DIGITAL PUBLIC LIBRARIES: AN EVALUATED COMPARISON Bielen 2
Grade A
Digital Public Libraries: An Evaluated Comparison
Jessica Bielen
Rutgers University
Author Note: This paper was prepared for Digital Libraries, Section 17:610:550, for Professor Saracevic.
Table of Contents
Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………4
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..5
Clifton Public Library………………………………………………………………...... 6
Content………………………………………………………………………….7
Technology…………………………………………………………………..….8
Interface…………………………………………………………………………9
Process and Services…………………………………………………………...10
User………………………………………………………………………….....11
Context……………………………………………………………………..…..12
PALSPlus Consortium………………………………………………………………....12
Content…………………………………………………………………………12
Technology…………………………………………………………………….13
Interface………………………………………………………………………..14
Process and Services…………………………………………………………..15
User…………………………………………………………………………....15
Context……………………………………………………………………..….15
Montclair Public Library………………………………………………………...…....15
Content………………………………………………………………………...16
Technology…………………………………………………………………….17
Interface………………………………………………………………………..18
Process and Services…………………………………………………………..18
User…………………………………………………………………………....19
Context……………………………………………………………………..….19
BCCLS Consortium…………………………../………………………………...…....20
Content………………………………………………………………………...20
Technology…………………………………………………………………….21
Interface………………………………………………………………………..21
Process and Services…………………………………………………………..22
User…………………………………………………………………………....23
Context……………………………………………………………………..….24
New York Public Library………………………………………………………...…....24
Content………………………………………………………………………...24
Technology…………………………………………………………………….25
Interface………………………………………………………………………..26
Process and Services…………………………………………………………..27
User…………………………………………………………………………....28
Context……………………………………………………………………..….29
Review of Libraries and Consortiums…………………………………………...…....30
Table 1.1……………………………………………………………………....32
Conclusion………………………………………………………………….…...….....33
Works Cited…………………………………………...…...... 35
Abstract
This paper examines the role of the digital library in terms of adult public digital library services. It will look at digital library services of the single city based public library in conjunction to those offered by the consortium. Two of the consortiums to be examined are located in northern New Jersey, the PALSPlus consortium of Passaic country, with special attention to the Clifton Public Library, and the BCCLS consortium of Bergen County, with special attention to the Montclair Public Library. This paper will also look at the much larger New York Public Library’s digital library. These digital library services will be evaluated by their content, technology, interface, process / services, user, and context as well as how they function in conjunction to their consortium and physical library and promote a sense of virtual community.
Keywords:
Digital Library, Consortium, Public Library, PALSPlus, BCCLS, New York Public Library, Searchability, Format, Collection, Digital Services
Digital Public Libraries: An Evaluated Comparison
According to Manisha Yogesh Rane in her article, Digital Libraries: A Practical Approach, a digital library is an Internet based library that allows users to access information and resources virtually; where the main goal is to remove the “physical boundary” between the user and the information they seek (Rane, 2015, p. 143). According to Rane, some of these services include “reference support,” “central storage facilities for hosting digital collections and indexes, e-book and e-audio book circulation, articles, academic research, media streaming, and periodicals (Rane, 2015, p. 144). They may also offer platforms for virtual book discussions, reviews, and programs. Shakeel Ahmad Khan notes, “Information users are more relying on digital resources…by using online journals, databases, and search engines” (Khan, 2015, p. 43). Because patrons are seeking out information from the Internet, the Internet becomes competition against the physical library as an information warehouse. Digital libraries help to draw people back to the library by offering users physical library services through a virtual information platform.
But how does one go about evaluating the digital public library? In Hong Iris Xie article, “Users Evaluation of Digital Libraries: Their Uses, Their Criteria, Their Assessment,” Xie mentions that “The majority of DL evaluation studies are usability studies” (Xie, 2008, p. 2). These studies look at how users obtain access to information, what information is offered, and how it is organized. According to Rane, when evaluating digital libraries there are six key areas of usability to look at such as, the “collection of services,” “collection of information services,” how the library supports the user, the organization of information, how information is accessed, and the availability of information (Rane, 2015, p. 143). While usability is a large factor in patrons’ access to information, as well as their returning patronage, it is also important to look at digital libraries in terms of how they promote the physical library. How do these digital libraries go beyond giving patrons access to information by facilitating learning and library patronage, while also reinforcing the importance of the public library in today’s society and creating a virtual community space?
