Ideal Library Research Articles

Studying Space: Improving Space Planning with User Studies

How can libraries best assess and improve user space, even if they are not in a position to undertake new construction or a major renovation? Staff at New Mexico State University used a variety of ethnographic methods to learn how our spaces were being used as well as what our users considered to be ideal library space. Our findings helped us make high-impact changes to public spaces while staying within a modest budget and a tight timeline. We used many of the same methods after our redesigns to evaluate our efforts and plan for future improvements.

Umbau des polyhistorischen Wissensraums. Johann Christoph Stockhausens Critischer Entwurf einer auserlesenen Bibliothek für den Liebhaber der Philosophie und schönen Wissenschaften (1752)

AbstractThe Polyhistorian Space of Knowledge Re‐Organized: Johann Christoph Stockhausen's Critischer Entwurf einer auserlesenen Bibliothek für den Liebhaber der Philosophie und schönen Wissenschaften (1752). The example of Johann Christoph Stockhausen's Critischer Entwurf einer auserlesenen Bibliothek für den Liebhaber der Philosophie und schönen Wissenschaften shows how the space of learned knowledge – in the literal and metaphorical sense – is reorganized around the middle of the 18th century. The traditional polyhistorian order of knowledge gradually integrates elements of enlightened scholarship without completely giving up the old ideals. Considering the background of this process, Stockhausen is anything but a polyhistorian latecomer; on the contrary he has to be seen as a pragmatic theoretician trying to render learned knowledge sustainable in a changing world of scholarship. His outline of an ideal library, compared with its forerunners, is distinguished by a more pragmatic perspective and a virtualized concept of the library. He still operates with traditional topoi, but, at the same time, uses an innovative guiding semantics, within which the catchword ‘critical’ plays a central role.

The protein–small-molecule database, a non-redundant structural resource for the analysis of protein-ligand binding

An enabling resource for drug discovery and protein function prediction is a large, accurate and actively maintained collection of protein/small-molecule complex structures. Models of binding are typically constructed from these structural libraries by generalizing the observed interaction patterns. Consequently, the quality of the model is dependent on the quality of the structural library. An ideal library should be non-biased and comprehensive, contain high-resolution structures and be actively maintained. We present a new protein/small-molecule database (the PSMDB) that offers a non-redundant set of holo PDB complexes. The database was designed to allow frequent updates through a fully automated process without manual annotation or filtering. Our method of database construction addresses redundancy at both the protein and the small-molecule level. By efficiently handling structures with covalently bound ligands, we allow our database to include a larger number of structures than previous methods. Multiple versions of the database are available at our web site, including structures of split complexes--the proteins without their binding ligands and the non-covalently bound ligands within their native coordinate frame. http://compbio.cs.toronto.edu/psmdb

An Assessment of the Library Application Software Packages in Selected Academic Libraries In Nigeria

The study was conducted to evaluate the library application software packages in use in six (6) academic libraries in Nigeria. Using a 53 item structured questionnaire, the study examined the adopted softwares' security, compatibility/capabilities, user-friendliness, indexing and searching abilities and other such features considered necessary in the assessment of the effectiveness of an ideal library application software package. The study found that most application packages available in the Nigerian automation market place are effective since they are usually packages that have been fully tested, thoroughly de-bugged and well supported by vendors. The Information Manager Vol. 7 (2) 2007: pp. 21-27

Going in Reverse to Go Forward: Institutional Repositories and The New York Public Library, Summary of a Presentation by Stewart Bodner and Eric Neubacher

Stewart Bodner opened his talk giving background information on institutional repositories (IR). He also spoke of the idea of NYPL as “an institution that collects for the historical record.” His quote from former director James Wood Henderson reminds us that the ideal research library should not select its collection based on “what the librarian or the contemporary public regards as good or important,” but rather it should “record life as it passes, its evil, vulgarity and triviality, as well as its more agreeable aspects.” ...

