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1 – 10 of over 8000The 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…
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.
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Keywords
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…
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.
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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.
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…
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.
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An emerging, globally Web‐based Chinese language virtual library offers unprecedented content availability and user accessibility. Virtual and physical libraries are defined, and…
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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…
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.
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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…
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.
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