Libraries in Second Life: Linking Collections,Clients, and Communities in a Virtual World

The multi-user virtual environment Second Life has drawn attention from many librarians who established virtual libraries and information spaces there. Even as interest in Second Life diminishes, it is worthwhile to look at how libraries in Second Life were established and what models they followed. This study examines the purposes, users, collections, and community integration of Second Life libraries. Researchers identified over 75 libraries in Second Life through the professional literature and search results within Second Life. Using this sample, they identified seven general categories of libraries and discuss examples of each. Some Second Life library spaces help to set a scene and contribute to the ethos of a larger space. Other Second Life libraries connect physical libraries with virtual communities. Still others serve communities that exist only in virtual spaces, supporting common interests or role-playing scenarios. Finally, some Second Life libraries expand understandings of what a virtual library might be, whether through imaginative architecture or unusual collections. Second Life libraries offer collections of resources tailored to the needs of individual communities and make them available in different formats. They also offer social and educational programs, much as physical libraries do. Whatever the future of Second Life, the libraries that have been established there raise important questions for future virtual library work.     

Study-Abroad Programs as Information Producers: An Expanding Role for Support of Our Students Studying Abroad

ABSTRACT

Though increasing numbers of students spend time studying abroad, there has been little discussion regarding the needs of study-abroad students as a distinct user group. The little research that has been done in this area focuses on support for study-abroad students as information users. This article expands the conversation to consider the librarian's role in supporting study-abroad students as producers of valuable information, particularly as study-abroad programs expand to nontraditional locations and focus on project-based and service-learning activities of direct benefit to their host communities. A model for creating digital libraries that supports the work of study-abroad programs in Monteverde, Costa Rica, is presented. Through multi-institutional collaboration, use of graduate student interns, and digital library technology, information produced by study-abroad programs of relevance to both local communities and future researchers is now accessible. Options for wider future support for study-abroad students as information producers are considered.     

Referral Marketing Campaigns

SUMMARY

Libraries' information consumer market share continues to freefall despite the opportunities that have emerged with the arrival of the Information Age. We've built digital libraries, offering access to immense digital collections of quality resources, and online service desks staffed by skilled experts, but the crowds are not coming. Marketing missteps are largely to blame for the declining role of libraries in people's lives. There is an awareness gap between the offering of digital libraries and the communities they serve. Word-of-mouth (WOM), or referral marketing, modeled on blogs like Slashdot <http://www.slashdot.org>, is the key to increasing traffic to licensed digital library resources. Face-to-face and electronically mediated WOM marketing can turn back the tide of falling market share, and regain lost positioning, in the communities a library serves.     

基于分级学科树的协同浏览

指出用户在数字图书馆虚拟空间内所形成的虚拟社区是很有价值的情报源,通过采用分级学科树区分和组织用户社区,结合支持用户社区内/间通信、协作及信息管理的用户代理服务,可以实现基于分级学科树的协同浏览,帮助图书馆用户提高信息搜寻效率,缓解资源过载和资源耗散问题。     

Is the Medium the Message? Examining Transactions Conducted via Text in Comparison with Traditional Virtual Reference Methods

Texting is a widespread mode of communication and libraries are experimenting with it to interact with users. This article presents the results of a study on virtual reference service. The authors seek to determine whether or not the texting service is filling a different information need than chat and email by examining the level of difficulty and the topic of questions using these different methods of communication. Findings indicate a marked difference between the type and complexity of questions sent via text and traditional forms of virtual reference, and suggest that texting fills a complimentary role in relation to other traditional virtual reference communication channels used within libraries.     

Exploring Innovative Information Seeking: The Perspectives of Cognitive Switching and Affinity with Digital Libraries

Drawing on adaptive structuration theory (AST), this study develops a research model to explore innovative information seeking in the context of digital libraries from the perspectives of cognitive switching and affinity. Innovative information seeking behavior is the combination of innovative IT (information technologies) use behavior and information seeking behavior and subsequently refers to innovative IT use oriented to information seeking. A research model was developed and survey data were collected. The partial least squares (PLS) structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to verify the research model. The findings suggest that affinity with digital libraries is the most powerful determinant of innovative information seeking. Meanwhile, task nonroutineness and disconfirmation have positive effects on innovative information seeking; the effect of social influence on innovative information seeking is overpowered by affinity with digital libraries. The findings and their implications for theory and practice are discussed.     

The Impact of Digital Resource and Service Use on Urban Residents in New England Public Libraries—A Survey Report

Today, access to digital information is essential to patrons using public libraries, whether they have contact with computers at home, work or school or whether the public library is their only contact. In order to evaluate and ultimately enhance public library digital resources and services, it is critical for administrators, librarians and digital information architects to recognize the impact their current digital offerings have on users. This study utilizes a survey to gauge the perceptions of patrons who use digital resources and services in six urban New England public libraries as part of ongoing research into digital information access in public libraries in the United States from the perspective of users.     

The Internet Access and Use in Public Libraries in Limpopo Province,South Africa

ABSTRACT

Citizens, including those living in poor and developing countries, need equitable access to information daily to satisfy their diverse and multiple information needs. In this information age and information economy era, easy and instant access to information and knowledge, which are inevitabilities for socio-economic development, cannot be overemphasised. With rolling out of public libraries even in disadvantaged rural communities due to the library conditional grant in South Africa, the study is aimed at investigating factors influencing the Internet access and use in public libraries in Limpopo. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. The twenty four users of three rural, semi-rural and urban public libraries were selected through convenience sampling. A well-placed government official of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture was purposively selected. All informants were interviewed face to face to collect data. The study found that, although public libraries studied have networked computers for the Internet access and use, there are many challenges. The officials of the relevant department need to study the recommendations of this study to ensure that the people have digital access in public libraries to mitigate the diverse socio-economic challenges they are facing to improve their lives.     