Real-or-random Key Secrecy of the Otway-Rees Protocol via a Symbolic Security Proof

We present the first cryptographically sound security proof of the well-known Otway-Rees protocol. More precisely, we show that the protocol is secure against arbitrary active attacks including concurrent protocol runs if it is implemented using provably secure cryptographic primitives. We prove secrecy of the exchanged keys with respect to the accepted cryptographic definition of real-or-random secrecy, i.e., indistinguishability of exchanged keys and random ones, given the view of a general cryptographic attacker. Although we achieve security under cryptographic definitions, our proof is performed in a deterministic setting corresponding to a slightly extended Dolev-Yao model; in particular, it does not have to deal with probabilistic aspects of cryptography and is hence in the scope of current proof tools. The reason is that we exploit a recently proposed ideal cryptographic library, which has a provably secure cryptographic implementation, as well as recent results on linking symbolic and cryptographic key secrecy. Besides establishing the cryptographic security of the Otway-Rees protocol, our result also exemplifies the potential of this cryptographic library and the recent secrecy preservation theorem for symbolic yet cryptographically sound proofs of security.

Virtual libraries in Nigeria: dream or reality

With the evolution of Information Communication Technology, libraries in the industrialized nations have experienced significant changes in information glut and these have facilitated the growth of “libraries without walls” This paper looks at the development of virtual libraries in Nigeria, its roles and addresses how it can help educational development in the country. A proposal for an ideal national virtual library system for the enhancement of national development is put forward, problems that would likely confront such proposal are examined and possible solutions are proffered. The Information Technologist Vol. 2(2) 2005: 77-87

Towards an ideal library and information studies (LIS) curriculum for Africa: Some preliminary thoughts

The paper traces the inability of the curricula of LIS schools in Africa to respond to the immediate job environment in Africa. The main weakness of the curricula is that they reflect essentially the curricula of LIS schools in the Western World. Thu

Why Teach Cataloguing and Classification?

SUMMARY Enemies of cataloging today include ill-informed administrators, information scientists in library schools, and those who think that alternatives to vocabulary control and bibliographic architecture–such as Google–are better and cheaper than cataloging. Bibliographic control and cataloging should be at the heart of library education. An ideal library school is described.

In quest of an ideal library environment: the case of the main library, the University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad

The background to the need for attention to library environment in terms of conservation, disaster planning and external environmental factors is explained. Measures adopted at the UWI Trinidad are discussed in relation to operation and maintenance of buildings and physical plant and the activities of an environmental unit. A workplace evaluation project is described and discussed and factors relating to air conditioning are examined.

Approaches to library design for combinatorial chemistry.

With the advent of high-throughput technologies in drug discovery, combinatorial chemistry has superseded natural products as the prime source of compounds to be tested in biological screening (). The reason being that compared with classical synthesis, high-throughput chemistry can produce a much larger number of compounds within a much shorter period of time. However, owing to the combinatorial nature of the problem and the large number of reagents available, many more compounds are theoretically accessible via a given synthetic route than it is actually feasible to synthesize. Therefore, library design techniques are employed to identify those reagents that yield a library enriched with the desired properties. Early on, most applications of these techniques concentrated on designing very diverse libraries, with the idea that these libraries would be tested against a variety of biological assays. The ideal library in this case would be with no voids, no redundancy, and an even distribution with regard to a given chemical space. Nowadays, it is equally common to design targeted libraries to have a maximal activity in a selected assay. Here, all compounds would be designed to be similar to given hits or leads. Other applications of library design techniques include the computational evaluation of templates, i.e., prioritization of candidate libraries for synthesis and screening (see Note 1).

Multiobjective optimization of combinatorial libraries.

Combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening have caused a fundamental shift in the way chemists contemplate experiments. Designing a combinatorial library is a controversial art that involves a heterogeneous mix of chemistry, mathematics, economics, experience, and intuition. Although there seems to be little agreement as to what constitutes an ideal library, one thing is certain: only one property or measure seldom defines the quality of the design. In most real-world applications, a good experiment requires the simultaneous optimization of several, often conflicting, design objectives, some of which may be vague and uncertain. In this paper, we discuss a class of algorithms for subset selection rooted in the principles of multiobjective optimization. Our approach is to employ an objective function that encodes all of the desired selection criteria, and then use a simulated annealing or evolutionary approach to identify the optimal (or a nearly optimal) subset from among the vast number of possibilities. Many design criteria can be accommodated, including diversity, similarity to known actives, predicted activity and/or selectivity determined by quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models or receptor binding models, enforcement of certain property distributions, reagent cost and availability, and many others. The method is robust, convergent, and extensible, offers the user full control over the relative significance of the various objectives in the final design, and permits the simultaneous selection of compounds from multiple libraries in full- or sparse-array format.

