Systems research
“Discovery environment:" repurposing the library catalog
This is a study of the usefulness and possible development of what many consider the legacy tool in the library environment: the catalog. The discussion argues that a solution like the eXtensible Catalog from the University of Rochester River Campus Libraries “preserves library investment in resource description and analysis by extracting their value and using it in web environments familiar to current library users. It also enhances library users’ experience by aggregating resources previously accessed through separate silos and provides for user participation in the creation of knowledge.” The library catalog, or whatever will take its place, is the defining tool of an institution that prides itself in the careful description, organization, preservation and sharing of the cultural record of society. No matter what Twitter, Facebook or the like exist or will be developed, unless we are able to have a tool that aggregates everything in a meaningful way, we will be lost in a sea of nonsensical blabber—which will be of very little use for assessing the cultural weight of the current discourse. This writer in his analysis considers the different aspects lying between the preservation of the cultural record and the appropriation of such record by interconnected social-networks. This work enables the author to formulate appropriate plans for the implementation in libraries of tools that push the richness of the library’s content out of its physical wall while preserves its present and future value.
Circulation cost reduction: a proposal
The study highlights possible improvements that could be made to a costly and labor intensive circulation system of the five branches of Library system. The study was performed with the approval of the Circulation Supervising Librarian who provided insightful information and pointed to data sources. The document shows the ability to collect, analyze, evaluate and propose alternative solutions that might have reduced the system’s circulation expenditure. The document discusses the library system’s circulation processes with respect to their optimization and the effects of the lack of action on user’s satisfaction with the service the library offers.
This study is available upon request. Please use the Question form stating clearly the reasons for your interest.
Digital Libraries: "Crosswalks: an overview of digital libraries"
This work discusses the application of the criteria of “evaluation, preservation and organization” to “collections of information” in digital form. It shows the writer’s understanding of the increased challenge that librarians face when confronted with the task of preserving the cultural heritage of historical periods while accounting for an ever increasing number of sources and source’s formats. The fine balance between creating a total memory and the selection of a few representatives of the cultural dialog of a certain moment defines the monumental scope of digital preservation and organization. Preserving within a digital framework entails consideration of the ownership of items which may be remotely accessed, whether the items are in the public domain or they are part of collections for which the library has purchased access. The creation by information services of portals that aggregate and organize such a slew of information pushes librarians from the relatively limited role of bibliographers to that of information system managers, with responsibilities for the seamless integration and persistence through time of the resources selected.