虚拟参考咨询优化策略探微

分析基于国内虚拟参考咨询存在的问题,结合图书馆虚拟参考咨询运行的现状,提出整合网上信息资源;通过FAQ、BBS、网上导航等方式,方便用户自导式服务;完善电子邮件服务;开展多种形式的协作服务等措施,以促进虚拟参考咨询工作稳定、可持续的发展。     

智能虚拟助手助力公共图书馆读者开展数字阅读

智能化时代,为满足用户碎片化的阅读需求,智能虚拟助手作为一种高质量的人机交互方式而出现,帮助用户提升阅读体验。论文基于数字阅读的视角,将智能问答引入公共图书馆数字阅读,构建基于智能推荐的智能阅读助手,虚拟角色在线陪读,个性化推送用户感兴趣的信息,实现经典阅读推广与智能化新技术的协同发展,智能助手为用户提供了便捷的阅读服务,提升了用户阅读的积极性,推进全民阅读,促进阅读推广。     

数字图书馆的个性化信息服务

数字图书馆的个性化信息服务,-是用户根据自身的需求定制自己所需的资源、信息和服务;二是数字图书馆针对用户的个性和特点,主动为用户选择并传递动态信息.数字图书馆个性化信息服务的内容主要包括:个性化的界面设置、个性化的信息环境和个性化的信息快报.     

基于不完全模糊语言的高校数字图书馆信息资源推荐系统的构建研究

提出基于不完全模糊语言的高校数字图书馆信息资源推荐系统,该系统中,用户兴趣模型的建立不要求用户直接提供偏好信息,而是允许用户通过不完全模糊语言偏好关系来表达个人偏好,这样既为用户节省时间和精力,又能获取更加准确的用户偏好,从而大大提高推荐精度。系统同时还引入"用户协作偏好",有助于用户开展多学科研究或参与合作研究项目。     

Using Information Architecture to Evaluate Digital Libraries

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.     

网络环境下高校图书馆信息服务模式研究

在信息数字化、网络化、虚拟化环境中,高校图书馆必须以方便用户、服务读者为宗旨,结合实际建立新型信息服务模式。网络环境下高校图书馆信息服务模式应以嵌入式学科服务平台促进学科发展,以渗透式育人平台培育科研尖兵,以科技查新促知识更新和科研创新,以学术信息共享空间营造百家争鸣的学术氛围,从而为学科评估和制订学科发展规划提供依据,促进高校的科技创新活动,实现高校及其图书馆的可持续发展。     

信息整流与知识增值服务

本文提出数字图书馆的主要功能目标是信息整流与知识增值服务 ;信息与知识转换是数字图书馆的关键理论和技术问题。图书馆受到Internet的巨大冲击、不再是文献信息服务的唯一提供者 ,数字图书馆如何才能挽回失去的老用户 ,吸引新用户 ?知识管理工程将使数字图书馆成为 2 1世纪学习的大平台、文化知识的大平台和知识资源中心。     

用户体验与数字图书馆个性化服务的关系分析

论述数字图书馆的个性化服务是从信息提供者的角度为用户量身定制的信息服务,用户体验则是用户利用这种服务的经历与感受。用户体验与数字图书馆个性化服务之间的关系主要表现为：用户体验要求数字图书馆提供个性化服务,数字图书馆个性化服务有助于用户获得愉快的体验,成功的体验增强用户对数字图书馆个性化服务系统的信任,数字图书馆可借助用户体验设计来提高自身的个性化服务能力。     

Social media as a platform in academic library marketing: A comparative study

Social media like Facebook have become popular tools for different organizations like libraries in marketing practice. To build relationships with library users, libraries hope social media can engage its user communities actively with their collections, services, and activities. This paper aims at evaluating the effectiveness of using social media as a platform in marketing through a questionnaire on the Facebook page of the University of Hong Kong Libraries (HKUL), comparing the perspectives of students and faculty members. Both the current situation of HKUL's Facebook page and the reasons affecting users' interest and participation in the page are evaluated, in order to suggest better strategies for the library to deal with the needs of library users in the future. Other university libraries can also gain new insights from the study.This research has the following key findings: 1. The marketing practices of HKUL's Facebook page generally did not receive adequate attention and reactions from users; 2. Students were more engaged than faculty members in HKUL's Facebook page, as students use more varieties of library services than faculty members; 3. User needs, social media content, and interactions generally affected user acceptance of the library's Facebook marketing.     

数字图书馆的体系结构

数字图书馆(Dlib)主要是为了解决信息资源的有效利用而产生的。数字图书馆要解决的是现在Internet存在的主要问题信息查找困难、异构信息仓储的互操作性和缺乏对大规模分布数据的操作机制。Dlib的关键技术是研究数字化信息的有效组织结构,解决各个信息仓储间的互操作性,形成Dlib基础体系结构以有效地操作大规模的、分布的数字化信息。其目标是实现跨仓储的统一检索,为用户提供一个虚拟的、统一的信息网络。文章重点介绍了国际上有影响的三大数字图书馆体系结构互联信息空间(Interspace)、信息总线(InfoBus)和基于代理(agent)的体系结构。最后,文章总结了Dlib体系结构设计和实现的技术特点及其发展趋势。     

数字图书馆学习资源使用现状调查分析

通过对我国近20所高校教育技术学专业的硕士研究生利用数字图书馆学习资源的调查表明,数字图书馆学习资源的评价和使用均值之间没有必然联系影响用户使用数字图书馆学习资源的阻碍因素复杂;数字图书馆的使用率低于搜索引擎;用户缺乏资源贡献意识。因此,应继续研究用户利用学习资源的情况,从而改善自身服务,帮助读者更好地利用学习资源。