[10768] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Current Cites October 1996
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Teri Rinne)
Wed Oct 30 20:49:27 1996
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 09:02:24 -0600 (CST)
From: Teri Rinne <trinne@library.berkeley.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list PACS-L <PACS-L@UHUPVM1.UH.EDU>
Errors-To: trinne@library.berkeley.edu
Reply-To: cites@library.berkeley.edu
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
_Current Cites_
Volume 7, no. 10
October 1996
The Library
University of California, Berkeley
Edited by Teri Andrews Rinne
ISSN: 1060-2356
http://sunsite.berkeley.edu/CurrentCites/1996/cc96.7.10.html
Contributors:
Campbell Crabtree, Terry Huwe, John Ober,
Margaret Phillips, David Rez, Richard Rinehart,
Teri Rinne, Roy Tennant
ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING
Chapman, Stephen and Anne R. Kenney. "Digital Conversion of Library
Research Materials" D-Lib Magazine (October 1996)
(http://www.dlib.org/dlib/october96/cornell/10chapman.html)
-- Chapman and Kenney make a case for a "full informational capture"
approach to digital conversion of library materials. They assert
that only retaining all significant information from the original
will suffice as delivery technologies improve. This does not always
mean scanning at the highest possible resolutions, but at a
resolution that is adequate to capture all significant information
present in the original. Practical considerations such as the amount
of staff time it would take to adequately evaluate each item to be
scanned and the storage space required for high-quality images are
barely mentioned. But nonetheless the article is useful to anyone
trying to decide what comprises an adequate digital surrogate. -- RT
Harter, Stephen P. and Hak Joon Kim. "Accessing Electronic Journals
and Other E-publications: An Empirical Study" College & Research
Libraries 57(5) (September 1996): 440-456. -- While much has been
written about the potential of the electronic journal to
revolutionize traditional scholarly communication, this article
reports on an empirical study of existing e-journals and describes
some of the practical problems associated with electronic
publishing. Reliable access is critical if electronic journals are
to succeed as a means of scholarly communication. Some of the
factors that have contributed to lowered rates of access to
e-journals are: directory information that is inaccurate and
out-of-date; the need for special software or hardware in order
to view various formats (such as DVI, MPEG and QuickTime); and
electronic publishers who do not produce complete archives of back
issues. These problems, along with the others cited in this study,
suggest that there is a role that libraries can play in helping to
solve them. For instance, just as libraries subscribe to print
journals because individuals may not be able to afford to or
because it would be impractical to subscribe to so many, libraries
can provide the appropriate equipment and software for accessing
and printing e-journals and manipulating related files. This is a
thoughtful and thorough article that brings up many important
issues about the access of e-journals while at the same time
acknowledging that e-journals are still very much in the early
stages of development. -- MP
NETWORKS AND NETWORKING
Banta, Glen. "Internet Pipe Schemes" Internet World 8(10) (October
1996): 62-70. (http://www.internetworld.com/1996/10/schemes.html)
-- Have you ever felt a vague unease that you should have at least
a clue what ISDN, ATM, ADSL, SONET, and Frame Relay are? If not,
blast on. This article isn't for you. But if you have a hankerin'
to know what this alphabet soup means to your bandwidth and what
you can accomplish with it, then stay tuned. Banta gives a
straight-ahead explanation of various networking technologies and
a peek into our bandwidth future. Now if it were only as simple as
POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service)... -- RT
Bollag, Burton. "In Western Europe, Twelve Institutions See the
Internet and Videoconferences as Keys to Virtual University"
Chronicle of Higher Education XLIII (5) (September 27, 1996):
35-36. -- Danish and Swedish academics are experimenting with
Internet-based education that would cross international borders.
In addition to standard, Web-based applications, they are exploring
interactive "technologies of collaboration" to improve faculty-
student relationships over long distances and avoid duplication in
programs. Library and information science is already being offered
over this network. Similarities between Danish and Swedish make
collaboration much easier to manage. -- TH
Brandt, D. Scott. "Relevancy and Searching the Internet" Computers
in Libraries 16(8) (September 1996): 35-39. -- This article
discusses precision vs. recall and results ranking in various types
of Internet resources. When searching the Internet, it is important
to understand what various starting points are likely to return.