Multiobjective optimization of combinatorial libraries

Combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening have caused a fundamental shift in the way chemists contemplate experiments. Designing a combinatorial library is a controversial art that involves a heterogeneous mix of chemistry, mathematics, economics, experience, and intuition. Although there seems to be little agreement as to what constitutes an ideal library, one thing is certain: Only one property or measure seldom defines the quality of the design. In most real-world applications, a good experiment requires the simultaneous optimization of several, often conflicting, design objectives, some of which may be vague and uncertain. In this paper, we discuss a class of algorithms for subset selection rooted in the principles of multiobjective optimization. Our approach is to employ an objective function that encodes all of the desired selection criteria, and then use a simulated annealing or evolutionary approach to identify the optimal (or a nearly optimal) subset from among the vast number of pos sibilities. Many design criteria can be accommodated, including diversity, similarity to known actives, predicted activity and/or selectivity determined by quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models or receptor binding models, enforcement of certain property distributions, reagent cost and availability, and many others. The method is robust, convergent, and extensible, offers the user full control over the relative significance of the various objectives in the final design, and permits the simultaneous selection of compounds from multiple libraries in full- or sparse-array format.

The common user interface in academic libraries: myth or reality?

Academic libraries have long desired one‐stop shopping for their customers and, in this electronic age, their customers are demanding it: a way to search from a single point at any physical location, and retrieve information from the library catalog, citations from journal indexes, and full text information from electronic resources. Academic libraries have explored ways to provide this access, as have library vendors of electronic databases, indexes, and integrated online library systems. The various components for a universal common user interface are in use and available, but have yet to be combined into a single system interface, adaptable enough to include any electronic resource, yet still powerful and versatile enough to provide a powerful and expert search engine. This article discusses the integrated facets as well as the system components that should be built into the ideal electronic library interface, taking into account the information needs of everyone from the newest freshman to the most erudite scholar and their expectations with regard to access, functionality and personalization.

Pharmacotherapy of ectoparasitic infections.

Epizoonoses such as scabies, lice and cimicosis are common, vexing disorders that occur worldwide. Historically, many treatment modalities have been employed in the management of these disorders, and most of the drugs described in this review are of historical interest and no longer recommended or in widespread use because of their wide spectrum of adverse effects. More recently, reports documenting resistance against various antiectoparasite drugs, complicated and severe courses of the diseases, and adverse effects of drug therapy have prompted the development of new treatment strategies and drugs for optimal disease management. Because the strategies currently recommended for the treatment of ectoparasites differ worldwide, this review proposes a rational approach to selecting the best therapeutic agent by comparing the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug efficacy and adverse effects. A literature search of the currently Internet accessible libraries PubMed, Medline and Ideal library, of citations of articles found there, and from communications with the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, Germany, was conducted based on this approach. One major observation of this literature search is that permethrin is the treatment of choice for lice and scabies in the US and in Great Britain, whereas lindane is still recommended for scabies in most other European countries because of its longer-standing record of effectiveness. Although permethrin has not yet been proven to be more effective than lindane in treating infections with these ectoparasites, it currently appears to have the best efficacy versus safety profile of topical treatments for scabies and lice. Ivermectin is a newer oral drug for the treatment of ectoparasites, which has been used with great success in the treatment of onchocercosis and other endoparasites. Although ivermectin appears to be a promising drug, its role in the treatment of ectoparasitic infections will be clarified as more study data become available. Finally, it is important to emphasise the clinical aspects of ectoparasite therapy and that providing the patient with optimal instructions on the use of topical therapeutics is of great importance in avoiding adverse effects and assuring complete removal of the ectoparasite, thereby avoiding the development of drug-resistance.

