Michael D. Crandall

Users' perception of the performance of a filtering system

Abstmd. ~thoughfalteringekctronic informationis -8 qidly, vq fewstudiesexaminedusers’perceptions about the success of filtering. Users at the Boeing Company participated in a study which collected data throughobservation, verbal protocols, questionnaire, and interviews. Dsts analysis used four levels of relevance to assess the importance,and fkquency of use, of thirken criteria for relevance, and fourteen for non relevance, that are not topics or subject matters. Results showed that perceived precision ratios for tiltered information were higher then the ratios fbr non-falteredinfbrmatiorLbut not significantly and could still be improved even though most respondents were satisfied with these ratios. Developing methods to create and maintain useful profiles, and finding ways to incorporaterelevance as well as non-relevan= criteria into profdes, are neceswuy to improve the performanceof faltering medumisms.

eGovernment Services Use and Impact through Public Libraries: Preliminary Findings from a National Study of Public Access Computing in Public Libraries

eGovernment services are delivered in many settings, including public libraries, which have increasingly assumed the role of service provider for users of these services. The U.S. IMPACT Studies are examining use patterns and impacts of eGovernment services (among other uses) in populations using libraries for their primary or secondary means of Internet access. A mixed methods approach national telephone survey (N=1130), web survey (N=45,000), and five field studies (317 interviews)-is providing a comprehensive picture of this activity across the country. Preliminary findings show 22-37% of public access computer or wireless Internet users in public libraries engage in some form of eGovernment use, with evidence that use on behalf of others (LIMB) may extend the impact even further than previously thought. An emergent theme from the case study analysis indicates that a primary use factor may be the trust that users have in the public library setting.

The AACR2 as a Design Schema for Bibliographic Databases

The Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules are actually a set of rules for a database--a bibliographic database. An examination of the rules from a generalized database approach, using the entity-relationship model, shows that each rule belongs to at least one of six types: content; establishing entities, relationships, or attributes; authorized sources; domain; format; and access points. The current arrangement of the rules and their individual composition ignores these types: it scatters rules of the same type and mixes a variety of types within a single rule. This results in confusion between the internal/external and conceptual levels of design and a poorly organized presentation of cataloging rules. A generalized database approach suggests an outline for a better organization of the rules. It also provides insight into a variety of issues, such as the role of the main entry. Further investigations using this approach would improve our understanding of the cataloging code.

Communicating the Impact of Free Access to Computers and the Internet in Public Libraries: A Mixed Methods Approach to Developing Outcome Indicators

The U.S. IMPACT studies have two research projects underway that employ a mixed method research design to develop and validate performance indicators related specifically to the outcomes of public access computing (PAC) use in public libraries. Through the use of a nationwide telephone survey (n = 1130), four case studies, and a nationwide Internet survey of PAC users administered through 636 public libraries, this approach will generate generalizable quantitative data on the extent and distribution of the use of public access computing resources, as well as provide rich contextual data that will help understand how people use the computers and Internet connections in public libraries and the impact it has on their lives.

Bridging between libraries and information and communication technologies for development

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Global Libraries initiative), and the Technology & Social Change Group (TASCHA), at the University of Washington Information School, believe that the library and ICTD fields are at a point in their evolutions where each may be able to provide significant value to the other. They have organized a series of ‘bridging’ convenings to bring together interested stakeholders in both fields to advance activities that will realize tangible benefits for the two communities. Libraries and ICTD share an interest in the use of technology to achieve their ultimate goals. While their contexts come from very different histories and intentions, there are many areas of commonality that are worth exploring as possible collaborative efforts. A two-level view of the fields is proposed, starting with the overall characteristics that determine the character of each field as a necessary context for thinking about possible intersections, and ending with a proposal for exploration of potential areas for joint work at a more practical level. Possible projects in the areas of user services, training and technology are suggestions for further investigation.

Fitting reality into a database mold: rules for data collection

Abstract Presents a typology of rules for database design through examination of one such set of rules, the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition (AACR2). Analysis of the AACR2 reveals three clusters of rules: 1. (1) content rules; 2. (2) format rules; and 3. (3) data collection rules. The last cluster is of interest to database designers in general, and includes the following types of rules: 1. (1) rules for authorized sources of information; 2. (2) rules for establishing entities, relationships and attributes; 3. (3) rules for domains; 4. (4) rules for occurrence; and 5. (5) rules for cardinality. Further examination of these rule types shows particular instances which require specialized kinds of rules to resolve cases of absent, multiple, fuzzy or ambiguous data. Though useful for database design work as it stands, the typology could be enriched by addition of rule types from other databases and by further exploration of relationships between rule types and data characteristics. “An information system (e.g. data base) is a model of a small, finite subset of the real world.” [1]

