Library Project Research Articles

The Pahlavi National Library Project: Education and Modernization in Late Pahlavi Iran

This paper examines the Pahlavi National Library, the planning for which began in 1972 and expired in 1978 on the eve of the Islamic Revolution. The Pahlavi National Library was to rank in size and eminence with the great libraries of the world, yet this extraordinary project has hitherto received little to no scholarly attention. Using documents primarily from the archives of the shah’s cultural counsellor at the imperial court, Shojāʿeddin Shafā, this paper looks in detail at a number of initiatives spearheaded by Shafā from the early 1960s, which essentially laid the groundwork for the Pahlavi National Library, in order to understand how the shah’s regime used culture and scholarship to further its political goals. The paper proceeds to investigate the Pahlavi National Library, analyzing it in the context of the shah’s domestic and foreign policy objectives.

West Hollywood Library—More than just another pretty space

The West Hollywood Library is a 35 000 sqft branch of the County of Los Angeles Library, with construction funded by the City and operated by the County. It serves as a cultural and artistic community center, and includes a children’s library, teen center, career development center, special collections, café, bookstore, two parking garages, community meeting room, and multipurpose public meeting room (for council and commission meetings, performances, and other uses). An ornamental wood ceiling, the wood stage in the multipurpose meeting room, the children’s reading room, and the overall aesthetic presented interesting challenges for acoustics. Visual aesthetic and acoustic performance aspects will be discussed, along with references to various other library projects.

Introduction and overview—Libraries as a building type and reflections of multipurpose trends that have an acoustical impact

Libraries have developed from vast storehouses of bookshelves and hard covered manuscripts and literary materials to vibrant community centers and true multipurpose facilities, acoustically. This paper will discuss the: history of libraries, politics of libraries, architectural design of libraries, acoustical design of libraries, and the future of libraries. Examples of library projects ranging from main urban public libraries and university library systems to a number of smaller, standalone local community libraries. will provide interesting insight into the variety of activities that go on today in libraries that challenge the best of our acoustical design sensibilities and controls. Libraries share the basic acoustical parameters of many other building types, e.g., open plan spaces, offices and conference rooms, cafes, and even digital/multimedia and performing arts facilities. Lessons learned from challenging consulting efforts, especially when budgets are limited, will be explored and discussed.

On The Current State of Scholarly Retrieval Systems

The enormous growth in the size of scholarly literature makes its retrieval challenging. To address this challenge, researchers and practitioners developed several solutions. These include indexing solutions e.g. ResearchGate, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Digital Bibliography & Library Project (DBLP) etc., research paper repositories e.g. arXiv.org, Zenodo, etc., digital libraries, scholarly retrieval systems, e.g., Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic Search, Semantic Scholar etc., digital libraries, and publisher websites. Among these, the scholarly retrieval systems, the main focus of this article, employ efficient information retrieval techniques and other search tactics. However, they are still limited in meeting the user information needs to the fullest. This brief review paper is an attempt to identify the main reasons behind this failure by reporting the current state of scholarly retrieval systems. The findings of this study suggest that the existing scholarly retrieval systems should differentiate scholarly users from ordinary users and identify their needs. Citation network analysis should be made an essential part of the retrieval system to improve the search precision and accuracy. The paper also identifies several research challenges and opportunities that may lead to better scholarly retrieval systems.

"Alone We Can Do So Little; Together We Can Do So Much"

The librarians associated with the University of Divinity in Australia (founded 1910) have a long history of cooperation. These librarians have been formally meeting for over twenty years to discuss and resolve common issues and to advance projects of mutual benefit. Through their shared vision it has been possible to achieve significantly more than would ever have been possible if they had not worked collaboratively. This paper will highlight a number of recent library projects that have required the collaboration of the eleven constituent university colleges and those colleges’ fifteen associated libraries. Projects include the development of the Library Hub, enabling all staff and students to access a significantly increased number of online resources. Cooperation among librarians has also been instrumental in enabling the introduction of a single University ID card across all libraries, as well as instituting a collaborative purchasing model for the ordering of single title eBooks across the university membership. The fifteen libraries are also currently implementing a new combined library catalog (UDCat) which will give greater world-wide exposure to the collections of all participating libraries. Future projects under discussion include the creation of University-Library agreements that will outline the rights and responsibilities of both parties and the development of a formal retention policy so that no individual library discards any unique title from their collection. This presentation identifies some of the factors that have facilitated the success of recent collaborative projects as well as potential barriers to project success.

