Intellectual rights and copyright issues

Trust
The Impact of Electronic Publishing: The Future for Publishers and Librarians. David J. Brown and Richard Boulderstone. Munich: K. G. Saur, 2008. p[319]-321


Trust in publication systems is essential but measuring it is "ill-defined." Publication systems need to maintain their integrity so as to attract more users and retain loyal clientele. Through the years, these publication systems looked for ways to control fraudulent articles from circulating.They have created trust-based systems that would allow them to have control over articles submitted for publishing. It goes through a referee system, a review process that shows whether a research paper has passed.


In the internet world, it is harder to employ a trust-based system because the information space is so vast, but there have been ways developed to address these concerns. There is the use of feedback as a trust metric (Ebay), reviews from book purchasers (Amazon) and Page Rank system (Google).


Nowadays, publishers buy software systems that can detect plagiarism because they want to ensure the integrity of all their published articles. Having a good reputation is good for their business and it means more future submission of articles and more patronizers of these published works.

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Today, I became aware of the different measures that publication systems go through before publishing an article. This keeps a good balance between those who wish to submit and share articles for others to learn and users being able to have their hands on a trusted article. I learned about software systems being able to recognize plagiarized materials and best of all, users are rest assured that the materials have gone through rigorous reviews and that publishing systems exhausts all efforts to provide trusted reading materials.

User Interfaces of IRs (Visualization)

Interface Design
Digital Libraries: Principles and Piractices in a Global Environment. Ed. Lucy A. Tedd and Andrew Large. Munich: K. G. Saur, 2005. p[129]-161


This article highlights the importance of the user interface as a means for the user to interact with the information that is stored in the digital library. Galitz defined the user interface as "...a part of a computer and its software that people can see, hear, touch, talk to, or otherwise understand or direct." Interface design is concerned with two components, first, the input component that oversees that the user is able to "communicate needs or desires to the computer?, and second, the output component that shows how the "computer conveys results of its computation to the user."


The interface design is important for it is the determining factor for whether a visit to the digital library is considered a success or failure. The factors include (1) the information retrieved and (2) the user experience. Dilton formulates 5 questions that he thinks designers should consider in creating a digital library interface.


1. How do we attract users to our resources, and make them stay?
2. What will bring a user back to our resources again?
3. How do i build an interface that supports a richer comprehension or appreciation of the contents?
4. What makes material more learnable by users?
5. Can novices learn from viewing an expert's construction of an information space?


In Summary, Galitz emphasizes that in the end, "the best interface is one that is not noticed," rather an interface that allows users to find what they are seeking for "quickly, accurately and with the least effort."

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Reading this article made me realize my unconscious behavior towards using the user interfaces of Information retrieval systems. I have realized that sometimes I'm biased with just the looking at its outward appearance. Questions like, "Where do i type in my query?" and "Will it lead me to the right information?" always pops to mind. 

The article gives a good insight as to how user interfaces affects the behavior of users as they search for the information they need. I learned that different users have diverse methods of searching and this is because they are influenced by their own understanding and use of language and even of cultural background. I also learned that though aesthetically a user interface must be appealing to the eyes, the utmost importance must be given to users and as to how they can efficiently seek information and achieve satisfactory results.

As an Information Specialist, I believe it is important to know, recognize and even learn how to evaluate a good user interface. Seeking behavioral patters and learning about Human-computer interaction can be an advantage as well. Being in the profession of information management, I do feel that it is important to understand the whole concept of Information Retrieval--not just the theories. We learn it not so we can boast about it, but because we want to understand the technology and how to better reach a good number of audiences and be able to provide valuable information.

Web 2.0 technology application to Libraries

Using Interactive Technologies in Libraries
Edited by Kathlene Hanson and H. Frank Cervone
Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2004

This book first tells us of the hype a new technology can bring to the community. When something new comes out in the market, people always have higher expectations towards it. The same is true for libraries and librarians who are keeping up with the information age. Nowadays, librarians would also research for different technologies to best meet the demands of its users. The book presented different interactive technologies that answers information distribution, subscription to database content, how to use the Wiki as a research guide, using blog feeds to reach its patrons and lastly the idea of "podcasting."

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I've learned that technologies presents more avenues for information to circulate. Even though the format and nature of information evolves on its own, librarians still have a way of presenting these recorded knowledge. It is a call for us then to learn about new technologies that go around. When I think of applying all the useful interactive technologies, I can picture how great and beneficial it would be to my patrons. 

I also learned about Podcasting. This is a new portable way of presenting information to the public. It is said that Filipinos are more auditory learners than visual learners. They'd rather hear someone explain things and concepts to them than them reading about it. In the case at my workplace, podcast are more likely to be seen used than books. 

This second generation of services gives opportunity for people to share information with each other. The web is also playing a big part in promoting levels of interest and diversity among its users. Time and time again, technology has bridged information gap. Now, even those people who are handicapped or have no access to libraries will be able to have ways of accessing information.

The Internet and the WWW: implications to libraries

Libraries adapting to meet demands of Internet age
by Richard Chang, Reuters
Business World Online


With the advent of technology, the old shushing librarians have slowly been replaced by social networks and books have gone digital as well. Librarians will be seen answering queries and posting updates of their latest acquisitions on Facebook and Twitter. Libraries are slowly accommodating  room for interaction (information commons) and even cafes to improve service and invite an atmosphere of sharing information with others. 


