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Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe the transition of a collection in Texas A&M University's institutional repository from single item submission to batch importation as a primary method of ingest. This transition was made possible with assistance and technical work on behalf of the library. Design/methodology/approach - The digital initiatives staff examined the workflow of the collection's manager and submitters. A process was created to produce the necessary data structures for batch import from resources that were already being generated by the collection workflow. Findings - It was found that batch importing assistance provided by the library improved the collection's growth rate and efficiency without interrupting the workflow of the collection management team. Practical implications - This paper demonstrates the benefit of libraries and other institutional repository hosts offering batch-loading assistance to managers of large repository collections. Originality/value - This paper should resonate with institutional repository managers and digital services librarians, as many have neglected to offer batch importing or other assistance to users citing a lack of resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - This paper seeks to focus on the efforts of the National Library of Singapore (NLS) to make accessible resources to users who may not come to the library physically or resources that the library may not hold or own, and to discuss some of the initiatives launched by the NLS in the past five years, including the encyclopedic Singapore Infopedia, the landmark collaborative project between the NLS and Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) that initiated NewspaperSG, and the Singapore Memory Project, a nationwide initiative to build a national digital collection of materials about Singapore. Design/methodology/approach - The paper takes a descriptive approach. Findings - With libraries the world over facing the challenge of meeting the needs of users in improving access, the National Library of Singapore (NLS) has, in the past decade, sought to explore ways in which remote reference services can be improved and access to its collections in the online space enhanced. Originality/value - The paper gives an insight into the latest developments at the National Library aimed at servicing its remote users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — This paper seeks to provide recent case study evidence for the remarkable growth of electronic resources in academic library collections and to analyze growth patterns and impacts. Design/methodology/approach — A case study reviewed electronic resources growth at the University of Saskatchewan Library over a 12-year time series, from 1996-1997 to 2007-2008. The researcher collected data from the library's databases A-Z lists over the time series, compiled statistics and growth rates for both net holdings and new acquisitions, then analyzed and contextualized the results. Findings — The study reveals three electronic resources growth or development stages corresponding to advances in electronic resource types — i.e. bibliographic, full text and reference — and a pattern of sustained rapid growth. It was found that growth doubled within the last four years of the time series, with ±100 resources being added annually in the same period. Both internal and external events impacted on growth. Just as internal and external events contribute to the growth of electronic resources, new events such as economic decline may contribute to growth decline. Research limitations/implications — While the study is limited to a single academic library case, it has applications to similar academic library profiles across North America, where sustained rapid growth has had a significant impact on reference workers and researchers. Practical implications — This research provides a case study for describing electronic resources growth in academic libraries. The data and findings may help support funding increases, and an understanding of the extent of growth and its impact on reference workers and researchers. Originality/value — Although generalizations from one case study cannot be made, this study of electronic resources growth and its implications substantiates the general conviction that overwhelming growth has occurred and that the consequences for library services and systems is considerable. The paper applies the concept of growth or development stages: bibliographic, full text and reference, to describe the evolution of electronic resources in an academic library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — Aims to provide an overview of methods for digitizing maps, the creation and preservation of a digital collection, interoperable database construction, and an examination of the real costs associated with maintaining a digital collection. Design/methodology/approach — This paper is an examination of the tools, metadata choices, work with Open Archives Initiative (OAD research projects, and sustainability costs, associated with a digital project of 946 dynamic historic cartographic images. Findings — The Early Washington Maps project demonstrates how multiple tools may be integrated and interoperability between databases achieved. Realistic costs associated with digital collections and practical reference techniques are described. Practical implications — This is an extremely common-sense discussion of digital library issues for library professionals planning or enhancing digital collections. Originality/value — The paper describes ideas for enhancing access to digital collections during and after a grant award. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to inform the reader about the collection development principles, the use of technology, the history, and usefulness of ACLS Humanities F-book. Design/methodology/approach - The approach adopted is a brief history, overview, and review of ACLS Humanities F-book. Findings - ACLS Humanities F-book combines a carefully selected collection of academic monographs related to the humanities with a straightforward user-interface. Originality/value - The paper offers information about the collection, most important, its collection development model and the considerable value and utility of ACLS Humanities E-book for researchers and libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this article is to provide tips for electronic collection development for libraries with a meager budget. Design/methodology/approach — The information provided in this article is based on research on electronic collection development practices and the author's experience with electronic resources at small and large university libraries. Findings — There are many useful electronic resources available for free because of the open access movement. Old ideas such as consortia and negotiating still help to keep costs at a manageable level for libraries. Practical implications — Libraries will be able to maintain or reduce the costs they are spending on electronic resources, but still retain sources that fulfill their collection needs. Originality/value — This paper combines new and old ideas and resources for electronic collection development into a short and easy-to-follow source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – To compare and contrast national collection management principles for hard copy deposit collections and for digital deposit collections. Design/methodology/approach – A selective overview and summary of work to date on digital legal deposit and digital preservation. Findings – That the comprehensive nature of traditional print deposit collection often absolves national libraries from the more intractable problems of stock selection; whereas the difficulty of collecting the entire national digital web space means that intelligent selection is vital for the building of meaningful digital deposit collections. Research limitations/implications – These are indicative and partial insights based on small scale interrogation of trial digital deposit collections: the issue of collection development and selection biases in digital collection building needs greater in-depth research before hard and fast recommendations about collection management criteria can be arrived at. Practical implications – The principles outlined may offer practitioners in national libraries some useful insights into how to manage their digital deposit collections. Originality/value – This paper emphasises the social and political aspects of digital deposit issues, rather than the legal or technical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — By reflecting the historical transition of the University of Southern California (USC) social work departmental library, the article aims to share challenges and solutions of the library collection and services in the electronic environment and to facilitate a discussion about the future of library services. Design/methodology/approach — The author conducted a literature review about departmental libraries, and a historical review of the USC social work library collection and services. Direct observation, surveys, reference statistics and the web visiting data were employed in the research analysis. A new vision and service model were created. Findings — The USC social work students rely on both the print and electronic resources for their research and study. The decentralized social work library collection and the students' inadequate information literacy skills are the major challenges for the librarian. Information literacy instruction, web-based collection management and library outreach are beneficial for the access service at the new information center. Research limitations/implications — Some findings may not be compatible with other user groups in academic libraries. The established service model is applicable in other departmental libraries and information centers. Practical implications — The solutions employed by the USC social work librarian are applicable in other departmental academic libraries. Originality/value — This paper combines research and library service practice at the information center. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - User-created metadata, often referred to as folksonomy or social classification, has received a considerable amount of attention in the digital library world. Social tagging is perceived as a tool for enhancing description of digital objects and providing a venue for user input and greater user engagement. This article seeks to examine the pros and cons of user-generated metadata in the context of digital image collections and compares it to professionally created metadata schema and controlled vocabulary tools. Design/methodology/approach - The article provides an overview of challenges to concept-based image indexing. It analyzes the characteristics of social classification and compares images described by users to a set of images indexed in a digital collection. Findings - The article finds that user-generated metadata vary in the level of description, accuracy, and consistency and do not provide a solution to the challenges of image indexing. On the other hand, they reflects user's language and can lead toward user-centered indexing and greater user engagement. Practical implications - Social tagging can be implemented as a supplement to professionally created metadata records to provide an opportunity for users to comment on images. Originality/value - The article introduces the idea of user-centered image indexing in digital collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]