Developing a Digital National Library for Undergraduate Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education Report of a Workshop (1998) / Chapter Skim
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Summary of the Workshop
Summary of the Workshop
Pages 21-46
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From page 21... ...
If the NSF sloes commit to supporting an NL, what kinds of information and issues wiN it need to consider so the project can be undertaken efficiently and cost effectively? Hal Richtol, Director of the Laboratory and Technology Development Section of NSF's Division of Undergraduate Education and Program Officer for an NL initiative, spoke next.
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From page 22... ...
She agreed with several authors of commissioned papers that the term "library," as applied to an NL project, places limitations on what this entity might become and how it might evolve. In contrast, if a digital library is defined as "a class of tools that includes capturing, authoring, storing, managing, searching, organizing, retrieving, indexing, sharing, and collaborating, we are probably talking about computer science and several other disciplines as well." Masullo next described some of her experiences with digital libraries in K-12 education in the United States and similar projects around the world.
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From page 23... ...
Raugh said that the issues of preservation of materials and other similar long-term issues have not yet been addressed seriously by the cooperative federal agency initiative that is involved with constructing the other aforementioned digital libraries. Lee Zia addressed Arms' challenge to articulate a need or use for an NL.
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From page 24... ...
for this resource and that the NSF should continue to pursue the concept of an NL for undergraduate SMELT education. Session II: Presentations The second session presentations were given by: Mary Case, Office of Scholarly Communication, Association of Research Libraries Michael Lesk, BelIcore Francis Miksa, Graduate School of Librarv and ~ .
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From page 25... ...
Francis Miksa began by saying that after having read the commissioned papers and listening to comments all morning, he had arrived at a "state of ignorance" about the proposed NL project. The more people talked about it, the less he felt he knew about it.
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From page 26... ...
Miksa said that what should be happening in undergraduate education is enhancement of the process of discovery by students. He noted that this notion is similar to the idea expressed in John Jungck's commissioned paper of a direct and conscious confrontation with ignorance and Harold Billing's idea of students as mavericks who contribute to the digital library in addition to using it (see Appendix A)
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From page 27... ...
In collaboration with William Arms' group (CNRI) , AAP is developing a digital object identifier, an electronic "license plate" that stays with a digital object and allows businesses and others to identify and track the object wherever it moves on the Internet.
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From page 28... ...
The project also would proceed as existing libraries do to sort, catalogue, and disseminate information. Amanda Spink pointed out that ongoing experiments with digital libraries on individual university campuses could inform the present project and ultimately be integrated with it.
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From page 29... ...
She emphasized that surprisingly little research has been done at the nexus of information seeking and problem solving. However, an NSF-sponsored conference held a year ago examined the social aspects of digital libraries, such as learner-centered designs, information life cycles, and incentives for using, preserving, and creating information (Borgmann et al., 19961.
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From page 30... ...
She suggested that this entity be seen more as a national electronic resource locator to materials in many realms that helps users gain access to the materials themselves or to the authors of those materials. Peter Graham agreed, saying that the library community has been looking at very similar issues involving the blurring of the distinction between how libraries use information and what is happening outside the control and influence of library structures.
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From page 31... ...
Is the workshop's view of an NL that of an entity by and for the United States or are we actually thinking about building the United States' contribution to the international information infrastructure for undergraduate SMELT education? Edward Fox replied that government agencies such as the NSF have provided millions of clolIars for the exploration of educational and research components of digital libraries ant]
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From page 32... ...
Tora Bikson agreed that even well planned interactive materials that are produced de nova by one Information on the Synthesis Coalition is available online at http://www.synthesis.org, and information on NEEDS is available on line at http://www.needs.org. 32 person are difficult for others to use.
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Jack Wilson responded that much work is now going on in this area. Rather than teaching per se, Wilson emphasized that the discussion at hand is really about professional development and the recognition of this kind of work as another form of scholarship.
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In addition, an NL should incorporate and promote materials that have been created based on existing national education standards (e.g., National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Standarcis in Mathematics and the National Research Council's National Science Education Standarcts) .~6 An NL should Tithe group suggested that the reran, "Digital National Libras," be replaced with a better descnptor.
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From page 35... ...
enable people to take materials that are available in an NL and elsewhere and package them for their own use in courses, laboratories, and so on. All of these resources pose their own challenges in terms of hardware and software platforms and operating systems on which to mount an NL, which languages to use, how the different components of an NL would operate courseware seamIessly with other components, and how to serve the needs of users who will have vastly different levels of expertise and comfort with using electronic resources.
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From page 36... ...
Logistics and Technology Zssues Of the two break-out groups that considered these issues, the members of the first decided that they would focus on what the NSF wishes to accomplish through its NL initiative. The agency's goal is not to build a digital library per se but to improve undergraduate education and instruction.
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From page 37... ...
The members of the second break-out group on "Logistics and Technology" also considered user and peclagogical issues. They emphasized that, unlike other cligital library projects, an NL for unclergracluate SME&T education should deliver services and not be a site for conducting adclitional research about digital libraries.
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From page 38... ...
Economic and legal issues that the group considerec3 centered on the following: Paying for the proposed NL's services: Several possibilities emerged. If an NL provides resources that replace textbooks and more traditional materials, then perhaps students should bear some of the costs through university user fees, lab fees, or the cost of software or other materials that they use in i'Infonnation available online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/ visible/visible_human.html.
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From page 39... ...
for an NL is that it avoids many of these intellectual property issues because the burden for resolving them is placed on users of the materials, who would most likely enter into negotiations or purchase arrangements with providers. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AND DISCUSSION, DAY 2 Jack Wilson opened the second day of deliberations about whether the NSF should support the establishment of an NL for undergraduate SMELT education by reviewing the discussion to date.
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Legal issues Workshop participants appeared to agree that these problems transcend their discussions. Legal issues would be addressed by others and could not be meaningfully resolver} in this forum.
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From page 41... ...
be built by non-commercial sources. REPORTS FROM BREAK-OUT SESSIONS, DAY 2 On Day 2, two break-out sessions focused on "User and Pedagogical Issues." One break-out session focused on "Logistic and Technology Issues." One break-out session concentrated on "Economic and Legal Issues." Economic and Legal Issues Because there was general agreement that legal issues would have to be resolved elsewhere, this break-out group concentrated on economic issues.
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From page 42... ...
The system should also support bringing into an NL existing digital materials develope(1 with grant support, for example, from the Division of Undergraduate Education. The group discussed how authentication an(1 accurate, interactive searching features will be important components of an NL, especially if it does not serve as a repository for materials.
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J ~7 ~J Discussion Lee Zia questione(1 the assumption that there is no sense of urgency to improve undergraduate SME&T education. Tora Bikson argued that the urgency should be evident from the clata on SME&T unclergraduate rates in the United States that Michael Lesk had presented.
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From page 44... ...
For example, the United States might provide access to digi tal libraries dealing with subjects which have been well clevelope(1 here in exchange for access to information in digital libraries elsewhere in the Florid that focus on other topics. For example, nations that have developed extensive materials for language education might provide otherwise restricted access to that information in the U.S.
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From page 45... ...
Many faculty do not explore new teaching methods or actively change their courses on a monthly or even yearly basis. Little research is available on which teaching practices are most effectively and outcomes of effective teaching practices are not widely disseminated.
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From page 46... ...
Thus, the benefits of the NSF's support of an NL for undergraduate SME&T education potentially could extend well beyond the sciences. Michael Lesk felt that evidence for the efficacy and success of existing digital library projects should be provided to the NSF so the agency can make a more informer!
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