Picture clip presentation- LIS 260

ATHENAcious Fight: a siege of supremacy

ATHENAcious Fight: a siege of supremacy

I was lucky to have an on-hand experience of evaluating a library system in an academic school. Way back in 2004, under the supervisory of Professor Edgardo Quiros, we then evaluated the library system of San Beda College in Manila—the Athena library system.

The Athena library system at that time was still on its peak of commercialization, but now, when I checked the website of Follett Software Company who created this system, it was said that the system is now no longer available to new consumers but they still provide support to the existing users of this system.

As an introduction, I would like to mention bits of information about the San Beda College Library. This library is located at the second level of St. Maur’s Hall. The School area is approximately 66.5 meters by 13.00 meters, pretty conducive for students. ^_^

Its school library supports teaching and research in business management, law, humanities, and social sciences as integral component of their academic programs. And it is much more than a repository for the accumulated knowledge of our civilization, and it existed as a proof of individual’s heart of intellectual undertakings.

Due to the increasing demand of other researchers, the library provided online-access of catalogs of the different college collections through their OPAC (Athena version 9.11) and the CDS/ISIS--- which I think had been pretty useful at that time because the student clienteles can actually access their library accounts outside, and most importantly the information had been very accessible anytime and anywhere.

The Athena allowed various library applications for the San Beda college library including the inventory, catalog, circulation and etc. As for some schools, these are also the common applications on library system that are use.

The version of Athena that they were using then was the Athena Version 9.11, the system interface is user friendly, easy to understand.

When conducting searching on the system the clientele has to do search from the Quick Search screen, click the change collection tab, and then Athena will display the list of Collection, then Click on the Collection tab you want to Active (CL-College Library Collection, LL-Law Library Collection, MB- MBA Library Collection, PC-Periodical Collection), Enter a word or phrase then press SEARCH. After that the screen will display number of titles available and if the book is on loan, like in any other OPAC system, when you click on to the desired title, the screen will display the full details.

Included on the package was the legal periodicals Index (Index to republic Acts, executive others and other Special Laws), Mendiola Consortium Index to Philippine Periodicals (MENDIOLINK) and Computerized Index to Periodical articles on CDS-ISIS (MS-DOS Based), which had not been use adequately because it cannot be networked, unlike the Athena system per se that can be accessed by most clienteles in and outside the institution--- this is one of the down-side of CD-ISIS system, aside from being a system that is not user friendly.

In any institution, financial factor is always an issue, especially for those institutions who just started restructuring or establishing their systems. In the case of San Beda College, they had preferred the Athena system because the whole software then was just only less than 300,000 pesos, and the maintenance cost is less than 60,000 pesos for the software package that already includes the library applications: circulation service, inventory, catalog, marc and OPAC.

Added features has also been an important consideration, like if the system allows add/delete/change title (records), add patron or client records (for accountability purposes and user profile), and view records if access in or outside the institution.

In terms of security, the Athena system needs Backup (I think all of the library systems do need it too). This feature is present as icons on its software interface— those were labeled as back up 1, back up other, and test back up. System requirement is a crucial part of a system, because that will be a deciding factor too as to whether the institution should adopt the system or if their institution infrastructures are ready to cater the system requires, but in the case of Athena, no system requirements were much stated.

Duplication of records, is one of the area being delineated in any of library systems, as for Athena, input of all the areas of description in the catalog has a corresponding text area in the interface, and no multiple copies of records are included in the search result because there is a separate menu in the interface that will allow you to view the number of copies available; also the date of purchased and the cost of purchased material.

Another area worth considering in the San Beda library system is the CDS-ISIS. Most of us who work in a local library are I think aware of this system. As we can obviously see, this is a classical form of retrieval system.

This system is Menu Driven in Choosing the Existing Database, Changing language, Changing or Adding Data, Searching the Database, Sorting & Printing; writing on file, Creating or Updating the indexes, Creating or changing database definition, Reorganizing, exporting in ISO-format (creating a back-up of a database), Utility programs, Programming additional modules in Pascal according to ISO-format. It provides a very Comprehensive & well-organized manual and also a quite comprehensive Search Facility a. ANY file for synonyms and narrower terms, and no need for upgrades and relatively runs fast on even old type of computer.

