to Online and
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Mostly Free U.S. Geospatial and Attribute Data
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(http://www.cast.uark.edu/local/hunt/index.html) are impressive
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repositories for spatial data. Other sites such as GIS WWW Resources
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List (http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/giswww.html) or Guide to GIS
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Resources on the Internet
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(http://library.berkeley.edu/UCBGIS/gisnet.html) provide links to GIS
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related web sites. -- CG
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Starr, Susan S. "Building the Collections of the California Digital
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Library" Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (Winter 1998)
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(http://www.library.ucsb.edu/istl/98-winter/article2.html) - One of
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the most interesting developments in libraries is happening at the
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moment in California, but there is presently very little in print
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about it. Thus this article is a welcome insight into some early
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developments in the University of California's efforts to create a
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California Digital Library. There is as of yet no publicly-accessible
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Web site to point to, but the Executive Working Group Report
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(http://sunsite.Berkeley.EDU/UCDL/title.html) that led to its
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formation is available at http://sunsite.Berkeley.EDU/UCDL/title.html.
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Also, a brief insight into the thinking of the man who runs the
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operation can be found in "Visions and Intersections: A Conversation
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with Richard E. Lucier of the University of California"
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(http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february98/02editorial.html), which just
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came out in D-Lib Magazine. - RT
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Stephens, Denise. "Managing the Web-Enhanced Geographic Information
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Service" The Journal of Academic Librarianship 23(6) (November 1997):
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498-504. -- This article discusses the development of an
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Internet-accessible collection of digital spatial data sets, the
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creation of "canned" map images, the implementation of interactive
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mapping tools, and the development of a collection of Internet-based
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GIS reference materials at the Geographic Information Center (GIC)
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(http://www.lib.virginia.edu/gic/) of the University of Virginia
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Library (UVA). The Center has assumed the role of "data intermediary",
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creating access mechanisms to a variety of geospatial data in many
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different formats incompatible with widely used commercial GIS
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systems. Aimed at, but not restricted to, a clearly defined primary
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clientele consisting of students, faculty, and staff at UVA, GIC
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developed not only interactive tools allowing for both the creation of
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user-defined maps-on-the-fly (U.S.G.S. Digital Line Graph Data Browser
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http://www.lib.virginia.edu/gic/spatial/dlg.browse2.html) and for
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querying and retrieving data files mounted on FTP servers (Digital
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Resources Catalog http://www.lib.virginia.edu/gic/catalog/) but also a
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"Reference Desk" (http://www.lib.virginia.edu/gic/reference.html) web
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page that assembles links to documents, sites, and databases that
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answers to reference queries. The author points out that the
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successful implementation of Web-based GIS services is based on UVA's
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commitment to innovative service based on advanced technology and that
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the Library's "ownership of the development process" was achieved by
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building in-house technical expertise to develop web-to-application or
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web-to-database interfaces. -- CG
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Weibel, Stuart and Juha Hakala. "DC-5: The Helsinki Metadata Workshop"
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D-Lib Magazine (February 1998)
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(http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february98/02weibel.html) - Faithful readers
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of Current Cites will recognize the Dublin Core, which is probably our
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best chance at creating a metadata (can you say "cataloging" boys and
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girls?) standard that can serve a diversity of users and purposes.
