Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Muddy Point 10/3

I just have a question about metadata schema. The idea of metadata having multiple views is a little muddy to me. Does this mean that this are different ways that data is able to be viewed? Or does it refer to how the data is interpreted?

Monday, September 29, 2014

Week Six:

REQUIRED READING NOTES

Local area network
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Area_Network
  • Defined as the computer network that interconnects computers within a limited area such as a home, school, computer lab, or office building - using network media. 
  • They include a smaller geographic area and non-inclusion of leased telecommunication lines.
  • Ethernet over twisted pair cabling and Wi-Fi are the two more common technologies currently used to build LANs.
  • An increasing demand and use of computers in universities and research labs pushed for a need to provide high-speed interconnections between computer systems. 
  • Simple LANs consist of one or more switches. switches - connected to - router, modem, or ADSL modem - for Internet access.
  • LANs can maintain connections with other LANs via leased lines, leased services, or the Internet
  • Telecommunications network that allows computers to exchange data. (the best known computer network is the Internet)
  • Networked computing devices pass data to each other along data connections. -- Data is transferred in form of packets. -- Connections (network links) between nodes are established using either cable media or wireless media. 
  • Nodes - includes hosts such as personal computers, phones, servers as well as hardworking hardware. 
  • Two devices are said to be networked together when one device is able to exchange information with the other device, whether or not they have a direct connection to each other.
  • CNs support applications such as access to the world wide web, shared use of application and storage servers, printers, fax machines, use of email and instant messaging. 
  • Computer networking is a branch of electrical engineering, telecommunications, and computer science.
  • A computer network facilitates interpersonal communications allowing people to communicate easily via email, instant messaging, chat rooms, telephone, video telephone calls, video conferences. It also:
    • provides access to information on shared storage devices is an important feature
    • allows sharing of files, data, and other types of information giving authorized users the ability to access information stored on other computers on the network. 
    • allows sharing of network and computing resources
  • A network packet is a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-switched network. 
    • control information and user data
  • There are various networks: local area, home area, personal area, storage area, campus area, backbone network, metropoolitan area, wide area, enterprise private network, virtual private

"Management of RFID in Libraries" by Karen Coyle
http://www.kcoyle.net/jal-31-5.html
  • RF stands for radio frequency. the ID is identifier. 
  • tag itself consists of a computer chip and an antenna, often printed on paper or a flexible medium.
  • RFID is an advanced technology compared to barcodes. the tag does not have to be visible to be read; instead it can be read even when it is embedded in an item.
    • might carry a complex message - limited to an identification number
    • chip is part of the RFID tag that can carry many bytes of information. 
  • RFID is not a single technology. 
    • RFID tags used for automated toll taking for cars (easy pass)
    • located in car keys to gain entry into buiildings
    • used to track animals on farms or lost pets
  • Asks the question if libraries should use RFID technology. 
    • libraries should use new technologies because the conditions in the general environment that led to the development of the technology are under the conditions in which the library operates. 
  • Libraries look to RFID as a security mechanism. 
    • facilitates security in a variety of ways. the tag used has a special "security bit" that can be switched from 'checked-in' to 'checked-out'.
  • The tags must be durable because the items will be used frequently.

Thoughts 
So these readings were interesting to me because I actually understood most of it. I am familiar with the terms Local Area Network and Computer Network because of basic computing courses that I have taken since junior high. I really enjoyed the RFID article however because it was most relevant to the LIS program and it was written in a way for me to understand the technology. I definitely understand what RFID is and how it is utilized for all kinds of functions.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Muddy Point 9/26

For this week's muddiest point, I would say that I am still very confused on how the entity-relationship model in databases function but only because this is still all very new information and it looks like a foreign language to me.