The problem of this system is that it needs a User Manual, a very Comprehensive one. Since it is over-menu driven the interface is a bit crowded (added problem here is that it has a chromatic colored screen), and the files has no integration that’s why when viewed it is confusing. Also, it is not easy to change existing data entry sheet because the worksheet is composed of several pages and the indexing process takes a long time, lengthy process and consumes a lot of space, and the system can only accommodate six characters of database name.

But I wonder now, whether San Beda is still using the same system (I remember one of my classmates is working in San Beda), and how now they have been dealing with the setbacks created by the obsoleteness that happened on this version of Athena, most likely they have faced or might be facing now an issue on migrating their data to a more high-end system, or if not, they might just be dealing with the upgrade supports that the Follett company have been giving to them.

As for my institution, we are still in process of looking for a library system that is free—most likely we will be adopting the Libro System because it has video and archival features which I think will be helpful for my records organization and data archiving. But the hindrance to this system implementation, is that, I have to re-encode tof export to anothere version the entire records of my library since the system features is not the same with the one I am currently using in my library. The system doesn’t support the importation or conversion of files from MS Access, and also data worksheets in Excel. But of course, we still have to reconsider since that I think is the online library system we have now that will most likely meet most of our objectives, and according to Sir Romy, customization of the system if possible (that’s the good thing about it) ^_^ hence, I will just have some of its features customized. Such a relief ^_^


Going back to my earlier discussion about Athena and CDS-ISI, Actually, No one could really tell or anticipate the problem in a system unless they have tried it for quite sometime. Maybe during the evaluation of the Athena software, the library had prioritized the requirements and made sure that the chosen software meets most, if not all of their high priority requirements.

Well if will take a look at the above presented situation, there is a bigger picture presented by this scenario, that is----it is the sad reality anchored in the fast technological advancement------ NOTHING IS DEEMED PERMANENT.

The high-end or shall I say what you call “latest” you have now will be obsolete in the future. These fast tracked developments were nonetheless due to the inquisitive and creative mind of people who are continuously creating things which aims perfection to improve and develop service. The irony there is, new technology makes life easy and also difficult. It makes the life of those who can afford, easy, but shaky for those who are experiencing financial adequacies.

.... this can be liken to the Goddess Athena that was once showered its Prowess, but amidst its overwhelming skills and character, like the developed technology we have now, it can be soon be siege by its successor.

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References
Mrs. Marlo C. Chavez
College librarian
San Beda College

Mr. Paul V. Reside
Computer Services
San Beda College

Info-Ed Marketing Corp.
url:
Url:

Are WE Be …TRADeITIONAL or Not?

Title: Web Information Retrieval. Introduction to Modern Retrieval System. 18, 331-351
Author: Chowdhury, G. G. (2001)
Publisher: Library Association

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ABSTRACT:

Introduction of World Wide Web brought significant changes in the way information are accessed. Web became a huge collection of web pages around the world linked through internet. The development of web browser, particularly the Mosaic, allowed the users to access the web resources through point-and-click graphical manipulation. Traditional information retrieval techniques that had been developed are put into test and modified to fit the requirement for indexing and retrieving web documents.

Web information retrieval holds prominent differences from traditional text retrieval that stems in some typical web characteristics such as: distributed architecture, variety of information available, security and authorship, its growth and the distribution of information and users. Variety of information resources from this are published by anyone and so considered diverse in forms and security, and ought to be tracked for any changes and be evaluated scholarly by researchers for the proper implementation of changes on the information retrieval system.

Information from web are represented in different languages since it ties on different places and people all over the world. Some resources from this are directly viewable from web browser and accessible through search engines, while some are not, due to access security and download requirements, hence, the information from here are more difficult to index, locate and retrieve----- more complex when created using different platforms; unlike in a traditional text retrieval system that is smaller in volume since it focus on specific community and interest, and bound on specific database depending on the needs of the institution or clientele community.

