Description: This article discusses virtual libraries. Much of the expectation surrounding the emerging 21st century library is based on the opportunities presented by enhanced access to information resources through the use of networked information technologies. Existing libraries are a product of an intersection and an interaction of people, resources, and procedures. Libraries are defined by a range of services developed for internal and external consumption. The provision of services to patrons and other users, including library staff, is built upon the collective personnel, information, and technological resources that constitute the library.

Description: This article discusses developing the Information Communication Technologies (ICT) for Africa. Abstract: The synergies of numerous emerging trends are shaping creation, access, use and preservation of information resources. The digital library environment provides scholars with access to more diverse and previously unavailable contents that span myriad technologies across institutions and nations. Although the uses of Internet technologies provide new directions for scholarship, there are discrepancies among nations and regions. These technologies have not been fully exploited in Africa in particular. As research and scientific inquiry depend on both the availability of heterogeneous resources from multiple sources and their openness to easy and continued access, addressing the universal access is paramount. This article discusses and provides an overview of some of the barriers or principal factors most likely to influence Africa's efforts in harnessing the full power of the Internet.

Description: This article discusses book jackets as access mechanisms. Abstract: Book jackets provide a model for access to documents on the World Wide Web. They demonstrate a means for making available many of the representational attributes important to making relevance judgements. Such attributes have been posited for retrieval models for some time, but have not been implemented in most formal access systems. Even in the Web environment physical availability is not the same as accessibility. The attribute categories discussed here emerged from 228 book jackets for non-fiction works in a medium size academic library. Models of document searching and book jacket design are discussed in relation to the individual scholarly searcher and new modes of document searching.

Description: This article discusses contextual metadata in digital aggregations. Abstract: A number of digital libraries that aggregate multiple digital collections are now generating subject metadata to describe intellectual content of entire digital collections as integrated wholes and to provide context for individual digital objects within them. However, the utility of this important contextual metadata has not been empirically evaluated. The exploratory study reported in this article examined and compared collection-level subject metadata in three large-scale aggregations of cultural heritage digital collections in the United States and the European Union and analyzed the role of collection-level metadata in information retrieval in digital aggregations based on user search queries derived from transaction logs. A small-scale targeted user study, which combined interviews and observations of users interacting with an aggregation, was undertaken to complement evidence-based content analysis data. The study revealed considerable variability in two indicators: consistency of applying controlled-vocabulary collection-level subject metadata elements beyond topical and value length of metadata elements. Both free-text and controlled-vocabulary subject metadata were found vital in answering search queries of aggregation users. Users also expressed preference for viewing complete structured collection-level metadata records, which include subject metadata. Results of this study prove importance of provision of collection-level metadata ...

Description: This article discusses quality health information on the Internet. A WEb-based bilingual diabetes information pathfinder was created to help the Chinese population access quality health information on the Internet as part of a collaborative outreach project in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A survey was conducted to identify the demographics, Internet usage, health information needs, and preferences for training sessions of the Chinese population. Breast cancer, diabetes, and hepatitis B were the top three diseases of interest. The process of developing the pathfinder is described from start to finish, and it can serve as a model for the development of others. Pathfinder training sessions also were held.