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This article is a report on the Fifth Dublin Core meeting, held in
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Helsinki in the fall of 1997. The article also serves to bring us
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up-to-date on the current status of the draft standard, in which we
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discover that the frozen north served to freeze the 15 elements in
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what is being called in typical DC style, the "Finnish finish". There
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will be no more elements added or deleted to the core. Don't let that
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fool you, though, as much work remains to specify what can be put into
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those fields (content) and how (syntax). Those of you who would like
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to participate can find everything you need to know at the Dublin Core
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Web site (http://purl.org/metadata/dublin_core). - RT
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Young, Jeffrey R. "A Community College Uses Windfall to Create a
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Library without Books" Chronicle of Higher Education 64(20) (January
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23, 1998) -- The title should be warning enough to seasoned readers:
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it's a new library at the Borough of Manhattan Community College in
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New York City, but it does have books. However it will also has
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computers, lots of them. The new library, which will be a "virtual
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library" in concept, is the result an unusually generous gift by
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college landlord Miles Fiterman. Fiterman gave the college a building,
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which will be designed to maximize the digital benefits-- along with
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the print. The article goes on to describe how the campus is planning
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to update its library services in the context of the digital
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revolution, and it's interesting not only as a guide to the library's
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planning process, but also as an analysis of library trends in
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general. -- TH
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Electronic Publishing
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Grothkopf, U. "Bits and Bytes and Still a Lot of Paper: Astronomy
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Libraries and Librarians in the Age of Electronic Publishing"
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Astrophysics and Space Science 247 (1997):155-174
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(http://www.eso.org/libraries/bits-and-bytes/bits-and-bytes.html). -
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This wide ranging article serves as an interesting overview of
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technologies and standards that are providing challenges and
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opportunities for librarians trying to bring libraries into the new
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millennium. Grothkopf touches on networking technology, digital
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libraries, electronic publications, copyright and access control,
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metadata, addressing, archiving, and the changing role of librarians.
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Unfortunately, the addition of the word "Astronomy" may greatly limit
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the audience unnecessarily, since there is almost nothing in the piece
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that is of interest to only astronomy librarians. - RT
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Mace, Scott, et.al.. "Weaving a Better Web" BYTE 23(3) (March
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1998):58-68 (http://www.byte.com/art/9803/sec5/sec5.htm). - HTML 4.0
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has barely been released, but to some of us it is dead on delivery.
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We're already looking past it to XML, the eXtensible Markup Language,
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which promises to add much more power, flexibility, and reliability to
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the Web. This article serves as a great introduction to XML and, to a
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lesser degree, Dynamic HTML (DHTML). The online version of the article
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links you through to some of the essential documents on XML. If you
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are interested in the future of the Web, listen up. As the authors of
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this article put it: "Although it will require developers and user to
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retool, the migration to XML must begin. The future of the Web depends
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on it." - RT
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Okerson, Ann. "Copyright or Contract?" Library Journal 122(14)
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(September 1, 1997):136-138. -- Uncertainty about making intellectual
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property available without infringing copyright has vexed many
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information managers. This piece contrasts copyright law, which is
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general in nature and open to debate on many points, with licensing
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agreements, which are specific in their wording and presumably
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acceptable to all parties concerned. The author deftly summarizes the
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protections and exceptions in copyright law, and shows how chinks in
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this armor became gaping holes in the hail of arrows from digital
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storage & transmission. Information owners and customers are turning
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to contracts to regain some control. After an initial period of
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paranoia, with proposed licenses so strict as to be virtually
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unworkable, licensing for information resources has become a viable
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way to avoid misunderstandings and courtroom appearances. However, the
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wrinkles are not all ironed out yet - see Okerson's list of unresolved
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issues. An unabashed advocate for licensing in libraries, she includes
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a selection of online licensing resources headed by her LIBLICENSE
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(http://www.library.yale.edu/~llicense/index.html) site. -- JR
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Time and Bits: Managing Digital Continuity (February 1998)
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(http://www.ahip.getty.edu/timeandbits/intro.html) -- This "document"
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is actually the website for a conference that took place at the Getty
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Information Institute this month. However, the website includes an
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exhaustive set of links to related resources and will include the
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conference proceedings soon. The conference grappled with the issue of
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information preservation in the digital era. Many topics were covered,
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from the need, desire, and feasibility of preserving digital
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information for decades, centuries and even millenia, to some proposed
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technological approaches for implementing such preservation. To be
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sure, no one had "the answer", but the discussions and links
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themselves will be very informative to anyone involved in information
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preservation and access. -- RR
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Z39.50 Draft Attribute Architecture (February 18, 1998)
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(http://lcweb.loc.gov/z3950/agency/orlando/output/attrarch.html) --
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This draft document, hosted on the Library of Congress' website, and
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announced by NISO (National Information Standards Organization
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http://www.niso.org ) is fairly technical in nature. Nevertheless
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anyone interested in the development of network standards for resource
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discovery, Z39.50 is one act to follow. This document is the latest
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draft of proposed improvments to this standard - including means to
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integrate the recent proliferation of different Z39.50 profiles by
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different user communities (GILS by the US Governemnt, CIMI by the
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Consortium for the Interchange of Museum Information, etc.) -- RR
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Networks and Networking
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Cobb, David A. and Arlene Olivero. "Online GIS Service" The Journal of
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Academic Librarianship 23(6) (November 1997):484-497. -- The present
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article reviews a wide range of GIS related web resources in the
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following five categories: geographic snapshots, spatial database
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catalogs and libraries, map generators, map browsers, and real-time
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maps and images. Each category is succinctly defined and reviews of
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individual sites include title, URL, and a brief summary of the
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services provided. Overall, the reviewed sites constitute a
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representative sample of geographic information available on the web.
