The Next Information Revolution- How Open Access Repositories and Journals will Transform Scholarly Communications

Source Article:

Prosser, D. C. 2003. The Next Information Revolution- How Open Access Repositories and Journals will Transform Scholarly Communications. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from liber.library.uu.nl/publish/articles/000047/article.pdf

Abstract

The article focuses on institutional repositories and open access journals. It cites the current situation, new opportunities, practical developments and the next steps in the said services. It also presents the impact of open access journals to the researchers and the author themselves.

Things I Learned from the Article

1. Instead of books, journals are the main sources of raw information of researches and other scholarly outputs.
2. I learned about the 'serials crises' and permission crises' which paved the way for open access journals.
3. The benefits open access journals to the society/researchers which include acceleration of research and enrichment of learning. Likewise, authors also benefits from open access journals by increasing their profile, institutions and countries.

Subscribing to online journals for the library is indeed very costly. It can slash away budget from other library materials. That is the main reason why open access journals are gaining momentum in the past years. It would be better to include these journals to the library catalog and/or website to provide more information for the researchers. The DLSU for one provides links to open access journals which will result to researches with more depth. Though these open access articles and resources may cause reduction in number of client entrants in the library, it will be more rewarding to know that your library is still able to respond to your clients need even if they are not physically present in your library.

Make Mine Interactive

Source Article:

Bates, M.. (2008, December). Make Mine Interactive. EContent, 31(10), 63. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 1608426341).

Abstract

The author discussed three finding tools (SortfIX, SearchCloud and SearchMe) which offers new innovation and techniques in information retrieval.

Things I learned from the article:

1. Three new search tools that provide more personalized searching.
2. Because we are now leaving in a fast-phased world, people nowadays can easily get tired of a certain technology. Only years ago, people were so into Google, Yahoo, etc … but today they are looking for a more dynamic and animated environment.
3. Searching in a more interactive environment does a big difference in information retrieval experience.

Right after reading the article, I quickly tried the three search tools the author mentioned. True enough to her descriptions, these search tools really offer a different information retrieval experience. They are not visually attractive, in fact, their home pages are almost bare (just like Google), but I won’t be surprised if they will be the new trends in web searching. I was practically amazed by how they work. Each has a distinct feature which facilitates better information retrieval. SortFix gives a different touch to the Boolean’s NOT and provides definition to possible keywords for your search. SearchCloud, on the other hand, allows researchers to weigh how much importance they would want to place on a certain keyword on their search string by font sizes. In addition and in contrary to my report, which states that the display of results in Web IR are not ranked by degree of relevance, this particular tool does. Finally, Searchme, the one I liked the most, displays images of the retrieved websites providing the researchers with an overview of what the websites contain and look like.

Imagine if all these features will be available to the traditional information retrieval systems, researching will be more exciting and interesting. Seeing how the matched books of your query look like would be nice and motivating. Interfaces which provide ease in use and straightforwardness may be the reason why students or even faculty members choose to use the web over the library database. Providing visual and interactive interfaces in information retrieval systems, particularly those of the libraries, would mean discovering and learning other than retrieval.

Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and its Implications for Libraries

Source article:
Maness, J. M. Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and its Implications for Libraries. [Electronic version]. Webology, 3 (2), June 2006.
http://www.webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html

Abstract:

In this article, the author tried to resolve some controversies in Library 2.0 by setting a definition that would be accepted and used by the library community. The paper also aimed to promote the use of different Web 2.0 technologies such as synchronous messaging, media streaming, blogs, wikis, social networking, tagging, and RSS feeds in improving the library’s relationship and interaction to its users. The implications of these technologies were also presented to provide a holistic view on implementing them.

Things I learned from the article:

1. There are various ways of improving the library-user relationship, communication and interaction.


2. Tagging actually allows the users to participate in cataloging/indexing library documents/materials. This will help the searchers to find materials/documents with subjects both on the standardized form and the term assigned by the users.


