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Issues in Digital Academic Libraries:
An Annotated Bibliography
Eric Janec
INFO522: Information Access & Resources
Katherine McCain, Instructor
12/8/10
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Issues in Digital Academic Libraries: An Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
This annotated bibliography describes the research on the issues surrounding digital
libraries in academic settings. The articles describe the interaction of digital resources with
academic libraries and scholars, touching on a range of issues. The articles range from 1999 to
2010, and consider issues such as metadata construction, collection development, the creation
and use of distributed libraries, and collaborative research using the digital arena. The articles
describe issues arising from the interaction between existing library structures and digital
implementations as well as the interaction between scholars and digital resources. While the
majority of the articles were published after 2005, earlier articles are also included which have
generalizable lessons on digitization issues in academia. The majority of the articles describe
research conducted in the United States, but there are two articles from foreign sources, the UK
and Iran, which describe issues from a different perspective as much of the American literature.
Topic Description
The issues in digital academic libraries in many cases mirror those of traditional libraries.
For example, the articles in this library often mention issues in collection development, which is
a well-researched area in traditional print libraries. Other examples of similar trends in digital
libraries include publishing and scholarly communication, preservation of resources, and
metadata concerns. While the topics are familiar, the specifics of the problems facing digital
libraries are in many cases distinct from those of print libraries. For instance, in collection
development, there are concerns about what subscription model best meets needs when
supplying e-journals. There are also more general issues involving the addition of digital
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libraries to physical libraries, or in some cases the transition of resources from print to digital
format. There are also several notable areas of discussion which occur in digital libraries which
do not often appear in print libraries: the use of exclusively digital tools, either as research tools
or as means of sharing and making data and research available, as well as the concept of a
distributed library, wherein the library serves as a portal to external digital resources, rather than
collecting them itself.
Literature Review
One of the most common trends in the research on digital academic libraries involves
collection development. De Stefano(2001) notes that the choice of material selection is the
critical factor to the success or failure of a digital library project, and proposes that libraries
select resources for digitization which most benefit their communities needs, rather than
collections which may be unique or special in other ways. Jamali, Nicholas, and
Rowlands(2008) discuss the perceptions of e-books among academic users, and notes several
advantages and disadvantages that they have over print. McCutcheon, Kreyche, Maurer, and
Nickerson(2007) and Parandjuk(2010) both consider digital collection development as it is
impacted by other factors. McCutcheon discusses the issues surrounding academic thesis and
dissertation cataloging when there is no print copy, while Parandjuk considers the effects of
continuing increases in digital holdings on the information architecture of digital libraries.
Tenopir and Read(2000) and Wilson and Tenopir(2008) each consider how collection
development of digital resources can be guided by observing the needs of the academic
community. Tenopir and Read focus on database usage as an indicator of subscription needs,
while Wilson and Tenopir examine citation of electronic as compared to print resources by
publishing academics. These discussions of resource selection for digital libraries highlight the
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differences as well as the similarities between the considerations of resource selection for digital
collections.
A separate and nearly opposite trend in digital libraries in academia is the construction of
the digital library as a portal which leads to other, offsite resources. Distributed libraries can be
discussed as either a central clearinghouse of data and research, independent of universities, as
Borgman(2000, 2008) argues for, or as truly distributed resources throughout the visible and
invisible web which academics can refer to(Lewandowski and Mayr, 2006; Jeng, 2005). The
delineation between a distributed library and a library which subscribes to or is authorized to
access other collections is not clear. Parandjuk(2010) discusses the case of the PALMM system,
a shared and cooperative venture between the state universities of Florida, and Voss and
Procter(2009) discuss Virtual Research Environments(VREs), accumulations of research tools
and resources across various platforms for collaborative research. Included in the discussion of
distributed libraries are considerations of database as compared to Web resources, illustrated by
Mohsanzadeh and Isfandyari-Moghaddam's(2008) exploration of digital resource use in Iranian
academic libraries, where national information infrastructure may not support distributed
libraries as it does in America.
Related to collection development and distributed librarianship are issues of collaborative
research made possible by digital academic libraries. Voss and Procter(2009) see VREs as a new
platform for research to be done by teams across disciplines or geographical boundaries.
Borgman(2000, 2008) focuses on the effects of digital libraries on publishing, including the
possibility of circumventing traditional publication through electronic publishing with the
assistance of university libraries. Wulfman(2009) discusses the case of the Perseus project,
which collects a variety of early modern texts, and attempts to continually annotate them with
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links to new research as it develops. This type of project speeds the movement of ideas and
narrows the distinction between collaboration and reaction. Considerations of how the adoption
of digital resources alters the routes of scholarly communication include discussions of increased
use of digital resources such as the Web of Science to explore the literature(Wilson and Tenopir,
2008) or through increased visibility of previously hidden academic resources due to projects
such as Google Scholar and Vascoda(Lewandowski and Mayr, 2006).