The large comprehensive databases such as Alta Vista
(http://altavista.digital.com) put more burden on the user, returning
many hits with less precision - boolean operators can help refine
results. Starting with subject-based indices (Yahoo -
http://www.yahoo.com or The Argus Clearinghouse -
http://www.clearinghouse.net) will narrow the field and return fewer
hits, but with greater precision. Brandt stresses the importance of
a critical eye and an item by item review of search results. -- CJC
DeLoughry, Thomas J. "Thirty-four Universities Seek to Create a
Network for Higher Education" The Chronicle of Higher Education
XLIII (7) (October 11, 1996): A29. -- It's been foretold: higher
education, the principal architect of the Internet, wants a new
one for its real work. The goals of the new system would be to
restore (and increase) speed and reliability for scholarly
purposes. The new network, Internet II, would eventually become
available to others who use the Internet. Internet II would not
replace the Internet but would exist side by side with Internet
"I". Significantly, Internet II participants would be responsible
for funding their participation with less dependence on government
sources. The list of 34 participants is a "Who's Who" of land grant
and private institutions, which suggests a serious commitment. -- TH
"The Hitchhiker's Guide to Cybernomics" The Economist 340 (7985)
(September 28-October 4, 1996) Survey of the World Economy
Supplement, 46 pages. -- Although this article is about the
economics of information and the changing global marketplace, it
focuses in depth on the impact of networked information on work
and life. Along the way the editors present a series of essays
about how digital media are reshaping government policies about
information use, ranging from the global economy to the emergence
of new careers in cyberspace. As background reading, librarians
will find this supplement interesting and informative. -- TH
Perry, L. Stephen. "American and International Studies: Internet
Resources" College & Research Libraries News 57(9) (October 1996):
570. (http://www.ala.org/acrl/resoct.html) -- Area studies,
whether American or international, share an interdisciplinary
approach to their areas of inquiry that incorporates history,
literature, folklore, politics, popular culture, economics, and
more. Because of the wide range of intellectual inquiry inherent
in area studies (not to mention the countless areas of the world
to be studied), this month's C&RL's list of Internet resources is
obviously a very selective one. The annotations, however, are
informative not only describing the site but also, in some cases,
providing a context for the resource as well as a brief evaluation
of it. -- MP
Schuyler, Michael. "Hooking Up to the Big-I Internet" Computers in
Libraries, 16(8) (September 1996): 26-30. -- With more and more
libraries wanting to be represented on the WWW, Schuyler provides a
basic outline of the necessary investments (hardware, software and
education) to get a library connected to the Internet. Included is
information on equipment, phone lines, Internet service providers
and a summary of costs for startup and first year of operation.
-- CJC
Stearns, Susan. "The Internet-Enabled Virtual Public Library"
Computers in Libraries 16(8) (Sept. 1996): 54-57.
(http://www.infotoday.com/cilmag/sep/library.htm) -- The concept
of the virtual library as a user-friendly, computer-based,
networked set of information resources is becoming reality in many
public libraries. Early implementations were often OPAC-centered,
with telnet and gopher access. This article features several public
library web pages and projects which expand the notion of the
'library without walls' beyond the online catalog, providing e-mail
for patrons, voter and community information and user training.
Implications of the web-based virtual library include the necessity
of upgrading hardware and software, as well as developing standards
for collection development and cataloging of online resources and
the continuing education of librarians and patrons. -- CJC
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
"The Weirdest Computer of All" The Economist 340 (7985)
(September 28-October 4, 1996): 97-99.
(http://www.economist.com/issue/28-09-96/st4046.html)
-- This article describes "quantum computing" an experimental type
of machine logic that might enable computers to move beyond binary
processing. Instead of running on bits made up of an "on" and "off"
switch, quantum computers would use "quantum bits," or qubits.
Qubits would enable a computer to run as many calculations as there
are numerical combinations, and do it simultaneously: that's 1,024
possible combinations, each representing a separate processing cycle.
Naturally, it's a big speed increase over digital computers, which
perform one calculation at a time! Possible commercial applications
may begin to appear as early as 1998. The sticking point is error
correction, as the "qubit" is based on quantum physics, and can
represent points on a continuum of values that are between "on" and
"off". -- TH
GENERAL
"Being Digital is Not Enough" The Economist 340 (7985) (September
28-October 4, 1996): 100.
(http://www.economist.com/issue/28-09-96/st4047.html) -- Why do new
digital formats fail? The digital compact cassette was a total bust,
even though it offers better quality than conventional cassettes.
The editors suggest that there are two main reasons. First, a new
product must be ten times better than the one it replaces. This is
based on the "10X" rule that venture capitalists follow in making
investment decisions. Second, it must succeed in "alluring"
consumers with the promise of "modernity"--that is, it must be "cool"
enough to make you want to trade up from your CD collection. -- TH
Cisler, Steve. "Weatherproofing a Great, Good Place" American
Libraries 27(9) (October 1996): 42-46. -- In this wide-ranging and
entertaining article, Cisler covers a lot of philosophical and
technical ground relating to public libraries and the challenges
they face. Chock-full of examples and citations, the article
identifies storm fronts and suggests how to ride them out. The
punchline will come as no surprise to those who know Steve and his
commitment to the values of librarians as well as the technologies
(whether they be printing presses or computers) that help make them
a reality. -- RT
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Current Cites 7(10) (October 1996) ISSN: 1060-2356
Copyright (C) 1996 by the Library, University of
California, Berkeley. All rights reserved.
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