Scholarly web-based application programming interfaces (APIs) allow users to interact with information and data programmatically. Interacting with information programmatically allows users to create advanced information query workflows and quickly access machine-readable data for downstream computations. With the growing availability of scholarly…

The manuscript proposes a method based on Blockchain technology, IPFS, and asymmetric key algorithm to authenticate academic degrees and certificates. The proposed method employs decentralization and therefore provides a scalable, secure, transparent, and economical solution than existing methods. In the proposed framework, the degrees and…

User experience is immeasurably important for your patrons as they access your Web site. This article presents tips and strategies for testing user experience, suggests a number of different popular technologies and tools that are used in the UX field, and lays out a plan for sharing and utilizing data to make improvements on your Web site. It is…

Given the pace of innovation, not only in the gadget market but in how social media is changing society, the future isn't what it used to be, which is to say, it is not that far off, out of reach, and "gee whiz" tomorrow. The planning horizon has moved closer than ever. And far-off eventualities are here and gone before you know it. In this…

In April 2007, the University of Washington Libraries debuted WorldCat Local (WCL), a localized version of the WorldCat database that interoperates with a library's integrated library system and fulfillment services to provide a single-search interface for a library's physical and electronic content. This brief will describe how WCL incorporates a…

Even in the age of Google, digital repositories can add tremendous value to an institution. Yet creating and maintaining these collections is no small task. Digital repository advocates will concede that the challenges in building and maintaining these collections can daunt even the most intrepid supporters. Three repository directors share their…

Personalization of user interfaces for browsing content is a key concept to ensure content accessibility. In this direction, we introduce concepts that result in the generation of personalized multimodal user interfaces for browsing XML content. User requirements concerning the browsing of a specific content type can be specified by means of…

Those who work in libraries focus much of their energies on providing access to information, and major changes seen in the last decade have shown the need to be flexible in the ways that librarians approach content delivery. Library users span all the generations of information distribution mechanisms. Some prefer to receive information in their…

When providing access to digital images, there are three elements to consider: structure, location, and appearance. These considerations are illustrated with two examples--a book and a photograph collection. Each of the elements is then described in detail. (AEF)

Describes the GEM (Gateway to Educational Materials) project being developed to provide enhanced access to lesson plans and other Internet-based educational materials through metadata. Highlights include controlled vocabularies; NIDR (networked information discovery and retrieval); the Dublin Core element set; syntax; prototype interfaces; and…

Describes the development of a new interface called GPO Gate for accessing the Government Printing Office (GPO) WAIS (wide area information server) databases, GPO Access. Highlights include development and use of GPO Gate at the University of California, San Diego, and implications for public service. (Author/LRW)

Discusses qualitatively enhanced access to data collections, requiring a more meaningful interface which endows the users with personal agents that are adaptable to the users' individual retrieval preferences. Users are given recommendations derived from best practice in information search processes to perform successful retrieval activities via…

Outlines the generic features of enterprise information portal applications, or corporate portals, which provide users with access to internal and external information resources through a customizable Web browser interface. Examines approaches being taken by vendors, many of whom are adapting software developed for document management and…

Discussion of formatting and disseminating information in the developing world focuses on efforts of Ethiopia's Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa (OSSREA), a membership-driven research network. Describes plans to distribute a digital CD-ROM library that incorporates a user-friendly interface and provides…

Proposes four design principles of an information access system that link information sources regardless of implementation medium, information structure, or interface style. Provides examples from an undergraduate course in information science at the University of California at Los Angeles. (Author/AEF)