Strung throughout the literature are discussions of the importance of metadata in any
digital library. Borgman(2008) argues that proper metadata is critical to constructing the
infrastructure which can support digital scholarly communication. Wulfman's(2009) discussion
of the Perseus project and Lewandowski and Mayr's(2006) examination of the academic
invisible web both demonstrate how proper metadata standards can bring order to otherwise
overwhelming quantities of digital information. McCutcheon et al.(2007) and Parandjuk(2010)
both consider the power of using librarian-formatted and user-filled metadata fields to organize
information as it is created, in the case of electronic theses and collaborative libraries,
respectively. Voss and Procter's paper on VREs includes discussions on the importance of
metadata for allowing researchers to efficiently find and use resources across platforms. A
common thread throughout all of these articles is the argument that standardization of metadata
improves its power, and the importance of standardization to as great a degree possible when
dealing with the glut of information available through digital libraries.
In addition to the discussion of digital libraries for collection and storage of information,
there is a healthy segment of the research concerned with the additional tools that a digital
environment makes available to academic researchers. Voss and Procter(2009) thoroughly
discuss the possibilities in their article on Virtual Research Environments: platforms which pull
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together tools to assist and empower researchers throughout the lifecycle of a research project,
from initial research to publication. Borgman(2000, 2008) examines how academics can
improve publication and communication in scholarly circles through the use of digital tools,
possibly creating distributed networks of thinkers outside of the traditional university.
Kibirige(2000) and Nicholas(2005) consider the use of existing tools such as search engines.
Both articles discuss the penetration of the search engine as the most popular digital tool not just
for the public, but in academic circles. Kibirige compares search engines to databases and finds
search engines to be much preferred, enough to argue that libraries should model their catalog
and resource interfaces on search engines. Meanwhile Nicholas covers digital tools offered by
journal publishers beyond basic search and browsing, and finds them severely under-used.
While the possibilities for digital research are exciting, the research currently shows the standard
search engine as the dominant force in designing new digital tools.
Another noticeable trend in the research is the concept of preservation. Preservation in
this case takes on a different tone from preservation of print or other physical objects. Much of
the research is concerned with preserving data itself to allow future researchers to study it,
independent of any given platform. Borgman(2000) brings up the concern that because much of
digital content is currently stored and owned by commercial enterprises, should it become
unprofitable to continue to store that data, or should the company go out of business, the
information becomes vulnerable, leading to a need to return libraries to their role as data
repositories. De Stefano(2001) argues that digital resource selection is only tangentially aligned
with standard ideas of preservation. De Stefano claims that digital resources should be selected
for their utility to the library community, which may not align with preservation of information
contained on physical materials, although it is not opposed. Voss and Procter(2009) argue along
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similar lines to Borgman in support of Virtual Research Environments. VRE projects need
steady access to reliable data and tools, and Voss and Procter argue that standardized, reliable
data repositories can provide the necessary support.
Throughout the discussion of digital resources and libraries, there are comparisons and
contrasts to the issues found in similar physical resources and libraries. Borgman(2000) studies
the differences between digital and print scholarly communication and publishing in great depth.
Jamali et al.(2008) surveyed over 16,000 members of the academic community to understand the
ways in which e-books are more or less useful than similar print resources. McCutcheon et
al.(2007) note how digital versions of theses can pull useful metadata from their physical
originals, such as title page, advisor signatures, abstract, etc. Wilson and Tenopir(2008) examine
the citation habits of academics to determine how they use physical and digital resources and
discover a trend towards digital use, hypothesizing that it may be driven by the library's own
focus on transition from print to electronic journals. Wulfman's(2009) article on the Perseus
project examines the possibilities for digital resources which are not available to print resources
in his discussion of hyperlinked annotations of early modern texts. While the focus of the
research is on the specifics of the digital issues, much of the research attempts to learn from
previous research done on physical analogues. Whether in the case of resources such as journals
or in organizing and acquiring information in collection and metadata policies, the research on
digital libraries flows from and is informed by previous research on print and print-dominated
libraries.
The research on digital trends in academic libraries as expanded in recent years, no doubt
due to the acceleration of technology itself, and the additional possibilities and considerations
that innovations in digital information systems bring. While these new technologies and systems
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are being developed, there seems to be a trend in the research showing that academic users are
slow to adapt to new systems. They prefer comfortable, simple search engines and are slow to
adopt new research tools being offered online. While electronic journals have been very
successful, many other digital resources lag in measures of use. In addition, much of the
research describes digital technology in terms of print systems, indicating a bridge between
traditional services and technologies and new digital options. Researchers and innovators
considering the application of digital library technology in academic libraries would be well
served to consider to what degree the innovations will be useful and usable to academic
communities, and design their systems and services accordingly.
