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As digital technologies are becoming embedded in all aspects of life, cyber attacks can come from many directions. A significant proportion of these attacks pose serious risks to critical data, infrastructure and processes within all manner of organisations, both large and small.

The goal of the technology brief is to familiarize library decision-makers with the opportunities and challenges of participatory networks. In order to accomplish this goal the brief is divided into four sections (excluding an overview and a detailed statement of goal):a conceptual framework for understanding and evaluating participatory networks;a discussion of key concepts and technologies in participatory networks drawn primarily from Web 2.0 and Library 2.0;a merging of the conceptual framework with the technological discussion to present a roadmap for library systems development; anda set of recommendations to foster greater discussion and action on the topic of participatory networks and, more broadly, participatory librarianship.This summary will highlight the discussions in each of these four topics. For consistency, the section numbers and titles from the full brief are used.

One of the valuable offerings of librarians in the digital age is the human intermediation of information needs. In physical libraries, these reference questions are answered, and few artifacts remain from the transaction; therefore, the knowledge created through the work of the librarian leaves with the patron. Due to the medium of communication, digital reference transactions capture the knowledge of information professionals. There are hundreds of digital reference services generating knowledge every day; however, the lack of a schema for archiving reference transactions from multiple services makes it difficult to create a fielded, searchable knowledge base. The development of such a schema would allow researchers to develop tools that practitioners can employ. In turn, this would create a collaborative environment for digital reference evaluation. The goal of this work is to outline the steps needed to develop this schema, present the results of a survey of digital reference services, explore some of the pitfalls in the process, and envision the future uses of this Digital Reference Electronic Warehouse.

Archaeologists have used material artifacts found in a physical space to gain an understanding about the people who occupied that space. Likewise, as users wander through a digital library, they leave behind data‐based artifacts of their activity in the virtual space. Digital library archaeologists can gather these artifacts and employ inductive techniques, such as bibliomining, to create generalizations. These generalizations are the basis for hypotheses, which are tested to gain understanding about library services and users. In this article, the development of traditional archaeological methods is presented and used to create a conceptual framework for the artifact‐based evaluation in digital libraries.

While a growing number of the digital reference services in libraries have become part of collaborative reference networks, other entities that serve similar information-seeking needs such as special collections and museums have not joined these networks, even though they are answering an increasing number of questions from off-site patrons via the Internet. This article examines the differences between questions asked electronically of traditional reference services and those asked of special collections services; it further explores how a better understanding of digital reference in special collections will facilitate the development of the tools and models needed to create a bridge between digital human intermediation at general academic libraries, special collections, and museums.

This conceptual piece presents a framework to aid libraries in gaining a more thorough and holistic understanding of their users and services. Through a presentation of the history of library evaluation, a multidimensional matrix of measures is developed that demonstrates the relationship between the topics and perspectives of measurement. These measurements are then combined through evaluation criteria, and then different participants in the library system view those criteria for decision making. By implementing this framework for holistic measurement and cumulative evaluation, library evaluators can gain a more holistic knowledge of the library system and library administrators can be better informed for their decision‐making processes.

This research reports the findings from a survey that examined the differences in communication between students who used instant messenger (IM) services and those who did not in the same asynchronous distance education Web-based course. It was found that students who used IM services found it easier to communicate, felt a stronger sense of community, and had more venues for informal and social communication about not only class material, but also information about the school and their common degree program. In traditional classroom buildings, the common spaces such as hallways provide the venue for this informal communication; IM services can enhance the distance education environment by providing the “virtual hallways” for students and instructors to meet.

SUMMARY Ambiguities in Web search tool (more commonly known as “search engine”) terminology are problematic when conducting precise, replicable research or when teaching others to use search tools. Standardized terminology would enable Web searchers to be aware of subtle differences between Web search tools and the implications of these for searching. A categorization and nomenclature for standardized classifications of different aspects of Web search tools is proposed, and advantages and disadvantages of using tools in each category are discussed.

Library and information services in corporations, schools, universities and communities capture information about their users, circulation history, resources in the collection and search patterns (Koenig, 1985). Unfortunately, few libraries have taken advantage of these data as a way to improve customer service, manage acquisition budgets or influence strategic decision making about uses of information in their organizations. In this chapter, we present a global view of the data generated in libraries, and the variety of decisions that those data can inform. We describe ways in which library and information managers can use data mining in their libraries, i.e., bibliomining, to understand patterns of behavior among library users and staff members and patterns of information resource use throughout the institution. The chapter examines data sources and possible applications of data mining techniques in the library.

