LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues Introduction to the Internet

Andy Dawson

SCHOOL OF LIBRARY, ARCHIVE AND INFORMATION STUDIES

LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues

Introduction tothe Internet

Andy DawsonAndy Dawson

School of Library, Archive & Information Studies, UCLSchool of Library, Archive & Information Studies, UCL (University of Malta 2008)


Andy Dawson

What we will be covering today

• What is the Internet?

• How does it work?

• What can we do with it?


Andy Dawson

What we will be covering today

• Developing trends on the net– Extensible markup

– Trends in epublishing

– Social software

– Web 2.0

• What problems do we have with finding information on the Internet?

• Why do these problems occur?• What can we do about it?


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What is the Internet?What is the Internet?

• OriginsOrigins• US Government, Department of Defense US Government, Department of Defense

need for a distributed communication systemneed for a distributed communication system• Expanded to incorporate research and Expanded to incorporate research and

academiaacademia• Benefits lead to expansionBenefits lead to expansion• Now a generic termNow a generic term


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NatureNature

• Common set of protocolsCommon set of protocols

• Communications mediumCommunications medium

• Network of networksNetwork of networks

• Enormous number of individual computing Enormous number of individual computing sitessites


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DevelopmentsDevelopments• Common toolsCommon tools• Explosive growthExplosive growth• CongestionCongestion• CommercialisationCommercialisation• Change in complexity?Change in complexity?• Overload?Overload?


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RamificationsRamifications• Communication is easyCommunication is easy• Access can be difficultAccess can be difficult• Inconsistency & duplicationInconsistency & duplication• Missing LinksMissing Links• Difficulties when searchingDifficulties when searching• Value of serendipityValue of serendipity


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How does the Internet work?How does the Internet work?

• ActivitiesActivities

• EmailEmail

• Remote loginRemote login

• File TransferFile Transfer

• The Client/Server concept


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How does the Internet work?How does the Internet work?

ToolsTools

• Text-based toolsText-based tools– Email, Lists and NewsgroupsEmail, Lists and Newsgroups

• Remote login toolsRemote login tools– Telnet & FTP, modern clientsTelnet & FTP, modern clients

• World Wide WebWorld Wide Web– Which often now also provides a common interface Which often now also provides a common interface

to the other toolsto the other tools


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Email and Mailing Lists

• Addressing conventions

• Person-to-person mail

• Mail lists

• List types

• Archives

• Mailer and client software


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News and Newsgroups

• Bulletin Boards

• Newsgroups

• Usenet heirarchies

• News feeds and readers

• The trouble with newsgroups...


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Telnet

• Original remote login protocol

• Line mode based

• Interface limitations

• Login/usage restrictions

• Modern “thin client” approach


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FTP

• File Transfer Protocol

• How FTP works

• Transferring files with FTP– FTP clients

– Auto downloads

– Third party FTP


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The World Wide Web

• What is WWW really?• WWW clients• Strengths & weaknesses of WWW

– Hypermedia capability– Configurability/Flexibility– Ease of publication

• Bookmarks/favourites• Searching “the web”


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LIS uses of the Internet

Actual• Online searching• Catalogue access (OPAC)• Interlibrary loan (Arttel)• Document delivery (Uncover)• Record downloading (OCLC)• Bulletin boards• Local information services


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Actual/Potential• Electronic publishing• Current awareness services• Distance education• Videoconferencing• Resource sharing & distribution

of almost any kind


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• Unrealistic:

• “Universal” access?

• The “Virtual Library”?


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In summaryIn summary

• The Internet has a number of inherent The Internet has a number of inherent strengths and weaknessesstrengths and weaknesses

• It has much potential in LIS if its limitations It has much potential in LIS if its limitations are understood and acceptedare understood and accepted

• It requires investment to make good returnsIt requires investment to make good returns• It cannot be relied upon as a reference toolIt cannot be relied upon as a reference tool• Commercialisation & growth of the Internet Commercialisation & growth of the Internet

has changed/is changing its naturehas changed/is changing its nature


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OK, Take a break...