Bridging the library and information science research – practice gap: A panel discussion

ABSTRACTThe panel will explore the challenges and opportunities for bridging the library and information science (LIS) research practice gap in Australia. The panel brings together participants from the Research Assistance and Development for Australian Researchers (RADAR) Grant, an initiative of the Library and Information Science Research Australia (LISRA) project. The LISRA project is a three‐year project aimed at encouraging and enabling research culture and practice within the Australian LIS sector.

Promoting Science Communication with Children's Literature as a High-Impact Practice (HIP) Assessment.

To emphasize the importance of public outreach and science communication within STEM, and to foster in students a greater appreciative understanding of the scientific content within their courses, the Science Library Project has students creating children’s books about key course content. At the end of this project, the student writer-publishers are able to display their critical and creative work as they collaborate with local teachers in a networked conversation about science and multimodal communication. This innovative pedagogical approach to assessment is important both inside and outside of the Sciences because it participates in High Impact Practice (HIP) pedagogy to have students invest a significant amount of time and effort over an extended period of time as they participate in frequent, timely, and constructive feedback and, most importantly, have the opportunity to discover the relevance of their learning through real-world applications in the public demonstration of their book projects. This practical paper shares our approach to creating and implementing the Science Library Project that activates written and visual communication modes to motivate Science learners to engage with course concepts in deeper and creative ways.

The Advanced Spectral Library (ASTRAL): Reference Spectra for Evolved M Stars∗

Abstract The HST Treasury Program Advanced Spectral Library Project: Cool Stars was designed to collect representative, high-quality UV spectra of eight evolved F−M type cool stars. The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) echelle spectra of these objects enable investigations of a broad range of topics, including stellar and interstellar astrophysics. This paper provides a guide to the spectra of the two evolved M stars, the M2 Iab supergiant α Ori and the M3.4 giant γ Cru, with comparisons to the prototypical K1.5 giant α Boo. It includes identifications of the significant atomic and molecular emission and absorption features and discusses the character of the photospheric and chromospheric continua and line spectra. The fluorescent processes responsible for a large portion of the emission-line spectrum, the characteristics of the stellar winds, and the available diagnostics for hot and cool plasmas are also summarized. This analysis will facilitate the future study of the spectra, outer atmospheres, and winds, not only of these objects but of numerous other cool, low-gravity stars, for years to come.

Do Resources Matter? Effects of an In‐Class Library Project on Student Independent Reading Habits in Primary Schools in Rural China

AbstractIt is commonly believed that reading challenges should be addressed early to reduce the likelihood that developmental delays will impact students over the long term. However, students in developing countries often have limited access to reading resources. In this study, the authors used a randomized controlled trial of 11,083 fourth‐ and fifth‐grade students in 120 primary schools in rural China to examine the causal effect of an in‐class library program on student reading outcomes and academic achievement in schools with poor reading resources over an eight‐month period. An in‐class library was installed in each of the selected classes in the 40 treatment schools. The authors found that the program significantly improved student affinity toward reading and student reading habits, and in these regards, it narrowed the gap between male and female students, between low‐ and high‐performing students, and between left‐behind children and children living with parents. However, the authors found no overall effect of the program on reading and academic achievement and a negative effect on student confidence in reading. There was also no effect on student, teacher, and primary caregiver perceptions toward the effect of independent reading on academic achievement, nor any effect on whether teachers and primary caregivers provided reading instructions to students. The authors propose three possible explanations for these findings: a lack of reading instruction from teachers and caregivers, a lack of reading materials specifically tailored to local needs and interests, and the relatively short duration of the intervention.

Speeding DBLP querying using hadoop and spark

Big data is becoming bigger every day. Even for simple applications such as the Digital Bibliography & Library Project (DBLP) database, the data is becoming unmanageable using the conventional databases because of its size. Applying big data processing methods such as Hadoop and Spark is becoming more popular because of that. In this work, we investigate the use of Hadoop and Spark in the querying process of big data and we compare the performance of them in terms of their execution time. We use the DBLP database as a case study. Results show that Hadoop and Spark enhances the query execution time significantly when compared with conventional database management systems. We also found that Spark enhances the execution time over Hadoop.

