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Current Cities Volume 10 Number 09
_Current Cites_
Volume 10, no. 9
September 1999
The Library
University of California, Berkeley
Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne
ISSN: 1060-2356
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/1999/cc99.10.9.html
Contributors:
Terry Huwe, Margaret Phillips,
Roy Tennant, Jim Ronningen, Lisa Yesson
Cheverie, Joan F. "Federal Information in the Networked Environment: A
Perspective from the Coalition for Networked Information" Heisser,
David C.R. "Federal Depository Program at the Crossroads: The Library
Administrator's Perspective" Government Information Quarterly 16(3)
(July 1999) - The focus of this pair of articles is nothing less than
our system of accountability for the U.S. federal government, in
theory and in practice. The first article raises issues regarding
future networked access to federal documents, and the second examines
the health of the primary conduit for them: the Depository Program,
administered by the Government Printing Office. Cheverie ponders the
very nature of this type of information, and poses questions about its
availability, reliability and use, including aspects of the
librarian's function. Heisser surveyed 24 depository libraries and
interviewed directors and documents librarians; his findings focus on
the stresses placed on the system by the push toward electronic
formats. He concludes that, despite the pressure of constant
adaptation to change, people who are instrumental in the depository
program are dedicated to their mission, and will remain vigilant so
that the principle of free public access will not become compromised
by privatization, fragmentation or legislative neglect. - JR
Chudnov, Daniel. "Open Source Software: The Future of Library
Systems?" American Libraries 124(13) (August 1999): 40-43. - Open
source software (software for which the source code is freely
distributed) has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the
software industry. Apache (an open source web server application)
serves up more web pages than any commercial application. Linux (an
open source operating system) is thought by some to be capable of
competing against Microsoft NT. Meanwhile, open source initiatives in
the library world are few and usually of little impact. Chudnov is
obviously out to change this, not only by penning this paean to open
source, but also by providing some himself (gnujake, mentioned in the
piece, is his). As someone involved in my own open source project
(SWISH-E, a web site indexing application at
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/SWISH-E/) I support Chudnov's plea to
"grow the phenomenon." But I also realize that library programmers are
hard to find, and managing an open source project is not trivial
(anyone can chuck it out there for the taking, but managing the
development and refinement of it once it's out there is another thing
entirely). That being said, more power to him (and us). As he says,
"if you've ever used the Internet, you've used open source software."
Perhaps one day we'll be able to say the same about library catalogs
or web sites. - RT
Crawford, Walt. Being Analog: Creating Tomorrow's Libraries Chicago:
American Library Association, 1999. - In this wide-ranging and
no-holds-barred case against "digitopia", Crawford goes after those
who predict an all-digital future for the nation's libraries. Who are
these people? Well, no one I can think of in the profession of
librarianship. So this book, it appears, is ammunition for those
needing to persuade their board or administrators that the idea of
getting rid of the physical library is...um...premature. But it's more
than that as well. Crawford, who frankly sounds a bit ticked off in
this book (phrases such as "web crazies" come to mind), is also
speaking directly to his readership librarians. He urges us to think
critically about technology (hear! hear!) and implement it
thoughtfully and for good reason. He admonishes us to use numeracy and
critical thinking skills as shields against pundits, futurists, and
doomsayers. He has much to tell us, and in typical style, he does so
bluntly and readably. Hang on, since at the very least you're in for
an interesting ride, and if you're paying attention you'll be thinking
a lot as well. - RT
Crawford, Walt. "Up to Speed on DVD" American Libraries 30(8)
(September 1999): 71-74. - Crawford packs a ton of useful and
understandable information about a new storage technology into this
excellent summary piece. Besides covering all the technical issues, he
provides advice to public and academic libraries about how they should
regard this new technology (hot) and when they should jump into the
game (soon if not now). In summary, he believes DVD to be the most
promising technology since CDs, and one that can and should replace
technically inferior VHS tapes. If you presently collect material on
VHS or CD, you cannot afford to miss this article. - RT
Eakins, John P. and Margaret E. Graham Content-based Image Retrieval:
A report to the JISC Technology Applications Programme Newcastle, UK:
Institute for Image Data Research, University of Northumbria at
Newcastle, January 1999
(http://www.unn.ac.uk/iidr/research/cbir/report.html). - Have you ever
wanted to find images based on color, texture, shape, or other image
characteristics? I haven't, but read on. This technology, called
alternatively Query By Image Content (QBIC) or Content-Based Image
Retrieval (CBIR), seeks to provide a method whereby images can be
retrieved without first indexing or cataloging them. The idea is that
a) indexing or cataloging images is a time-consuming (expensive)
undertaking, and b) indexing has it's own problems, such as the
difficulty of pre-selecting every aspect of an image by which someone
may eventually wish to search. Having the ability to search for images
that "look like" a reference image, for example, may be useful in
particular instances, such as automatic fingerprint matching and face
recognition. If this idea intrigues you, this report should be
required reading. Eakins and Graham are relentlessly thorough in their
coverage of current CBIR systems and the literature describing such.