Generally, Web Information Retrieval System are far more complex and different than traditional information retrieval systems in the aspects of its retrieval system requirement and facility capabilities, as a result, these resources necessitate thorough evaluation and analysis by before its utilization with the consideration on clientele or user schemes on query construction and search, as well as their capabilities in learning the wide area of web and its facilities.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED:

Knowledge on web use as well as the different search engines available is helpful to individual who wants a wide array of information resources. With the aid of Boolean operators on query construction and search, the eager and interested user can adequately maximize the capabilities and function of the search engine information retrieval interface.

Information professionals and specialist like us, plays vital role in the organization and access of information resources on web. We, us information specialists should keep ourselves abreast of these changes on web and rekindle our knowledge on informations around us.

Individuals who use information from web should do keen evaluations of the resources they access so that they would know which among those sites or resources has more credible and up-to-date information.

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IMPLICATIONS:

I usually use Yahoo or Google in any search that I need do, whether just for leisure or for research reference. Like most of researchers of information resources on web, I use natural language—usually I just searched using key words or sentences; sometimes with Boolean operators. I have used the advance search just recently.

I, myself, I am not that familiar with the other features of Google and Yahoo that’s why it was overwhelming to know that there are lots of things about these search engines and directory that I am still not aware of. And that we also have other search engines that are more specialized.

If I would create a précis of the nature and essence of Web and Traditional Text Information Retrieval System, and each information retrieval, I would summarize its points in form of the images shown above.

Based on images shown above…

You could decipher that, like a spider web , web branches everywhere around the world. Every information resources are linked through the internet. The users then key-in its search query (represented as question marks on the image above) on the search engine or directory; control and manipulates its word or phrase search based on his or her information needs.

The recall results of the resources retrieved depends primarily on how these resources are indexed and made accessible by its owner or publisher--hence, whether the user provides the most simple keyword search if it did not match the term indexed, the material has no use—it cannot be retrieved and can be valued as not relevant. During the resource retrieval, accessed documents could be something easily accessible (represented by green area on web); useful and credible (represented by yellow area on web) while some have restrictions (represented by red area on web), empty and useless (represented by black, and white area on web).

Like a spider web, with its invisible and invincible strands that could reached anywhere ------ no one would really know what and who’s going to be trapped by it. Only the web or information publishers who know its purpose could actually demystify its nature of existence. As for the information retrieved, some information maybe good and palatable, while some can be considered as ghastly and some are considered useless. There sometimes there is no security of information since everyone can publish information on web (although a thorough knowledge on programming languages like html, java script or sql would be essential before they could actually produce a good site for it).

When a traditional textual retrieval system and web based information retrieval system are put side by side---- we may liken the former to an ART EXHIBIT, and the later as a FUN FAIR. Traditional textual retrieval system as an ART EXHIBIT--- has specific audience and theme, some are fee-based but mostly the new ones ( those done by new exhibitor artists) are accessible for free. Web Based retrieval system is like a FUN FAIR--- the entrance or access is free as long as you have the resource or equipment required. Once you’re inside you’re still not sure if you can access and avail of everything because majority are not for free.. Although it is entirely meant for public audience still it is profit based. Services and resources included here varies—---Some are worth the fun and money, some are scary, some are just there to occupy an ounce of space and of no use.

With the use of Web IRS, like in a Fun fair.. we learn to gamble on things that is there.. we are not accurately sure what we are going to get from there, as for the Traditional IRS, you use it because you know that you can directly get something from it since it is intended to answer your field and interest needs.

But the catch here is that, for both IR Systems…

the AUDIENCE still has the last say, if he or she would like or use what he got from there, hence, the “Relevance or essence of that system” would still depend on the clienteles of those services---- Whether it would just be....

