The Electronic Library Project at Southern Cross University

John Neuhaus, University Library, Southern Cross University, P.O. Box 157 , Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia. Phone +61 66 20 3984 Fax: +61 66 22 0003 Email: jneuhaus@scu.edu.au Home Page: John Neuhaus [HREF 1]
Keywords: World Wide Web, Electronic Libraries, Virtual Libraries, Electronic Collection Development, Electronic Resource Selection

Introduction

This paper describes the Electronic Library Project at Southern Cross University [HREF 2]. The aim of this project is to create an electronic library service which gives easy access to selected resources from the Internet, to construct searchable databases of selected electronic journals and texts and ensure that the entire system could be easily updated and maintained by librarians with average computer skills. The service created by this project will also support the Library's training efforts by providing an organised and efficient front end to Internet resources.

Background and Problems

The Internet presents a challenge to all libraries in that it presents a totally new form of communication and information dissemination. Rather than the familiar range of collection development tools, vendors and bibliographic resources such as ABN and commercial databases we are now faced with a dynamic environment where existing procedures and work flows will increasingly no longer apply. Matched with this new environment is a huge demand for access from staff and students at all levels.

Like many libraries the initial response to this challenge at Southern Cross University has been to introduce Internet training as part of our reader education programs. During 1994 Southern Cross University Library staff invested considerable resources into conducting training sessions which were aimed at teaching staff and post graduate students how to become effective users of the Internet. The sessions were designed to focus on skills based resource discovery. Attendees were given exercises on the mechanics of using Gopher and World Wide Web client software, introduced to search tools like Veronica and Web Crawler and directed to various starting points such as the Australian National University's ELISA Gopher and the CERN World Wide Web Virtual Library . While these classes were popular and successful in promoting the Library some trends were recognised which cast doubt on the efficacy of a 'training only' approach to the Internet. While some individuals who attended the training have become keen 'net surfers' others have had little use for it . The feedback has suggested several reasons for this. One frequent criticism has been the time it takes to find anything useful using resource discovery methods. Many staff members continue to comment that they simply do not have time to explore the Internet, even if they do have the required skills. There is also the need for a fixed reference point. Many people attending the classes seem disturbed by the lack of a fixed and familiar starting point for the Internet.

Added to these problems was the plan to extend Internet access to 6000 undergraduate users, some of whom were studying in an off-campus mode. We realised it would be impossible to provide the resources necessary to deliver this kind of intensive resource discovery training to such a large group.

A World Wide Web Based Solution

The solution chosen by Southern Cross University Library was a World Wide Web server used in conjunction with text retrieval software. The initial plan called for two major features.

Firstly, it would offer an organised front end to the Internet. Rather than just providing training in resource discovery skills we would provide a value-added electronic information service which had annotated and searchable subject pointers to relevant Internet resources. In the case of undergraduate students it is hoped that such a front end will reduce the need for comprehensive training and support.

Secondly, it would include text databases of information selected by our Librarians from the Internet. These databases would be full-text indexed and would provide a local cache of important electronic journals and texts.

Technical Solutions

When designing the technical aspects of this project it was decided to use a Macintosh platform rather than the more common UNIX based system. The reason for this was mainly a shortage of experienced systems staff within the institution and a desire to have the service maintained by librarians with only minimal technical assistance. It was also felt that if more power was required the system could be moved to a UNIX server at some stage while the Macintosh based server would be suitable for a prototype system. In practice we have found that the Macintosh server has proved to be adequate for our current needs. An Apple PowerMac 8100AV was purchased as a server running the MacHTTP software developed by Chuck Shotton of BIAP Systems [HREF 3]. The text retrieval requirement was initially a concern but the timely development of the AppleWebSearch CGI [HREF 4], ,again by Chuck Shotton, made the use of AppleSearch text retrieval software possible via a World Wide Web forms interface.

Design Criteria

Our subject pointers to information on the internet have been chosen on the model of a reserve collection at an academic library. They were selected by librarians and teaching staff as being particularly relevant to specific undergraduate courses of study. The aim of this aspect of the project is not to create another complete virtual library on the Internet but to develop an annotated index of resources directly related to the specific courses taught at Southern Cross University. Consequently, we chose a structure [HREF 5] which related to the academic organisation of the University rather than a traditional subject structure such as Dewey or LC. This would create a resource which enables users to quickly locate information in their subject area without having to learn Internet navigation skills. An important feature of this system was that it should be as 'flat' as possible. A user would be able to get to the information they need by following a minimal number of hypertext links. Because this is difficult to achieve in a system which requires a measure of hierarchical subject organisation, such as an electronic library, we decided to include an AppleSearch index of the subject pointers and place search options on the home page [HREF 6]. To aid the successful retrieval of specific resources it was necessary to create individual files for each important link to an Internet resource. We decided to include keywords, as well as annotations for each important resource, to improve the effectiveness of searching .

The design criteria for the electronic journals and texts databases were similar. They were to be organised into subject based databases which reflected the broad areas of study at Southern Cross University. While these journals were already available on World Wide Web, FTP and Gopher sites across the Internet it was decided we could add value to this information by storing them locally, providing full-text searching. Other advantages of this approach include providing access to users who lack Internet resources discovery skills, a saving in network bandwidth and the ability to archive this material for future reference (Huthwaite 1995).