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-- CG
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Gould, Cheryl. Searching Smart on the World Wide Web: Tools and
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Techniques for Getting Quality Results. Berkeley, California: Library
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Solutions Press, 1998. -- Number 8 in Library Solutions Press Internet
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Workshop series, this guide like the others in this series, is
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designed as both a practical workbook for individuals as well as a
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training model to be used by teachers. In this case, Cheryl Gould
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takes on web searching. But it's more than about how to find stuff on
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the web, it's about how to be a conscious evaluator of the web sites
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and how to be "information literate." Taking a wholistic approach,
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Gould's philosophy is that searching the web intelligently is not
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necessarily a sequential process but requires knowledge of many
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concepts that do not necessarily build upon each other. Each of the
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eight chapters takes on a different concept -- from a first chapter
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that gives an overview of what the Web is to later chapters on the
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different types of search tools, how search tools work and how to
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assess the quality of your results; depending on your level of web
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savviness, you can start from the very beginning or skip around as
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necessary. Each chapter includes exercises liked a guided online
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excursion through Yahoo! or a mini-quiz that tests your understanding
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of Boolean Logic or a worksheet to help you better evaluate web pages.
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Included in the workbook is a disk that contains Netscape bookmarks
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and Internet Explorer favorites for sites referred to in the volume.
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Particularly useful in this guide is the appendix which includes a
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grid on that list the search features of the major subject directories
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and search engines. -- MP
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Kushigian, Nancy. "Researching Women's Lives and Issues: Contemporary
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Women's Issues and Women 'R'" Database 20(6) (December 1997):19-26. --
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As women's studies programs continue to develop and grow, the activist
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and interdisciplinary nature of women's issues has posed difficult
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challenges for scholarly research in this area. However, the recent
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availability of two CD-ROM (and soon to be online) full-text databases
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is good news for those interested in women's studies. In this feature
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article, Nancy Kushigan provides a thorough review of Responsive
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Database Systems' (RDS) Contemporary Women's Issues (CWI)and Soft Line
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Information's Women 'R'. While Women 'R' receives high marks for its
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more popular focus and coverage of ethnic and minority media, CWI is
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the clear favorite. CWI is recommended for scholarly research as it
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offers a greater range, variety and depth of source materials as well
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as "beautiful" subject cataloging and a thesaurus - all at an
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affordable price. This article also features a nice summary of
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Internet-based resources on women's studies. -- LY
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Lewis, Janice S. and June Chressanthis. "Internet Resources:
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Investments and Personal Finance" College & Research Libraries News
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59(2) (February 1998): 90-94 (http://www.ala.org/acrl/resfeb98.html).
