I. Projects and Programs

Smart Web Exhibits
Two-year collaborative project will mitigate the problems caused by physical space constraints in libraries and museums and provide educational outreach to the public by implementing two "Smart Web Exhibits" designed to deliver information online, on target and on time to a diverse user community.
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/LIT/Projects/IMLS.html

Digital Information Versatile Archive (DIVA)
The DIVA system will allow students and researchers to search, browse, view and print digital images of books, technical reports and archival documents. With specifications developed by Carnegie Mellon librarians and archivists, DIVA will provide conventional access to library and archival materials, and add powerful new functions for searching and retrieving documents, supporting multimedia, and customizing the structure and presentation of collections.
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/LIT/Projects/diva.html
DIVA supercedes the HELIOS project, http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/LIT/Projects/helios.html

Copyright Permissions Project
The Copyright Permissions project seeks to determine the feasibility of digitization as one possible solution to the urgent need for more space to store physical volumes. The project will attempt to negotiate permission to digitize and provide free-to-read Internet access to a statistically significant random sample of books in our collection. This project is expected to reveal a variety of issues that currently impede providing electronic access to full-text materials.
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/LIT/Projects/copyright.html

Real-Time Reference Service
NSF Proposal: OCLC, Carnegie Mellon, U. Texas, U. Arizona, Oregon State U., and U. Hawaii propose providing a '24/7' librarian-staffed science, mathematics and engineering chat room for undergraduates.
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/24x7.pdf

Digital Library Plan
St. Clair, Gloriana and Erika Linke, Barbara G. Richards, Denise Troll. "Digital Library Plan 2000-2007: Supplement to the 1998 Strategic Plan." December 1999.
http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/digitallibrary.pdf

Online Tutorial: Evaluating Info on the Web
Librarians Scott Vine and Angie Locknar have developed an online tutorial that is designed to teach critical thinking skills, particularly as they apply to evaluating information found on the Web. The tutorial illustrates the value of five critical thinking concepts that will help students deal with today's (and tomorrow's) rapidly changing information environment.
https://online.web.cmu.edu/00-100/
For an ID that will allow you to take the tutorial, contact Angie Locknar.

Journal of Social Structure (JoSS)
JoSS is a peer reviewed ejournal authorized in 1999 by the International Network for Social Network Analysis (INSNA) at their annual business meeting, edited by David Krackhardt of Carnegie Mellon's H. John Heinz School of Public Policy and Management, and published by the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries.

JoSS demonstrates that electronic publication facilitates higher quality, faster dissemination, and lower costs than traditional paper journals can provide-critical advantages at a time when publishers such as Elsevier are increasing their subscription charges at such a rate that many libraries can no longer afford to maintain subscriptions to key academic journals. The Libraries have guaranteed to INSNA that the articles will be preserved in perpetuity.
http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/project/INSNA/joss/

II. Specific Digital Library Challenges

Permanent digital migration and archiving

Integrating creation and acquisition of digital content in light of user needs (as opposed to opportunistic creation/acquisition of content)

Research/evaluation of the digital library (performance measures regarding use of databases, digital collections and services, usability, and user satisfaction)

Please send comments or suggestions.
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© 2000 Council on Library and Information Resources

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