PROJETO ARQUITETÔNICO PARA RELOCAÇÃO DA NOVA BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA MUNICIPAL E PARQUE DE LEITURA – CIDADE DE PRESIDENTE PUDENTE/SP

The project of the new municipal library comes with the intention of creating a space that is inviting for people to enter, use and stay doing the integration of the public with the place and promoting the approximation with the habit of reading, attracting the public through meeting points and leisure that allows you to stay. The project also brings a brief rescue to the memory of the former occupation of the building that was Cine Cine Gomes very well known in the city of Presidente Prudente. With the great circulation of pedestrians were proposed environments that start in the outside with a square and open parklets, and with the transparency of the building makes visible the interior attracting the public into the library, in addition to providing natural lighting and ventilation for greater visual comfort and thermal room inside the building, with spaces accessible for people with disabilities.

2050: a Library Space Odyssey. Planning the Future Library

AbstractEmbarking on a library space planning odyssey is exciting, terrifying and all absorbing. Planning a new library building or a major refurbishment is a challenging process requiring a strong strategic vision, attention to detail, excellent communication and an element of crystal-ball gazing. This article, written by Karen Latimer, examines the changing typology and current trends in library building design which help planners to envisage the future library and make informed decisions. These trends include the move from collections to connections, the need for varied and flexible learning spaces, sustainability, the impact of technological developments, and the need for scholarly research centres amongst others. Examples of recent library projects are cited to provide inspiration and illustrate the points made. The planning process required to brief the design team effectively and to achieve a successful outcome is considered as is the key role of post-occupancy evaluation in ensuring a continuous loop of improvement. To conclude resources available to provide support are described.

The Digital Library of the Middle East and Implementing International Cultural Heritage Preservation Policy

This article reviews the origins and goals of the Digital Library of the Middle East and discusses how the DLME and other digital library projects implement international cultural heritage preservation policy.

Benchmark of a Novel Aero-Elastic Simulation Code for Small Scale VAWT Analysis

After almost 20 years of absence from research agendas, interest in the vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) technology is presently increasing again, after the research stalled in the mid 90's in favor of horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs). However, due to the lack of research in past years, there are a significantly lower number of design and certification tools available, many of which are underdeveloped if compared to the corresponding tools for HAWTs. To partially fulfill this gap, a structural finite element analysis (FEA) model, based on the Open Source multiphysics library PROJECT::CHRONO, was recently integrated with the lifting line free vortex wake (LLFVW) method inside the Open Source wind turbine simulation code QBlade and validated against numerical and experimental data of the SANDIA 34 m rotor. In this work, some details about the newly implemented nonlinear structural model and its coupling to the aerodynamic solver are first given. Then, in a continuous effort to assess its accuracy, the code capabilities were here tested on a small-scale, fast-spinning (up to 450 rpm) VAWT. The study turbine is a helix shaped, 1 kW Darrieus turbine, for which other numerical analyses were available from a previous study, including the results coming from both a one-dimensional beam element model and a more sophisticated shell element model. The resulting data represented an excellent basis for comparison and validation of the new aero-elastic coupling in QBlade. Based on the structural and aerodynamic data of the study turbine, an aero-elastic model was then constructed. A purely aerodynamic comparison to experimental data and a blade element momentum (BEM) simulation represented the benchmark for QBlade aerodynamic performance. Then, a purely structural analysis was carried out and compared to the numerical results from the former. After the code validation, an aero-elastically coupled simulation of a rotor self-start has been performed to demonstrate the capabilities of the newly developed model to predict the highly nonlinear transient aerodynamic and structural rotor response.

Enlightenment of Living Library to Knowledge Service of University Library

Living library is a brand new service way that has emerged in the library community at home and abroad in recent years. “Living library” is to take the "people" as "books" to build the new way of library knowledge services. The “borrowing” of “books” is to make face-to-face communication with people with expertise, providing “borrowing experts” for readers to answer questions and discuss with them, and provide a wide range of knowledge services and intellectual help for readers. At present, this kind of service has been tried in China. In the context of vigorously advocating knowledge services, the living library project can provide reference for the improvement of the knowledge service system of university libraries.

