Exorcising the Ghost from the Machine: Confronting Obstacles to Critical Thinking Through Library Instruction

ABSTRACT

Challenges to the process of thinking critically about information resources abound in the electronic environment. As the proliferation of sites on the World Wide Web increases, more and more librarians and educators are faced with the daunting task of instructing users in the scholarly applications of the Web. These obstacles to critical thinking include the mystery of computing technologies, the seduction of the user by various aspects of the technology, and the perplexity or confusion caused by the sensation of being overwhelmed by information. Through the examination of these obstacles in the instruction setting and using tool analysis to demystify these obstacles, the student will receive a clearer view of the information landscape that he/she has begun to explore.     

Flexible Web services integration: a novel personalised social approach

Abstract

Dynamic composition or integration remains one of the key objectives of Web services technology. This paper aims to propose an innovative approach of dynamic Web services composition based on functional and non-functional attributes and individual preferences. In this approach, social networks of Web services are used to maintain interactions between Web services in order to select and compose Web services that are more tightly related to user’s preferences. We use the concept of Web services community in a social network of Web services to reduce considerably their search space. These communities are created by the direct involvement of Web services providers.     

NT Security Questions and Answers

Abstract

Last July Microsoft's Web site was practically inaccessible for one day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It was the second time that Microsoft's site had been hacked in as many weeks. Both incidents had high visibility and received national press coverage (the author first read about this second incident in The New York Times). Little wonder then that Windows NT network managers and their bosses are becoming more aware of Windows NT security issues.     

HealthLinks: A ColdFusion Web Application

SUMMARY

Libraries are beginning to use Web applications as they grapple with sites of increasing complexity, and the move of more user services to the Web. This article reviews the basic concepts of a Web application, and outlines some of the features of the HealthLinks Web application and site http://healthlinks.washington.edu at the University of Washington Health Science Libraries, and the transition from a Java-based application to ColdFusion.     

About the Web

ABSTRACT

This article reviews selected magazines and journals of interest to academic librarians that include information about the Web. Reviewed titles include library science titles, general educational titles, and popular titles found on newsstands. The titles reviewed are aimed towards two groups of librarians: those most involved with developing content (such as reference librarians and bibliographers), and those involved with Web design, development, and policy issues.     

Optimising Publications for Google Users

Abstract

Librarians should think explicitly about Google users whenever they publish on the Web, and should update their policies and procedures accordingly. The article describes procedures that libraries can adopt to ensure that their publications are optimised for access by users of Google and other Web search engines. The aim of these procedures is to enhance resource discovery and information retrieval, and to enhance the reputation of libraries as valued custodians of published information, as well as exemplars of good practice in information management.     

Applying Learning Style Theory to Web Page Design

ABSTRACT

Library Web sites can be instructional tools, especially for those patrons who utilize library resources from their homes. Many libraries are developing online tutorials, but there is an opportunity for Web instruction on another level. The organization and design of a Web site can act as an instructional tool in itself. This paper is a call to library Web designers to assess their work in terms of learning style preferences. Learning style theory is based on how people process information and learn new material. Applying these ideas to Web page design can make library resources more accessible and improve the patron's comprehension of how the library works.     

A Comparison of Academic Libraries' Webliographies

ABSTRACT

The authors sent a survey about building and maintaining webliographies to two library listservs and mailed it to ASERL (Association of Southeastern Research Libraries) members. Librarians from 19 colleges and universities and 18 ASERL institutions responded. The guides are a logical extension of the pathfinders most libraries maintain for their patrons' use. This paper shows what importance librarians from all over the country place on creating and maintaining webliographies. Members of ASERL institutions are devoting as many or more librarians to create and maintain Web guides as are their colleagues in other geographic areas. The final results of the survey are outlined in the paper.     

Automatic integration of Web search interfaces with WISE-Integrator

An increasing number of databases are becoming Web accessible through form-based search interfaces, and many of these sources are database-driven e-commerce sites. It is a daunting task for users to access numerous Web sites individually to get the desired information. Hence, providing a unified access to multiple e-commerce search engines selling similar products is of great importance in allowing users to search and compare products from multiple sites with ease. One key task for providing such a capability is to integrate the Web search interfaces of these e-commerce search engines so that user queries can be submitted against the integrated interface. Currently, integrating such search interfaces is carried out either manually or semiautomatically, which is inefficient and difficult to maintain. In this paper, we present WISE-Integrator - a tool that performs automatic integration of Web Interfaces of Search Engines. WISE-Integrator explores a rich set of special metainformation that exists in Web search interfaces and uses the information to identify matching attributes from different search interfaces for integration. It also resolves domain differences of matching attributes. In this paper, we also discuss how to automatically extract information from search interfaces that is needed by WISE-Integrator to perform automatic interface integration. Our experimental results, based on 143 real-world search interfaces in four different domains, indicate that WISE-Integrator can achieve high attribute matching accuracy and can produce high-quality integrated search interfaces without human interactions.Received: 2 January 2004, Accepted: 25 March 2004, Published online: 12 August 2004Edited by: M. Carey     

A Review of “Reference Sources for Small and Medium-sized Libraries”

SUMMARY

In the summer of 1999, the libraries at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) embarked on a Web redesign project. Essential to the new Web site were the development of a database of resources, Sage, and the creation of various in-house tools, which are used to enter and edit database resources. Tools were also created which assist in the creation and maintenance of various Web sites. With the completion of the project, UCSD students, faculty and staff can easily locate the resources and library information they need and library staff have more tools for Web site management.     

