Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Digitization In An Archival Environment, Sally Mckay

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

Introduction

Cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies house remarkable collections of cultural artifacts. It is the responsibility of the staff working for those institutions to preserve, protect and provide responsible stewardship for the materials, and to the best of their ability, provide continued long-term access (Russell, 2000).

Advances in technology allow institutions to provide expanded access and education; however, there are important priorities that must be addressed prior to embarking on a digital conversion project.

Digitization in an archival environment includes taking a physical object or analog item, such as an art object, a tape recording, …

Challenges, Strategies, And Tools For Research Scientists: Using Web-Based Information Resources, Danielle Bodrero Hoggan

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

Scientists face many challenges in harnessing web-based resources. Information overload, misinformation, fees, poorly designed navigation, and loss of browsability all hamper the scientist searcher. In addition, many scientists rely on only one or two databases and often miss unique information that is available through other sources. Librarians can team up with scientists to develop strategies to overcome the challenges of web-based information. For example, a librarian can teach effective information seeking techniques, including how to use controlled vocabularies, how to evaluate information on the web, and how to complement web-based resources with print resources. Librarians can also help scientists to …

Cataloging Expert Systems: Optimism And Frustrated Reality, William Olmstadt

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

There is little question that computers have profoundly changed how information professionals work. The process of cataloging and classifying library materials was one of the first activities transformed by information technology. The introduction of the MARC format in the 1960s and the creation of national bibliographic utilities in the 1970s had a lasting impact on cataloging. In the 1980s, the affordability of microcomputers made the computer accessible for cataloging, even to small libraries. This trend toward automating library processes with computers parallels a broader societal interest in the use of computers to organize and store information. Following World War II, …

Metadata In A Digital Special Library: The Energy And Environmental Information Resources Center In Lafayette, Louisiana, Dan Foley

E-JASL 1999-2009 (Volumes 1-10)

This paper discusses three kinds of metadata and how they are used in the Energy & Environmental Information Resources Center (EE-IR Center), a digital special library of text, numeric, and geospatial data, located in Lafayette, Louisiana. These metadata are Dublin Core (DC), MARC21 (formerly USMARC), and Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) metadata.

The EE-IR Center was formed as a partnership between the National Wetlands Research Center (NWRC) of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Center for Advanced Computer Studies of the University of Southwestern Louisiana (CACS/USL). Both partners are located in Lafayette, Louisiana. The EE-IR Center is funded by a …