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Annotated Bibliography
Entry 1
Borgman, C. L. (2000). Digital libraries and the continuum of scholarly communication. Journal
of Documentation, 56(4), 412-430.
Abstract: Contribution to a special issue in honour of the information scientist A. J. (Jack)
Meadows. Explores the relationship between scholarly communication and digital libraries.
Scholars, scholarly societies, publishers and libraries agree that their relationships have
become unbalanced with the advent of electronic publishing, digital libraries, computer
networks and associated changes in pricing, intellectual property policies and contracts, but
they do not agree on solutions to redress the balance. Discusses problems worthy of
research. (Original abstract - amended)
Annotation: This article covers scholarly publishing, as well as the notion of distributed
academic work, including both distributed resources as well as distributed researchers. This
article discusses the role of libraries in publishing academic work, and can be used to
support arguments in favor of libraries or other non-commercial entities being the main
repositories of scholarly work. Focuses on the instability of electronic articles, especially
their vulnerability to commercial forces.
Search Strategy: I had found Social SciSearch to have a good number of relevant results in
earlier searches and used a keyword search.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean, Title field
Search String: b7
ss (digital OR digitiz?)
ss (academi? OR university OR scholar?)
s librar?
s research
ss s7/TI
s s3 AND s8 AND s9 AND s10
Entry 2
Borgman, C. L. (2008). Data, disciplines, and scholarly publishing. Learned Publishing, 21(1),
29-38. doi:10.1087/095315108X254476
Abstract: Data are becoming an essential product of scholarship, complementing the roles of
journal articles, papers, and books. Research data can be reused to ask new questions, to
replicate studies, and to verify research findings. Data become even more valuable when
linked to publications and other related resources to form a value chain. Types and uses of
data vary widely between disciplines, as do the online availability of publications and the
incentives of scholars to publish their data. Publishers, scholars, and librarians each have
roles to play in constructing a new scholarly information infrastructure for e-research.
Technical, policy, and institutional components are maturing; the next steps are to integrate
them into a coherent whole. Achieving a critical mass of datasets in public repositories, with
links to and from publisher databases, is the most promising solution to maintaining and
sustaining the scholarly record in digital form. Adapted from the source document.
Annotation: This article covers several areas of the research. It discusses scholarly
communication and publishing in depth, touching on how digital technology and systems
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could create new avenues for dissemination of academic research. The article also touches
on the necessity of maintaining research data independently and the need for powerful
metadata to allow useful searching of the literature. This article summarizes some of the
important aspects of the transition from print to online publishing and is useful in
considering research pertaining to independent or open access publishing.
Search Strategy: I used Social SciSearch to find many of my results, including this one, with a
keyword search.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean with Title field.
Search String: b7
ss (digital OR digitiz?)
ss (academi? OR university OR scholar?)
s librar?
s research
ss s7/TI
s s3 AND s8 AND s9 AND s10
Entry 3
De Stefano, P. (2001). Selection for digital conversion in academic libraries. College and
Research Libraries, 62(1), 58-69.
Abstract: Electronic technology has begun to change the way scholars conduct their research.
Before this new approach to scholarly inquiry becomes a viable and productive method in
institutions of higher learning, the existing resources that a scholar normally would use in
the library must be converted to a digital format in order to be accessible electronically.
How do academic libraries set about creating a body of knowledge and begin to convert
traditional print collections to a digital format in order to satisfy what today's researchers
want? This article examines previous methods of selection and collection building, and
applies those supporting principles to today's collection-building efforts for digital
collections. (Original abstract)
Annotation: The article discusses methods and rationales behind decisions covering what
materials academic libraries should prioritize for digital collections. Notably, it argues
against educational or preservation motivations, instead arguing that resources which would
best serve the explicit library community should be given priority. Specifically, this means
digitization of resources for the use of students and professors, which is in opposition to the
popular trend of digitizing rare and underused but fragile collections.
Search Strategy: I used Social SciSearch in Dialog to find this result. This was part of an early
wave of searching and so was a fairly basic keyword search. I had experimented with
different search strings and used a single long search.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword search
Search String: b7
s (digitization OR digital) AND academic AND (library OR libraries) AND
research
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Entry 4
Jamali, H. R., Nicholas, D., & Rowlands, I. (2009). Scholarly e-books: The views of 16,000
academics results from the JISC national E-book observatory. Aslib Proceedings, 61(1), 3347.
Abstract: Purpose -- This study, a part of JISC-funded UK National E-Books Observatory, aims
to find out about the perspective of students and academics, the main e-book users, on ebooks. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper provides an analysis of two open-ended
questions about e-books, contained in a UK national survey conducted between 18 January
and 1 March 2008. The survey obtained a response from more than 20,000 academic staff
and students; 16,000 free-text responses were obtained to these two questions. Findings -The study discloses that convenience associated with online access along with searchability
was the biggest advantage of e-books. The study shows a potential market for e-textbooks;
however, e-books have yet to become more student-friendly by improving features such as
printing and screenreading. Originality/value -- This is the biggest survey of its kind ever
conducted and it improves one's knowledge of what the academic community thinks of ebooks. Adapted from the source document.