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Week Five:

REQUIRED READING NOTES

Introduction to Metadata, pathways to Digital Information: 1: Setting the Stage
Anne J. Gilliland (2008)
  • The term "metadata" literally means "data about data" - is a widely used and frequently underspecified term in the professional communities that use information systems and resources.
  • In the past 100 years, the creation and management of metadata is the responsibility of information professionals engaged in the fields of CATALOGING, CLASSIFICATION, and INDEXING. This is changing as information resources are becoming put online by the public.
  • College students are taught in information literacy courses to look for the metadata such as data information to determine where or not a source is authoritative from the Web. 
  • It is important for information professionals AND creators and users of digital content to understand the roles of different types of metadata in ensuring accessible, authoritative, and record-keeping systems.
  • Metadata was used by communities involved with the management of data and systems maintenance.
    • it is the sum total of what can be said about any information object at any level of group.
    • This means anything that can be addressed and manipulated as a discrete entity by a human being or an info system.
    • object may comprise a single item, an aggregate of items, or an entire database.
  • All information objects have three features: content, context, and structure.
    • content relates to what the object contains or is about. (intrinsic)
    • context indicates who, what, when, where, and why associated with object's creation (extrinsic)
    • structure refers to formal set of associations within or among individual information objects. (can be both intrinsic and extrinsic)
  • Library metadata development provides intellectual and physical access to collection materials. Includes indexes, abstracts, and bibliographic records such as the Library of Congress system.
  • Created by humans but also in automated ways such as metadata mining, harvesting, and Web crawling.
  • An emphasis on structure of information objects in metadata development has been less overt in past years.
  • In an environment where a user can gain unmediated access to information objects over a network, metadata:
    • certifies the authenticity and degree of completeness of the content
    • establishes and documents the context of the content
    • provides a range of intellectual access points for an increasingly diverse range of users
  • Acquisition records, exhibition catalogs, licensing agreements, and educational metadata are examples of other kinds of metadata.
  • User-created metadata has also been gathering momentum in varieties of venues on the Web. Uploading personal videos and photos to YouTube and Flickr dives into the business of creating, sharing, and copying metadata.
    • folksonomies - created using specialized tagging tools in various Web-based communities to share, identify, retrieve, categorize, and promote web content. 
  • Varying types of metadata include administrative, descriptive, preservation, technical, and use. Primary functions may be:
    • creation, reuse, and re-contextualization of information objects. 
    • organization and description
    • validation
    • searching and retrieval
    • utilization and preservation
    • disposition
  •  Metadata is important because it increases accessibility for items. it allows for searches to reach across multiple collections at once. It plays a crucial role in documenting and maintaining important relationships.
    • expanding use of digital information systems
    • learning tool
    • document changing uses of systems and content - turn feedback into systems development decisions.
    • allows repositories to track many layers of rights, licensing, and reproduction information
    • preservation and persistance
    • system improvements and economics
http://courseweb.lis.illinois.edu/~butler9/LIS501b/images/MetadataSchemas.jpg

"An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model" by Eric J. Miller
http://dublincore.org/1999/06/06-overview/
  • Shows the personal view of the relationship between a RDF (resource description framework) and the Dublin Core Metadata Initiatives data modeling activity. Not completed as of June 6, 1999.
  • describes the effort to create a consensus across disciplines for the discovery-oriented description of diverse resources in an electronic environment.
  • DCMI defined the DCES (Dublin Core Element set) which was intended to support cross-discipline resource discoveries. 
  • the article provides "a general overview of these function requirements as well as an introduction to the supporting data model and syntactic representation".
  • I couldn't understand the majority of this article, it was a lot of technical jargon that I was unfamiliar with. :(
Using Mendeley for Research Management by Julie Meloni
http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/using-mendeley-for-research-management/25627
  • This article explains the program Mendeley, a software program that organizes, shares, and discovers research articles. 
  • It's core functions are to organize and index PDF documents into a concise bibliography - all while gathering details to allow users to search, customize, and cite from materials. 
    • it serves as a social network, where groups and fellow researchers are able to collaborate online. 
Thoughts 
I liked the introduction article in metadata. I have always been a little intimidated by the term metadata, but this first reading assigned to us was a helpful tool in identifying what the term means and how it is used in the information professions. The detailed report from 1999 was ineffective to me as a student. I didn't understand the premise and I wish that when I was reading it, that I had been familiar with the subject. I have no previous experience with information technologies so it was a useless article for me.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Muddy Point 9/19

The third reading for our blog was very difficult to understand. I realize that the site is temporarily down, but the cached version did not provide the images that were important to the article. In the introduction, it explicitly states that the author hoped to use graphs, pictures, and tables to illustrate the terms and process that was described throughout. However, without these images, I was really lost. I hope our lecture next week will cover this information.

