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Current Cities Volume 08 Number 03
_Current Cites_
Volume 8, no. 3
March 1997
The Library
University of California, Berkeley
Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne
Acting Editor: Roy Tennant
ISSN: 1060-2356
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/1997/cc97.8.3.html
Contributors:
Campbell Crabtree, Christof Galli, Kirk Hastings, Terry Huwe,
Margaret Phillips, David Rez, Richard Rinehart,
Teri Rinne, Roy Tennant
_Editor's Note:_ This month we are pleased to welcome two new
contributors: Christof Galli and Kirk Hastings. Christof received
M.L.I.S and M.A. degrees in 1996 from UC Berkeley, and has accumulated
an impressive HTML portfolio here at the UC Berkeley Library. No
slouch himself, Kirk has an impressive array of accomplishments that
includes the Jack London Collection on the Digital Library SunSITE
(home of Current Cites). Kirk will receive his M.L.I.S this year from
San Jose State University. This month we are also adding a new
section, "Digital Libraries" in recognition of the fact that
increasingly articles that we cite do not go gracefully into other
categories. Besides, our fearless editor is on maternity leave at the
moment (Mom and baby doing fine, thank you) and I am free to run
rampant. - _Roy Tennant, Acting Editor_
Digital Libraries
Grossman, David A., Ophir Frieder, David O. Holmes, and David C.
Roberts. "Integrating Structured Data and Text: A Relational Approach"
Journal of the American Society for Information Science 48(2)
(February 1997):122-132. -- Making large collections of text available
over the Internet through a rich, interactive search environment is
the goal of many of the most ambitious digital library projects.
Unfortunately, this usually involves the use of complex and expensive
special purpose IR systems. The authors of this article offer an
approach using the relational database model integrating structured
data and unstructured text that has a lot of promising features.
Primary among these is that it can be implemented with a
straightforward relational database, which many institutions already
have in place. Using standard SQL their system makes it possible to do
Boolean keyword searches, proximity searches and relevance ranking on
a full-text database. Although the storage overhead of such an
approach is about three times that of an advanced IR systems, run time
results compare very favorably, and with the rapid descent in the
price of storage it seems very viable. -- KH
Jones, Paul "Java and Libraries: Digital and Otherwise" D-Lib Magazine
(March 1997) [http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march97/03jones.html]. Jones
intro duces Java, discusses some of its possible uses, and points to
specific projects and resources. Since many of us have already heard
plenty about the promises of Java, the real benefit of this article is
in the specific examples of how Java can be an effec tive tool for
advancing scholarship. - RT
Norris, Bob and Denise Duncan. "Sink or Swim? The U.S. Navy Virtual
Library (NVL)" D-Lib Magazine (March 1997)
[http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march97/navy/03norris.html]. In this
inspirationa l article, Norris and Duncan describe how adversity
brought on by Navy downsizing spurred them to build an innovative and
effective interface to online databases. Although the technical
details on how the system was implemented are lacking (for example, "
software was written to..."), the screen shots and other diagrams help
sketch out how the system works for its users. If it truly works as
advertised, it may provide an interesting model for other projects.
They also use this specific project as a launch pad for speculating on
how librarians can simultaneous cope with less resources and yet
improve service. - RT
"Resource Sharing in a Changing Environment" Library Trends 45(3)
(Winter 1997). With the emergence of electronic catalogs and the
Internet along with changes in the nature of access to
commercially-produced resources, we must radically rethink our
assumptions about library services and resource sharing. This entire
issue of Library Trends focuses on resource sharing in a changing
library environment. Among the 12 articles included is one by Edward
Shreeves who questions the relevance of cooperative collection which
are based on print model even though we have already entered the
digital age. John Barnes writes that despite changes in technology,
libraries need to maintain their role in collecting, accessing and
archiving information. Czeslaw Jan Grycz explores the broader context
of scholarly communication and surveys sometimes divergent attitudes
of authors, publishers and librarians. There are also articles on
interlibrary loan, commercial document delivery services, and union
catalogs. -MP
Weldon, Jay-Louise. "RDBMSes Get a Make-Over" and Alur, Nagraj and
Judith R. Davis. "How to Improve DBMSes" BYTE 22:4 (April
1997):109-120. -- This pair of articles offers a very understandable
explanation of the directions database management systems have
recently taken and are likely to take in the future. The need to
incorporate complex data formats and to accommodate new ways of
processing data has led to the development of object-relational
databases and DataBlades. A DataBlade is a package that allows the
user to plug in a set of data types and processes that deals with such
previously difficult data forms as images, full-text documents and
spatial data. While powerful, the author of the first article feels
that object-relational databases are merely a cobbled-together
solution that will serve as a stepping stone to a much more integrated
approach. This is a theme which the authors of the second article pick
up and illustrate by describing what they feel are the seven essential
requirements of any future system that is developed specifically for
complex data. -- KH
Electronic Publishing
Cox, Richard J. "Taking Sides on the Future of the Book" American
Libraries 28(2) (February 1997): 52-55. - Using several recent books
as point and counterpoint, Cox reviews the issues regarding print and
electronic publishing and what it may mean for the future of the book.