They conclude that CBIR is exciting but immature, and that it although
it is unlikely to completely replace other methods of locating images,
it nonetheless will be essential for some applications. - RT
Kelly, Brian. "WebWatch: UK University Search Engines" Ariadne 21
(September 1999) (http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue21/webwatch/). -
Making your web site searchable is both easy and very difficult. How
so? you say. Well, it's "easy" if you take an existing commercial
search engine such as InfoSeek or HotBot and limit their search to
your site. What's wrong with that? Well, for starters, you have to put
up with their ads on your search results. It gets worse from there.
The more difficult route is to install search software on your server,
configure it, and maintain it. Sometimes you even need to write code.
All the choices are laid out in this overview article masquerading as
a survey of UK academic web sites, and the search services they offer.
What solution is the most popular? ht://Dig, at over 15% of the sites
(but that doesn't necessarily make it the best for your site). Kelly
won't get caught recommending any particular solution, rather he lays
out important questions web managers should consider in making their
selection. - RT
Miller, Paul. "Z39.50 for All" Ariadne 21 (September 1999)
(http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue21/z3950/intro.html). - Miller has
succeeded in what I have long thought to be impossible he has
explained Z39.50 briefly, simply, and understandably. The text is
embellished with screen shots, diagrams, and even its own glossary
an essential element for any explanation of Z39.50. The URLs alone are
worth a lot, as Miller has pulled together a lot of pointers to the
essential web sites, technical information, and working systems.
Anyone interested in Z39.50 should check this out. The rest of us can
look (in vain) for the famous Ariadne caption contest; or, better yet,
check out the latest Brian Kelly column (see elsewhere in this issue).
- RT
Zorn, Peggy et al. "Finding Needles in the Haystack: Mining Meets the
Web" Online (23)5 (Sept/Oct 1999):17-28. - In her introduction to this
issue of Online, editor Nancy Garman states that since online access
tools have become more readily available, there is a growing role for
librarians who know how to organize information so that anyone can
find it (as opposed to the traditional librarian's role as the
intermediary who holds the secret for finding it). For everyone with
such aspirations, data mining is an important concept. The ability to
analyze data and identify patterns in large databases may seem more
relevant to librarians when it's thought of as "text mining" which can
be applied to text-rich but insufficiently tagged resources such as
Web pages. Mining models fall into three basic categories
(classification, clustering, and associations & sequencing) which are
clearly explained as tools for handling unstructured networked
information. The authors then describe and critique four applications
(Dataware II Knowledge Management Suite, SemioMap, Relevance EIC, and
Northern Light) which are said to be part of the next wave of
interfaces for advanced Web data retrieval and analysis. - JR
_________________________________________________________________
Current Cites 10(9) (September 1999) ISSN: 1060-2356
Copyright (c) 1999 by the Library, University of California,
Berkeley. _All rights reserved._
http: //sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/1999/cc99.10.9.html
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