Carlos Cardoso Oliveira

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Building a digital library for learning and
research

• Carlos Cardoso Oliveira
• University of Porto, Faculty of Engineering,
  Portugal
• GAUTI - Information Technology Support Unit, CEO
• colive_at_fe.up.pt

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A few words about Porto
Introduction
Main city of Northern Portugal World Historic
Patrimony Cultural Capital of Europe 2001 Port
Wine Trade Center Champions League Football Team
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The University of Porto
Introduction
Public University, born in 1911 Largest
university in the country with more than 25.000
students and 15 schools in two main campus in the
city
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The Faculty of Engineering
Introduction
Established in 1915, derived from the Nautical
School (1762) and the Polytechnical Academy
(1837) 6000 Students 700 Teaching Staff 6
Engineering Departments 8 Undergraduate
Courses 23 MSc Courses 8 PhD in Engineering 10
Research Units 12 Interface Institutes
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Information Technology Support Unit
Introduction

• Mission
• Provide the strategy and the support for the
  effective
• use of information technology in the Faculty
• Services
• Information Technologies Watch
• Training and Awareness activities
• Publishing services
• Multimedia equipment operation and loan
• Multimedia production

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The IT connection Point
Introduction
Computer service Information infrastructure Elect
ronic user support Network services
Public Relations Office Continuous
training Image promotion Cultural activities
GAUTI
Library Publishing Market information Digital
library resources
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My own background
Introduction
Electrical and Computing Engineer MSc. in
Telecommunications 4 years as a Researcher in
Telematic Services 3 years as a Commercial
Multimedia Producer CEO of Information
Technology Support Unit Teacher in the MSc.
Course in Multimedia Technology Webmaster of the
Library
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Information and Workspaces
Hybrid Libraries

• Single online interface must provide
• Information Hub,
• Learning Space,
• Social Environment
• same roles of physical libraries, in the digital
  world !

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Library without walls, but...
Hybrid Libraries

• Still a crucial role of the librarians in the
  support of users
• Quality control and adequacy of content,
• Personalized support of users needs,
• Documentation on the use and training,
• Provide easier access paths

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Successful Hybrid Libraries
Hybrid Libraries
Institutional Commitment Strategic alliance and
mutual understanding between the library, the
computer centre and the academic staff

• Still important the library as a place,
• Integration of legacy, transition and new
  resources,
• Access versus holdings equilibrium,
• Provide conventional services using new
  technologies

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The mission leverage knowledge
Information Strategy
People will share what they know and reuse the
know-how of others if you make it easy for them,
and if you make it worth their while. Knowledge
is often as much about who you know as it is
about what you know.
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Information Strategy
The strategy focus on key points
Productivity capture and share best
practices, provide information on current
research. Up to 25 of RD investment can be
wasted on redundant research.
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Information Strategy
The strategy focus on key points
Competency provide distance learning
facilities, analyze metrics of knowledge use and
sharing. Knowledge management is as much
cultural as it is technological, that a culture
that does not foster and reward sharing of
knowledge cannot expect technology to solve its
knowledge challenges.
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Information Strategy
The strategy focus on key points
Responsiveness provide personalized headlines and
alerts, provide expertise information. Current
systems manage well-known and well-understood
events, which is insufficient for the more
unanticipated events, like dramatic changes in
technology.
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Information Strategy
The strategy focus on key points
Innovation create forums and knowledge bases
on key research areas, provide information on RD
trends. Users frequently spend a lot of time
just figuring out where things are before they
even begin to think about what they are.
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The Library Web Site
Information Strategy

• Integrated one-stop shopping
• ease of use,
• networked access to electronic information
  resources
• added value to information and resources,
• personalized environment,
• integration with institutional information
  architecture

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Why not the Amazon model ?
Information Strategy
Access
Cover Art
Contents
Reviews
Recommendation
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Information Infrastructure
Information Architecture

• SiFEUP -Information System of the Faculty (since
  1996)
• geographical information (buildings, rooms,
  labs),
• courses information (lectures, calendar,
  classes, readings),
• student information (personal data, evaluation),
• staff information (projects, publications,
  service allocation),
• administrative information (online services)

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Calendar
Information Architecture
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Administrative forms
Information Architecture
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Student Information
Information Architecture
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Library Management Systems
Information Architecture
Multi-tier architecture (client, application and
data layers) Integrated system that manages all
aspects of your library, for both staff and
patrons. ALEPH 500 modules include Web and GUI
PAC, Circulation, Cataloging, Serials,
Acquisitions, ILL, SDI, Z39.50 access and also
provide numerous housekeeping functions,
including statistical analysis.
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The Information Landscape
Information Architecture

• Integration of information and work
• Navigational framework with location
  information,
• Niles Endnote Z39.50 access to catalog,
• Direct access to records and electronic content
  by ID,
• IP and user access restrictions,
• Mail and save searched records,
• Searched strategy history,
• Contextual help search,

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BackOffice Services
Information Architecture

• Editing the site information links, newsletter
• Online Library management tools
• Communication tools BBS, webforum, calendar
• Administrative documentation templates, reports
• Operation manuals and procedures
• Statistics cataloguing, circulation, search,
  site

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Web catalog search
Information Architecture
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Link to book homepage
Information Architecture
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Link to serial homepage
Information Architecture
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Content search
Information Architecture
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Link to full paper
Information Architecture
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Table of Contents enrichment
Information Architecture
Would you like to increase materials usage by 45
? Would you like to increase access to composite
works by 600 ? Blackwells homepage
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EI Village
Information Architecture
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DialogWeb
Information Architecture
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Proquest Direct
Information Architecture
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MODELS Information Architecture
Information Architecture
The difference is between integration of
connection and integration of operation. The
target is to provide complex systems which do not
just display results for human consumption, but
have some significant understanding of the
results understanding in the sense of being able
to re-use them.
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Knowledge Awareness Management
Information Architecture
The most important requirement in-depth
knowledge of your company's information
needs Dialog Intranet Toolkit

• Custom search forms
• Hot Topic" title lists (saved search strategy)
• Customized delivery site on your Intranet
  (Alerts)

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Developing Knowledge Spaces
Supporting the Academic Community

• Hierarchical Information layers
• Assets encapsulate data or behaviours
  (reusable),
• Objects metadata information record,
• Unit networks linked path of objects,
• Annotations subjective content
• Provide citation and linking between research
  papers

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Supporting the Academic Community
Knowledge base conceptual model
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Resource based learning
Supporting the Academic Community
Students learn from their own use of learning
resources and the teacher act as a facilitator

• Instructional Management Systems Project
• standards for locating and operating interactive
  platform independent materials
• support for the collaborative and dynamic nature
  of learning
• incentives and structure for developing and
  sharing content

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Effective use of resources
Supporting the Academic Community

• IT Watch service provides
• information seeking behaviour studies,
• information consumption analysis,
• integration with central information
  infrastructure

Teaching information technology skills 1. Task
Definition 2. Information Seeking Strategies 3.
Location and Access 4. Use of Information 5.
Synthesis 6. Evaluation
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Questions ?

• Presentation available at
• http//www.fe.up.pt/colive/bdllr.ppt

Disclaimer The opinions stated are those of the
author and do not represent an official position
of the University of Porto.