Being a library school professor, his interest lies largely in what he
should be teaching to the next generation of information
professionals. His musings are interesting and his conclusion
compelling. From the librari an's perspective, he concludes, "whether
the book is a physical object or electronic shadow is almost beside
the point. The real matter is that we understand, regardless of what
may replace the book, the nature of information and knowledge in our
society. " So much of the debate on the future of the book seems to
get bogged down in debating the format of the package and what impact
that format will have on our jobs that hearing such an enlightened
perspective is truly refreshing. - RT
"Pattern, Order & Structure: Encyclopaedia Britannica's Robert McHenry
Helps Us Organize Our Thoughts" EDUCOM Review 32(1) (January/Februrary
1997):40-47
[http://www.educom.edu/web/pubs/review/reviewArticles/32140.html].
This interview of the Editor-in-Chief of Encyclopaedia Britannica
brings into focus a number of issues that traditional publishers face
in making the transition to a mixed prin t/electronic market. As the
interview unfolds, it seems apparent why Britannica Online is gaining
a good foothold on the electronic market. They understand the market
and their product's place in it. - RT
Networks and Networking
Barrett, Daniel J. NetResearch: Finding Information Online.
Sebastopol, CA: Songline Studios, 1997. In thi s slim volume Barrett
packs a lot of advice about how to effectively search the net. For the
target audience of the novice net user (a couple chapters are
dedicated to answering typical "newbie" questions about the net), this
book will likely be an essent ial guide to net searching. As in other
O'Reilly books, boxes containing brief "real-life" comments from a
selected group of experienced Internet users gives insight into how
one can incorporate advice from the book into their day-to-day work.
But I must also point out an omission. Although Barrett begins with
some good overall advice and warnings, he misses an essential caveat
-- that the Internet does not yet, nor will it ever have, all
available information. His readers should be reminded to check with
their local librarian (which increasingly they can do easier by email
than in person) to get the full picture of what is available
(including Internet resources). Even given that drawback, however, the
book has advice that can help even experienced users, and it will be
particularly helpful to those new to net searching. - RT
Battenfeld, Robert L. and B. Kenton Temple. "Environmental Resources
on the Internet" College & Research Library News 58(3) (March 1997):
153-157. Many environmental organizations, as well as science and
governmental environmental groups, have discovered that the Internet
is a powerful tool for communicating and distributing information.
This is a representative list of some of those Internet resources that
the authors found to be most useful and interesting. In addition to
general sources like Envirolink (http://www.envirolink.org/), the
articles lists electronic journals and organizational homepages as
well as sites that focus on specific environmental issues like energy
or waste disposal. - MP "The Internet: Fulfilling the Promise"
Scientific American Special Report.
[http://www.sciam.com/0397issue/0397intro.html]. This special
collection of eight articles on the Internet brings together an inte
resting group of experts to summarize the past, describe the present
and speculate about the future of the Internet. Included are articles
by Clifford Lynch: "Searching the Internet", Michael Les k: "Going
Digital", Paul Resnick: "Filtering Information on the Internet",
Hearst, Marti A.: "Interfaces for Searching the Web", Raman, T.V.:
"WebSurfing Without a Monitor", Oudet, Bruno: "Multilingualism on the
Internet", Stefik, Mark: "Trusted Systems", and Kahle, Brewster:
"Preserving the Internet". Although the brevity of the articles does
not leave much room for anything but a suc cinct overview of the
issues and a small set of examples, the collection can serve as a good
tutorial on some of the issues facing present Internet users and
researchers. - RT
Jaffe, Lee David. All About Internet Mail (Internet Workshop Series
Number 7) Berkeley, California: Library Solutions Press, 1997. While
it could be argued that a book about electronic mail falls outside of
the scope of the librarian, it could also be argued that email -- as a
means scholarly communication and information sharing -- is very much
part of the librarian¹s domain. Whatever your opinion on this issue,
the fact is we all use it and in some cases we may be called upon to
teach others how to use it. This book (number 7 in the Internet
Workshop Series published by Library Solutions Press), can serve the
needs of two different types of readers: the individual who knows
nothing about email can go through the workbook lessons and by the end
be a competent email user; a trainer may also use this book as a model
on which to base similar workshops. In both cases, the workbook
provides a broad overview while at the same time covering specific
details and functions of email. Particularly useful in this book is
the module on Internet culture and the social aspects of email and how
to find email addresses. - MP
Patrick, Chuck. "Internet vs. Intranet". UNIX Review 15(3) (March
1997): 37-44. Intranets have become increasingly popular in the
corporate environment because they offer inexpensive, easy-to-use data
access environments which are platform independent. They are defined
as company-internal networks using Internet communications hardware
and software and restricting communication with the Internet. The
present article examines the differences between intranet and Internet
network computing developments. It posits that centrally controlled
corporate intranets will lead the way in developing new applications
and infrastructures because of their owners' vested interest in
effectively creating, distributing, and controlling information.
