Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
Design Proposal
Suzanne Kosempel
Rutgers University
Digital Libraries (17:610:553:90)
Spring 2015
Term Project - Final
Submitted to Professor Tefko Saracevic
April 27, 2015
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Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
Table of Contents
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Abstract
Purpose
Objectives
Design
Content/Organization
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
Home Page
Genetics Sub-fields
Online Journals
Open Access Journals/Databases
eBooks
Conference Proceedings/Symposiums
Dissertations/Theses
Video Tutorials and Websites
Access
Content Management & Preservation
Services
Metatdata – Dublin Core
Evaluation
Legal Issues
Conclusion
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Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
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I. Abstract
This proposal for an Academic Genetics Digital Library will outline the content to be
included and the preliminary design hierarchy as well as discuss how I see the digital library
included within Rutgers University for use by undergraduate students. Further, I would seek
to provide coded access to this digital library to all Advanced Placement (AP) Biology or
Human Genetics high school programs within the state of New Jersey. This connection to
the AP high school courses will hopefully inspire and encourage high school students to
pursue future genetics studies within Rutgers University. With the addition of this digital
library to Rutgers University Libraries, undergraduate students will be able to quickly
connect to genetics information and genetics resources available through Rutgers Library and
on the web.
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II. Purpose
The purpose of the Academic Genetics Research Digital Library (Genetics DL) is to
provide a central digital location within the Rutgers University Libraries (RUL) for an
overview of genetics and to further connect users to information on sub-fields within
genetics. It is also the goal to centralize (in one convenient online location) resources on the
field of genetics and its sub-fields including highly ranked online journals, databases,
proceedings from national and international conferences and symposiums, dissertations and
theses from fellow Rutgers’ students, open access journals and articles, a bibliography of
ebooks and links to video tutorials from the World Wide Web.
This Genetics DL would complement other digital collections at Rutgers in RUcore
(Rutgers University Community Repository). It is in line with the RUL mission statement,
“The Rutgers University Libraries support and enrich the instructional, research, and public
service missions of the University through the stewardship of scholarly information and the
delivery of information services.” (Rutgers University Libraries [RUL], 2014) In addition it
furthers the RUL 2014-2015 Strategic Plan’s specific initiative to “Leverage the considerable
expertise of library faculty and staff in digital library development, metadata creation,
bibliometrics, repository development, research data management services, and consultation
on all aspects of open access and scholarly publishing.” (RUL, 2014)
There are currently no specific research guides within the Rutgers University Libraries for
genetics except for a stem cell research guide under the subject of biology and a video tutorial
that provides some assistance with many sub-fields of biology including genetics. The
Genetics DL can help fill this gap by providing a starting place for genetics academic
research within RUL.
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III. Objectives
The Genetics DL will be a resource for undergraduate students and NJ high school AP
students to use for course work and academic research on papers, projects and lab work. It
will aim to connect these users to digital resources but it will also aim to expose AP high
school students to undergraduate level resources and to expose undergraduate Rutgers’
students to graduate student research through the use of Rutgers Core depository. The
Genetics DL will strive to support the Rutgers Department of Genetics Undergraduate
Learning Goals which are to know terms, concepts and theories in genetics and be able to
analyze published research articles in genetics (School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers, 2015).
Having this digital library will help undergraduate students and AP high school students to
connect to the appropriate journals, databases and open access sources that contain
information on genetics. Plus, if they are in need of an overview of a genetics sub-field or
key terms with which to start searches for pertinent articles within that sub-field, this digital
library will point them in the initial direction.
IV. Design
Initially, I was inspired by the design of the Rutgers Nursing Tutorial which since has
been retired and turned into a research guide within the RUL. I liked the idea of
straightforward tabs with a hierarchy of information organized within each tab. I envision the
Genetics DL having a tab for the sub-fields of genetics with a dropdown menu for several
fields. It will also have tabs for Online Journals, Open Access Journals, eBooks, Conference
Proceedings/Symposiums, Dissertations/Theses and Video Tutorials & Websites. The
program that I used to create the website for viewing won’t allow for a screen capture of the
dropdown menus as they are set up as a rollover dropdown. This resulted in me utilizing the
table in figure 4.1 to illustrate the dropdown menu structure.
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Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
Figure 4.1
Home
Genetics Sub-fields
More…
Online Journals/Databases
Classical Genetics
Open Access Journals
Behavioral Genetics
eBooks
Clinical Genetics
Conference
Proceedings/Symposiums
Dissertations/Theses
Molecular Genetics
Population, Quantitative
and Ecological Genetics
Genomics
Video Tutorials and
Websites
Cytogenetics
Biochemical Genetics
Figure 4.2 shows a screen capture of the home page but you can access the digital library
prototype at http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/.