The Dance of Change. Staff and User

In the beginning I would like you to imagine a picture: there are people lying in deckchairs, young, cultivated, relaxed, surrounded by books. Are this the staff of the library thinking up ways of making the Stuttgart City-Library more attractive? Or are this the customers, who dream of their ideal library, which is open all day and all night, providing access to the global data networks and housing all the books you could possibly want to read, a library whose staff are highly competent and unshakably charming, a library with an inspiring and relaxed environment?

Library as the Student's Cornerstone or Obstacle: Evaluating the Method of Empathy-Based Stories

The paper discusses the use of qualitative methods – especially the method of empathy-based stories (MES) – in evaluating what students consider as their ideal library. The study was carried out in the Kuopio University Library in Finland. First-year students of nursing science wrote the stories that were subsequently analysed. From the stories a model of five steps could be derived that described the fundamental elements in the students’ ideal library and how they would use it. These are student’s self-esteem, student’s competence, other people, library staff and library contents. Also some suggestions on how to improve the library services are given. University library use has been studied mostly with quantitative methods. In particular surveys have concentrated on defining the facts about the library use. During recent years information science has been criticised for the superficiality of the results achieved solely by quantitative means. These facts need to be supplemented with methods that consider the qualitative side of human information-seeking behaviour and thus broaden the picture we have of our clients and how they act (for example, Jarvelin & Vakkari 1993, 140). In the Kuopio University Library one qualitative method was tested to clarify how well the library’s student services work. The qualitative method used was the method of empathy-based

Multiobjective optimization of combinatorial libraries.

Combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening have caused a fundamental shift in the way chemists contemplate experiments. Designing a combinatorial library is a controversial art that involves a heterogeneous mix of chemistry, mathematics, economics, experience, and intuition. Although there seems to be little agreement as to what constitutes an ideal library, one thing is certain: only one property or measure seldom defines the quality of the design. In most real-world applications, a good experiment requires the simultaneous optimization of several, often conflicting, design objectives, some of which may be vague and uncertain. In this paper, we discuss a class of algorithms for subset selection rooted in the principles of multiobjective optimization. Our approach is to employ an objective function that encodes all of the desired selection criteria, and then use a simulated annealing or evolutionary approach to identify the optimal (or a nearly optimal) subset from among the vast number of possibilities. Many design criteria can be accommodated, including diversity, similarity to known actives, predicted activity and/or selectivity determined by quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models or receptor binding models, enforcement of certain property distributions, reagent cost and availability, and many others. The method is robust, convergent, and extensible, offers the user full control over the relative significance of the various objectives in the final design, and permits the simultaneous selection of compounds from multiple libraries in full- or sparse-array format.

A Step towards Developing a Digital Library

The concept of digital libraries has come and it will stay. There are many projects being undertaken in different parts of the world. Yet there are many intricacies in developing a digital library. Two ways of developing a digital library has been identified. They are converting traditional library into a digital library and direct development of digital library. But, there are no clear cut ways to plan for a digital library. Hence, in this paper an attempt has been made to provide guidelines for planning and development of a digital library. The other issues discussed in this paper are definition of digital library components of a digital library, ideal digital library, steps involved in planning a digital library and prototype for converting traditional library into a digital library.

A public library IT strategy for the millennium

Argues that UK public libraries need to give priority to information technology (IT) if they are to continue as the main point of access for the general public seeking information. Outlines the production of an IT strategy document for Manchester Public Libraries, UK, which sets out the main features of an ideal public library IT strategy, including: a review of external influences need ing to be taken into account when formulating a strategy; an IT audit to establish the primary aims of the strategy and the interlocking influences of different parts of the IT systems; an assessment of current strengths and weaknesses of the library service as a starting point for planning new devel opments ; a plan for the training of library staff; consideration of joint projects between existing library co-operatives assisted by national initiatives designed to further the role of public libraries in the information superhighway. Considers some of the developments considered by Manchester's IT strate gy, such as self issuing terminals at heavily used issuing points, provision of online public access catalogues (OPACs) at all service points; retrospective con version of library catalogues; and access to the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW). Notes how these elements of the IT strategy were embodied in a coherent document for wider dissemination.