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1 – 10 of over 8000
Article
Publication date: 23 November 2010

Anthony Cocciolo

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether virtual space can be used to alleviate physical space constraints for group collaboration in an urban academic library…

1899

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether virtual space can be used to alleviate physical space constraints for group collaboration in an urban academic library environment. Specifically, this paper looks to uncover whether library users will turn to library‐provided virtual space when there is a scarcity of physical space.

Design/methodology/approach

This project discusses the design of the physical and virtual environment, and then measures the use of this environment quantitatively over a 47‐month period (2005‐2009).

Findings

Results indicate that physical spaces for group collaboration are in very high demand, whereas virtual ones are not. A scarcity of physical collaboration spaces does not lead users to library‐provided virtual space, but rather to work around the scarcity in the physical world.

Originality/value

The paper highlights the value of the library as a gathering place and the ways in which virtual collaboration space cannot easily take the place of physical collaboration space.

Article
Publication date: 19 September 2023

Bolaji David Oladokun, Dauda Oseni Yahaya and Rexwhite Tega Enakrire

As traditional physical spaces grapple with evolving reading habits and information consumption patterns, the notion of libraries within the metaverse poses intriguing questions…

343

Abstract

Purpose

As traditional physical spaces grapple with evolving reading habits and information consumption patterns, the notion of libraries within the metaverse poses intriguing questions about accessibility, knowledge dissemination and the evolving role of librarians. The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of metaverse in virtual libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper analyzes various literature relating to libraries and the metaverse in the virtual worlds through a review of the literature.

Findings

In the ever-evolving landscape of information and technology, the emergence of libraries in virtual worlds presents a transformative paradigm that brings forth both tremendous advantages and intricate challenges. These advantages are underscored by enhanced accessibility for a global audience, interactive engagements that cater to diverse learning styles and the unprecedented scalability that digital environments provide. Virtual libraries hold the potential to reshape the way people access, share and engage with knowledge, while also fostering a sense of community that transcends geographical boundaries.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the original idea that highlights the importance of metaverse in virtual libraries.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 40 no. 9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 1993

Alan Poulter

It is argued that the current generation of online catalogues do not meet basic user expectations about how to search for information. After a brief examination of virtual reality…

Abstract

It is argued that the current generation of online catalogues do not meet basic user expectations about how to search for information. After a brief examination of virtual reality audits associated technology, a new form of online catalogue, the virtual reality library is proposed. Users browse an information space, a computer‐controlled set of shelf orderings for items. Its form, workings and design are investigated in detail. The concept of the virtual reality library is then applied to information resources which either have no physical repository or have one which is not accessible to users.

Details

Aslib Proceedings, vol. 45 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0001-253X

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2005

Robert Fox

The purpose of this paper is to provide some ideas concerning the design and implementation of the library virtual architecture and its relation to the psychology of…

1424

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide some ideas concerning the design and implementation of the library virtual architecture and its relation to the psychology of information‐seeking behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper is purely theoretical and speculative. No systematic design was involved.

Findings

The renovation of a library's “virtual space” can be as important as the renewal of the physical space. Many libraries are taking advantage of user‐centric design principles as they renew the physical layout and service orientation of their libraries from an architectural standpoint. These same principles can be applied to virtual architecture in order to provide a positive and successful user experience on web sites.

Practical implications

This paper may assist librarians in being more comprehensive in the planning of virtual architecture on web sites and in the creation of electronic finding aids.

Originalityvalue

Should be interesting to those librarians who focus in their daily work on issues of information architecture and web site usability. It may also be useful to those who work in some reference capacity or regularly assist patrons in finding information.

Details

OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, vol. 21 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-075X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 September 2000

Ziyu Lin

An emerging, globally Web‐based Chinese language virtual library offers unprecedented content availability and user accessibility. Virtual and physical libraries are defined, and…

1429

Abstract

An emerging, globally Web‐based Chinese language virtual library offers unprecedented content availability and user accessibility. Virtual and physical libraries are defined, and compared, in terms of bibliographical searching. Then, the size of the Chinese language virtual library is estimated and its future development is predicted. The quantitative analysis concentrates on the content of this virtual library through examining the subject directories of more than 100 of its search engines. The findings show that 20 percent of the subject categories provide 80 percent of online access activities. Many subject categories characterise values of the Chinese‐speaking world. Discussion continues with structural and functional analyses of Chinese language search engines that support this virtual library. Further, an analytic overview is presented of Chinese language applications that render the necessary and sufficient computational linguistic conditions for utilising Chinese language online resources.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 July 2007

Jeffrey Pomerantz and Gary Marchionini

The purpose of this paper is to present a high‐level investigation of the physical‐conceptual continuum occupied by both digital and physical libraries.

10559

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a high‐level investigation of the physical‐conceptual continuum occupied by both digital and physical libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

A framework is provided for thinking about the notions of place and library. The issue of materials and the ideas they represent is considered. Places for people are considered, including issues of people's sense of place in physical and digital spaces. The issue of physical and digital spaces as places for work, collaboration, and community‐building is considered.

Findings

As more digital libraries are built, and as more physical libraries offer electronic access to parts of their collection, two trends are likely to result: the role of the library as a storage space for materials will become decreasingly important; and the role of the library as a space for users, for individual and collaborative work, and as a space for social activity, will become increasingly important.

