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1 – 10 of 974Irhamni Ali, Lingzi Hong and Jiangping Chen
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to prevent the spread of disease, the National Library of Indonesia Cataloging Department adopted remote working. There is a need to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
During the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to prevent the spread of disease, the National Library of Indonesia Cataloging Department adopted remote working. There is a need to examine the productivity of remote cataloging as this form of cataloging becomes more prevalent.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted using a mixed methods approach. The authors analyzed data to assess cataloging librarians' productivity based on system logs. Then, the authors interviewed librarians to understand librarians' perspectives concerning productivity and remote cataloging, and also to seek insights into factors that may affect productivity while working remotely.
Findings
The analysis found higher productivity in terms of quantity of cataloging. Librarians' productivity during remote cataloging is not statistically related to individual factors of age, years of experience, or gender. The in-depth interviews found that other factors may hinder the quality and quantity of the remote cataloging, including the working environment, infrastructure, and lack of policies on remote working.
Research limitations/implications
The findings were based on a study conducted in the National Library of Indonesia, which may not apply to libraries with different infrastructures or existing policies in remote cataloging. However, the authors identified numerous factors that could be related to remote cataloging productivity. More work needs to be done to identify these factors that impact productivity by conducting further surveys.
Practical implications
The research provides evidence showing the productivity of cataloging can be higher in remote working mode. The study provides insights for library managers to decide whether to implement remote cataloging and what additional perspectives could be considered for the better implementation of remote cataloging.
Originality/value
The gap in the literature about remote cataloging and productivity has been bridged.
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The cataloger’s job and work environment have changed considerably during the last three decades. One of the major factors contributing to these changes is the transformation of…
Abstract
The cataloger’s job and work environment have changed considerably during the last three decades. One of the major factors contributing to these changes is the transformation of the cataloger’s workstation from dumb terminals (OCLC M100) to multipurpose workstations (new generation of PCs). The evolving technologies of microcomputers, CD‐ROMs, networks (LAN, Intranet, and Internet) are the major attributes of today’s cataloging workstation. Intel chips, Pentium processors, and Microsoft Windows have provided a higher level of computing platform to the cataloger’s workstation enabling catalogers to perform multiple tasks on their desktops, such as accessing the local system, bibliographic utilities, online cataloging documentation and publications, authority work, and OPACs of other libraries, and communicating with colleagues, etc. This article discusses the general principle of the cataloger’s workstation, its configuration, the electronic versions of cataloging tools, the workstation’s impact on productivity, and the difficulties in implementing or maximizing the use of the workstation technology in the Arabian Gulf libraries.
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The manager must take into account various human factors when introducing computers into the library. A survey of literature reveals the key fears of employees involved in library…
Abstract
The manager must take into account various human factors when introducing computers into the library. A survey of literature reveals the key fears of employees involved in library automation — to be concerned with job security, job satisfaction and health and safety. These findings are compared with data collected from a questionnaire administered to staff in four libraries, all in the process of automating various tasks. The effects of computerisation of the library service on users is also examined, with an analysis of literature and a questionnaire sent to 30 students in the College for the Distributive Trades. The author discusses ways in which the manager can interest and motivate staff by eliminating causes of dissatisfaction and by taking positive steps in appealing to employees' self‐interest in the possibilities of career advancement and the challenge of mastering something new. Staff selection procedures need to be amended to acquire the necessary skills, and training should be ongoing. The response of users to library automation is often enthusiastic but real benefits can be difficult to measure. The onus is ultimately on librarians to demonstrate that they still have a key role to play in the provision of information.
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Today's online catalogs typically access machine‐readable records for books, journal titles, and audio‐visual materials, and indicate their circulation status. In the future, the…
Abstract
Today's online catalogs typically access machine‐readable records for books, journal titles, and audio‐visual materials, and indicate their circulation status. In the future, the database of these traditional records may be dwarfed by additional databases that will become part of the future electronic library. A few libraries are already experimenting with the addition of other text files to their catalogs. Broad‐band telecommunications networks and supporting technologies are being developed rapidly and will significantly affect the evolution of online catalogs. Growing applications of online catalogs, and network access to them, will require more sophisticated and powerful processing. Six prominent consultants—Joseph Becker, Gayla Kraetsch Hartsough, Raymond DeBuse, Jose‐Marie Griffiths, Rick Richmond, and Wilson Stahl—address these and related issues.