Annotation: The article discusses the perceived usefulness of e-books when compared to print
resources for academic users. Jamali and Rowlands find many reasons to support the use of
e-books from the survey data, as well as several downsides, mostly related to copyright
issues interfering with storage and printing. The article fails to elaborate on the power of
copyright issues for e-books, and does not discuss whether it is realistic to consider
universities providing e-book readers to students or other external factors that might
interfere with e-book adoption.
Search Strategy: I had found many useful results in Dialog and wanted to expand my database
selection, so I chose to search LISTA for more results, to see what I could get with keyword
searching outside of Dialog.
Database: Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts(LISTA)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean
Search String: (digital OR digitiz*) AND (academi* OR university OR scholar*) AND research
Entry 5
Jeng, J. (2005). Usability assessment of academic digital libraries: Effectiveness, efficiency,
satisfaction, and learnability. Libri, 55(2-3), 96-121.
Abstract: This study is to develop and evaluate methods and instruments for assessing the
usability of digital libraries. It discusses the dimensions of usability, what methods have
been applied in evaluating usability of digital libraries, their applicability, and criteria. It is
found in the study that there exists an interlocking relationship among effectiveness,
efficiency, and satisfaction. It provides operational criteria for effectiveness, efficiency,
satisfaction, and learnability. It discovers users' criteria on "ease of use," "organization of
information," "terminology and labeling," "visual attractiveness," and "mistake recovery."
Common causes of "user lost-ness" were found. "Click cost" was examined. (Original
abstract)
Annotation: The article is focused on methods of evaluation of academic digital resources. The
methods proposed are sound and there is a thorough discussion of possible evaluation
methods. This article is valuable as a resource to critically examine a library's digital
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collections, and focuses on issues of human-computer interaction and usability, which are
the baseline for useful resources.
Search Strategy: Having already found a good base of articles through keyword searching, I
chose to expand my results with an author search, and excluding the science citation index
in Web of Science.
Database: Web of Science
Method of Searching: Author search
Search String: Author=(jeng j)
Timespan=All Years. Databases=SSCI, A&HCI.
Entry 6
Kibirige, H. M., & DePalo, L. (2000). The internet as a source of academic research information:
Findings of two pilot studies. Information Technology and Libraries, 19(1), 11-16.
Abstract: As a source of serious subject-oriented information, the Internet has been a powerful
feature in the information arena since its inception. It was, however, initially restricted to
government contractors or major research universities operating under the aegis of the
Advanced Research Projects Network (ARPANET). In the 1990s, the content and use of the
Internet was expanded to include mundane subjects covered in business, industry, education,
government, entertainment, and a host of other areas. It has become a magnanimous
network of networks the measurement of whose size, impact, and content often elude
serious scholarly effort. Opening the Internet to common usage literally opened the
floodgates of what has come to be known as the information superhighway. Currently, there
is virtually no subject that cannot be found on the Internet in one form or another. (Original
abstract)
Annotation: This article discusses the extent to which the internet is useful as a source of
scholarly knowledge. The article is somewhat idealistic, possibly due to its date of
publication, 10 years ago. However, the article does highlight some important issues, such
as the preference of users for search engines as opposed to more powerful and authoritative
databases.
Search Strategy: I expanded my search of authors who wrote on appropriate topics in Web of
Science, using authors derived from ERIC, Social SciSearch, LISA, LLIS, and LISTA.
Database: Web of Science
Method of Searching: Author search
Search String: Author=(kibirige hm)
Timespan=All Years. Databases=SSCI, A&HCI.
Entry 7
Lewandowski, D., & Mayr, P. (2006). Exploring the academic invisible web. Library Hi Tech,
24(4), 529-539. doi:10.1108/07378830610715392
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this article is to provide a critical review of Bergman's study
on the deep web. In addition, this study brings a new concept into the discussion, the
academic invisible web (AIW). The paper defines the academic invisible web as consisting
of all databases and collections relevant to academia but not searchable by the generalpurpose internet search engines. Indexing this part of the invisible web is central to scientific
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search engines. This paper provides an overview of approaches followed thus far.