Week Four:

REQUIRED READING NOTES

Database (Wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Database
  • Defined as an organization collection of data. It is organized to model aspects of reality that supports processes requiring information. (example of being able to find a hotel with vacant rooms on a website)
  • The term "database" refers to data itself and its supporting data structures. They are created to operate large quantities by storing, retrieving, and managing information.
  • DBMS - database management systems - are designed to interact with users, applications, and the database system itself to analyze and decipher data. General purpose DBMS allow definition, creation, querying, updates, and administration of databases. (Oracle. Microsoft Access. FileMaker Pro.)
  • There are four different types of databases: Operational, Specific, External, Hypermedia.
  • Database servers are multiprocessor computers with a lot of memory and RAID disk arrays for storage. (RAID is the recovery tool for data)
  • Commonly used to hold administrative information and specialized data (engineering data, economic models) --> computerized library systems are database models
  • Humanities focus on general-purpose DBMS - aims to meet the needs of as many applications as possible. AS OPPOSED TO special-purpose databases such as an email system. 
  • Current database systems are based on an original model, called the relational model, proposed in 1970 by Edgar F. Codd. Today's dominant database language, standardized SQL for the relational model, sets a precedent for other data models.
  • Can be classified by their content, such as bibliographic, document-text, statistical, or multimedia objects. May also be classified by application area: accounting, compositions, movies, banking, insurance. ALSO can be classified by technical aspect (database structure).
  • Various characterizations of databases include -
    • in-memory database: primarily resides in main memory, backed up by non-volatile computer data storage.
    • active database: event-driven architecture to respond to inside and outside the database.
    • cloud database: information held in a virtual network. cloud computing
    • data warehouses: archived data from operational databases. also from external sources
    • deductive database: combining logic programming with relational databases
    • distributed database: both data and the DBMS span over multiple computers
    • document-oriented database: designed to store, retrieve, and manage document information
    • embedded database: system where DBMS is tightly integrated with application software
    • end-user databases: data developed by individual end-users. examples include collections of spreadsheets, documents, presentations, and multimedia. 
    • federated database: handled as a single database by a federated database management system.
    • graph database: uses graph structures to represent and store information.
    • hypermedia database: any word or text representing an object can be hyperlinked
    • knowledge base: special for knowledge management, provides means for a computerized collection and retrieval of knowledge.
    • mobile database: carried on or synchronized from a mobile computing device
    • operational database: stores detailed data about operations of an organization. customer databases
    • parallel database: looks to improve performance for loading data and evaluating queries.
    • spatial database: stores data with multidimensional features "where is the closest hotel to me?"
    • terminology-oriented database: customized for a specific field
Entity-relationship model
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entity%E2%80%93relationship_model
  • This is defined as a data model for describing the data or information aspects of a business domain. It lends itself to being implemented in a database. basically, it is the things and the relationships that exist among them and databases.
  • Developed in 1976 by Peter Chen. 
  • described as a systematic way to describe and define a business process. Modeled as components (things) + linked through relationships to express dependencies and requirements between them. 
  • ER models are implemented as a database. There are THREE levels of ER models to develop:
    • Conceptual data model - highest level of ER model. establishes the overall scope that is to be included. defines master reference data entities that are commonly used by the organization.
    • Logical data model - does not require a conceptual ER. contains more detail than the conceptual. developed independent of technology into which it is implemented.
    • Physical data model - normally developed to be instantiated into a database. used to design modifications to the relational database objects and to maintain structural metadata.
  • Entity is defined as the thing capable of an independent existence that is uniquely identified. may be a physical object, an event such as a sale, or a concept. 
Database Normalization Process
http://www.phlonx.com/resources/nf3/
  • This is a guide for beginners who are looking to grasp the concept of database normalization process.
  • Uses the example of an invoice to level it to the Third Normal Form. also constructs an entity relationship diagram (ERD) throughout the tutorial.
  • Normalization is a natural way of perceiving relationships between data and no special skill in mathematics or set theory is required.
  • Three normal forms of database construction:
    • No repeating elements or groups of elements.
      • groups of rows are called a database row
      • atomicity - the indivisibility of an attribute into similar parts.
      • database columns are referred to as attributes
      • a primary key is a column, or a group of two columns, that uniquely identify each row.
      • two columns that uniquely identify each row are used as the table's primary key. although they are in different columns, they are treated as a single unit. called concatenated
    • No partial dependencies on a concentrated key.
      • this means a table that for each table that has a concatenated primary key, the column in the table is not part of the key must depend on the entire concatenated key for existence.
    • No dependencies on non-key attributes.
      • foreign key restores relationships in an orders table. essentially, it is the column that points to the primary key in another table.
Thoughts 
The terms from this week were very complicated to me because I have very little understanding of information technology. However, I think Wikipedia's definitions and examples have helped me to better understand what a database is and the entity-relationship model. It's definitely a very boring topic, but I was surprised to see how many different databases exist. As a student, I'm really only familiar with the campus computing database and I think that this has been most challenging so far this year. I do not feel that our third assigned reading, the database tutorial, was helpful. A lot of the information are terms that I have never worked with and I had a hard time connecting to the information.