Sever Bordeianu, Christina E. Carter and Nancy K. Dennis
As technology changes, so do methods for delivering electronic information resources to library users. Describes Web‐based online public access catalogs (Web OPACS) and other…
Abstract
As technology changes, so do methods for delivering electronic information resources to library users. Describes Web‐based online public access catalogs (Web OPACS) and other Web‐based tools as gateway methods for providing access to library collections. Solutions for overcoming barriers to information, such as through the implementation of proxy servers and other authentication tools for remote users, are also addressed.
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Dace I. Freivalds and Sylvia MacKinnon Carson
MicroLIAS is an extension of LIAS (Library Information Access System), the integrated mainframe‐based library system developed at the Pennsylvania State University Libraries…
Abstract
MicroLIAS is an extension of LIAS (Library Information Access System), the integrated mainframe‐based library system developed at the Pennsylvania State University Libraries. MicroLIAS is microcomputer software that emulates the mainframe LIAS online catalog by extending its indexing and searching power to the personal computer. On the micro, personalized databases can be created and maintained. The use of MicroLIAS reduces demand on the mainframe by supporting work and storing information for local applications or subsequent uploading to the mainframe.
The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the history and development of transaction log analysis (TLA) in library and information science research. Organizing a…
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the history and development of transaction log analysis (TLA) in library and information science research. Organizing a literature review of the first twenty‐five years of TLA poses some challenges and requires some decisions. The primary organizing principle could be a strict chronology of the published research, the research questions addressed, the automated information retrieval (IR) systems that generated the data, the results gained, or even the researchers themselves. The group of active transaction log analyzers remains fairly small in number, and researchers who use transaction logs tend to use this method more than once, so tracing the development and refinement of individuals' uses of the methodology could provide insight into the progress of the method as a whole. For example, if we examine how researchers like W. David Penniman, John Tolle, Christine Borgman, Ray Larson, and Micheline Hancock‐Beaulieu have modified their own understandings and applications of the method over time, we may get an accurate sense of the development of all applications.
With precursor software dating to 1972, multi‐LIS became the first commercially available, fully integrated library system in North America to run on the Unix operating system. In…
Abstract
With precursor software dating to 1972, multi‐LIS became the first commercially available, fully integrated library system in North America to run on the Unix operating system. In 1988, multiLIS developers, Sobeco Ernst & Young Inc. (SEY), ported multiLIS software to the MIPS Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processor, making it the First fully integrated software program to be available on a RISC platform. multiLIS fully supports both CAN/MARC and USMARC as well as the monographs specifications of UNIMARC. As the multiLIS software was developed in a resource‐sharing environment, consortiums are a natural market for the multiLIS product.
States that as use of networks becomes more innovative and widespread in higher education libraries, current approaches to the organization of network‐accessible resources reveal…
Abstract
States that as use of networks becomes more innovative and widespread in higher education libraries, current approaches to the organization of network‐accessible resources reveal flaws. Moving forward from the recommendations of the Follett Report, and adopting an approach which seeks to redefine conceptually conventional practices and standards the study examines, from a technical services perspective, issues and approaches relating to the development of existing cataloguing rules and practices, and machine‐readable standards, and proposes these standards as the most effective means of enhancing accessibility to electronic resources. Characterizes the current period as one of organizational, technological and conceptual transition, and addresses the broader issue of academic network‐accessibility in the local, regional, national and international context. Additionally, identifies the challenges to and implications for conventional, and future, technical services operations of these trends.
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Kyudong Kim, Helena R. Tiedmann and Kasey M. Faust
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant societal changes and altered how much of the construction industry operates. This study investigates the impacts of pandemic-related…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant societal changes and altered how much of the construction industry operates. This study investigates the impacts of pandemic-related changes, how these changes may apply to different companies, and which changes should continue post-pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
We aim to identify pandemic-driven changes that have affected the construction workplace and the advantages and challenges associated with them. We then make recommendations for what could and should endure through the pandemic and beyond, and under what circumstances. To achieve this objective, we conducted both qualitative and quantitative analyses of 40 semi-structured interviews with US-based construction professionals.
Findings
Identified through these interviews were 21 pandemic-driven changes across six categories: management and planning, technology, workforce, health and safety, supply chain, and contracts. This study noted both positive and negative impacts of the changes on cost, schedule, productivity, collaboration, employee retention, flexibility, quality, and risk mitigation. Participants indicated that some changes should remain after the pandemic and others (e.g. select safety measures, schedule adjustments) should be temporary.
Originality/value
By incorporating these lessons learned into recommendations, the findings of this study will help businesses identify and implement the most appropriate improvements for their organizations. The findings also provide policymakers with valuable insights on how to promote innovation in the construction industry and potentially enact more effective policies during crises to drive long-term improvements.
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