Enriching library user’s experience with Evernote

PurposeDigital information management tools (DIMTs) are used widely for varieties of digital information management. In academics, these tools are being used for the advancement of student productivity, research data management, research consultation, etc. The libraries of universities and institutions use DIMTs for organizing and retrieving varieties of digital information.Design/methodology/approachThe author studied the various emerging DIMTs and picked Evernote for further study based on the popularity and usage of the tool in the academic system.FindingsThis paper explains how and to what extent Evernote can be used as a DIMT in academics and in the digital library management. Evernote is one of the best options for implementation in the library, especially to train the students to use and enrich their academic and research experience. Evernote definitely adds value to the libraries.Originality/valueIt is found from the study that, Evernote is very handy in handling the research consultation service and manage research projects in libraries.

Ranking Authors in an Academic Network Using Social Network Measures

Online social networks are widely used platforms that enable people to connect with each other. These social media channels provide an active communication platform for people, and they have opened new venues of research for the academic world and business. One of these research areas is measuring the influential users in online social networks; and the same is true for academic networks where finding influential authors is an area of interest. In an academic network, citation count, h-index and their variations are used to find top authors. In this article, we propose the adoption of established social network measures, including centrality and prestige, in an academic network to compute the rank of authors. For the empirical analysis, the widely-used dataset of the Digital Bibliography and Library Project (DBLP) is exploited in this research, and the micro-level properties of the network formed in the DBLP co-authorship network are studied. Afterwards, the results are computed using social network measures and evaluated using the standard ranking performance evaluation measures, including Kendall correlation, Overlapping Similarlity (OSim) and Spearman rank-order correlation. The results reveal that the centrality measures are significantly correlated with the citation count and h-index. Consequently, social network measures have potential to be used in an academic network to rank the authors.

Effective storage of source code of the student’s projects in digital libraries

In higher educational institutions, the source code of the student's projects and their documentations should be submitted in both printed and electronic form. The electronic form of storage smooth the progress of computerized processing of the documents for purposes such as plagiarism detection and for future references. Considering the higher education system, there are several hundred theses added to the archive every year. The primary motivation for this paper was to reduce the storage requirements of the student's projects and their doc- mentation’s electronic archive in higher education institutions.

Designing the single knowledge space based on network-centric information infrastructure in the modern age of digital economy development (Annual paper presented to the Fourth World Professional Forum «Crimea-2018»)

Traditionally, the annual report opens the World Professional Crimea Forum. Primarily, the speaker focuses on the concept of digital economy interpreted as the economic relations system based on the digital information and communication technologies. The Program “Digital economy of the Russian Federation” is reviewed. Several concepts, e. g. bitcoin and blockchain, Industry 4.0, New Internet, etc., are defined. The current problems of the Internet are examined, in particular, the lack of the single management and development center. The statistical data on the profile and involvement of the internet users is reported. Special attention is given to using Internet in Russia and the related problem of copyright in Russia and worldwide. The role of open access in building the knowledge environment and the role of the main contributors to the process, namely, publishers, libraries, educational institutions, are emphasized. Online education and accessible seamless education environment are specified as the main trends in education, The key vectors of developing knowledge content and its application in the digital environment are defined, these are: inclusiveness, artificial intelligence and green (sustainable) libraries, etc. The current situation in the global book market is evaluated on the basis of the results of the London Book Fair 2018. The project “The modern digital educational environment in the Russian Federation” is examined along with the projected results. The role of the National Electronic Library as the major innovative library project and the national information system is emphasized. The author concludes that the libraries of the future become an essential part of the national and global information infrastructure.

One Hundred Years of Libraries and the Library Profession in Catalonia

ABSTRACT The creation and development of the library system of Catalonia (Spain) started in 1915 with the drafting of a project to determine the structure and relevant elements of public libraries. The project was greatly inspired by the Anglo-American “Free libraries” model. This article discusses the implementation of the first “People's Libraries” that functioned as a network, with the support of the Biblioteca de Catalunya. It also describes the establishment of the Escola de Bibliotecàries, a pioneering school of librarianship, which was only open to female students. Finally, it argues that the quality of the current Catalan library system is largely due to the strength of the initial project, which was not abandoned even in the dark times of the two dictatorships in twentieth-century Spain. The uninterrupted operation of a library science school has also played a key role, as it has ensured the training of professionals who have contributed to the continuity of the public library project.