Figure 4.2
Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
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Currently, the Genetics DL is designed in a very simple grey, black and white. If this digital
library is accepted by Rutgers to be included in RUL, I would include the Rutgers Logo and
change the colors to red and white with black font and use blue font for linked text.
V. Content/Organization
Home Page
This page will serve as the “about” page to introduce the library and its purpose. The
navigational menu will be on every page as will a search box to search the entire site. I
would have had to pay extra to include a search box for my prototype so it does not
include one. Please see section VI on Access (p. 12) for further discussion of the search
feature that I propose. Please see figure 4.2 above for the home page or follow this link
to the home page http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/. The
navigation bar has 4 top-level elements as seen in figure 4.1 above: Home, Genetics
Sub-fields, Online Journals/Databases, More… Under Genetics Sub-fields there is a
dropdown menu with 8 additional levels and under More… there are 4 additional levels.
This navigation menu will be present in all pages and a “you are here” indicator will
inform you which page you are on. If this digital library prototype is accepted, I would
have all 8 elements visible at the top of each page instead of hiding 4 under the More…
tab as shown in the page template I used for the prototype.
Genetics Sub-fields
As previously shown above, the library will have general information about different
sub-fields within genetics and each sub-field will have its own page. Access to these
pages will be through a dropdown menu under Genetics Sub-fields, (see figure 5.3).
Currently, I have the following sub-fields: classical genetics, behavioral genetics,
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clinical genetics, molecular genetics, population/quantitative/ecological genetics,
genomics, cytogenetics and biochemical genetics. Each page will provide an overview
of the genetics sub-field as well as key terms to use for online searches. For example,
the page for the sub-field Genomics will contain a list of search terms: genotyping, gene
mapping, epigenetics, genomic imprinting, genomic instability, recombinant DNA,
DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, microarrays, polymorphisms, DNA methylation,
transcriptomics, epistasis, heterosis, and pleiotropy.
See figure 5.4 or visit
http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/genomics.html to see the
example.
Figure 5.3
Academic Genetics Research Digital Library
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Figure 5.4
Online Journals/Databases
The library will also have access to top ranked journals specifically dealing with the
fields of genetics as well as links to the databases which contain articles on the different
paradigms of genetics, genetics research and structural information about nucleic acids
contained in the Nucleic Acid Database at Rutgers (NDB). The journals were chosen
based on their SJR ranking on the SCImago website
(http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?area=1300&category=1311&country=all&
year=2013&order=sjr&min=0&min_type=cd). Please see section VI on Access (p. 12)
and section XI on Legal Issues (p. 15) for further discussion on access to these journals
and databases. Preferrably, if access is granted through RUL under their licensing
agreement, the Genetics DL would provide links directly to these journals. Please see
the prototype page http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/onlinejournalsdatabases.html which lists 18 journals and 6 databases at this time.
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Open Access Journals
This will be a separate access page for Open Access Journals which will each be linked
to their site. Please see the prototype page
http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/open-access-journals.html
which lists 38 linked journals at this time. Also, I have included a link to SOAR,
Rutgers Scholarly Open Access Repository.
eBooks
This section will be a bibliography with links to various online books available through
RUL. One important piece of information I obtained from a 2004 Rutgers Library
Advisory Committee meeting which discussed a Validation Process Focus Group
report, was that students in the Rutgers department of Genetics preferred all library
materials to be available electronically (RUL, 2004). Therefore, I did not focus on any
print material bibliographies. For this section, there may be an added benefit if I group
the ebooks by genetics sub-fields allowing for browsing. Please see section XI on
Legal Issues (p. 15) for further discussion of how access to these resources will be
handled.
I placed a few ebook titles on various topics of genetics within the prototype library
which can be viewed at
http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/ebooks.html. Going
forward, I would hope to link each item to the actual electronic source assuming the
digital library is accepted under the RUL licensing agreement.
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Conference Proceedings/Symposiums
Currently, I have listed several conferences, some with links, which include or focus on
genetic topics. These include:
- International Conference on Human Genetics
- International Mouse Genome Conference
- International Bioethics Conference
- International Symposium on Mutation in the Genome: Detection, Genome
Sequencing & Interpretation
- The European Human Genetics Conference
- Symposium in Clinical Genetics
- EMBO Conference Series: Chromatin and Epigenetics
- MDA Scientific Conference
- International Symposium on ALS/MND
- Autism Speaks National Autism Conference.