Navigating Netscape

Abstract

Presents a bibliography of books and articles about Netscape's premier Web browser, Netscape Navigator 2. One book is described in detail and recommended.     

Policy Aspects of Web Page Development

Abstract

Web page creation involves many decisions beyond Hypertext Mark-up Language (HTML) coding. Developers need to consider numerous factors such as identifying the person responsible for the project, maintaining content, and establishing criteria for the evaluation and selection of resources. Other areas of consideration include identifying the target audience for the project, establishing guidelines on confidentiality and copyright issues, and coordinating a backup/disaster recovery plan. These aspects and others of Web page development are discussed. Examples are included from libraries which have loaded policy statements online as part of institutional home pages. The Uniform Resource Locators (URL's) of the library policies are listed as is a selected bibliography of publications about Web page development.     

Indexing Web Sites

ABSTRACT

Back-of-book style Web site indexing enhances access to specific information in Web sites. To index a Web site requires the skills of traditional print indexing, plus more. This article discusses the importance of indexes on the Web, and specifically examines the indexing of the Australian Society of Indexers' Web site using the Web site indexing program HTML Indexer. Topics include working with Webmasters, software for Web indexing, how to choose indexable matter and depth of indexing, the idea of links as page number substitutes, the use of subdivisions, index style and display, and planning for updating the index.     

The Art of the Accessibility Statement

ABSTRACT

Many libraries recognize the need to create Web sites accessible to users with disabilities, as legislated in U.S. Code Section 508, but Section 508 compliance defines a minimum legal level of accessibility. The same technology that can make a Web site available to users with disabilities can also make the site available to users with wireless devices, such as PDAs and cell phones, with Internet access. To bring about “maximum accessibility,” library Web designers need to implement Web standards. This article argues the place to begin implementing these standards is with an accessibility statement which serves as both a contract and a navigational aid.     

Automobilia

ABSTRACT

The automotive industry and hobby is very well represented on the World Wide Web. Manufacturers, enthusiasts, parts vendors, and many more add daily to the ever-growing World Wide Web automotive presence. This bibliography highlights some of the most useful and unique automotive Web sites for buying/selling a car, purchasing new and used parts and accessories, and keeping up with the latest news in the very popular world of motorsport.     

Quality evaluation for Model-Driven Web Engineering methodologies

ContextThere are lots of approaches or methodologies in the Model-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE) context to develop Web Applications without reaching a consensus on the use of standards and scarcity of both, practical experience and tool support.ObjectiveModel-Driven Web Engineering (MDWE) methodologies are constantly evolving. Moreover, Quality is a very important factor to identify within a methodology as it defines processes, techniques and artifacts to develop Web Applications. For this reason, when analyzing a methodology, it is not only necessary to evaluate quality, but also to find out how to improve it. The main goal of this paper is to develop a set of Quality Characteristics and Sub-Characteristics for MDWE approaches based on ISO/IEC standards.MethodFrom the software products context, some widely standards proposed, such as ISO/IEC 9126 or ISO/IEC 25000, suggest a Quality Model for software products, although up to now, there are no standard methods to assess quality on MDWE methodologies. Such methodologies can be organized into Properties, thus, a methodology has artifacts, processes and techniques. Then, each item is evaluated through a set of appropriate Quality Characteristics, depending on its nature. This paper proposes to evaluate a methodology as a product itself.ResultsThis paper recommends a set of Quality Characteristics and Sub-Characteristics based on these standards in order to evaluate MDWE methodologies quality. Additionally, it defines an agile way to relate these Quality Sub-Characteristics to Properties with the sole purpose of not only analyzing, but also assessing and improving MDWE methodologies.ConclusionsThe application of these Quality Characteristics and Sub-Characteristics could promote efficiency in methodologies since this kind of assessment enhances both the understanding of strengths and weaknesses of approaches.     

Authoring Personal Web Sites: A Description of Selected Tutorials and Beginner's Guides

ABSTRACT

People from all over the world are flocking to the Internet in record numbers. To meet the needs of this emerging population of World Wide Web users, this column identifies a select number of helpful Web sites dedicated to the creation of personal Web pages. Each site addresses the concepts of Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) and Web page design. The needs of the novice Web page author are emphasized. The selected sites are relevant, accessible, and current.