There is a growing level of interest in games in the iSchools. Some schools are teaching courses focused on the creation of games, while others schools have researchers exploring game topics. In order to engage with game programs and researchers from outside the iSchools, it is important to understand the different areas of game education and research, and how concepts from information science can be used to advance game research.

A significant performance and cost improvement was achieved with the application of hybrid Coiled Tubing (CT) drilling equipment and techniques on the Chittim Ranch in Maverick county Texas. During this drilling program, 233 wells were grass-root drilled using the hybrid CT unit. Coiled tubing drilling equipment and techniques reduced the average time to complete a well by 60% when compared to conventional rotary rig drilling. This increase in drilling performance coupled with a turnkey contract resulted in a 14% (33% adjusted for inflation) cost reduction per well when compared to the most recent conventional drilling data from this area. This paper will review the process used in choosing a CT solution, the hurdles overcome, the problems encountered, and the lessons learned in managing and operating this CT Drilling (CTD) campaign. The paper will also provide an overview of CT coring performed in one of the wells during the CTD campaign. The drilling performance increase was realized using a top-set rig to set surface casing and a hybrid "Big Wheel" CT rig to drill the production hole. Finalized project data demonstrated that field performance using CTD met and in some areas exceeded project goals.

While libraries have employed policies to protect the data about use of their services, these policies are rarely specific or standardized. Since 1996 the U.S. healthcare system has been grappling with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which is designed to provide those handling personal health information with standardized, definitive instructions as to the protection of data. In this work, the authors briefly discuss the present situation of privacy policies about library use data, outline the HIPAA guidelines to understand parallels between the two, and finally propose methods to create a de-identified library data warehouse based on HIPAA for the protection of user privacy.

Archeologists use artifacts to make statements about occupants of a physical space. Users of information resources leave behind data–based artifacts when they interact with a digital library or other Web–based information space. One process for examining these patterns is bibliomining, or the combination of data warehousing, data mining and bibliometrics to understand connections and patterns between works. The purpose of this paper is to use a research framework from archeology to structure exploration of these data artifacts through bibliomining to aid managers of digital libraries and other Web–based information resources.

Most people think of a library as the little brick building in the heart of their community or the big brick building in the center of a campus. These notions greatly oversimplify the world of libraries, however. Most large commercial organizations have dedicated in-house library operations, as do schools, non-gov-ernmental organizations, as well as local, state, and federal governments. With the increasing use of the Internet and the World Wide Web, digital libraries have burgeoned, and these serve a huge variety of different user audiences. With this ex-panded view of libraries, two key insights arise. First, libraries are typically embedded within larger institutions. Corporate libraries serve their corporations, academic libraries serve their universities, and public libraries serve taxpaying communities who elect overseeing representatives. Second, libraries play a pivotal role within their institutions as repositories and pro-viders of information resources. In the provider role, libraries represent in microcosm the intellectual and learning activities of the people who comprise the institution. This fact provides the basis for the strategic importance of library data mining: By ascertaining what users are seeking, bibliomining can reveal insights that have meaning in the context of the library’s host institution.Use of data mining to examine library data might be aptly termed

The final published version of this article is available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4573(02)00085-7, This paper describes a study conducted to determine the paths digital reference services take through a general process model of asynchronous digital reference. A survey based on the general process model was conducted; each decision point in this model provided the basis for at least one question. Common, uncommon, and wished-for practices are identified, as well as correlations between characteristics of services and the practices employed by those services. Identification of such trends has implications for the development of software tools for digital reference. This study presents a snapshot of the state of the art in digital reference as of late 2001 – early 2002, and validates the general process model of asynchronous digital reference.

Librarianship, as a profession, relies upon a strong network of colleagues outside the institution for collaboration. The seeds for this collaborative culture are planted in library school; however, in an online environment the challenges are greater when creating that sense of community. By supporting more ways to allow students, faculty, staff, and alumni to communicate in a distance education environment, the sense of community of the school can be raised. This community building can be done either within the confines of a course (internal) or outside the course structure (external). In both cases, the concept is the same - develop more pathways through a communication scaffold that allow individuals who are part of the community of the school to connect. There are three dimensions to consider in developing this scaffold: Synchronous vs. Asynchronous; Facilitated vs. Non-Facilitated; and 1-way vs. 2-way. By being conscious of these choices, those working to improve interaction can try to incorporate different types of experiences in order to encourage a larger group of people to participate.