Design/methodology/approach: Provides a discussion of measures and calculations,
estimation based on informetric laws. Also gives a literature review on approaches for
uncovering information from the invisible web. Findings: Bergman's size estimate of the
invisible web is highly questionable. This paper demonstrates some major errors in the
conceptual design of the Bergman paper. A new (raw) size estimate is given. Research
limitations/implications: The precision of this estimate is limited due to a small sample size
and lack of reliable data. Practical implications: This study can show that no single library
alone will be able to index the academic invisible web. The study suggests a collaboration to
accomplish this task. Originality/value: Provides library managers and those interested in
developing academic search engines with data on the size and attributes of the academic
invisible web. (Author abstract)
Annotation: This article discusses how to open the invisible web to academic searchers, and
explains that much of the invisible web consists of academic resources: databases of articles,
data repositories, and other useful links. The article briefly mentions some efforts to begin
to index and make searchable the academic invisible web, such as Google Scholar.
However, the article fails to analyze those efforts themselves, instead simply stating that
they have as yet been insufficient to the task.
Search Strategy: This article was a result from my early wave of searching, using a relatively
simple keyword search in Social SciSearch in Dialog.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean
Search String: s (digitization OR digital) AND academic AND (library OR libraries) AND
research
Entry 8
McCutcheon, S., Kreyche, M., Maurer, M. B., & Nickerson, J. (2008). Morphing metadata:
Maximizing access to electronic theses and dissertations. Library Hi Tech, 26(1), 41-57.
doi:10.1108/07378830810857799
Abstract: Purpose - This paper aims to describe work at Kent State University Libraries and
Media Services to promote and devise electronic thesis and dissertation (ETD) storage at
OhioLINK's ETD Center, to find efficient methods to represent these unique scholarly
materials within the library's catalog, and to foster the establishment of state-wide library
catalog standards for ETDs. Design/methodology/approach - A semi-automated process has
been devised that extracts student-supplied metadata already available in the OhioLINK
ETD Center to provide almost instantaneous access to unique resources through the library
catalog. A Perl program uses the OAI-PMH protocol to extract metadata, modifies and
enhances the data, and inserts it into the Innovative Interfaces, Inc. catalog. Significant
effort was made to map the data from ETD-MS to MARC. Catalogers retrieve records for
completion and contribute full bibliographic records to OCLC WorldCat in addition to the
local and consortium catalogs. Findings - The process successfully produces a provisional
bibliographic record that is useful immediately for resource discovery and that can serve as
the basis for full cataloging. Practical implications - This research provides libraries with a
method they can adapt locally to provide provisional level access, full level access, or both,
to unique scholarly research. Originality/value - This research broke new ground regarding
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the use of a software agent to repurpose metadata in library catalogs. It also impacted
national cataloging standards for ETDs. Adapted from the source document.
Annotation: This article contains a discussion of how to usefully and efficiently create a digital
repository of theses and dissertations which will not always have physical copies published.
It is very useful for its discussion of the power of metadata, particularly the suggestion that
author-contributed metadata within librarian-formatted fields be used. Also mentions the
need for standardization of metadata, a recurring theme in the research.
Search Strategy: Social SciSearch in Dialog yielded many results, including this one, using a
keyword search.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean
Search String: s (digitization OR digital) AND academic AND (library OR libraries) AND
research
Entry 9
Mohsenzadeh, F., & Isfandyari-Moghaddam, A. (2009). Application of information technologies
in academic libraries. The Electronic Library, 27(6), 986-998.
Abstract: Purpose: The main purpose of this investigation is to define the status of the
application of information technology in academic libraries located in Kerman, the center
and largest city of Kerman Province, Iran, and to understand the problems and difficulties in
using information technology in these libraries. Design/methodology/approach: The survey
has covered 17 libraries belonging to Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman Medical
University and Islamic Azad University. Two kinds of questionnaires were distributed to
libraries one for librarians and the other for library staff. The findings of the survey have
been analyzed using SPSS software. Findings: Results show that the level of application of
information technology in Kerman academic libraries is acceptable but they should improve
their status to match with ever increasing demand for better librarian services at universities
the most important problem and serious difficulty is the lack of educated librarians, which
needs a suitable investment and planning and, although about 70 percent of librarians in
Kerman academic libraries have participated in related training courses, the most serious
difficulty in using information technology is still the lack of educated librarians. Practical
implications: Based on the research findings, several suggestions for improvements can be
made, for example: recruitment of multi-skilled librarians familiar with information
technologies related to the mechanism of work in academic libraries planning and designing
ongoing courses of information technology and related skills promotion and introduction of
various academic library services through compiling and publishing manuals and guides
equipping academic libraries with more information technology facilities having a special
budget for development of information technology infrastructure overcoming
telecommunication barriers and shortcomings to better use of information technology and
mechanization of all academic library departments to provide information services more
optimally and speedily. Originality/value: The research studies the rate of using information
technologies in Iran as a developing country. Hopefully, uncovering and understanding
some unknowns based on such investigations can help to address the digital divide within
universities and countries governing them. Adapted from the source document.