3. Libraries should customize their services based on their users’ needs and demands.

Change is inevitable to organizations which aim to serve their users better. The library for one, undergoes changes that will meet the needs and demands of its users which are also constantly changing. Using Web 2.0 technologies creates a virtual community for the users where in they can interact with the other users and the librarian. This will facilitate faster and better recognition of the clients’ needs. Aside from accessing, sharing of library collection is also being emphasized by these technologies. These new approaches have numerous ways of improving library services and as time goes by, the list will also continue to grow. But we must always bear in mind that not all libraries can afford to implement such technologies due to budget constraints. The availability of online library services does not really matter to the users of these libraries. I guess the real measurement of the effectiveness of services, in whatever form it may be (online or offline), is how satisfied the users feel using your library.

"Twitter: Friends for Sale"

Source article:
Green, H. (2008, April). Twitter: Friends for Sale. Business Week Online, Retrieved July 3, 2009, from MAS Ultra- School Edition database.
http://wf2dnvr10.webfeat.org/ADROM1113/url=http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=2&hid=103&sid=dc2204f9-aa42-4823-98b1-5dd504c5f1bb%40sessionmgr108&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=ulh&AN=31711943


Abstract
Andrew Baron, co-founder of online video series Rocketboom, put his Twitter account on sale. This provoked debates on ethics online. His decision to sell his account was not really because of money, he just wanted to perk up some discussions, which he did.

Things I learned in the article:

1. Social networking sites are potential exploiter of privacy of their users.
2. Not all social networking sites include the issue of selling account on their terms of use.
3. Joining social networking sites has its share of pros and cons.
   

Whether just for the sake of discussion or not, selling social networking accounts should not be put on sale, it should not even be considered in the first place. People are joining these kinds of activities for various reasons, but to be exploited is absolutely not on their lists. Selling/Buying these kinds of accounts is a clear invasion of privacy because it subjects the user's profile to be seen by the community whom they doesn't approve of. People should be more responsible in joining these kinds of services. Though linking up with more people creates a sense of belonging, they should also understand that they will be more exposed.

Information Retrieval on the Web

Source Article :

Kobayashi, M. & Takeda, T. Information Retrieval on the Web. [Electronic version]. ACM Computing Surveys, 32 (2), June 2000.
Retrieved on June 30, 2009, from http://comminfo.rutgers.edu/~muresan/IR/Docs/Articles/csurKobayashi2000.pdf

Abstract

The article reviews studies conducted in relation to the growth of internet, its users and tools for web-based information retrieval and ranking. Specifically, the paper presented studies on how search engines are evaluated. It also details the different tools/technologies in information retrieval, which will expectedly make searching for specific information easier. Based on the studies cited, it was revealed that most internet users find the speed of information retrieval as the primary problem in searching the Web, broken links and inability to find the relevant information came in close. In lieu with the mentioned problems, development of new strategies in web-based information retrieval was also discussed.

Three Things I learned from the article

• The article confirms my belief that nothing can replace a good book. With vast information available in the Web, searching for the most relevant data would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
• Manual indexing is considered better than automatic, but then again, manual indexing drawbacks are usual.
• Comments on web documents such as blog posts are considered annotations and these aids in indexing the document.

The researches cited in the article, though conducted for quite a long time now, still stand true in today’s scenario. Most, if not all library clients, rely on the free information available in the internet. This makes them prone to information overload, resulting to low percentage of obtaining the most relevant information. I was once assigned at the Graduate School of Business Library which caters professional clients. The fact that these clients are all involved in their careers, other than in their academics resulted to rare times of library visit, either to read or to borrow books. They depend on web-based information retrieval which makes their searching more complicated compared to information retrieval on the designed database and the materials that they will eventually locate.

The index is the most important tool in information retrieval [Manber 1999]. Human or manual indexing is considered better than automatic although the latter is done by machines/robots. But human indexing is not that perfect either, several fall backs were mentioned in the article which includes inconsistency of indexers. Moreover, in the absence of standards, an indexer has a tendency to assign/create a new subject term for a subject which already existed. In DLSU library, editing of the existing article indexes is a major project. Subjects assigned to the past articles have been inconsistent. Though the difference is not that weighty, it still creates confusion to the users.

Serious comments on web documents aid in information retrieval and also in evaluating documents. Thus, a good comment on a web document will possibly interest the searcher to read the whole document. Aside from providing reviews and links to information retrieval, comments can also help the author in improving his/her work. Just like what we can do if and when our classmates critique our RAs. :-)