...a Waste of Effort for clienteles and Budget for the institution, the clientele is still the one who will decide on how these could be a Wealthy-wise Environment for Bites of information from a Wishful Expedient for Burgeoning,

...and reach a verdict if… WE Be TRADeTIONAL or Not.

The Battle Ground: CD ROM against Online IR

CD-ee Future ... ON LINEage ?

Title: Online and CD ROM Information Retrieval. Introduction to Modern Retrieval System. 15, 281-299
Author: Chowdhury, G. G. (2001)
Publisher: Library Association

Title: Boolean Searching. Understanding computers: today and tomorrow.
Author: Morley, D. & Parker, C. (2007)
Publisher: Thomson

Title: Computerized information searching. How to find Information in Science and Technology. 4, 51-71.
Author: Lambert, J. & Lambert, P. (1991)
Publisher: Library Association

Title: Searching and Retrieval. Introduction to Modern Retrieval System. 4, 170-191
Author: Chowdhury, G. G. (2001)
Publisher: Library Association
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ABSTRACT

The access and scope of Online and CD ROM searching changed due to the advent of World Wide Web and the increase in the computer industry research and development of high-density recording techniques. From CD ROM stand alone systems to remote availability of resources on web, improvement on information retrieval is noteworthy as there existed a drastic booming on various free-access or with-fee online search services from online vendors all over the world, that have specially designed interfaces and search features that make the user searching easier and profitable.

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED

CD ROM and Online Search Services system has its own search features and interfaces that would greatly influence and relate to the user search capabilities. Although the searching on these systems were made easy, the user still need to have knowledge or familiarization with these its system aspects, learn to formulate appropriate search expression and reinvent it until the satisfactory or optimum results are attained. The use of command language such as Boolean operator is also applicable for these types of retrieval systems. Price is always a major concern for both CD ROM and Online Information retrieval.

IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT I HAVE LEARNED

In my institution, I do online searching to check the details of some new songs. Doing online searching is very helpful to me because I am always positive that in my every search I will be getting the most recent information I wanted since online information are most likely up-to-date. Thus, if ever I need to make some corrections regarding the details of any material, I can easily provide the exact details of it (provided that the network connection is stable). And if I am still in doubt regarding the material details I got, I can easily make comparisons of content or information from the sites based on the evaluation of source cited and authorship (determining which among those sites is the most authoritative).

For me, I can say that I still CD-ee Future of some CD ROMs in the up-coming years. I believe that, with the aid of technology, people in the computer industry would still give effort to do researches on the high end recording techniques, hence, there are still chance that they could develop optical disks with high capacity and longer usability as storage device. Although we cannot normally get the recent information from CD ROM based system (since updates are available only through purchase of new CD ROMS every now and then) still retaining these materials will be beneficial for us because we can have source of information that we can access anytime without needing any network connection or working online---- I think information on these formats are useful because it can somehow readily answer basic factual information query (those not in need of very detailed inputs) like encyclopedias and dictionaries on discs. Although data lost could occur if discs are used frequently; but in a normal function, we could maximize its use and retain it until five years.

Although I am not using CD ROM based in my institution, given a chance I want to try this CD ROM based services if ever there will be available materials that might call my clientele interests. Retrieval wise, I can say that the response time of CD ROM would be shorter than ONLINE because online based search do retrieve for information on almost all databases available on web while CD ROM are subject specific and bound to discs.

It can never be denied that we are now continuing ON LINEage, hence, whether or not we like it, more or less we will be using web based system, since information here are adequately available and accessible anytime and anywhere provided that you have the computer that is capable of networking and also the other facilities required.

We can never go wrong with being traditional. CD ROM is useful, information from this can be use as supplements and back ups of whatever we have online. It is the safest source when the online system went down. Although the initial cost of this system is expensive. I guess it would still be worth the price in a long run.

Having said all these, I think it is a better to have a mindset that are open to possibilities and options that we could put these materials together, get a grasp of its usability to the extent of our abilities.