Questions 
 
1. What types of databases would a student in higher education come into contact with?

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Muddy Point 9/12

I am a little unclear on assignment one. Do you want us to have practice by choosing ten images and then only uploading two, or did you want us to be turning in all ten images? Also, the third part of assignment one states to "Create a table to list out at least two devices’ components" ... did you want two separate tables or just one big one that compares the two?

Monday, September 8, 2014

Week Three:

REQUIRED READING NOTES

Data Compression (Wikipedia)
  • Involves encoding information using fewer bits than the original representation. Also known as data compression, source-coding, or bit-reduction. Proves useful because it helps reduce data storage space or transmission capacity.
    • this is the process of reducing the size of a data file
    • bits - defined as the basic unit of information in computing and digital communication.
  • Two major types of compression: Lossy and Lossless
    • Lossy most commonly used to compress multimedia data (audio, video, and still images), and most especially in applications that stream media.
    • Lossless - used in many applications such as ZIP file formats, text documents, image file formats, and source codes. Most commonly used for archiving or production purpose.
  •  Compressed data must be decompressed to use. It is subject to a space-time complexity trade (algorithm)
Data Compression Basics (DVD-HQ)
http://dvd-hq.info/data_compression_1.php#Comparison
  • Article on data-compression with a focus on media (images, audio and video). 
  • Advantage of data compression is the allowance of storing more data in one space while also allowing you to transfer the space in less time with less bandwidth.
  • Idea behind Data Compression is to take a given representation of information and replace with a new representation that takes up less space.
    • lossless data retrieves exactly identical information from the original source
    • lossy data retrieves information that is not guaranteed to be exactly identical.
  •  Run-length encoding replaces a sequence of identical characters with one single character, followed by number of characters in the sentence. It has an advantage of being simple and fast to execute.Very important for image data (BMP, PCX)
  • Discussion on algorithms such as the Lempel-Ziv compressor
  • Entropy coding, encoding, is a technique that assigns codes to blocks of data (symbols) in such a way that the length of the code is inversely proportional to the statistical probability of the symbol.
    • it assigns shorter codes to common data blocks while assigning longer coeds to rarer data blocks
    • Huffman coding - generates codes that a code for one symbol is never identical to the start of another code.
      • eliminates the need for a special marker, relatively simple and quick. popular

 

"Imaging Pittsburgh: Creating a shared gateway to digital image collections of the Pittsburgh region"
by Edward A. Galloway
http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/1141/1061
  • Paper focuses on the 2002 National Leadership Grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded to the University of Pittsburgh
    • proposed to create a shared gateway to visual image collections in Pittsburgh regions.
    • focused on the Archives Service Center at Pitt, the Library & Archives division of the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, and the Carnegie Museum of Art.
    • grant began on November 1, 2002 and was completed on October 31, 2004.
  •  Focus was to create a single web gateway for public access to thousands of visual images from the photographic collections held by the Archives Service Center of Pittsburgh University.
    • partners were responsible for selecting images and determining which collections to represent
  • Benefits for users working with the collection:
    • ability to obtain wider picture of events and people as well as localities, infrastructure, and land use.
      • important because of the different perspectives of the city throughout time
  • Web gateway was able to be accessed through keyword searches, browsing images, exploration of collections, and order of image reproductions
  •  Dated article - april 2004
"Youtube and libraries: It could be a beautiful relationship" by Paula L. Webb
http://crln.acrl.org/content/68/6/354.full.pdf
  • Dated June 2007, this article examines the possible relationship between YouTube and libraries, noting that YouTube at this time is one of the most popular internet sites and utilizing it as a librarian can entice patrons with information about said library.
  • Can be used as storehouses for instructional videos
    • used as a method of introducing resources that are available on campus
    • create tutorials to teach students how to use databases and software
Thoughts 
The recommended readings for this week are very heavily focused on information on compressed data. We see with the Wikipedia article and the very helpful tutorial that data compression is a very involved field, but as information specialists we are faced with using them every day. The manual was very helpful and explained a lot of information in a language that I understood. The two final articles that focus on photo collections and YouTube as a tool for advocacy were interesting to me as a student and a patron. I briefly browsed the University's Archives Center website for the LIS2000 class (my group was researching special collections in state archives). It was extremely accessible and much better suited for our technological advances since 2004.