Developments on the Internet, on the other hand, are lagging behind
and will depend on advances made in intranet infrastructure
development. Contrasting the characteristics of Internet and intranet
content, Patrick notes that, whereas Internet content is largely
static, designed to please, and is not sensitive, intranet content can
be sensitive or even confidential, is more dynamic, and focuses on
productivity and information exchange. Comparing information delivery,
he states that network performance (bandwidth), GUI components,
platform inadequacies, and interactivity further set intranets apart
from the Internet. The author concludes that a centrally formulated
corporate information policy constitutes an advantage over the
Internet's unregulated structure and allows for more rapid development
of networking tools. The article provides a good overview of what an
intranet is and the issues involved in creating and maintaining one. -
CG
Rudenstine, Neil L. "The Internet and education: A close fit."
Chronicle of Higher Education 63 (24) (February 21, 1997):A48. The
president of Harvard University places the potential of the Internet
in the same historical context as the explosion of print media--he
quotes Diderot, who said, "The world of learning will drown in books."
However, the meat of this opinion piece (which is thoroughly
engrossing) lies President Rudenstine's recognition of the
transformative potential of networked information on education. He
sees a strong--even vital--linkage between the research library and
electronic media; the emergence of "conversational learning" via the
network; and the dramatic enrichment of course materials that enrich
classroom teaching. - TH
Wilson, David O. "Students popular internet sites slow campus networks
to a crawl". Chronicle of Higher Education 63(25) (Feburary 28,
1997):A26. Campus servers have long been prey to the sudden popularity
of student web pages. Because most servers are used for a wide variety
of uses, including real work, trying to tame this tiger can pose a
problem for IT managers. Still, most campus computing departments have
neither the funds nor the inclination to monitor student activity,
some of which may even be germane to their studies. In essence, campus
computer use policies may seem restrictive, but they are rarely
enforced. One possible preemptive strategy: make friends with your
sysadmin. - TH
Multimedia and Hypermedia
Guernsey, Lisa. "Video technology transforms the teaching of art
history." Chronicle of Higher Education 63(23) (February 14,
1997):A20-23. This article describes recent developments at Columbia
University's Media Center for Art History. Faculty member Stephen
Murray is using multimedia technology to teach history of
architecture, with stunning results. This article includes a two-page
spread of photographs of Amiens Cathedral, which students can navigate
through in three dimensions. Although this approach is similar in
appearance to advanced Computer Automated Design (CAD/CAM), it
combines animation with design to enhance the quality of the learning
experience. - TH
Parker, Dana J. "DVD-ROM: Who Needs It, Who Will Use It, and How?"
Emedia Professional, 10(1) (January 1997): 26-37.
[http://www.onlineinc.com/emedia/JanEM/parker1.html] Is competition
for slots on your library's CD-ROM tower turning into a management
issue? Well, relief might be on the horizon in the form of DVD
(Digital Video Disk) technology. This new technology is capable of
delivering the contents of seven 650 MB CD-ROM disks on one 4.7 GB, 12
cm, single layer DVD-ROM disk. On a four-layer disk, up to 17GB of
data can be stored. From the point of view of prospective DVD
publishers, the present article provides an overview of the ISO 9660
and Micro UDF (Universal Disk Format) software which is able to handle
the increased mass of data presented in a single volume, examines
emerging DVD-ROM production services, and discusses strategies for
publishers to entice users to migrate from widely used CD-ROM to the
new DVD-ROM. The article concludes that despite the current lack of
mature products and final technical specifications and the existence
of an installed base of 100 million CD-ROM drives, reduced hardware
requirements for accessing larger amounts of data will allow
publisher[s to] transfer loyalty from CD-ROM to DVD-ROM[...] . - CG
_________________________________________________________________
Current Cites 8(3) (March 1997) ISSN: 1060-2356 Copyright (C) 1997 by
the Library, University of California, Berkeley. _All rights reserved._
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