The internet presents so much information that it is impossible to compete with Google. Despite this, the role of librarians cannot be taken out of the picture. They aim to serve the community as content providers. Libraries have gone online, circulations in electronic format are growing rapidly in numbers and now information seekers are able to search at the comfort of their home or offices. 

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I know for a fact that librarians and libraries will remain essential to the community. It is good to learn that we are not lagging behind. If we think about it carefully, libraries have always tried to meet the demands of its users. It is our duty to present information to users whether it be in print format or electronically accessed. 

Ranganathan's fifth law states that the library is a growing organism. Growth must always be present in the libraries may it mean staff training, acquiring new information in various formats or changing the physical look of the library. 

So long as human beings continue to use the knowledge they have inherited from their ancestors and learned from their contemporaries, so long as human ingenuity and creativity increases the store of information, there will be a need for persons and institutions to collect, to catalog, to preserve, and to guide. Books, and libraries, have changed over the thousands of years since the invention of writing … But the essential task of the librarian has remained the same: to collect and preserve the record of human accomplishment and imagination, and to put this record in the hands of those who would use it. - Fred Lerner

Computer and Internet Security

Security for Today
by Rick Lehtinen, Deborah Russell, and G.T. Gangemi Sr.
Computer Security Basics, 2nd ed. O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2005


The first part of the book -- Computer Security Basics -- introduced what computer security is and its importance and its role in today's society. It also summarized the different threats to computers and information and an overview of the different types of computer security.


It is said that computer security has changed dramatically since the terrorist attacks in 2001 and different forms of threats have arose as well. Network attacks, bugs, viruses and identify theft are only some of the most common computer crimes. These threats have the capability to paralyze both our computers and network systems. In lieu of this, companies have been adapting modern ways of securing  and protecting their data from malicious software and other threats.  


Computer security is built on three pillars, Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. From these these three pillars sprung other terms that are important to note as well, these are Identification, Authentication, Authorization and Accountability. Today's computer and internet security is highly relevant and the information stored in it places a much higher value. Companies do not think twice anymore in spending time and money in guarding and protecting their information. 

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I learned that there are a lot of ways to protect our data from external threats. It is even easier to imagine. Picture a “glass house”  from which your core data is safely stored and placed strategically inside it. The walls may in a sense guard and protect them by ensuring that only an authorized person has the right of access. We can use other tools to ensure that our data is protected by installing things like biometrics or a much more complicated retina scanner.


I also learned about CERT and its role in lending expertise and spreading techniques on how to better protect our data when threats come about. CERT or Computer Emergency Response Team together with other agencies was put up to answer the demands in support of fighting cyber attacks. For Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia, we have SingCERT to call on to.


Lastly, I learned that we have a responsibility to computer technologies that we use. We have a responsibility to ensure that if a virus attack or a disk failure happens, we have a backup plan and that includes procedures for backing up our data.


As a computer user, I have the responsibility to be aware of computers in general. Educating myself on how to fix it if it breaks down, knowing how  and when to back up my files to prevent data loss in case something unexpected happens to my computer, making sure that my virus software is up-to-date and periodically update. It is much like taking care of my personal belongings and knowing their value. They do say that prevention is better than cure (Better safe than sorry).

Computer Ethics - Netiquette

Computer Ethics

by James H. Moor

Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. Vol. 2. 2^nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. p396-398.

Computer ethics is a branch of applied ethics and virtually covers all fields. This is because the computer technology has greatly affected and has now been greatly embedded in people's lives and activities in more ways that we can imagine. The computer technology has reached a wide number of users and that everyday new information are being made available to the public through the Internet.  It has now become integrated in society that  all our activities from education, law, business to the government and the military depend on them. Modern computing technologies gave way for more people to create computers that does a  wide range of functions. 

Computer ethics have been raised through the course of the advancements in technology. Viruses, spamming, doctored images and digital information being copied so easily and accurately have greatly increased and these problems have raised issues in rights and responsibilities. Privacy, property, power, security and professionalism are the main areas with which the justification for policies for the ethical use of technology are being based. 

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Upon researching for an article in computer ethics, I have discovered that there is a continuous effort to create guidelines for the ethical issues in using computer technologies.I also learned that people all over the world must be able to create a consciousness in observing acceptable behavioral conduct when participating in the cyberworld. Computers cannot be taught to understand emotions and moral responsibilities much like a human person do. We must be able to understand that there is no absolute cyber protocol, we just need to observe sensible rules of communication.

Techniques in Information Retrieval

The Internet and Information Science
Information Science in Theory and Practice. Ed. Brian C. Vickery and Alina 
Vickery. 3^rd ed. Munich: K. G. Saur, 2004. p300-342.


Information in this article was identified as "the study of the communication of information in society" It looked into the technicalities of providing information such as evaluation, quantitative studies of information processes and systems and retrieval practice.


Retrieval practice with the use of the internet, mainly focuses on "textual symbols" even though information can also be in image format or sound. The internet also holds a vast amount of information available. The information vary in subject, terminology and natural language. 


To answer the need to filter information, the author presented two approaches to indexing the internet, one is to assign one or more index terms in a web wage or two, to scan the text and extract important keywords and use an appropriate index term.

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The three things I learned from this reading are, first, that to understand the basic retrieval process we must understand how it is done. Second, the basic retrieval process starts with understanding the information contained in an article. And third, that by indexing, one must inspect and condense the article into a word or phrase that best characterizes the article.