The goal would be to include links to the proceedings or reports from the current and
past years. The prototype page can be viewed at
http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/conferenceproceedingssymposiums.html
Dissertations/Theses
I would like the Genetics DL to include access to Rutgers graduate students’
dissertations and theses that pertain to the fields of genetics or to the discussion of
bioethics. At this point, RUcore is the Rutgers University repository for both open
access and private dissertations. I would like the Genetics DL and Rutgers Electronic
Theses and Dissertations (RUetd) search feature to be linked.
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Video Tutorials and Websites
This section includes videos that provide information on terms used within genetics as
well as information on the different paradigms within Genetics. I have included 5
videos in the Genetics DL. This section also provides links to educational websites that
are excellent references for learning and further research. Please see
http://academicgeneticsresearchdigitallibrary.weebly.com/video-tutorials-andwebsites.html to view them.
VI. Access
I would like the Genetics DL to be a digital library offered through RUL to be able to
offer access to the many journals and databases listed. As it contains licensed material, it will
need to be accessed with a student’s Net ID. A separate ID will need to be created for every
high school participating in the Advanced Placement access. This ID will be used for every
AP student within that particular high school, similar to one ID being shared for access to
services and databases required for individual graduate courses outside of RUL. At the end
of the school year, the ID will be terminated and a new ID will be supplied should the high
school wish to continue to participate. It is possible that an annual fee payable to Rutgers may
have to be assessed for a high school’s participation in access to the licensed materials.
Originally, I thought the Genetics DL could be included as a special collection in RUcore
however to fit there, it could not contain licensed materials that are copyrighted. This digital
library is intended to work within RUL and should appear to be seamless, however if it is
determined that it should sustain itself as a stand alone site, it will only be able to offer open
access resources and indexed information only to copyrighted resources. It will require a
search engine and a server. For the search engine, I would recommend the Google Custom
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Search Engine mainly because I could not find anything close to its reasonable pricing
structure and because of Google’s reputation. I would hope it could be transferred to the
Rutgers Eden server but it could be supported by an outside server.
VII. Content Management and Preservation
If this digital library proposal to RUL is accepted, it will require a staff member to
continuously update ebook resources and add new journals and databases as well as monitor
key search terms and any new information that may be pertinent to add to the sub-field pages.
Linked websites should be monitored and updated as well. Should the feedback survey in the
section on Evaluation be utilized, someone must process the evaluation feedback.
It is most important that the staff member in charge of this digital library stay in
communication with the Rutgers Genetics department to learn of any information needs that
could be incorporated into the digital library and to stay informed on the development of any
new paradigms that may need to be included.
VIII. Services
One of the best possible services that the Genetics DL could be a part of is the Research
Guides under RUL Services and Tools. The Research Guides help narrow the resources
available to the specific topic of interest. The content of the Genetics DL, the journals and
databases, could be picked out and included as a subject guide for Genetics. In addition,
either a link to the Genetics DL home page or to each individual page on the different subfields could be provided. I would also like to see the “Ask a librarian” research assistance be
included on all of the pages of the Genetics DL.
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Looking to the future, it would be very interesting to include video of any special lectures
held at Rutgers with the appropriate permissions. I have also noticed that some professors
have websites with lecture notes which could be linked to the Genetics DL as well.
IX. Metadata – Dublin Core
As most of the material from the Genetic DL will be taken from RUL, metadata will be
needed for any dissertations, theses or added materials that may be deposited. RUcore,
already assigns metadata to these materials and uses an OAIS model for preservation. If this
digital library was to stand on its own, I would choose to use the Dublin Core metadata
system for its simplicity and completeness. The 15 elements can succinctly cover most of the
information needed concerning any added genetics information, including any URL’s to any
information that comes from other websites.
X. Evaluation
I believe it is important to evaluate the specific services libraries provide. Asking for
evaluation of these services helps them to evolve. A digital library can be evaluated based on
its design and interface, usability, content, and context as well as how it served its purpose or
provided a service. As part of Rutgers Libraries, there is a survey which is available online
however, it asks for a specific physical library to evaluate. I would like to incorporate a short
survey that addresses the content and design and successful outcome of using the Genetics
DL. This survey could be a pop-up design that gives the library user the option to deny
participating in the survey. These questions were taken from the article Evaluating
Hierarchical Organisation Structures for Exploring Digital Libraries (2014) by Hall,
Fernando, Stevenson, Clough, Soroa and Agirre.
