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LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues Introduction to the Internet

LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues Introduction to the Internet. Andy Dawson School of Library, Archive & Information Studies, UCL (University of Malta 2008). What we will be covering today. What is the Internet? How does it work? What can we do with it?.

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LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues Introduction to the Internet

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  1. LIS1510Library and Archives Automation IssuesIntroduction tothe Internet Andy Dawson School of Library, Archive & Information Studies, UCL(University of Malta 2008) Andy Dawson

  2. What we will be covering today • What is the Internet? • How does it work? • What can we do with it?

  3. What we will be covering today • Developing trends on the net • Extensible markup • Trends in epublishing • Social software • Web 2.0 • What problems do we have with finding information on the Internet? • Why do these problems occur? • What can we do about it?

  4. What is the Internet? • Origins • US Government, Department of Defense need for a distributed communication system • Expanded to incorporate research and academia • Benefits lead to expansion • Now a generic term

  5. What is the Internet? Nature • Common set of protocols • Communications medium • Network of networks • Enormous number of individual computing sites

  6. What is the Internet? Developments • Common tools • Explosive growth • Congestion • Commercialisation • Change in complexity? • Overload?

  7. What is the Internet? Ramifications • Communication is easy • Access can be difficult • Inconsistency & duplication • Missing Links • Difficulties when searching • Value of serendipity

  8. How does the Internet work? • Activities • Email • Remote login • File Transfer • The Client/Server concept

  9. How does the Internet work? Tools • Text-based tools • Email, Lists and Newsgroups • Remote login tools • Telnet & FTP, modern clients • World Wide Web • Which often now also provides a common interface to the other tools

  10. Email and Mailing Lists • Addressing conventions • Person-to-person mail • Mail lists • List types • Archives • Mailer and client software

  11. News and Newsgroups • Bulletin Boards • Newsgroups • Usenet heirarchies • News feeds and readers • The trouble with newsgroups...

  12. Telnet • Original remote login protocol • Line mode based • Interface limitations • Login/usage restrictions • Modern “thin client” approach

  13. FTP • File Transfer Protocol • How FTP works • Transferring files with FTP • FTP clients • Auto downloads • Third party FTP

  14. The World Wide Web • What is WWW really? • WWW clients • Strengths & weaknesses of WWW • Hypermedia capability • Configurability/Flexibility • Ease of publication • Bookmarks/favourites • Searching “the web”

  15. LIS uses of the Internet Actual • Online searching • Catalogue access (OPAC) • Interlibrary loan (Arttel) • Document delivery (Uncover) • Record downloading (OCLC) • Bulletin boards • Local information services

  16. LIS uses of the Internet Actual/Potential • Electronic publishing • Current awareness services • Distance education • Videoconferencing • Resource sharing & distribution of almost any kind

  17. LIS uses of the Internet • Unrealistic: • “Universal” access? • The “Virtual Library”?

  18. In summary • The Internet has a number of inherent strengths and weaknesses • It has much potential in LIS if its limitations are understood and accepted • It requires investment to make good returns • It cannot be relied upon as a reference tool • Commercialisation & growth of the Internet has changed/is changing its nature

  19. OK, Take a break... • Then we’ll look at developing trends and problems in internet information retrieval

  20. Developing trends • Markup languages – The rise of extensible markup • Growth and conflicts in epublishing • Social software and interactivity • Web2.0 (and beyond!)

  21. Markup languages • The concept of markup • The role of tags • How a webpage works • The web – a client-server technology • HTML and browser interpretation • Rules are made – to be broken?

  22. The rise of extensible markup • HTML, SGML, XML and XHTML • Benefits of extensible systems • Separate content from presentation • Allow accurate document description • Allow easier reprocessing/repurposing • Simple textual base promotes futureproofing

  23. Growth and conflicts in epublishing • Epublishing vs traditional publishing • Quality Control and the publication process • Personal publishing via the web • The epublishing “revolution” • Ejournals and beyond • New paradigms for electronic publication

  24. Social Software and interactivity • What is social software? • Examples of social software • Wikis • Blogs • RSS • Value for information work? • Ramifications of the social phenomenon • Yet more dross, yet more overload? • Archiving problems – volatility and the electronic record

  25. Web 2.0 • What is Web 2.0? • A good question! • “It’s the web, Jim, but not as we know it…” • A vision rather than an existing technology? • Will it happen? • Has it already happened? • Increasing interaction… • …but not seamlessly! Web 3.0? 

  26. To get back to a core issue… • Information retrieval on the internet! • Is it easy? • Is it effective? • Do we have problems with it? • Can we do anything about it?

  27. Why do we have problems retrieving Internet information? • I’d suggest two main areas: • Connection • Identification • And three main causes • Congestion • Technology • Transcience

  28. Connection • Q: When is a link not a link? • A: When it doesn’t work! • The unidirectional nature of a link • The problem of access • rights • Knowledge • The problem of congestion

  29. Interpreting error messages • Erroneous error messages • “Permission denied” • “Server may be down or unreachable” • “404 not found” • “Does not have a DNS entry”

  30. Identification • How do you find what you want? • By reference • By serendipitous link-following • By using search tools

  31. Types of search engine • Machine-indexed • Human-indexed • Metasearch engines • Other approaches • “Intelligent” systems • Citation-ranked systems • Also gateways – but more on that later…

  32. Search Engines and their shortcomings • The problem of the idiot user • Machines vs humans • Recall & Precision • Ranking mechanisms • Who makes the effort • Volumes and rate of change

  33. Internet Transcience • Audience participation time! • How many Internet sites? • How many items per site? • Lifespan of an item? • Rate of change:

  34. Why does it change so fast? • Ease of publication • Lack of planning • The popularity stakes • Keeping up with the Joneses (Borgs ) again! • Reinvention of the...

  35. So what can we poor users do? • Become an alcoholic! • Recognise - accept - overcome • Don’t trust error messages • Wise up on search engines • Use and check bookmarks • But is there a better answer?

  36. Gateways • The way of the past? • The way of the future? • Reasons for “localisation” • Cost, effort, overload, congestion… • The way of the present... • OMNI, EEVL, SOSIG etc...

  37. The reality... • The Internet will always be anarchic • Web 2.0 (and beyond) double-edged? • Serious users can be frustrated • Specialist gateways increasingly valuable? • Local gateways become the norm? • Job opportunities for all types of information professionals!

  38. That’s it for today! • Any questions? • Next week: • Search tools practical • (Optional email practical) • Introduction to HTML • Building your first webpage!

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