Muddiest Point (12/4/09)

I do not have any muddiest questions for this week.

Reading Notes: Security and Economics

This week's readings encompassed the ideas of security, encryption, authentication, and methods of managing differing users' levels of access.  Libraries are able to manage user profiles and set pre-determined rights for access.  Public and private key encryption allows trusted allies and new business partners to exchange protected information over the web.  One of the most obvious reasons for limiting rights for access are the economic pressures which limit the number of copies a library can carry of a certain item and requests by the rights holders to withhold access, generally to protect the right holders' financial self-interests.   Journals such as D-Lib Magazine have provided models for open-access literature.  Unrefereed journals are able to provide increased access but until more top universities develop tenure systems more friendly towards these economic alternatives (and it seems they are beginning to do just this), things will probably not change greatly.   While advertisements on the web allow information producers to provide users with free access, this is not a model that libraries are likely to adopt.  Some companies have found other methods (besides technological security methods) of encouraging users to invest in their products by value-added services such as customer support.


ARMS, chapter 7
William Arms, “Implementing Policies for Access Management”, D-Lib Magazine,1998. http://www.dlib.org/dlib/february98/arms/02arms.html.
LESK, chapter 10 “economics” lesk-ch9-economics.pdf
ARMS, chapter 6, economics part http://www.cs.cornell.edu/wya/DigLib/new/Chapter6.html



READING QUESTIONS/COMMENTS:

-I am interested in more updated information about encryption and authentication technology.  How have these technologies changed in the last ten years.

-Are their digital libraries that provide information which must be protected for reasons other than financial incentives for rights holders?  In other words, do digital libraries ever deal with information that is available only to a limited number of people?

-How are medical informatics systems like digital libraries?

-Can you talk about some reason economic trends in open access?

Muddiest Point

I have no muddiest points for this week.

Muddiest Point (11/16/09)

Before we leave the class, I would like some information about some skills we should develop if we are interested in working with digital libraries once we finish this program.  For example, what programming languages might we learn?  Are there currently any DL projects in the area that we can volunteer to help with?  What other skills might be useful to us as we enter the field?

I am particularly interested in any oppotunities there may be for someone in the medical librarianship track.

Reading Notes: Social Issues in Digital Libraries

This week's readings were reflective on the past and future of digital libraries.

In Social Aspects of the Digital Library (UCLA-NSF Social Aspects of Digital Libraries Workshop
Research issues as
human-centered (human computer interactions, how humans interact with information)
artifact-centered (focused on the artifacts of human communication)
systems-centered (focus on the systems that support the products of the first two research areas)

Issues Raised:
lack of consensus on terminology
involving users in the development process / systematically determining user needs

development of an information life cycle to represent the flow of information

The infinite library: does Google's plan to digitize millions of print books spell the death of libraries--or their rebirth?

Discusses the role of libraries in the Google books projects.   Some larger libraries are participating fully (Harvard) while others (Bodleian) only allow Google access to items already in the public domain.

Digitalization is a long and complicated process and will take a vast number of resources to digitize the holdings of the libraries that have opened their stacks.

Raises the issue of what roles libraries will play if/when a vast number of books become searchable online.  Only snippets of the books will be available so libraries will still function to provide free full access to books.  Some libraries vow to allow users access even if Google decides to charge.  Discusses the reluctance of the library community to embrace tools provided by the internet.


A Viewpoint Analysis of the Digital Library

Discussing the future of DL development.

Organizational Develpment -  Identifies how different major library systems can be integrated (i.e. with the Library of Congress as the center of the library world). 
Technical Development -  discusses interoperability research and technical standards that allow collaboration between libraries
User Development - discusses the user as the center of the library.  Discusses the ideal of one seamless interface for multiple library systems, identifies a incoherence (as a result of interoperable systems) behind the current interfaces of federated systems.

Research Agenda:
Promotes the idea of evaluation as a core area of future research.   Underscores the ideas of user-friendly seamless systems.   Suggests the maturation of internet as a model for the possible progression of digital library development.


References:

Social Aspects of Digital Libraries. The final report of UCLA-NSF Social Aspects of Digital Libraries Workshop. http://is.gseis.ucla.edu/research/dig_libraries/index.html

The Infinite Library, Wade Roush, Technology Review, 2005. http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/05/05/issue/feature_library.asp

William Y. Arms, “A Viewpoint Analysis of the Digital Library”, D-Lib Magazine, Volume 11 Number 7/8, July/August 2005. http://www.dlib.org/dlib/july05/arms/07arms.html


Questions/Comments:

I would like to see some examples of digital collections that embody the most current research in the field.

Muddiest Questions (Interaction and Evaluation)

No Muddiest Questions this week.

Reading Notes: Interaction and Evaluation

Evaluation involves considering the user when designing the interface.   Without this consideration, the user may dismiss a powerful and useful system as too complex, irrelevant, or inconvenient.  One such example of this is in medical informatics where systems are often ignored by practitioners who find them unmatched with their needs.

There is not a lot of interest in funding this field of study, although its principles and aims are structured and  well-defined and it has applications in many types of systems: digital libraries, games, websites, internet applications, critical systems, and other programs in industrial, commercial systems, and personal systems.

In terms of Digital Libraries...

Usability goals include:
-the ability of users to access, control, and maintain the system
-with minimal personnel and training
-with reliable and functional interaction between hardware and software
-meeting standards for interoperability
-work is completed on time and according to budget


User Consideration:
-physical comfort, accessibility
-possible barriers to access  (time, budget, environment, etc.)
-age
-ability
-expectations
-context of use
-personality type
-cultural and linguistic factors, etc.

Criteria for evaluating usability should include (Saracevic):
content
process
format
overall system (maintenence, scalability, interoperability, sharability, costs)


Studies have also considered usage patterns, use of materials, usage statistics, types of users, time factors, and intent (Saracevic)

According to Saracevic, ongoing study should also include how digital libraries ultimately affect the environment in which they are used.

Rob Kling and Margaret Elliott "Digital Library Design for Usability" http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/DL94/paper/kling.html

Tefko Saracevic, “Evaluation of digital libraries: An overview” http://www.scils.rutgers.edu/~tefko/DL_evaluation_Delos.pdf.

Ben Sheiderman, Catherine Plaisant, "Designing the user interfaces" 4ed. chapter 1. A good introduction about usability and its application in human computer interaction hci4ed-ch1.pdf   

READING QUESTIONS:
-  Can you show us some digital libraries that are unusual in content, context, or user group?
- Can you show us some digital libraries with advanced features, not normally utilized by the general population?
-Are there examples of DLs pertinent to medical informatics?  Can you show us examples?
-What sort of features are available but aren't used due to incompatibility with users and/or the environment of their use?
-What types of jobs are available for people who study HCI?