We should learn how to CD-ee the future ON LINEage. We should see the future on the connections (lineage) of these materials. It is true that these materials might not provide same inputs because information from here varies, but I do believe that with the aid of technological “continuity on lineage (from printed-CD ROM based to online)”------ whatever differences that these technologies will have now will meet in same context in the end, this is, to prepare us to CDee future to get ONLINE with development. ^_^ Hence, it is not awful to get a balance of both technological advancements----- the old and the latest, nevertheless the usefulness of these materials will more or less, would really depend on us, not just on the interfaces or information that they provide, but also based on how we see, understand and evaluate how useful the information we got from it. ^_^

Strategies in Effective Searching of Information?

Strategies for You and For me...

Strategies for Everybody?

It was a stormy day for all of us last Wednesday. No one had expected that its going to be a one "HELLen" of a day---a day of struggle for each of us who have given their best to battle the angst of the tremendously pouring wind and rain just to attend the forum in Mandaluyong, with hope that we will learn something new that we could later impart to our institutions.

The presentation was very informative for information professionals who are not familliar with the existing reference sources on web. However, for groups who are quite knowledgeable with the references presented, the entire forum would be somehow insipid.

I guess the forum should have focused more on the "strategies per se" in effective searching.. and not with the resources available on web. It should have taught or informed at least the attendees on the latest and existing search strategies that could help them in maximizing the uses of those resources cited from web. Although, some a bit new strategies terms had been mentioned--like path finders ( quite same with bookmarking we discussed in Web 2.0?).

The information presented were quite inadequate to suffice the needed information of information profesionals who went all the way from different parts of the metro and even for individuals who came all the way from the Northern parts of the Philippines. It would have been better if the forum title was just changed to "Reference Sources on Web: Aid for Searching Information" rather than the one presented on "Strategies"... so that they could at least minimimized the amount of expectations withdrawn by the forum attendees way before they came for the forum.

Its a fact that not everyone are that sufficiently informed about the technological advances at present..but i guess, being part of the information professional communities, and being an information professional alone---had offered you advantages and responsibility to somehow take the initiative to know those things-- and implement it on your institution to help the user communities. And formulating or implementing it to an educational program requires you to have a stern plan on how you will implement it; and also on how you will know that it is effective also requires regular evaluation, and demands cooperation from the parent institution's faculty and administration. We, as information professionals should always present our initiative and be affirmative with our plans. There should be no room for uncertainties.We should know how to uplift our profession.

I agree that anyone could post anything on Web, but it does not mean that most of the thing there are not reliable. Information on Web are almost the same information from the printed materials--- a more advance way of presenting information. Information from printed materials is incomparable, but still it should not draw our interest away from the good resources that we could also find on Web. Its nicer to have a balance of both.. i believe we have our inquisitive minds to know what references are scholarly and what are not. We are surrounded by fast-changing informations, and Information is our LIVES FUEL, hence, Every second counts... No time to waste..Everyone should learn.

Although we are not able to hear and see what we have expected... it still had left a very important fact for all of us. LITERACY IS IMPORTANT.. not just for information professional but most importantly to the community that we are catering. Hence, its a must to each of us to take our part and do our best to help them be productive and knowledgable individuals for a better society.

More over, the forum presented a fact that it is not bad to be traditional.. and Its not bad to take sometime to look back where we have once started. I believe you cannot tell that there have been development or changes that had happened if you're not aware of its past..agree? Would you agree?

I believe what ever advances we have now, we also owe it to the Traditional. Hence, we should still show our gratitude by finding ways on how we could help them. Not all are given a chance to be knowledgeable--- for us individuals who had enough chance to be one, let's help create an informative society and environment for them. Let's help. ^_^ Let us all be literate! ^_^

Its true that the forum might not have presented the recent strategies for information searching that we expected. Nevertheless, it still presented strategy--- strategy on how we should view and value information and opportunities given to us to be knowledgeable individuals.

...A Strategy not to be boastful about our knowledge but to be more considerate to those who are experiencing inadequacies. It gives us a chance to do some sharing strategy ^_^

A chance to share what we know and what we learned from the university-- a strategy for you, for me, and for everybody.

