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1 – 10 of over 82000The purpose of this paper is to explore key issues involved with opportunities, challenges, and future developing trends of delivering dynamic and distributed web‐based academic…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore key issues involved with opportunities, challenges, and future developing trends of delivering dynamic and distributed web‐based academic library information resources, services, and instructions for library users in the digital age.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on the typical web‐based, three‐tier client/server architecture, this paper explores ten key issues how to leverage quality library user services in the digital age: roles of academic libraries; funding support; information resources; information access; information services; instructions and trainings; impacts of cutting‐edge technologies and emerging technologies; web contents management and knowledge base; assessment and evaluation; and Librarians. Also discussed are the next‐generation web‐based client/server library information architecture and services in the foreseeable future.
Findings
With the rapid development of the internet and the world wide web, information exchange and information distribution can be transformed either by disparate formats or by dynamic channels. Knowledge, competence, and skills cannot follow up with the rapid advances of science and technologies. Many library users need assistance to access, locate, convert, synthesize, and evaluate information effectively and efficiently. It is very imperative for libraries and librarians to design, develop, enhance, implement, and deliver high quality user‐centered information services, resources, and instruction at the fingertips of library users.
Originality/value
Target readers who include librarians, instructors, trainers, consultants, managers, IT specialists, executives, and other professionals who are involved with developing and delivering distributed library user services via the internet will find this article of value.
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The Internet is changing the way businesses operate today. Firms are using the Web for procurement, to find trading partners, and to link existing applications to other…
Abstract
The Internet is changing the way businesses operate today. Firms are using the Web for procurement, to find trading partners, and to link existing applications to other applications. Web services are rapidly becoming the enabling technology of today’s e‐business, and e‐commerce systems. We are having a massive impact on the way businesses think about designing, developing, and deploying Web‐based applications. Web services may be an evolutionary step in designing distributed applications, however, they are not without problems. There are issues relating to security, transactions and scalability that need to be addressed. This paper addresses security concerns in Web services and the role of technology trust.
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P. Joshi, H. Singh and A.D. Phippen
Distributed computing architecture has been around for a while, but not all of its benefits could be leveraged due to issues such as inter‐operability, industry standards and cost…
Abstract
Distributed computing architecture has been around for a while, but not all of its benefits could be leveraged due to issues such as inter‐operability, industry standards and cost efficiency that could provide agility and transparency to the business process integration. Web services offer a cross platform solution that provides a wrapper around any business object and exposes it over the Internet as service. Web services typically work outside of private networks, offering developers a non‐proprietary route to their solutions. The growth of this technology is imminent; however, there are various factors that could impact its adoption rate. This paper provides an in‐depth analysis of various factors that could affect adoption rate of this new technology by the industry. Various advantages, pitfalls and future implications of this technology are considered with reference to a practitioner survey conducted to establish the main concerns effecting adoption rate of Web services.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the balanced scorecard methodology in web services quality. A balanced scorecard framework is developed for web services…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of the balanced scorecard methodology in web services quality. A balanced scorecard framework is developed for web services quality by identifying critical success factors that make up the business objectives, measures, targets, and initiatives.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework of web services quality applying the balanced scorecard methodology is developed by integrating the theory of balanced scorecard and web services. Then, case studies with two organizations in the agricultural industry are deployed to test the framework of the balanced scorecard.
Findings
The findings of the exploratory case studies suggest a cyclic process that was created with the use of the balanced scorecard approach to evaluate the quality of web services applications and in order to integrate quality and to provide a strategic map and indicate how information will be disseminated so that the potential use of web services can be attained.
Practical implications
The study contributes to practitioners as they will have a system which will provide them with timely, cost‐effective, scalable, manageable, and reliable feedback on their strategic performance. Further, the balanced scorecard gives a holistic view of the firms by simultaneously examining its performance from four perspectives; namely learning and growth, internal business processes, customer, and financial perspectives.
Originality/value
Unlike previous research that uses the balanced scorecard to measure the economic impact on the firm. This paper discusses the role of the balanced scorecard methodology in improving the service quality of firms using web services. Further, it provides lessons learned, as in measures that firms can be aware of in the quality of the services they provide.
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The Internet has accelerated the adoption of collaborative commerce among businesses to form Web services. Web services refer to modular Internet‐based business functions that…
Abstract
The Internet has accelerated the adoption of collaborative commerce among businesses to form Web services. Web services refer to modular Internet‐based business functions that perform specific business tasks to facilitate business interactions within and beyond the organization. Firms are embedded in networks of collaborative relationships that influence the flow of resources among the stakeholders (requesters, providers, users and employees). Collaboration with Web services creates trust in the technological dimensions of Web services. Technology trust refers to the subjective probability by which organizations believe that the underlying technology infrastructure is capable of facilitating transactions according to their confident expectations. In this paper we examine the role of facilitating conditions in technology trust and its relationship with Web services. We provide a set of guidelines for early adopters and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of Web services and directions for future research.