Questions
 
1. How do librarians and information specialists use the processing of encoding and data compression? Where does these fields come into play for students and faculty as well?
2. Does YouTube actually offer patrons of libraries extra information, or has this role been taken over by Facebook and Twitter?

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Muddy Point 9/5

I'm not sure if I was supposed to post a muddy point for week one, but after reviewing all the articles, I don't have anything to note as we did not have a traditional lecture class and everything was discussed on our blogs. Sorry it's a day late (if this was due).

Week Two:

REQUIRED READING NOTES

"Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still"
Jason Vaughan (2005)
  • CASE STUDY: A collection of experiences that span over four years discussing challenges associated with technology management in an academic library setting.
  • Created in order to allow a means of understanding the rate that technology is growing in library systems.
  • Article details the beginnings of the Lied Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Campus - cutting edge online collection storage in 2005, four years after opening
  • Describes the many programs offered in 2005 that were up and coming - Safari is mentioned
  • Discusses issues that arise when considering new tech systems - cost is usually a major reason for lack of funds. 
    • balancing computer use
    • lack of productivity software
    • connectivity issues
    • space managment
    • software glitches
  • Since the publication of this article, many factors should be taken into consideration. Much more GB room, external hard-drives, wi-fi, software and mal-ware programs
  • Writes in favor technologically enhancing a library system, writes to address common problems. However this is dated.

"A Few Thoughts on the Google Books Library Project" by Charles Edward Smith
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EQM0812.pdf
  • personal views expressed by author on the Google Books Library Project. recalls being able to print a story right from the San Fransisco Chronicles webpage back in 1999. "And I had the information [I needed] in my hands without a trip to the library"
  • Positive view on digitization - claims Google Books Library will make information more widely available, will ultimately help. 
    • viewed a nineteenth century book by Justice Story Smith via Google
  • "Books and other printed material would quickly reach obsolescence if not easily accessible through digital technology"
  • Studies have been conducted to show how academia has positively worked with accessible technologies such as JSTOR database.
  • Published in 2008, slightly dated, but offers insight on how digitization is positive.
"European libraries face problems in digitalizing" by Doreen Carvajal
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/technology/28iht-LIBRARY29.1.8079170.html
  • Based in Paris, dated in October 2007, this article covers the issues that many museums, film institutes, and national libraries have faced in preparation of digitizing materials with private companies. 
  • Unfortunately, even after $85 million being distributed to develop a digital library system, Europe has yet to launch the process. (This might not be the case by now)
  • Highlights an alternative to how Google is digitizing material, showing the European Digital Library as a possible competitor with Google Library 
Thoughts 
All articles look to highlight various aspects of digitization in the academic and professional realms. The case study was quite outdated, but offered most information on the issues that many institutions face when digitizing. The realistic outcomes are referenced in the article by Carvajal in Paris, France.

Questions
1. Is digitization worth it? 

I believe digitization is worth it in the long run. I agree with many of the short points that Charles Edward Smith made, particularly mentioning that Google allows anyone to access the materials, growing a much larger audience than if it were sitting on a library shelf. While it is expensive, it is our eventual future and I think should be encouraged! (that being said I'm still Team Tangible Book)


Digitization, while expensive, has the opportunity to adjust with up-coming and current programs that encourage technology as an effective tool in research methods. I honestly would not have finished as many research papers as I did in my undergraduate career without the amazing and wonderful JSTOR, which provided me (as a student) the access to many journal articles I would never have been able to read otherwise. 

2. Private companies a good solution? Problems?


I would say that working with private companies might hinder the process because digitizing items and materials is a very costly production that often takes much cooperation and negotiation with the stakeholders and fundraisers.