Web 2.0 Technologies in the Library

Web 2.0 Technologies:
Are they applicable to our libraries?

With the help of Web 2.0 technologies, libraries and information professionals are given a chance to explore and utilize the available web resources to promote, develop and improve the library with the active participation of the clienteles--- giving them power and opportunity to control information, as well as experience access to library services in a more special way.

Some of the most popular Web 2.0 technologies are Instant Messaging (IM), Web blogs, and RSS (Really Simple Syndication), which could potentially provide an adequate development on how library would timelessly presents and deliver its services to its clienteles.

It was a surprise to know that the concept of Web 2.0 is already in existence for quite sometime and that we are already using it, but we are not just aware that these technologies are part of the so called “Web 2.0”. I, myself, I am not familiar with the term, and I didn’t even know that IM , which I have been using for two years now, is part of it.

Instant messaging (IM) is useful for library reference service. Clienteles can easily send-in their requests and queries to the librarian or reference officer without actually going to the library. The librarians can actually respond to clientele concerns through Instant Message. IM provides auto- archive of conversations (you can actually archive the requests/ query transaction per day), show IM status on if busy or available, as well as share or submit document requests to clienteles. Instant messaging also requires familiarity with the available services of the IM, version upgrades, and most importantly, the library staff and clienteles should have create IM IDs, and also a stable internet connection in order to facilitate prompt communication of service.

Blog or Web Blog, can give a more interactive services for clienteles if used in a library set-up. Through this library can make the public know the information about its institution and library as well------ it may include data on library collection and library staff, library service hour, services available, its location and contact information. Blog can be use as an effective publicity media for the current activities of the library since it presents posts on chronological order. Moreover, library could actually include a feedback or comment section for clienteles so that they could dig up some inputs from its users, and whatever are the feed backs-- it could be an ample basis for the improvement or additional services for the library.

The combination of RSS and Weblog create a more advance and interesting services for the library. With this, libraries can provide combine and present different services from a wide variety of resources available on web (such as videos, pictures, and sounds), and make it available from one place to another. Through the use of RSS, library could supply clienteles with information that need to be read or access on a regular basis.

I found IM very useful in my institution because the clienteles of the library donot have to go personally to requests for material, i can easily accomodate their requests through IM. Archived message can also be used for requests documentation, and you can also easily go back to each messages in case you have forgotten it. However, sometimes IM is not also that stable. Based on my experience, sometimes i wasn't able to recieved requests sent through IM and often than not..some IM software downloads are prone to virus (such as Kxvo system files) that are quite hazardeous to the computer system.

With regard to RSS and weblog, i think this could provide and pretty much accomodate interesting services for the library. I just have to be prepared and interested in discovering the web advances of each. I just need the right attitude.. no matter how confusing it is, as long as you have the right attitude towards it, you will definitely learn to appreciate and love it, hence, the course of learning will be easy and fun. And also we should take note that before we publish anything in our blogs, we must always consider the inherent danger or possible outcome of it, especially when its a blog site for our institution -- we should always consider SOPs and confidentialities of related information. ^_^

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REFERENCES:

TITLE: How to use web 2.o in your Library
AUTHOR: Bradley, Phil (2007)
PUBLISHER: Facet Publishing

TITLE: Library 2.0
AUTHOR: Wikipedia (date retrieved: July 10, 2008)
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_2.0

TITLE: Web 2.0
AUTHOR: Wikipedia (date retrieved: July 10, 2008)
URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_2.0

TITLE: What is Web 2.0? : Getting Beyond the Hype of Web 2.0
AUTHOR: Kyrnin, Jennifer Kyrnin. About.com (date retrieved: July 10, 2008)
URL:http://webdesign.about.com/od/web20/a/aa021306.htm

Video Lecture on HARDWARE

LECTURE on HARDWARE

Computer Science 1 Lecture by David M.

Hope you could view this one^_^

Its pretty much smaller than the original 202MB

Hope this could help. Enjoy!!! ^_^