In this paper we are going to examine digital libraries offered by the Clifton Public Library, the PALSPlus Library consortium of Passaic Country, the Montclair Public Library, the BCCLS library consortium of Bergen County, and the New York Public Library. While touching upon usability, this paper will evaluate these libraries primarily by their content, technology, interface, process and services, user, and context. This paper will also look at how these libraries serve to enhance and supplement the physical public library by creating a virtual community space.
The Clifton Public Library
The Clifton Public Library was founded in 1921 in Clifton, New Jersey as a small public library with only 440 books in the collection (“Clifton Public Library,” 2015). Today the library has grown and is split between two locations, a main branch on Piaget Avenue, and a smaller branch on Lyall Road. The Clifton Public Library is part of the PALSPlus library consortium of Passaic County, and also participates in open borrowing with LMxAC, MAIN, and SWELL consortiums in New Jersey (“Open Borrowing,” 2015). The Clifton Public Library’s digital library is called OneClickDigital, which is compromised of e-book and e-audiobook rentals. However, the library also has access to 22 digital databases and information resources, which stem from academic journals, language learning software, and ancestry information (“Clifton Public Library,” 2015). Two of these additional digital resources are Pronunciator, which offers users language-learning courses, and World Vital Records, which allows users to research their family history.
Content The Clifton Public Library’s OneClickDigital library, offers users the option of downloading a variety of e-books and e-audiobooks, rentable for a certain period of time. The e-books and e-audiobooks offered are those of popular titles and well-known authors. When one travels to the “Browse E-book Titles” page, one is able to see that there are many options by authors such as Carl Hiaasen and Sheryl Woods, as well as new titles such as Sue Grafton’s X (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). There are also many literary options that appear on various school reading lists. The e-audiobook titles mirror this effect, where there are popular authors and titles such as Brad Taylor’s Day’s of Rage, and Deborah Harkness’s The Book of Life (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). However, the number of literary titles far exceeds the number of “popular titles,” where books such as Emma by Jane Austen far outnumber books that may be considered pleasure reads (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). However, while OneClickDigital offers a variety of e-books and e-audiobooks, the number of titles is still limited, so users who are searching for very specific items may be out of luck unless it is a bestseller or on a school reading list. The number of e-books available also exceeds the number of e-audiobooks. Perhaps this is because there is higher demand for e-books than e-audiobooks, but for those interested in e-audiobooks this can be limiting.
The Clifton Public Library also offers language-learning software called Pronunciator, which can be found through a link on the library’s homepage. When users log onto Pronunciator, they are prompted to enter their library card number and pin, thus obtaining access to online language learning tools for over 80 languages, from common languages such as English, Spanish, and Italian, to more obscure languages such as Xhosa and Welsh (“Pronunciator,” 2015). When one logs on to the Pronunciator website, they are first asked which language they speak, and then what language they want to learn, where the choices are offered in an alphabetized drop down list. Users are also able to tailor these courses from quick learning for travel, to beginner and expert level, and even lessons for children.
The Clifton Public Library also takes digitized information to a personal level by offering users access to genealogy resources, such as World Vital Records. This service allows users to explore their family’s ancestry by searching relatives’ names. Information is displayed in the form of articles and documents that mention the name, and is an important tool users can use to help them in the puzzle of uncovering their ancestry, but is not a quick and easy answer to their information requests (“World Vital Records,” 2015).
Technology The Clifton Public Library’s OneClickDigital library, offers users the option of downloading e-books or e-audiobooks to any mobile device. The OneClickDigital “Help” page gives users directions for downloading items to a PC or Mac, as well as through an App for other digital devices. This makes this digital library usable for users who want to download e-books or e-audiobooks and read or listen to them on the go.