Annotation: This article discusses the adoption rates of various forms of digital technology in
the universities in Kerman, Iran. This article is somewhat of an outlier, but is valuable as a
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reference point of the baseline for digitization efforts in academic libraries. Iran lacks the
public and academic infrastructure which support much of American digital library efforts,
and the contrast allows this article to more easily illustrate some of the issues confronting
universities attempting to improve their digital libraries.
Search Strategy: This result was from my early set of searches in Social SciSearch in Dialog,
using keywords.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean
Search String: s (digitization OR digital) AND academic AND (library OR libraries) AND
research
Entry 10
Nicholas, D., Huntington, P., Monopoli, M., & Watkinson, A. (2006). Engaging with scholarly
digital libraries (publisher platforms): The extent to which "added-value" functions are used.
Information Processing & Management, 42(3), 826-842.
Abstract: The third paper to emanate from Ciber's Virtual Scholar research programme, which
looks at the information seeking behaviour of academics and researchers in regard to digital
journal libraries (publisher platforms). This paper concentrates on the users and usage of
Blackwell Synergy's "added-value" functionality. Nearly a million users, making 10 million
item requests were investigated employing deep log methods, developed by the authors to
provide robust and big picture analyses of digital information consumers and their
behaviour. Through such methods usage data has been embellished with user data (for
500,000 people), so enabling comparisons to be made between the information seeking
behaviour, for instance, of students and staff, academics and practitioners. We believe this is
the first time this type of analysis has been attempted with logs. In this paper we concentrate
on those things that users do in a digital library that goes beyond simple use and browsing
(constructing interest profiles, employing pop-ups, requesting articles by email and using the
search engine). This tells us something about how strongly the users engage or interact with
the digital library by benefiting from or exploiting all its functions and whether it is cost
effective for publishers to provide, what appears to be a never-ending number of facilities.
(Original abstract)
Annotation: This article examines the functions created and offered by commercial publishers
of scholarly journals. The discussion and data are valuable, and demonstrate that many
powerful tools go severely under-used, even relatively basic ones such as the search tool or
email tools. A good resource to discuss under-utilized resources and analyze for methods of
improving resources and attracting users to them to improve searching and use of
functionality.
Search Strategy: This result was from a later set of searches in Social SciSearch in Dialog,
using a more refined keyword search, as well as restricting one set of terms to the Title field.
Database: Social SciSearch (Dialog file 7)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean with Title field
Search String: b7
ss (digital OR digitiz?)
ss (academi? OR university OR scholar?)
s librar?
s research
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ss s7/TI
s s3 AND s8 AND s9 AND s10
Entry 11
Parandjuk, J. C. (2010). Using information architecture to evaluate digital libraries. The
Reference Librarian, 51(2), 124-134.
Abstract: Information users face increasing amounts of digital content, some of which is held in
digital library collections. Academic librarians have the dual challenge of organizing online
library content and instructing users in how to find, evaluate, and use digital information.
Information architecture supports evolving library services by bringing best practice
principles to digital collection development. Information architects organize content with a
user-centered, customer oriented approach that benefits library users in resource discovery.
The Publication of Archival, Library & Museum Materials (PALMM), a cooperative digital
initiative of the state university libraries of Florida, demonstrates the value of information
architecture to digital libraries. Adapted from the source document.
Annotation: This article discusses distributed library efforts, specifically a shared archive of
materials across the Florida state university system. It is useful for its discussion of the need
for standardization of both platforms and metadata, as well as file formatting in distributed
libraries. Parandjuk also discusses the power of user-generated metadata and the need to
focus on the community being served rather than the wider public in digital libraries. A
good overview of many of the issues of modern digital libraries, and very recently
published, increasing its value.
Search Strategy: This result came from expanding my search outside of Dialog and into other
databases, continuing to use keyword searches. I limited some of my terms to the abstract
field in order to narrow the results from previous broad searches
Database: Library Literature and Information Science Fulltext(LLIS)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean with Abstract field.
Search String: (digital OR digitiz*) <in> Abstract AND (academi* OR university OR scholar*)
<in> Abstract AND librar* <in> Abstract AND
Limited to: PEER_REVIEWED
Entry 12
Tenopir, C., & Read, E. (2000). Patterns of database use in academic libraries. College and
Research Libraries, 61(3), 234-246.