In regards to the statement by the European Digital Library system, I do not think it is a valid concern. America and its' library systems are not looking to seek domination in what the future will hold, but I do think it is important for all people and all nations to take the step towards preserving history through digitization. There are many alternatives to libraries, such as museums, archives, and special collections that all cultures and governments should consider when looking to store information and materials that will last the test of time. 

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Week One:

REQUIRED READING NOTES

OCLC Report: "2004 Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers"
http://library.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p267701coll5/id/291
  • In an 18 month period, trends of new content were found to be increasing in library collections. This new content were items such as books, journals, and CD's. All items had a significant impact on the search and obtain process.
  • "Digital content is often syndicated instead of being packaged and distributed, and access is provided on an as-needed basis to the information consumer by providers outside the library space (OCLC)
  • Article was created to update predictions of format trends for material collected by libraries over time. Authors take a look at growing phenomena of content being published and shared outside of the traditional library setting.
  • Users are becoming less format-dependent to access content. Process of acquisition and delivery of content need to accommodate the expectations of the upcoming communities.
  • "56 million American adults are wireless ready" in 2004!
  • Self-publishing is rising while print publishing is down. E-books are becoming much more prominent.
  • Discussion of how to meet the rising challenge of the e-book leads to the authors asserting that librarians need to pay attention to how content is found, created, and used by consumers and producers.
  • Marshall McLuhan "the medium is the message" in 1964. interpreted as technology being a driving force in the change of pace.
  •  Convergence of technologies is very significant to the delivery of content and how it is woven in people's lives.
  • Addresses the use of blogs, stating percentages of people who find blogs extremely useful and honest (circa 2004)
  • E-books, online journals, digital titles, DVDs by mail or self-viewing service are forcing objects such as CDs, DVDs, and books obselete.

Vocabulary
format agnostic - content consumers do not care which container- book, journal, blog, webpage - information comes from.
premium content - the entirety of an article that might require registration and/or payment to view.
data mining tools - increasingly sophisticated search engines that help in the discovery process of items.



"Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture" by Clifford Lynch
http://old.cni.org/staff/cliffpubs/info_and_it_literacy.pdf
  • personal views expressed by author on the subject of a call to study information technology literacy. published 1998
  • Information literacy deals with content and communication, including authorship, information retrieval, and organization of the research process. Information analysis also assesses data and evaluates it.
  • Content is found through forms of texts, images, video, computer simulations, and multimedia works. serves many purposes such as news, art, entertainment, education, research, adverts, politics, commerce, documents, history, etc. 
  • information technology shapes publication, access, and dissemination of technology - intends to enable communication and information access.
  • Two general perspectives when discussing information technology. 
    • emphasizing skills in use of word processing, spreadsheets, computer tech, and web browsing. 
    • understanding how technologies and data systems work, on a more technical level.
  • Author feels strongly on inclusion of fluency of software tools, grasping principle designs for researching, and understanding current authoring technologies
  •  "As computer-based searching has become increasingly central to information finding and research, an understanding of how searching systems work, and the interplay between indexing techniques... searching, and information accessibility is becoming essential"
Thoughts 
These articles are outdated, but provided an interesting look at some of the work conducted by a few upcoming researchers and advocates for digitization in the library system. Now that we are ten years past the OCLC report, it is interesting to read how fast the digital world was growing even though the internet was still a fairly new concept. Much of the data reflects the impact that digital collections were making back then. They show that these ideas to convert the physical library to a digital are still significant today, with many libraries taking the digitized approach to much of their collections. 

I liked Clifford Lynch's article on Information literacy because it was written in a way that someone who might not be familiar with the subject could understand. He writes passionately on the subject, noting such important things as general perspectives on the topic and also defining terms that are pertinent to the topic. I agree with his sentiment that grasping principle designs for online research would positively enhance the information science field. It's amazing that this was written in 1998, as it seems very relevant to our more advanced information culture now in 2014.

Questions
1. What are the currently reported trends of the past four years by the OCLC? Do specific trends appear significantly enough to record?
2. Is digitization enough to save the modern library? These reports are outdated and suggest that digitizing would be most effective, but are there alternatives to digitizing content?
3. What is the role of information literacy today? Is it still as effective as Lynch believed it was in 1998?