184 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
184 lines
10 KiB
Plaintext
_Current Cites_
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Volume 10, no. 8
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August 1999
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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/1999/cc99.10.8.html
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Contributors:
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Terry Huwe, Margaret Phillips,
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Roy Tennant, Jim Ronningen, Lisa Yesson
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Chau, May Y. "Web Mining Technology and Academic Librarianship:
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Human-Machine Connections for the Twenty-First Century" First Monday 4
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(6) (June 7, 1999) (http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4_6/chau/) -
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Chau ably explores the fuzzy nature of analyzing and fulfilling
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information needs in a research environment, using web mining as a
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means of exploring the challenges and opportunities that librarians
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face. She also presents contrasting scenarios, one of the utopian "if
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only" variety, and one that showcases a more realistic wrestling match
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between person and machine. She concludes that the best ways for
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professionals like librarians to stay abreast of rapidly shifting
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technologies is to regard themselves as members of "invisible
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colleges" — sharing brainpower and teaching skills to meet the
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challenge. - TH
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Cox, Richard J. "Declarations, Independence, and Text in the
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Information Age" First Monday 4 (6) (June 7, 1999)
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(http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue4_6/rjcox/) - Cox reminds us
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that even though the Web is a new medium and presents new
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opportunities for expression, we can still learn about its impact by
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studying the impact of past technologies on freedom of expression. As
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the title suggests, he explore the impact of the Declaration of
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Independence on public life, which drew considerable power from mass
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production in print. From there, he poses the question of whether
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there can ever be a similar moment in history. If the Declaration of
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Independence was a "digital conversation," it might still be
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unsettled; yet as a "container" of ideas, it remains a durable guide
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to the republic. The purpose of archives and preservation is also
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explored in the same light. He asks, "Can we, from this time on,
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conceive of textual preservation in the same manner? Can we even have
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the same sense of primary or sacred documents as we have in the past?"
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- TH
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Doering, William. "Y2K for Librarians: Exactly What You Need to Do"
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Computers in Libraries 19(7) (July/Aug, 1999)
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(http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/jul/doering.htm). - So there's some
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hubris in the title, and a responsible librarian shouldn't make this
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the only source of Y2K advice consulted, but this article is a very
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reassuring, step-by-step approach to a subject that has thrown some of
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us into a rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights panic. There is advice on
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how to approach the problem, lists of the types of things that may be
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affected (and it's not just computers), and what issues to bring up
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with your vendors. Definitely read the Web version, to take advantage
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of the links to the author's "Year-2000 Compliancy Inventory" and the
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many useful references. - JR
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Fichter, Darlene. "Saskatchewan Digital Library Collections —
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Enhancing Access to the Province's Information" Library Hi Tech 17(2)
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(1999): 172-180. - Those who are unfamiliar with Saskatchewan may fall
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prey to the notion that not much that is innovative happens there.
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They would be wrong. The fertile plain of that province was, after
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all, where Hytelnet (http://www.lights.com/hytelnet/) flowered.
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Hytelnet (created by Peter Scott) was a useful digital library service
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well before the term "digital library" was coined. Now Fichter's piece
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makes it clear that there is a lot more of note regarding digital
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libraries going on in Saskatchewan, and has been for years. My guess
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is that almost anyone will find a project of interest listed here. -
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RT
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Hodges, Doug and Carrol D. Lunau. "The National Library of Canada's
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Digital Library Initiatives" Library Hi Tech 17(2) (1999): 152-164. -
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This article serves as a useful overview of the many digital library
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projects the NLC has begun in recent years. The high value the NLC
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places on collaboration and partnering is evident from the large
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number of cooperative projects they have undertaken. Of particular
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note is their "virtual union catalog" project, using Z39.50. Their
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trials and tribulations are particularly interesting and enlightening,
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and should be required reading for any organization considering a
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similar project. - RT
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Kenney, Anne R. and Louis H. Sharpe II. Illustrated Book Study:
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Digital Conversion Requirements of Printed Illustrations. Report to
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the Library of Congress, Washington: DC, 22p
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(http://www.library.cornell.edu/preservation/illbk/ibs.htm). - This
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report to the Library of Congress by the Cornell University Library
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Dept. of Preservation and Conservation and Picture Elements, Inc.
