• Digital Library
  • MyLibrary
    by Multimedia Development Corporation
    The site provides the Malaysian National Digital Library to users. The MSC Initiative is designed to promote the delivery of information to all levels of Malaysian society. Information is categorized by media type (books, e-magazines, newspapers, multimedia, etc). Strengths: Decent resource for Malaysian news and publications. Weaknesses: Not fully open access (private domain versus public domain). Sources are not complete; appears to be filtered access. Unable to link to some articles. Couldn’t find an expansion for “MSC Initiative” on the site or by using its search tool.
  • California Digital Library
    by the California Digital Library
    Established in 1997, the CDL is considered one of the largest digital libraries in the world. The CDL supports the use of the scholarship and information for University of California libraries and the communities they serve. The site provides information about the CDL including collections, programs, and research. The Melvyl Catalog allows searches of the entire UC collection, and is easy to use. Strengths: Search through the CaliforniaDigitialLibrary.org with a subject index helps to ease the search function. Appropriate but not overwhelming graphics. Weaknesses: The Digital Library search function is not obvious and is a few layers down in the site.
  • Native American digital library
    by Native American Digital Library
    The site provides links to various academic sites related to each topic. The site provides brief summaries to online resources, in this case, Native America studies. Strengths: A decent first step in focusing research on a particular subject area that could get lost in a more general search. Provides information on general collection, images, and articles, and bibliography. Weaknesses: There is advertising on each page, with the actual information provided well below the advertising.
  • Digital Research Library
    by the University of Pittsburgh University Library System
    The Digital Research Library (DRL) supports the University’s teaching and research mission and serves users through Web-accessible digital research databases. The DRL projects include a multimedia site on historic Pittsburgh. Strengths: Ask-a-Librarian service. Library News section provides information on how to use library services, new resources, etc. PITTCat, Pitt’s OPAC, provides access to more than 3 million items ans is easy to use. Nice use of graphics related to the library. Weaknesses: Search function is not apparent on home page.
  • Yale University Library
    by Yale University Library
    The collection provides access to databases, full text documents, and image collections. Strengths: Range of specialized databases and collections form the Yale library. Weaknesses: Not all collections could be accesssed, as a NetID is required; to get that, you must be a “valid member of the Yale community.”
  • Yale University Library
    by Yale University Library
    The collection provides access to databases, full text documents, and image collections. Strengths: Range of specialized databases and collections form the Yale library. Weaknesses:.

   

• E-Journals
  • D-Lib Magazine
    by the Corporation for National Research Initiatives
    D-Lib is a solely electronic publication on digital library research and development covering such issues as new technologies, applications, and contextual social and economic issues. The goal is to provide “timely and efficient” information for the digital library community. Articles are not solicited; authors generally are connected to universities and such professional organizations as OCLC. Strengths: Incredibly comprehensive rousrce for the subject, including articles, featured collections, a “Clips and Pointers” section, calls for conference participation, and future events related to digital libraries. Easy to access. Weaknesses: Visually not very exciting; text-heavy with limited graphics. There is so much information on the site, compared to other sites, that is somewhat overwhelming.
  • CenterFirstAmericans.com/mt.html”>Mammoth Trumpet
    by the Center for the Study of the First Americans
    Mammoth Trumpet is the quarterly newspaper of the Center for the Study of the First Americans through the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University. It reports on research in all sciences pertaining to the study of the peoples of North and South America. Strengths: Information on how to subscribe to the Center. Access to Mammoth Trumpet archives. Weaknesses: Can’t access articles. The links only provide information on how to become a member of the Center, with one paragraph noting how to contact the Center (via phone or e-mail) for article reprints; cannot order reprints from the site. Unable to determine if there is a cost associated with obtaining copies of articles.
  • Journal for Electronic Publishing
    by the University of Michigan Press
    The Journal of Electronic Publishing covers such issues as Web design, server management, pricing, and policy questions. The emphasis is on broad issues that should shape policy, and on professional, scientific, or academic publishing, including books and journals. According to the publisher’s statement, the journal is a testbed that will show readers the results of successful tests as well as failures. The journal formed a partnership with Columbia University Press in 1992. Strengths: Subscriptions are free. Articles are written by industry professionals ion library science, private publishing, and academic presses. Weaknesses:Current issue posted on this site is Volume 8, Issue 1 from August 2002. Site isn’t up-to-date. Further research on site advises going to Columbia University Press website but there is no indication the journal has been published since 2002.
  • Current Cites
    by Ray Tennant
    Tennant is the user services architect for the California Digital Library. He is the creator and editor of Current Cites. This is an annotated bibliography of selected articles, books, and digital documents on information technology. Each issue contains 10-15 articles on IT literature culled from current literature by a team of librarians and library staff. Strengths: Links to an array of current IT articles. The review team provides small reviews on their selections. Weaknesses: The content is perhaps too technical for some users who are not IT experts already.
  • First Monday
    by the Great Cities Initiative of the University of Illinois at Chicago Library
    First Monday is a peer-reviewed journal of the Internet which has been in existence since May 1996. The journal appears on the first Monday of each month. Articles have been submitted from more than 30 countries. Strengths: Sometimes an issue focuses on a particular topic, such as open source (in November 2004). A good scholarly source for a range of topics related to the Internet. Weaknesses: Content may be too “dry” for the general reader who may be interested in learning more about the Internet.