Abstract: Reports results of a questionnaire user survey of database usage gathered from a
random sample of academic libraries in the USA and Canada which reveal patterns of use in
selected types of libraries. Library users tend to use commercial online databases most
frequently early in the week, at midday and at times that correspond to the academic
calendar (November in this six-month sample). On average, relatively low numbers of users
are simultaneously logged on to research databases at any size of library. A questionnaire
sent to these same libraries identified many other factors that might influence database use,
including level of instruction, availability of remote login and placement of a database on
the library's home page, although none of these factors was found to be statistically
significant. (Original abstract - amended)
Janec 17
Annotation: This article studies the patterns of database use across a wide variety of university
and college libraries over time. It finds that database use peaks in accordance with the
academic schedule. Of particular note is the finding that a great deal of the database needs
of a community can be satisfied with relatively few concurrent subscriptions to a given
database. Most databases are not used concurrently, and satisfaction and ability to access a
database can be brought above 95% with very few subscriptions, as low as 5 in the case of
baccalaureate institutions, larger numbers in research institutions. Useful for a researcher
considering how to allocate library resources or interested in establishing a digital
collections or subscriptions policy.
Search Strategy: This result was from my initial set of searches in Dialog, using keyword to
search Social SciSearch.
Database: Social SciSearch
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean
Search String: s (digitization OR digital) AND academic AND (library OR libraries) AND
research
Entry 13
Voss, A., & Procter, R. (2009). Virtual research environments in scholarly work and
communications. Library Hi Tech, Vol.27, no.2, 27(2)
Abstract: Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to investigate the implications of the
emergence of virtual research environments (VREs) and related e-Research tools for
scholarly work and communications processes. Design/methodology/approach -- The
concepts of VREs and of e-Research more generally are introduced and relevant literature is
reviewed. On this basis, we discuss the developing role they play in research practices
across a number of disciplines and how scholarly communication is beginning to evolve in
response to the opportunities these new tools open up and the challenges they raise. Findings
-- Virtual research environments are beginning to change the ways in which researchers go
about their work and how they communicate with each other and with other stakeholders
such as publishers and service providers. The changes are driven by the changing landscape
of data production, curation and (re-)use, by new scientific methods, by changes in
technology supply and the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of research in many
domains. Research limitations/implications -- The paper is based on observations drawn
from a number of projects in which we are investigating the uptake of advanced ICT in
research. We describe the role of VREs as enablers of changing research practices and the
ways in which they engender changes in scholarly work and communications. Practical
implications -- Librarians and other information professionals need to be aware of how
advanced ICTs are being used by researchers to change the ways they work and
communicate. Through their experiences with the integration of virtual learning
environments within library information services, they are well placed to inform
developments that may well change scholarly communications fundamentally.
Originality/value -- The paper contributes to emerging discussions about the likely trajectory
and impact of advanced ICTs on research and their implications for those, such as librarians
and other information professionals, who occupy important support roles. Adapted from the
source document.
Annotation: This article is future-oriented, and discusses Virtual Research Environments(VREs)
as a new platform to encourage cross-disciplinary and distributed research. The discussion
Janec 18
of the requirements for such platforms is thorough, but there is insufficient discussion of the
many barriers to their implementation. Specifically, the resistance of many academic users
to radical new research methods, as well as the difficulty in gathering a unified suite of tools
from the wide and sometimes incompatible array of independent digital research aids
available. The article is still useful as a source of discussion or a means to push for the
platforms discussed, but is perhaps over-optimistic about implementation.
Search Strategy: This was a search expanding on my existing set of articles in Web of Science.
To find this article I followed the citations of the paper s-Science and its implications for the
library community by Hey, T
Database: Web of Science
Method of Searching: Citation search in Web of Science
Search String: Citation search from
Title: e-Science and its implications for the library community
Author(s): Hey, T
Source: LIBRARY HI TECH Volume: 24 Issue: 4 Pages: 515-528 Published:
2006
Entry 14
Wilson, C. S., & Tenopir, C. (2008). Local citation analysis, publishing and reading patterns:
Using multiple methods to evaluate faculty use of an academic library's research collection.
Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(9), 1393-1408.
doi:10.1002/asi.20812
Abstract: This study assessed the intermix of local citation analysis and survey of journal use
and reading patterns for evaluating an academic library's research collection. Journal articles
and their cited references from faculties at the University of New South Wales were
downloaded from the Web of Science (WoS) and journal impact factors from the Journal
Citation Reports. The survey of the University of New South Wales (UNSW) academic staff
asked both reader-related and reading-related questions. Both methods showed that
academics in medicine published more and had more coauthors per paper than academics in
the other faculties; however, when correlated with the number of students and academic
staff, science published more and engineering published in higher impact journals. When
"recalled" numbers of articles published were compared to "actual" numbers, all faculties
over-estimated their productivity by nearly two-fold. The distribution of cited serial
references was highly skewed with over half of the titles cited only once. The survey results
corresponded with U.S. university surveys with one exception: Engineering academics
reported the highest number of article readings and read mostly for research related
activities. Citation analysis data showed that the UNSW library provided the majority of
journals in which researchers published and cited, mostly in electronic formats. However,
the availability of non-journal cited sources was low. The joint methods provided both
confirmatory and contradictory results and proved useful in evaluating library research
collections.