Research limitations/implications

Digital libraries are unable to fulfill some of the functions of the physical library as physical spaces, but are able to offer functions beyond what the physical library can offer as cognitive spaces.

Practical implications

Areas of likely future development for digital libraries are suggested, as vehicles for enhancing cognitive space by augmenting representations of ideas in materials.

Originality/value

This paper argues that in many ways digital libraries really are places in the conceptual sense, and will continue to broaden and enrich the roles that libraries play in people's lives and in the larger social milieu.

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2022

Asmaa Bouaamri and Ágnes Barátné Hajdu

The purpose of this study is to explore the virtual space of the library and how it is part of the library building and many spaces offered. It inspects as well the work of the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore the virtual space of the library and how it is part of the library building and many spaces offered. It inspects as well the work of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions’ section related to library buildings and equipment libraries can play if they are able to provide remote users education, which can help in fighting illiteracy and promote digital literacy.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a structuralist approach from linguistics, sociology and anthropology to decorticate the concept of space. It favoured the literature review method, which was the most adequate approach for multidisciplinary results.

Findings

The study results indicate that the library virtual space became equally important as its physical spaces for our modern world and development. The significance of the virtual spaces is similar nowadays to the physical spaces of libraries as they allow for social integration and self-recognition.

Originality/value

The value of this study is uniquely exhaustive, as it highlights the value and significance of the library virtual space in the contemporary world, in comparison with the library physical spaces.

Details

Library Hi Tech News, vol. 39 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0741-9058

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 November 2015

Danijela Boberić-Krstićev and Danijela Tešendić

The purpose of this paper is to present the software architecture of the university’s union catalogue in Novi Sad, Serbia. The university’s union catalogue would comprise the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the software architecture of the university’s union catalogue in Novi Sad, Serbia. The university’s union catalogue would comprise the collections of 14 academic libraries.

Design/methodology/approach

The basis of this paper is a case study of developing a software solution for the union catalogue of the University of Novi Sad in Serbia. The solution principles of object-oriented modelling are applied to describe the software architecture. Specifically, the unified modeling language (UML) component and sequence diagrams are used. The database model is described by using a physical data model.

Findings

Through the research of related papers and, taking into consideration the problem of creating a university union catalogue, it is concluded that the best approach is to combine the idea of a virtual and a physical union catalogue. Records are stored in one physical union catalogue, while the holdings data are stored in the local library management systems (LMSs) organized in the form of virtual union catalogues. Because academic libraries often use LMSs from different vendors, interoperable communication between those LMSs and the union catalogue is provided through the usage of standard library protocols for information retrieval (Search and Retrieve URL [SRU], SRU Record Update and NISO Circulation Interchange Protocol [NCIP]).

Research limitations/implications

The development of a union catalogue for the University of Novi Sad is in its test phase, and, at this moment, only a software solution supporting the functionalities of a union catalogue has been created.

Practical implications

By introducing a university union catalogue, students would be able to search the collections of all the university libraries by using a single portal. Their results would indicate whether a book is available and from which library it is available to borrow.

Originality/value

Originality of this software architecture lies in the usage of standard library protocols. The described architecture enables the addition of new members to the university union catalogue, regardless of which LMS the library uses.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 33 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 June 2021

Maureen Garvey

This case study was conducted to assess and make changes to the consortial virtual reference service for the remainder of the period of fully virtual reference (campus closure); a…

1127

Abstract

Purpose

This case study was conducted to assess and make changes to the consortial virtual reference service for the remainder of the period of fully virtual reference (campus closure); a second objective was to consider implications for service design and delivery upon the eventual return to the physical campus.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper begins by introducing the institution, reference practices prior to the pandemic and the changes to reference service necessitated by the campus closure. After a literature review of material related to reference and the pandemic, several years of virtual reference service data are analyzed.

Findings

The use of consortial virtual reference service has significantly increased in the pandemic, as demonstrated by questions asked by users and questions answered by librarians. Changes to work practices based on these data have been made.

Originality/value

This work is original in that it relates to the physical closure of the campus due to the pandemic, about which, to date, little has been published specifically concerning the design and delivery of reference services.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 49 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 September 2009

Valerie Hill and Hyuk‐Jin Lee

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current impact of virtual worlds on librarianship and identify significant gains in a new mode of information delivery and immersive…

1899

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the current impact of virtual worlds on librarianship and identify significant gains in a new mode of information delivery and immersive learning.

Design/methodology/approach

Through exploratory research and observation, the prospective study addresses a very new trend in information delivery and technology within library services.

Findings

Provides evidence of global collaboration among information scientists, significant contributions to library collections, and potential for educational opportunities through immersive learning environments.

Research limitations/implications

A small number of librarians are participating in virtual world librarianship in relation to the profession, due to the mode being a very new one. Future research should include studying the needs of library patrons and information seeking behaviors in virtual worlds along with accessibility, security and sustainability.

Practical implications

The study implies many educational opportunities and potential for information organization, information delivery, multimedia, and immersive learning on a global scale.

Originality/value

This study presents significant evidence that virtual worlds have provided a new medium of information delivery and educational opportunities that librarians are currently embracing and sharing with other fields, including medicine, art, science, and education.

Details

Library Hi Tech, vol. 27 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0737-8831

Keywords

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