• Then we’ll look at developing trends Then we’ll look at developing trends and problems in internet information and problems in internet information retrievalretrieval


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Developing trendsDeveloping trends

• Markup languages – Markup languages – The rise of extensible markupThe rise of extensible markup

• Growth and conflicts in epublishingGrowth and conflicts in epublishing

• Social software and interactivitySocial software and interactivity

• Web2.0 (and beyond!)Web2.0 (and beyond!)


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Markup languagesMarkup languages

• The concept of markup– The role of tags

• How a webpage works– The web – a client-server technology– HTML and browser interpretation– Rules are made – to be broken?


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The rise of extensible markupThe rise of extensible markup

• HTML, SGML, XML and XHTML

• Benefits of extensible systems– Separate content from presentation– Allow accurate document description– Allow easier reprocessing/repurposing– Simple textual base promotes futureproofing


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Growth and conflicts in epublishing Growth and conflicts in epublishing

• Epublishing vs traditional publishingEpublishing vs traditional publishing– Quality Control and the publication processQuality Control and the publication process– Personal publishing via the webPersonal publishing via the web– The epublishing “revolution”The epublishing “revolution”

• Ejournals and beyondEjournals and beyond

• New paradigms for electronic publicationNew paradigms for electronic publication


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Social Software and interactivity• What is social software?• Examples of social software

– Wikis– Blogs– RSS

• Value for information work?• Ramifications of the social phenomenon

– Yet more dross, yet more overload?– Archiving problems – volatility and the electronic

record


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Web 2.0

• What is Web 2.0?– A good question!– “It’s the web, Jim, but not as we know it…”– A vision rather than an existing technology?

• Will it happen?

• Has it already happened?– Increasing interaction…– …but not seamlessly! Web 3.0?


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To get back to a core issue…

• Information retrieval on the internet!– Is it easy?– Is it effective?– Do we have problems with it?– Can we do anything about it?


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Why do we have problems retrieving Internet information?

• I’d suggest two main areas:– Connection– Identification

• And three main causes– Congestion– Technology– Transcience


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Connection

• Q: When is a link not a link?

• A: When it doesn’t work!

• The unidirectional nature of a link

• The problem of access– rights– Knowledge

• The problem of congestion


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Interpreting error messages

• Erroneous error messages

• “Permission denied”

• “Server may be down or unreachable”

• “404 not found”

• “Does not have a DNS entry”


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Identification

• How do you find what you want?

• By reference

• By serendipitous link-following

• By using search tools


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Types of search engine

• Machine-indexed

• Human-indexed

• Metasearch engines

• Other approaches– “Intelligent” systems– Citation-ranked systems

• Also gateways – but more on that later…


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Search Engines and their shortcomings• The problem of the idiot user

• Machines vs humans

• Recall & Precision

• Ranking mechanisms

• Who makes the effort

• Volumes and rate of change


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Internet Transcience

• Audience participation time!

• How many Internet sites?

• How many items per site?

• Lifespan of an item?

• Rate of change:


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Why does it change so fast?

• Ease of publication

• Lack of planning

• The popularity stakes

• Keeping up with the Joneses (Borgs ) again!

• Reinvention of the...


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So what can we poor users do?

• Become an alcoholic!

• Recognise - accept - overcome

• Don’t trust error messages

• Wise up on search engines

• Use and check bookmarks

• But is there a better answer?


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Gateways

• The way of the past?• The way of the future?• Reasons for “localisation”

– Cost, effort, overload, congestion…

• The way of the present...– OMNI, EEVL, SOSIG etc...


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The reality...

• The Internet will always be anarchic• Web 2.0 (and beyond) double-edged?• Serious users can be frustrated• Specialist gateways increasingly valuable? • Local gateways become the norm?• Job opportunities for all types of information

professionals!


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That’s it for today!

• Any questions?

• Next week:– Search tools practical

– (Optional email practical)

– Introduction to HTML

– Building your first webpage!

LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues Introduction to the Internet

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