Annotation: This article analyzes the citation habits of a group of academics to determine what
types of resources published scholars use. The article notes that the majority of the citations
are listed in Web of Science, and also that a minority but growing number of citations are
from electronic resources, particularly serials. The most notable aspect of the research is the
difference in electronic resource use between disciplines and by resource cited.
Janec 19
Monographs are most heavily cited in humanities and arts while serials are most heavily
cited in sciences and engineering. In addition, serials are most heavily digitized while
monographs are sparsely digitized. This research serves as a good source to begin
explaining the difference in electronic resource usage by discipline by analyzing research
methodologies and traditions.
Search Strategy: This search was part of my author searching expansion in the Web of Science.
Searching for <tenopir c> returned several hundred results, so I narrowed them by searching
within the results for <academic>, to narrow the hits to appropriate articles.
Database: Web of Science
Method of Searching: Author search, refined by keyword
Search String: Author=(tenopir c)
Refined by: Topic=(academic)
Timespan=All Years. Databases=SSCI, A&HCI.
Entry 15
Wulfman, C. E. (2009). The perseus garner: Early modern resources in the digital age. College
Literature, 36(1), 18-25.
Abstract: This paper describes the Perseus Garner, an experiment in encoding and displaying
the dense interlinkage among primary and secondary texts of interest to students and
scholars of the Early Modern period. Because these texts co-exist in an integrated digital
library, readers can exploit a suite of tools to discover new relationships and ask new
questions. Perseus's dense interlinking does more than make connections explicit, however:
it foregrounds them in a way that is troubling to those who worry that disturbing the
traditional hierarchy of primary sources and secondary commentary will draw readers away
from close contact with literature. Despite its shortcomings, the Perseus Garner suggests an
aim for this research: a hypervariorum whose mode of conceptualizing and rendering the
relationship of text and annotation challenges the traditional model of "perpetual
commentary" and promises to denature synthetic criticism into a full, turbid stream of
scholarly discovery and critical opinion.
Annotation: This article focuses on the issues arising from very involved annotation of a
specific group of texts. The texts are often very well-known, such as the works of
Shakespeare, and have a great deal of scholarship related to them. The article discusses
some of the problems that arise when attempting to fully annotate such a resource with the
evolving scholarship through digital links. Of most interest is the discussion on how the
information can quickly become very overwhelming and the user can become lost.
Search Strategy: This result came from expanding my search out of Dialog to additional library
science databases such as LISA, LLIS, and LISTA. I used a keyword Boolean string to
search.
Database: Library, Information Science and Technology Abstracts(LISTA)
Method of Searching: Keyword Boolean
Search String: (digital OR digitiz*) AND (academi* OR university OR scholar*) AND (librar*)
AND research
Janec 20
Personal Statement
Creating this bibliography left me with two major reactions. The first was an
appreciation for the depth and breadth of scholarship available on a given subject, and the second
was on how constructing an annotated bibliography serves as an excellent overview for a specific
area of research. Searching for, reading and annotating the variety of articles necessary to create
the bibliography gave me a very good overview of the scholarship in my topic area. The
research was certainly more broad than I had expected, and the trends that emerged were not the
ones I had expected. In particular, the focus on certain physical issues in digital libraries initially
surprised me, although after reading several papers the trends began to make sense. In addition
to the content of the research, there was a huge amount of potential matches. I found nearly 100
articles which seemed roughly applicable to my topic, and spent a great deal of time skimming
them, reading abstracts, and narrowing down to a reasonable number in several waves. I think
that in part this was due to the closeness of my topic choice to user studies, which were a large
segment of my initial results. Separating research which studies users to learn about resources
from that which studies users themselves was sometimes tricky, and that scholarship seems vast.
However, even after narrowing my articles to likely results, there were still a wide variety
of possibilities. I noticed many trends and had to re-read and consider the articles several times
to decide what trends were most important and which appeared only a few times, or only very
recently or very long ago. Perhaps my topic choice was initially too vague, leaving me to
winnow my articles down rather than building them up as other people seemed to be doing.
Regardless, the creation of the bibliography alone served very well to acquaint me not only with
the research, but with some of the more prominent names. Annotated bibliographies seem like
an excellent way to being a research project of one's own. Not only do they give an overview of
Janec 21
which areas need research and which have been covered, they also begin your research for you.
I think this ability will serve me well in higher level classes requiring research, and especially
should I continue to other advanced degrees as I hope to. Even should I not create additional
bibliographies, the exercise certainly cemented some of the searching ideas we have covered this
semester.
Janec 22
I certify that:

This paper/project/exam is entirely my own work.
 I have not quoted the words of any other person from a printed source, online source, or a
website without indicating what has been quoted and providing an appropriate citation.

I have not submitted this paper / project to satisfy the requirements of any other course.
Signature_Eric Janec_________________________
Date
__12/8/10__________________