Design and usability of digital libraries : case studies in the Asia-Pacific (2005)
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- Editor
- Theng, Y.-L. u. S. Foo
- Footnote
- The chapters are generally less than 20 pages, which allows for concise presentations of each case study. Each chapter contains, more or less, a brief abstract, introduction, related works section, methodology section, conclusion, and references. The chapters are further categorized into six thematic sections. Section I focuses on the history of digital libraries in the Asia Pacific. Section II, composed of four chapters, focuses on the design architecture and systems of digital libraries. The next five chapters, in section III, examine challenges in implementing digital library systems. This section is particularly interesting because issues such as multicultural and multilingual barriers are discussed. Section IV is about the use of and impact of digital libraries in a society. All four chapters in this section emphasize improvements that need to be made to digital libraries regarding different types of users. Particularly important is chapter 14, which discusses digital libraries and their effects on youth. The conclusion of this case study revealed that digital libraries need to support peer learning, as there are many social benefits for youth from interacting with peers. Section V, which focuses on users and usability, consists of five chapters. This section relates directly to the implementation challenges that are mentioned in section III, providing specific examples of cross-cultural issues among users that need to be taken into consideration. In addition, section V discusses the differences in media types and the difficulties with transforming these resources into digital formats. For example, chapter 18, which is about designing a music digital library, demonstrates the difficulties in selecting from the numerous types of technologies that can be used to digitize library collections. Finally, the chapter in section VI discusses the future trends of digital libraries. The editors successfully present diverse perspectives about digital libraries, by including case studies performed in numerous different countries throughout the Asia Pacific region. Countries represented in the case studies include Indonesia, Taiwan, India, China, Singapore, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia. The diversity of the users in these countries helps to illustrate the numerous differences and similarities that digital library designers need to take into consideration in the future when developing a universal digital library system. In order to create a successful digital library system that can benefit all users, there must be a sense of balance in the technology used, and the authors of the case studies in this book have definitely proved that there are distinct barriers that need to be overcome in order to achieve this harmony.
Even though each chapter is short, the entire book covers a vast amount of information. This book is meant to provide an introductory sampling of issues discovered through various case studies, not provide an in-depth report on each of them. The references included at the end of each chapter are particularly helpful because they lead to more information about issues that the particular case study raises. By including a list of references at the end of each chapter, the authors want to encourage interested readers to pursue more about the topics presented. This book clearly offers many opportunities to explore issues on the same topics further. The appendix at the end of the book also contains additional useful information that readers might want to consult if they are interested in finding out more about digital libraries. Selected resources are provided in the form of a list that includes such topics as journal special issues, digital library conference proceedings, and online databases. A key issue that this book brings up is how to include different cultural materials in digital libraries. For example, in chapter 16, the concerns and issues surrounding Maori heritage materials are introduced. The terms and concepts used when classifying Maori resources are so delicate that the meaning behind them can completely change with even a slight variation. Preserving other cultures correctly is important, and researchers need to consider the consequences of any errors made during digitization of resources. Another example illustrating the importance of including information about different cultures is presented in chapter 9. The authors talk about the various different languages used in the world and suggest ways to integrate them into information retrieval systems. As all digital library researchers know, the ideal system would allow all users to retrieve results in their own languages. The authors go on to discuss a few approaches that can be taken to assist with overcoming this challenge.
Ultimately, the book emphasizes that universal access to a worldwide digital library is the common goal among all digital library designers. Being able to view the same information, no matter what format the material is in, is one of the next steps toward reaching this goal. This book also addresses various additional problems with designing and using digital libraries, such as pricing and costs, and the range of media types that currently exist. The writing styles differ from chapter to chapter because each is written by a different set of authors. In addition, the material in the chapters is presented quite diversely. For example, in chapter 5, the methodology section of the case study is explained in the form of mathematical equations, algorithms, and charts, and chapter 13 contains complex figures and diagrams, whereas on the other hand, chapter 16 is completely written in text. Although the different ways that the case studies are presented could be considered confusing to some, the entire book remains consistent and truly comes together as a whole because the chapters are organized so sensibly. Many figures, graphs, and tables are also provided throughout the chapters to guide readers visually. Particularly helpful are the sample screen shots of digital libraries in chapter 11. Here, readers can see exactly what would be seen when viewing a digital library catalog. In general, the language and style of the book are easy to understand, and any uncommon words and phrases are always clearly defined and explained. The authors mention that the book is primarily written for academics, college students, and practitioners who may want to learn more about the design and development of digital libraries. The authors do seem to target this audience because the language and writing style seem to be geared toward members of academia, although they may represent a wide variety of disciplines. As well, computer scientists and software developers who are interested in and have been researching digital libraries will find this book useful and applicable to their current research. In conclusion, this book provides a wide variation of case studies that prove to be informative to researchers interested in the development and future progress of digital libraries. In the information world that we live in today, digital libraries are becoming more and more prominent, and the case studies presented demonstrate that the vision for the future of digital libraries is to be able to include all types of materials, cultures, and languages within a single system. All in all, this book instills value to society and all members of the academic world can learn from it."