   

• E-Books and Misc.
  • E-Books
    by John Mark Ockerbloom through the University of Pennsylvania Library
    Ockerbloom is a digital library planner and researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. His website provides access to books freely “readable” on the Internet. Thissite contains an index to online books; pointers to directories and archives of online texts; exhibits on categories of online books; and information on how eraders can support the growth of online books. Strengths: The site provides categories such as banned books online, with background on why the books were banned. Titles are links to other sites (academic and commercial) for access to the books. “New listings” search link is updated frequently (four times between 10 and 16 November 2004). Weaknesses: Not everyone wants to read a book online, so printing out the free book may still be necessary.
  • International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
    by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions
    The digital library section of this site includes information on resources and projects, cataloging and indexing of electronic resources, electronic text and journal archives, and metadata resources. The site provides links to articles, reports, and conference proceedings related to digital libraries, internet resources on cataloging, and resources related to e-texts, e-publishing, etc. Strengths: Information on DIGLIB, a discussion list to share information about digital libraries. Generally a good access point to other resources. Weaknesses: A good Google search probably could find the same information.

   

• Projects
  • Digital Libraries Technologies Project
    by the Standord Digital Libraries Technologies Project
    The project is funded by three California universities: UC at Berkeley, UC at Santa Barbara, and Stanford. The project goal is to design and implement the infrastructure and services needed for creating, disseminating, sharing, and managing information in a digital library environment, and provides links to project partners and reports. Strengths: Links to the two UC projects which are working on different parts of the project. Links to several other projects associated with digital libraries. Non-technical language allows non-IT experts to understand the information presented. Weaknesses: Unable to tell when the site was last updated. Most recent project progress report is dated June 2002. Raises questions about the value of the site’s content.
  • Digital Library Initiatives
    by the Library of Congress
    Phase two of the project is designed to increase research on digital libraries with real collections and real users (phase one dealt more with research related to plans for digital library use). The site provides a section on challenges related to digital library development which would be of use to library managers considering such changes; technical issues associated with digital libraries; and links to resources. The National Digital Library program envisions a set of distributed repositories of managed content and a set of interfaces to that content. Strengths: Good basic information on the digital library concept and how the LC is handling the digitization of its collection. Weaknesses: A very basic site map. A good starting point on digital libraries, but to delve into this activity will require research at other sites.
  • Center for the Study of Digital Libraries
    by the Center for the Study of Digital Libraries at Texas A&M University
    The Center provides a focal point for digital libraries research and technology for the State of Texas, with a mission to foster “pioneering” research on the theory and application of digital libraries and to create flexible and new technologies for their use. Strengths: Site includes some photos and graphics which help to break up the text-heavy information. Links to the homepages of projects the Center is involved with provide basic information on the projects. Information on the site generally is only an introduction to the issues, with links for further information. Weaknesses: Actual information on the site may be limited, but it is a good starting point for direct contact with the Center. However, it is not very informative regarding actual Center activities.

©Leslie Yeager 2004 Created for CLSC 555 IS Webliography