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reports on the "best means of digitizing the vast array of
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illustrations used in 19th and early 20th century commercial
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publications." The entire (not overly lengthy) report is well worth
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reading, but in a nutshell their findings were that "400dpi 8-bit
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capture could serve to preserve the essence and detail information
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present in all the illustration types studied." In addition, they
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developed and tested a utility for detecting and properly processing
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halftone illustrations during the digital conversion process. Anyone
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digitizing materials from this publication period should study this
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authoritative report carefully. - RT
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Kovacs, Diane, ed. "Special Theme: Electronic Publishing in Libraries"
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Library Hi Tech 17(1) (1999). - This theme issue of Library Hi Tech is
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encouraging in that it demonstrates that librarians have indeed used
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the capabilities offered them (chief among them the Web) and used them
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in useful and imaginative ways to solve the information needs of their
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clientele. Clearly we have much further to go in this regard, but
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there may be some lessons from this collection of papers that we can
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apply as we proceed along this road. One of the more interesting
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pieces (to me) was the summary of interviews of six academic chief
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information officers ("Librarians and Information Technologists: More
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Alike Than Different? Interviews with CIOs" by Merri Beth Lavagnino).
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Some of the interviewees oversee libraries, some do not, but all are
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in positions to influence if not guide decision-making in their
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libraries. - RT
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"The Net Imperative" The Economist 351(8125) (June 26-July 2, 1999)
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Survey of Business and the Internet Supplement. - When The Economist
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editors, so resistant to hype and hysteria, put in boldface "Within a
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few years, the Internet will turn business upside down," resistant
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CEOs worldwide must be grumbling that they just can't ignore this
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Internet thing any longer. It's made clear that consumers in
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prosperous countries have become accustomed to looking for added value
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and convenience by going online. Articles in the supplement describe
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what's necessary to begin e-business and keep up with demand if it
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catches fire, with analysis of current successes and future business
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models. There is much more depth here than in your standard 'Will
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Amazon.com kill your local bookstore?' piece. - JR
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Ott, Christopher. "For Your Information" Salon (August 3, 1999)
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(http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/1999/08/03/info_markets) -
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Frustrated by another set of marginal results from a search engine?
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Maybe you even tried ask.com. Well, never fear, the next trend in
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Internet search aids is on the way and this time they may actually
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lead you to — hold on — a person! This Salon article previews
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information markets, a new category of web service. Ott describes
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information markets as online bazaars where people can buy or sell
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expertise in real time and profiles three new services in this niche -
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Adeste.com, Advoco.com and Guru.com. Each site varies in its approach
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- Adeste.com is concentrating first on tutoring or research help for
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students, Advoco.com a range of professional services, parenting and
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pets, and Guru.com focuses on the needs of the self-employed. A key
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part of their concept is that customers will be able to rank the
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expert in an attempt to automate "word of mouth" and set market rates.
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While it is premature to give these services a real trial (Adeste.com
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and Guru.com are still preparing for launch), it will be interesting
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to see if this eBay approach will make consumers more willing to pay
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for information on the Web. - LY
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Winter, Ken. "'MyLibrary' Can Help Your Library" American Libraries
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30(7) (August 1999): 65-67. - A number of libraries are beginning to
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experiment with systems that allow their clientele to set up their own
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interface to library collections and services. Often called
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"MyLibrary" systems, either as a concept or in actuality, these
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interfaces usually present a combination of pre-set features and
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customizable options. Winter profiles five library projects and one
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university-wide project, with interviews of system developers and the
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key functions of each. Web addresses of all the projects are provided,
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and they are well worth checking out. - RT
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_________________________________________________________________
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Current Cites 10(8) (August 1999) ISSN: 1060-2356
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Copyright © 1999 by the Library, University of California,
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Berkeley. _All rights reserved._
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http: //sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/1999/cc99.10.8.html
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Copying is permitted for noncommercial use by computerized bulletin
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Libraries are authorized to add the journal to their collections at no
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cost. This message must appear on copied material. All commercial use
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requires permission from the editor
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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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To subscribe to the Current Cites distribution list, send the me ssage
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cites" to the same address.
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Editor: Teri Andrews Rinne, trinne@library.berkeley.edu, (510)
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642-8173
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