Building learning modules around the Competency Index for Linked Data

The Linked Data for Professional Education (LD4PE) project has developed a Competency Index for Linked Data that allows the construction of learning trajectories for Linked Data education. The Competency Index defines a set of assertions (within 30 groups under six categories) of the knowledge, skills, and habits of mind required for professional practice in the area of Linked Data. Educational resources have been collected and indexed with the competencies, all free for use. How can instructors, trainers, and learners use the competencies to build the learning outcomes in their curricula or course syllabi? How could they share and reuse the developed curricula and the instructional resources in teaching? This session aims to bring together educators and learners in an interactive venue for using the LD4PE tools to develop learning modules for their future audiences around the competencies. The outcome will be available to the broader community through the LD4PE website.

From Dialup to Digital Inclusion: Leading the Way in Library Data

Over the past twenty years, public libraries in the United States have been undergoing some of the most extensive changes in their identity, services, and programs since assuming their modern form. The introduction of digital services as part of the mission and purpose of the library’s contract with their communities has impacted the physical structures, the technical infrastructure, the funding models, and the training and education of library staff—virtually the entire library/community system. Throughout this transformation, we have been fortunate to have the work of John Carlo Bertot as a reference point—the data and analysis that have come from his research have provided ðand will continue to provideÞ us with insights and direction to help guide the infusion of technology into our library systems and communities. His research trajectory has grown in parallel with the issues that emerged as libraries and our communities moved from print to digital in their services and offerings, and it offers both a historical record of those changes and a reference point for those who have been working to understand and communicate the changes both to the library community and the broader policy arena. It is also instructive to see what a tremendous collaborator and colleague John has been with the researchers, policy makers, funders, libraries, and library organizations he has worked with since the start of his career. The breadth and reach of John’s work is remarkable, and he has provided us with an important foundation both through the research he has done and by the collaborations he has facilitated in the library community and beyond. Three major areas of John’s work with libraries have been instrumental in the work of those interested in the effect of technology on libraries and our communities: ð1Þ documentation of the changing technology landscape and its impact on libraries, librarians, and their communities; ð2Þ the development of suitable methodologies and the analysis of the data collected through those methods, which is the underpinning of the documentation; and ð3Þ exploration of the changes in store for professional library education necessary to produce leaders who will shape the future of libraries in this new landscape.

Organizing Knowledge: An Introduction to Managing Access to Information, fourth ed., Jennifer Rowley, Richard Hartley (Eds.). Ashgate Publishing Co., Farnham (2008), 392 pp., ISBN: 978-0-7546-4431-6.

No wonder you activities are, reading will be always needed. It is not only to fulfil the duties that you need to finish in deadline time. Reading will encourage your mind and thoughts. Of course, reading will greatly develop your experiences about everything. Reading organizing knowledge an introduction to managing access to information is also a way as one of the collective books that gives many advantages. The advantages are not only for you, but for the other peoples with those meaningful benefits.

Free access to computers and the internet at public libraries: International reflections on outcomes and methods

The Internet and computer technology have radically changed the way people live around the world. Public libraries have been at the forefront of championing digital inclusion through partnerships with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, other international and national organizations, government, and their own communities. As a result, virtually every library in the United States, as well as many libraries in other countries, provides access (often free) to computers and the Internet. Similar to information and communication technologies (ICTs) and sometimes called public access computing (PAC), this access essentially encompasses access to digital resources, databases, networked and virtual services, training, technical assistance, and technology-trained staff. Little research has been conducted, especially from a social policy perspective, on the broad impacts of these services on individuals, families, communities and nations. Discussion is also needed regarding how to study public access to computers and the Internet in libraries, highlighting the challenges of using mixed methods and team research. This technical panel comprises researchers from The Information & Society Center of the University of Washington Information School and Oslo University College, who are conducting several synergistic investigations of the impacts of access to computers and the Internet at libraries around the world. Upon introducing their respective studies (abstracts below), the panelists will engage the audience in an open discussion of the following questions. Note: The audience will “sign-in” at the ASIST AM09 session and the ensuing discussion will be posted on the UW iSchool ISC website to document/promote future dialog with the global ICT-PAC community. Session Discussion Questions What does “public access computing in libraries” mean in different geo contexts? What other terms are used for it? What impact does PAC have on individuals, families and society, over the short and long term? What difference does it make when libraries (as opposed to other venues) provide PAC? What are the challenges to studying PAC? What are the policy implications of PAC?