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Q1: How much of the collection do you believe you explored? (0–100 % in 10 %
steps)
Q2: Please rate how good an overview over the collection you got (7-point semantic
differential; good–bad)
Q3: Please rate how organised you felt the collection was (7-point semantic
differential; organised–random)
Q4: Please rate how understandable the collection was (7-point semantic differential;
understandable–not understandable)
Q5: Please rate how familiar you are with the topics covered in the collection (7-point
semantic differential; familiar–unfamiliar)
Q6: Please rate how confident you are about what you would expect to see in the
various parts of the collection (7-point semantic differential; confident–not confident)
Q7: How easy was it to navigate the hierarchy? (5-point semantic differential; very
difficult –very easy)
Q8: How easy was it to find the items you selected? (5-point semantic differential; very
difficult–very easy)
Q9: How satisfied are you with the items you found? (5-point semantic differential; very
unsatisfied–very satisfied)
Q10: How successful do you feel you were in completing the task? (5-point semantic
differential; very unsuccessful–very successful)
XI. Legal Issues
Many issues govern the content of the Genetics DL including copyright protection of the
authors and licensing rights protection. In my prototype, I have only linked the open access
journals, websites and the videos publically located on YouTube. The journals, databases
and ebooks listed would all be available under the RUL licensing agreements and hopefully
under those agreements, could be linked for access within the Genetics DL. Therefore, this
digital library would be restricted to the use of Rutgers students and can only be accessed
with an appropriate student Net ID. For demonstration purposes, I did quote some
information from other websites for general information under the genomics tab however,
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should this digital library be formally accepted and developed, original content must be
created to populate the sections describing each genetics sub-field.
It would be very difficult to establish this digital library as a stand alone special collection
as content must be accessible under some form of license. Belonging to an academic
institution which already has acquired access and restricting access to that institution’s
students is the best possible solution. However, this library could stand on its own with open
access resources, public websites and indexed information on copyrighted resources as stated
in section VI on Access.
XII. Conclusion
My goal for this proposal was to create a digital library resource for Rutgers University
that centralized materials on genetics, acting as an online resource guide for undergraduate
students. At a minimum, it could exist as a Rutgers University Library resource guide for
genetics as none exists at this time. The Academic Genetics Research Digital Library could
reduce the search time for students and provide them with background information on subfields, guidance on where to begin searching for specific research, terms to use for searching
specific genetic paradigms and websites and videos for additional descriptive and
investigative information.
In order to include top journals and databases which are not open access, the digital library
must be included in a licensing agreement for access to articles. This digital library is
designed to be included within an academic environment focused on research and knowledge
sharing. Therefore, access will have to be restricted to Rutgers University students.
However, it would be helpful to expose future advanced placement high school students to
this resource as well, hoping to encourage further studies in genetics within Rutgers
University.
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Looking to the future, perhaps this digital library could link to genetics department faculty
resources and websites, perhaps even providing access to key note lectures or current hot
topics with the genetics fields. This digital library could be an online conduit for the genetics
department to Rutgers University Libraries in addition to being a resource to students.
References
Google. (2015). Google Custom Search Engine. Retrieved April 20, 2015 from
https://cse.google.com/cse/
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Groden, J., & Lieberman, M. A. (2001). Overview of genetics for the clinician. Epilepsia, 42
Suppl 52-10.
Hall, M., Fernando, S., Stevenson, M., Clough, P., Soroa, A., & Agirre, E. (2014).
Evaluating hierarchical organisation structures for exploring digital
libraries. Information Retrieval, 17(4), 351-379. doi:10.1007/s10791-014-9242-y
National Information Standards Organization (NISO). (2013). The Dublin Core Metadata
Element Set. Retrieved 3-5-2015
from http://www.niso.org/apps/group_public/download.php/10256/Z39-852012_dublin_core.pdf
OMICS Group. (2014). OMICS International Genetics and Molecular Biology Journals.
Retrieved April 20, 2015 from http://omicsonline.org/genetics-and-molecular-biologyjournals.php
Rutgers University Community Repository. (2015). Preservation. Retrieved April 22, 2015
from https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/cyber/preservation.php
Rutgers University Libraries. (2004) Validation Process Focus Group Reports. Retrieved
March 27, 2015 from
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/staff/groups/assessment_com/reports/libfac_adv.sht
ml
Rutgers University Libraries. (2014). Rutgers University Libraries strategic plan. Retrieved
April 6, 2015 from
http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/about_documents/Strategic_Plan_201
4-2015.pdf
Scimago Lab. (2007-2015). SCImago Journal & Country Rank. Retrieved on April 6, 2015
from
http://www.scimagojr.com/journalrank.php?area=1300&category=0&country=all&year
=2013&order=sjr&min=0&min_type=cd
School of Arts and Sciences, Rutgers. 2015. Department of Genetics Undergraduate
Learning Goals. Retrieved on April 6, 2015 from https://genetics.rutgers.edu/studentsacademics/undergraduate/learning-goals