Like with OneClickDigital, Pronunciator is also available to users both on computers through the Internet, as well as through an App available on mobile devices. This makes it easy for users to take their language learning with them on the go. However, World Vital Records is only available through an actual computer, which limits where and when users can access the software.
Interface The display of the titles in OneClickDigital are extremely well organized, where patrons are given options to view the e-books and e-audiobooks by a variety of different categories, such as recently added, popular titles, and genre. When one clicks on an option, they are given the book covers, which appear as a two-inch images with six covers making up a row, along with the respective title and author set against a neutral grey background (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). The options appear crisp and well defined to the eye, where the user does not feel overwhelmed when looking at the variety of different icons. When one clicks on a title, they are given a paragraph description of the book as well as its publication information (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). One of the ways that OneClickDigital attempts to support user interaction is by offering users the choice of deciding how long they would like to check a book out for. For example, if a user wanted to check out the book “The Rumor,” by Elin Hilderbrand, he or she can choose to check it out anywhere from 1 day up to 10 days (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). However, user interaction ends here, where users cannot request to renew the item should they want it longer than the 10-day limit.
Users are able to interact with Pronunciator on a more personal level because it is more than just a software that allows users to read and listen to the language like one might expect from a physical book or audiobook. Here users can speak back to the software as well as work through weekly quizzes and lessons. Users are also told when they answer wrong and rewarded when they answer correctly.
The interface of World Vital Records is comprised of a search box asking users to supply their relatives “family” and “given” name, as well as map, where users can search by country, state, and region (“World Vital Records,” 2015). Interaction with World Vital Records is basically found with how users are able to input their own family information in the hopes of retrieving records and information regarding their relatives. Genealogy searches are sort of like a puzzle, which if purchased privately can become very expensive. The main value in this digital information tool is found by how the public library offers it to its users for free.
Process and Services The services provided by OneClickDigital mainly consist of the renting of both e-books and e-audiobooks, where users are able to search for titles by selecting an area from the site’s drop down menu such as “all titles,” “most popular,” “best sellers,” “newly added,” and “genre” (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). Users are also able to do an advanced search for specific items, by limiting the search to e-books or e-audiobooks, or searching both at the same time (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). The tricky part with OnceClickDigital is found when users access the library for the first time and are prompted to log in with their username and password, which should correspond to their library card number and pin given at registration. Because users have already set this up, one would think that users should be able to just sign in. This is not so. First time users must click on the button labeled “register,” and create a special OneClickDigital account before they can access the digital library collection (“CPL OneClickDigital,” 2015). This is something that can be a little confusing at first, as it is not advertised or mentioned by the library.
When one looks at the Pronunciator site, they are able to easily choose a language learning option that fits them, where they select the language of their native tongue and the language that they want to learn. However, there is a problem with the site’s accessibility, where once users log in for the first time, they run into trouble logging in again. This is because new users are not prompted to create a password, and once they log off the webpage, it becomes very difficult to log back in and one. Users are not notified that they will be receiving an e-mail with their login information, and should they fail to check their e-mail, will be unable to set a password.
The main issue with the information provided by World Vital Records, is that is very hard to find information relating to their family genealogy. Users cannot expect to find information right away. It might take long amounts of searching, as well as a revision of keywords, and even then it is not promised that they will be able to find the information that they are looking for, if any information at all.
User In terms of the user, these three information resources help users in their search for information as well as facilitate learning and pleasure reading. According to Kahn, a main benefit that digital libraries offer their users is the facilitation of e-learning (Khan, 2015, p. 43). All three of these digital resources do this, but this is perhaps most clearly seen by looking at Pronunciator, where users are able to tailor their own language learning courses and complete them at their own pace. While Pronunciator helps to facilitate learning, World Vital Records supports the physical library space where those who find information may come to the library for help locating more resources related to the information that they have found. Furthermore, reading material both for pleasure and for school is offered through OneClickDigital in two different formats, satisfying the users need for books and reading material, which can be argued to be the main source of information the public library was built upon, thus continuing to act as a backbone of the public library’s information supply.