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-- This month's C&RL News guide to Internet resources is a selective
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list of web sites that offer unique, objective data that the authors
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consider to be most useful to investors, students, researchers and
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individuals interested in personal financial issues. The annotations
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are informative and evaluative. Items are listed under broad subject
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categories like comprehensive sites (e.g. Invest-o-rama
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http://www.investorama.com), Security and Exchange Commission filings
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(e.g. U.S, Securities and Exchange Commission http://www.sec.gov),
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financial news (e.g Business Wire http://www.businesswire.com), bonds,
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retirement, tax information, credit, financial calculators and
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associations. -- MP
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Lin, Zi-Yu. "How to Use CJK Software to Read Chinese, Japanese and
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Korean on the Web" Computers in Libraries 17(10) (Nov/Dec 1997):50-54.
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-- We all know about language barriers, but some web masters are
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encountering character barriers too. This short article is a primer on
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the linguistics, character encoding and application software involved
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in reading CJK on the web. There are conflicting and competing
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encoding standards, as one might imagine; the explanations here
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provide a useful reference when confronted with ISO-2022-GB, Big5, et
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al. Knowing about them will be important when choosing application
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packages! Four are described: AsiaSurf, Asian Viewer, AsianSuite 97,
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and NJWIN CJK Multilingual Support System Version 1.5 for Windows
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3.1/95/NT. Downloading and use instructions for each one are given in
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sidebars. The author is looking at evaluation versions of shareware,
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but plenty of direction is given for anyone who needs to go further
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with fonts and functions. Some interesting web sites are suggested,
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for the day when your new CJK add-ons are installed and ready to
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pounce on some juicy content. -- JR
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General
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Blumenstyk, Goldie. "Western Governors U. Takes Shape as a New Model
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for Higher Education" Chronicle of Higher Education 64(22) (February
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6, 1998). -- "WGU" has 21 participating colleges and firms in 16
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states (and the U.S. territory of Guam), but California is
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conspicuously absent. This article describes the bare-bones structure
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that has already taken shape, which has a solid funding base, a board
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of directors, and a dream. It sounds like a great idea, but there are
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some hurdles to cross. The biggest is how to obtain financial aid
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under strict federal guidelines. Following fast on funding questions
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is how to keep good fences with member colleges who are themselves
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embroiled a swiftly changing educational marketplace. A surprise
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issue: college administrators worry that W.G.U. will increase pressure
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to invest in technology at a cost to other critical needs, and may
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result in more large, impersonal courses. -- TH
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Brand, Stewart. "Freeman Dyson's Brain" Wired 6.02 (February 1998):
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130-177. -- "How would you build a 10,000 year library?" This question
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caught my eye as I scanned Stewart Brand's interview with futurist
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Freeman Dyson. As I began reading with great expectations, this
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interview quickly evolved into an intellectual sparring match between
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Brand (cofounder of Global Business Network and author of The Media
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Lab: Inventing the Future at MIT) and Dyson (renowned for his work in
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quantum electrodynamics). While their discussion focused more on
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historic scientific breakthroughs, biotechnology and cosmic ecology
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than libraries, Dyson does offer thought-provoking ideas such as the
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abolition of the PhD system and the inevitability of returning to a
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village culture. By the end, the most I could extract of Dyson's views
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on the 10,000 year library was an appreciation for long term thinking
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and the need for patience - this article serves as a good exercise in
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both. -- LY
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_________________________________________________________________
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Current Cites 9(2) (February 1998) ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright ©
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1998 by the Library, University of California, Berkeley. _All rights
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reserved._
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All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
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respective holders. Mention of a product in this publication does not
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necessarily imply endorsement of the product.
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[URL:http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/]
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To subscribe, send the message "sub cites [your name]" to
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listserv@library.berkeley.edu, replacing "[your name]" with your
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name. To unsubscribe, send the message "unsub cites" to the same
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address. Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized
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bulletin board/conference systems, individual scholars, and libraries.
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Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their collections at no
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cost. An archive site is maintained at ftp.lib.berkeley.edu in
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directory /pub/Current.Cites [URL:
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ftp://ftp.lib.berkeley.edu/pub/Current.Cites]. This message must
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appear on copied material. All commercial use requires permission from
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the editor, who may be reached in the following ways:
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trinne@library.berkeley.edu // (510)642-8173
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