Open access: the view of a commercial publisher

See also Barbour V, Patterson M. Open access: the view of the Public Library of Science. This issue, pp 1450–3.

Open access: the view of the Public Library of Science

See also Robinson A. Open access: the view of a commercial publisher. This issue, pp 1454–60.

Applying data mining techniques to library design, lead generation and lead optimization

Many data mining techniques have been applied to activity and ADMET datasets and the resulting models are being used to understand quantitative structure-activity relationships and design new libraries. This review summarizes data mining concepts and discuss their application to library design, lead generation (particularly for sequential screening) and lead optimization (specifically for generating and interpreting QSAR models). Also, this review discusses recent comparative studies between data mining techniques and draws some conclusions about the patterns emerging in the drug discovery data mining field.

The digital library: an oxymoron?

"Virtual libraries" and "digital libraries" have become stock phrases of our times. But what do they really mean? While digital refers to a new form of document encoding and must be approached from that perspective, virtual resonates with aspects that modern philosophy treats with benign neglect at best. The word virtual harbors the notion of potential, and therein lies its hidden strength. Although strong commercial interests try to use the shift to a digital environment to redefine the political economy of knowledge, and thus virtualize libraries into a state of almost complete impotence, all hope is not lost. Librarians of virtualized libraries may well discover that they have re-empowered institutions if they place human interaction at the heart of their operations. In other words, rather than envisioning themselves as knowledge bankers sitting on treasure vaults of knowledge, they should see themselves as "hearts" dynamizing human communities. They should also see themselves as an essential part of these communities, and not as external repositories of knowledge. In this fashion, they will avoid the fate of becoming an oxymoron.

The commerce of ideas: copyright in the digital era

Copyright law concerns the rights of an individual to make copies of published works. Changes in technology, be they the introduction of the printing press or the proliferation of photocopy machines, affect how these "copy rights" are interpreted. The transmission of published works over digital networks and the introduction of new and relatively inexpensive ways to conduct commerce over the same networks will have a profound effect on how medical school faculty protect their own published works and how they make use of the published works of others. When copyright law moves from tangible objects such as books and journals to intangible bits carried over a network, many historic notions about the nature of publications and libraries will be called into question. The authors review the history of copyright law and some basic concepts of copyright, particularly "first sale" and "fair use." They also discuss the effects past technological changes have had on the law and on the often-competing concerns of authors, publishers, and readers/users. Finally, they discuss the implications for medical schools of digital publications, digital libraries, and the proposed changes to copyright law.

Tomorrow's library: will it all be infrastructure?

The form in which knowledge is described and encapsulated has a major impact on the design of libraries and the functions performed within the library. Libraries as we known them have been primarily built to store and disseminate knowledge in book format. New technology and the changing needs of knowledge workers, which form important parts of the logocentric, practicentric, and democentric elements of our information infrastructure, have created profound changes in our culture, challenge our definition of knowledge, and necessitate flexible designs for our libraries. The invention of practical mediums for information access, such as the book in the seventeenth century, television in the twentieth century, and perhaps the Internet in the twenty-first century, open the door to self-education with little economic discrimination. New roles for libraries are emerging that require flexibility in building design for moving collections, services, functions, and equipment; restructuring staff organizations; introducing new services associated with new technology; eliminating unnecessary or nonaffordable services; and housing other institutional departments within the structure of the "new" library.

The idea of the library in the twenty-first century

The fundamental idea of the library must change. The nineteenth-century idea of the library as the embalming of dead genius and the twentieth-century idea of the library as the repository for second-hand knowledge must give way to the idea of the library as the owner and the librarian as the manager of first-hand knowledge. In the coming era of knowledge capitalism, those individuals and organizations will flourish who are able to apply knowledge to create knowledge and to organize it to produce knowledge. The roles of present-day librarians and libraries will begin to differentiate sharply over the next decade. Some must seize the opportunity to participate in the transformation of libraries into online knowledge servers.

Twenty-first-century science

Scientific life is changing in fundamental ways as the twenty-first century approaches. Advances in technology are changing methods of scientific communications and dissemination of information, while diminishing resources lead to stabilization, politicization, increased public oversight, and the potential for significant downsizing. Libraries can foster the crucial interdisciplinary connections necessary to forge a new vision of scholarship.

The evolution of research library buildings

The principles of research library building planning established in the late 1940s emphasized flexibility of design; interspersal of books and readers; collaboration between librarians and architects; and an increased role for the library in education. Planning a medical research library in today's electronic environment requires attention to these principles as well as dealing with new and emerging technologies; economic constrains; new modes of scholarly research and communication; and the convergence of library science and information services on the campus. The social role of the library and the celebration of the book are factors common to both generations.

Tomorrow's library

The buildings in which we house libraries are like other special purpose structures; the needs they fill are significantly influenced by technology. A prime function of the library building is to house collections (of people, material, and systems) as well as collections of collections (networks). Electronic formats for library material offer new approaches to information service delivery. An example, the information access station, typifies how traditional functions can be reconfigured with respect to space. Flexible design can help ensure that tomorrow's libraries meet the users' needs, but we need to question all our assumptions about building design including those driven by our understanding of the browsing process.

Trends and recent experiments in library design

An architect relates his experiences in designing new and renovated libraries, 'from the inside out'. He raises questions regarding the impact of technology and addresses concerns about collections, but places primary focus on users--why they come into the library and how they use information in and outside the library building. Design projects reviewed include libraries at Yale, Columbia, the University of Southern California, the Medical College of Wisconsin, Emory, George Mason, and Cornell.

A library for the fifteenth through the twenty-first centuries

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), began developing a program for a new library in 1977, started the design in 1985, began construction in 1988, and opened the library in September 1990. The primary objectives were to design and build a facility that would house print collections under optimal conditions, allow for ten years' growth, be flexible enough to permit future reconfiguration, support present and future technologies, and provide beautiful spaces in which to study. The planning process is summarized, planning concepts are outlined, and considerations for the electronic library are briefly reviewed.

The Public Library System: Social Services Resource for the Geriatric Population

The public library system is targeting the geriatric population and instituting programs to meet informational and recreational needs. From retirement planning, visual aids, and screening, to accessing library material to the elderly, the public library system attempts to meet the challenge of providing service to this special population. Although not a formal group, the library has inherent therapeutic effects that benefit the elderly who participate in their programs. The clinician would be advised to take advantage of these various programs. Because each local and regional center will offer different programs, calling a local library is the most effective way to find out what a specific public library system has to offer. Nurses may also consider joint efforts to initiate programs in their library systems to better meet the population's needs.

Toward the library of the future

Over the past decade libraries have become increasingly aware of the revolutionary impact of developments in information technology on their key function. The new developments challenge the library's traditional role as electronic information products and services open up a previously unimaginable array of options. The author contemplates a vision of the future in which the unpredictability of the human mind interacts with an expanding array of new technologies and libraries strive to develop an information infrastructure to serve teaching and research in universities.

Integrated library systems

The development of integrated library systems is discussed. The four major discussion points are (1) initial efforts; (2) network resources; (3) minicomputer-based systems; and (4) beyond library automation. Four existing systems are cited as examples of current systems.

Integrated systems: from library to campus and beyond

Integrated library systems have not yet been created, although they have been emphasized for nearly two decades. Now and in the future, the task is even more complex because the principal issue is access to information itself, wherever it is located and in whatever form it may exist. The goal becomes more feasible because of changes in library practices achieved with technological innovation. Although individual elements of a campus-wide information system may already exist, the details for implementation are yet to be articulated.