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This paper aims to show that information and evidence found in the XML‐based environment of web services can allow web services providers to gain a sense of the trustworthiness of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to show that information and evidence found in the XML‐based environment of web services can allow web services providers to gain a sense of the trustworthiness of web services requestors over time.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review on trust in web services environment is provided. Trust management models, and an existing trust specification for web services are discussed. Next, a conceptual framework for web services trust formation is presented.
Findings
The paper makes explicit types of information that can be used for trust formation. Web services providers are given the ability to trust requestors autonomously by making use of information that is published through web services standards, defined over and above a web services interface. The approach incorporates elements of social trust as it is concerned with more than cryptographic controls. It has mechanisms that allow a web services provider to manage trust autonomously, enabling different types of trust for different situations.
Research limitations/implications
A conceptual framework for trust formation has been defined that identifies a proposal for trust calculation. The paper does not address the implementation of the framework, and calculation of trust over information categories.
Practical implications
The paper identifies a practical approach to autonomous web services trust by making use of web services standards such as WS‐Policy and WSMetadataExchange.
Originality/value
This paper identifies a taxonomy of trust information that can be used to make explicit the requirements for web services trust.
This research aims at conducting a survey of web‐based services offered by Asian national libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims at conducting a survey of web‐based services offered by Asian national libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
To do this, 23 accessible and English language web sites of national libraries in Asia were studied. Direct observation and a checklist including six general services were used for data collection and data evaluation, respectively. In order to determine the detailed services provided by national library web sites, five web sites of the greatest and historical national libraries in the world with appropriate geographical distribution were taken into account.
Findings
National Library of Singapore had the first rank in providing its services via a web site for users and was the only national library in Asia that provides more than half of its services (52.29 per cent) via the web site. The national libraries of seven countries: Japan, Malaysia, China, Iran, Israel, Seri Lanka, and Kyrgyzstan provide web‐based services in the range of 25‐50 per cent, respectively in descending order. And the web sites of Asian national libraries (ANLs) were far from ideal and optimal as an online service provider.
Practical implications
Asian National Libraries must use the web facilities for achievement of their target goals and provision of their information services in the best manner. It is also suggested that these libraries should make high use of both traditional library tools like bibliographies and web‐based ones including web forms, chat, videoconferences, and so forth to meet their goals and ideals.
Originality/value
This study provides a unique insight into the situation of provision of web‐based services offered by national libraries in selected Asian countries.
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To highlight the potential of web services for libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
To highlight the potential of web services for libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
A brief description of web services is followed by a discussion of the importance of web service standards and the role of initiatives to encourage the development and use of such standards in libraries.
Findings
Web services offer many advantages to the library community, but the majority of these advantages will only be realised if web services are standardised.
Originality/value
This paper is a call to the library community to prevent the proliferation of proprietary web services by supporting the development and use of standard web services.
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This column aims to investigate the possibilities of web services for the integration of information with relevant services.
Abstract
Purpose
This column aims to investigate the possibilities of web services for the integration of information with relevant services.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a viewpoint paper.
Findings
This column encourages the exploration of web services based on careful analysis and semantic ontologies in order to provide relevant integration of services and information.
Practical implications
The rapid proliferation of web services – whether RESTful or SOAP based – offers many opportunities both internally and externally for libraries, but the adoption of web services needs to be tempered with careful planning and analysis.
Originality/value
The column offers some interesting suggestions for exploring theoretical options in the adoption of web service information and services. Some technical aspects of web service technology are discussed and then related to the core mission of librarianship, which is to assist patrons in navigating the great breadth of data available in increasing quantities via web service technology.
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To achieve quality in customer service is to enhance a company’s competitiveness. With the birth of the World Wide Web, the process of making products and services available to…
Abstract
To achieve quality in customer service is to enhance a company’s competitiveness. With the birth of the World Wide Web, the process of making products and services available to customers has changed from traditional communication channels to Web‐based information systems. Consequently, the widely used service quality measurement instrument SERVQUAL, developed for traditional customer service, may require adaptation for use in this information age. The identified general service quality dimensions in SERVQUAL may no longer be appropriate under this new and specific context. Shifts in service quality dimensions are due to the differences between Web‐based and traditional communication as well as the complementary functions of these two channels. A survey was conducted online and analyzed using structural equation modeling. Two new quality dimensions were identified. This information should be useful to Web designers and information service providers.
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