Finding the write stuff: information retrieval in the hybrid library

1
Finding the write stuff information retrieval
in the hybrid library

• Gordon Dunsire
• Presented at the eBooks whats in them for us
  seminar organized by SLAMIT and SCURL, 7 June
  2001, Edinburgh

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e-Books

• Expectations
• Familiar, but similar to
• Met by metadata?
• Hybrid contexts
• Collections (and collections (and ))
• Issues for retrieval
• The e-bookshelf
• Issues for networking

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Metadata is for ...

• Retrieval and access
• Find, evaluate, obtain
• Operability
• Evaluate technical/legal constraints
• Administration

4
Metadata for retrieval and access

• Traditional (book) retrieval points
• authors, titles, subjects
• e-retrieval
• publisher series (familiar layout, navigation,
  etc.)
• hardware/software infrastructure (for specific
  devices)
• Seamless access
• hyperlink to the e-book itself

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Metadata for e-operability

• Notes of special hardware and software
  requirements
• Notes of registration, subscription and license
  restrictions
• Notes of other factors affecting use
• e.g. time-bombs versions without graphics etc.
• Core range in standard format others ad hoc?

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Metadata for e-administration

• Dates of expiry of temporary copies on local
  file-servers
• Usage and access statistics
• Version control
• Rights
• Subscription, licensing and payment
• Promotion and marketing

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The hybrid context

• e-books are a subset of electronic information
  objects becoming familiar to users and
  professionals
• Content is currently derived from printed
  books, or has a strong intellectual basis in
  the concept of book.
• e-books are self-hybrid
• Electronic context
• Book context

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Managing hybrid retrieval

• Standards for core entry points
• Use authority control to ensure same forms for
  authors and subjects
• Uniform titles (in place of title authorities)
• Multiple formats for same work
• One record per work, or per format?
• Notes relating manifestations
• Some amendment to existing records required

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Interoperability and sharing

• The hybrid network
• Access at a distance resource sharing
• Seamless access (one search retrieves all)
• International metadata content standards
• Z39.50 clumps
• Bath Profile, index structures, display mapping
• Format-based miniclumps - distributed
  collections of metadata
• but , and then theres ...

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The wee e problem!

• Thank you
• This presentation can be retrieved using
  standard methods from Napier University Learning
  Information Services WebPAC (and latterly,
  SLAINTE), and CAIRNS.