Costing (Prices in Australian Dollars)

The total cost of the project was relatively low. Additional hardware, software and staff time was required to establish the service.

Implementation

The implementation of the new system has been relatively smooth. The initial directory structure of the service has proved to be flexible while the MacHTTP server software has been robust and reliable. To provide access within the Library computers a single dedicated workstation was provided. Student and staff can also use our training laboratory when it is not in use for classes. The main problems in the implementation phase related to the selection of resources for the service and its maintenance once the project is completed. Initially, the framework for the service was constructed by a systems officer who was funded from the project budget. Having established this framework we could add resources to the service. The annotated subject pointers to the Internet have been relatively easy to construct with only 2 hours of staff time per week being required to add the extra links and maintain the system. It is planned that all User Services Librarians will be trained to update the server. Currently the entire system is being updated and maintained by the Network Services Librarian.

The electronic journals and texts databases proved to be far more difficult to establish. Originally an ambitious plan including over 90 e-journal titles was proposed but this has proved to be unrealistic and the number has now been reduced to 18. The main reason for this has been the labour intensive nature of formatting the data once it has been received. This is caused by the inconsistent way in which e-journals are distributed and formatted. Some titles can be subscribed to via a Listserve while others must be manually retrieved from an FTP, Gopher or World Wide Web server. While some titles are available with each article as a single file, a highly desirable feature for full-text searching, others are distributed as complete issues requiring manual intervention to divide them. Even to maintain 18 titles, 1-2 hours per week are required to edit new data and reindex the database. A better option would be to automate the entire process along the lines of the Mr Serials project [HREF 7] at North Carolina State University but this remains outside the scope of the current project. The work done on mounting these electronic journals has created us a service which gives our library staff experience in this important new area. We also hope to add these titles to our library catalogue by late 1995.

Evaluation

The project will be evaluated throughout 1995 via a series of surveys and focus group interviews targeting both staff and students. An initial pilot survey has already uncovered some interesting results. Although it is not possible to draw any significant conclusions from the small number of survey forms returned at this stage the trend is promising. The only consistent criticism of the service is that there are not enough terminals available in the library for access. Generally, respondents have found the service useful to their studies which reflects the effort that was put into ensuring there were resources available for all subject areas at the University. Most still found that they spent to much time locating specific information. The reasons for this were not specified in the pilot survey and will need to be investigated either by focus groups or survey at a later date.

Future directions

This project is only one stage in the development of an electronic library service at Southern Cross University. It is hoped that this project will integrate Internet resources into our existing range of information services which includes the library catalogue and our CD-ROM/online database network. The next step will be a closer integration of the Library's electronic resources with the World Wide Web based course material now being developed by some Southern Cross University teaching staff. At this stage our electronic library is a stand alone system which has links related to specific areas of study. Once the course materials for these areas of study are developed in an electronic format the links to Internet resources and other databases should ideally be embedded within it. To achieve this we will require a high level of co-operation between teaching, instructional design, systems and library staff.

Conclusion

On its own, training users in resource discovery is not sufficient to fully integrate the Internet into existing library based information services. Libraries should be aiming a creating specialised information sources which suit the needs of specific groups of clients rather than relying solely on training them to find their own information. Resource discovery should instead by done by librarians and experienced academic staff who can then incorporate the data into electronic reserve collections and directly into course material. While annotated subject pointers to information are a successful method of incorporating the Internet into the library collection more work needs to be done on the methods of distribution and formatting of electronic journals so they can be accessed and searched more easily.

References

A Huthwaite "Electronic journals : options for access" in (1995) "Information Online and OnDisc 95 : The Virtual Information Experience", Proceedings of the Seventh Australasian Information Online and On Disc Conference and Exhibition, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre, Sydney Australia 31 January-2 February 1995. Information Science Section, Australian Library and Information Association.

Hypertext References

HREF 1
http://wwwlib.scu.edu.au/HomeFolder/JohnsBIO.HTML - John Neuhaus's Home Page
HREF 2
http://wwwlib.scu.edu.au/ - Southern Cross University Library's Electronic Library Service
HREF 3
http://www.biap.com/ - BIAP Systems Home Page
HREF 4
http://www.biap.com/machttp/tools.html - MacHTTP Tools
HREF 5
http://wwwlib.scu.edu.au/HomeFolder/SCUsubjectlist.html-SCU Electronic Library Subject Pointers
HREF 6
http://wwwlib.scu.edu.au/ - Southern Cross University Library's Electronic Library Service home page.
HREF 7
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/staff/morgan/mr-serials-at-NASIG.html - Mr Serials project at North Carolina State University.

Copyright

© Southern Cross University, 1995. Permission is hereby granted to use this document for personal use and in courses of instruction at educational institutions provided that the article is used in full and this copyright statement is reproduced. Permission is also given to mirror this document on WorldWideWeb servers. Any other usage is expressly prohibited without the express permission of Southern Cross University.
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