CHAPTER ONE 1.0
INTRODUCTION
A
library can be defined as an institution which holds books and other forms of
stored information for use by the public or qualified people. It is where books
are kept and referenced. It is an area of multifarious activity on book
management. A library as a repository of knowledge houses collection of books.
Considering this fact and the new world of computer, digital libraries are being
created today for diverse communities and in different fields example
education, science, culture, development, health, governance and so on. With
the availability of digital library software application, the creation and
sharing of information through the web based digital library will become an
attractive and feasible proposition for library and information professionals
around the world. With the available books in the library, the addition of
computer web based application gives access to information finding and will
help to reduce loss of books in the library functions. Library automation has
helped to provide easy access to collections through the use of computerized
library catalogue. Digital library significantly differs from traditional
libraries because it will allow users to gain access to information faster and
work with the electronic versions of full text documents and their associated
images. Many digital libraries also provide accesses to other multimedia
contents like audio and video. It also gives room to online access if desired.
A
digital library is an organized and focused collection of objects including
text, images, video and audio with the methods of accessing and retrieval and
for the selection, creation, organization, maintenance and sharing of
collection.
It
is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to
print, microform, or other media) and accessible by computers. The digital
content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A
digital library is a type of information retrieval system. The focus of this
study is to develop a web based application software that enables the user to
search for information and make use of it. The information can be accessed
virtually from anywhere and at any time. The information contents of any
collections can be recorded on microchips, hard drive, CD-ROM etc. Thus this
application will have two broad sections respectively. The cataloguing section
and the acquisition section. The cataloguing section will have the systematic
lists of names, books and pictures etc. while the acquisition section allows
the user to acquire information needed.
Given
the current level of maturity and substantial knowledge and experience that
have been accumulated in recent years, the time is certainly ripe to lay the
necessary foundations for overcoming these challenges by facilitating
integration of relevant research results and improving system development
methodologies. Libraries worth digitization to preserve the documents, the
documents to be more accessible and to reuse the documents.
1.2
THE AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
There
is few aspect of human endeavor that is not today being assisted by
computerization. The aim of this project: design and implementation of computerized
web based digital library with reference to NnamdiAzikiwe University Awka is to
develop a web application program that essentially manages documents as
requested by the user for reading and reference purpose.
In this study therefore, the researcher hopes to accomplish the following objectives:
1.
Eliminate manual operations in the library.
2.
To build
a joint prototype for the digital library management system that collects
digital/research materials, stores them and makes them available for the users
when needed.
3.
To
provide access to human knowledge from anywhere, anytime and in an efficient
and user-friendly fashion for students and to re-generate degenerating reading
habits.
4.
To solve
the problem of delay in locating books.
5.
To
restrict the digital library management system from an unauthorized User.
6.
To make
the documents reusable.
This
research comprises of: Acquisition: The collecting of library assets and
material through purchase, exchange, or license. As part of this function, the
system should facilitate the acquisition of the digital rights of an asset, as
well as the enforcing of those rights with regal'd to the use of the asset.
The
collection of Services: A digital library is much more than just the collection
of material in its repositories. It provides a variety of services to all of
its users (both humans and machines, and producers, managers, and consumers of
information).
The collection of information Object:
The types of information objects vary from traditional Documents through to
live objects (e.g. sensor readings) or dynamic queiy results.
Cataloguing
and indexing: This is the proper and consistent description of assets which
enables users to search for and retrieve those assets using cataloguing
standards.
Storage
of digital books and materials: The management, naming conventions, and
tracking of digital assets, and theability to retrieve these easily for
production or reading.
Circulation
and distribution: The ability to record items used and returned, items
available, and items requested.
Delivery
Channels:The interfaces to the DLMS for staff and users. The system should have
several access and delivery channels, all of which must be usable through
adaptive technology. The World Wide Web (www) is the most popular delivery
channel right now.
There
are lots of developments, researchers and discoveries which results in
multifarious production and the library materials. These have brought increase
in complexity of library system and operations. Based on these, a number of
problems facing the library include
1.
Unnecessary delay in library processes.
2.
Too many
paper work and replication of data multiple pieces of paper.
3.
Unreliable catalogue system.
4.
Multination’s of books by students i.e.
students tear/hide.
In
the accomplishment of this project some constraints were encountered.
□
Choice of
programming language.
□
Converting analogue materials into digital.
□
The
programming procedures and database type.
□
Inability
to integrate all digital material, videos and images.
□
Inconsistent internet access.
1.6
DEFINITION OF TECHNICAL TERMS
1.
DESIGN:
It is a detailed plan or arrangement to achieve a particular goal (this study).
2.
IMPLEMENTATION: This getting down to the
actual steps required to set up a collection.
3.
A
PROGRAM: It is a set of instructions and procedures that tells the computer
what to do.
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4.
AN
APPLICATION: A program designed to perform a particular task.
5.
A SYSTEM:
It is an assemblages of inter related elements, which we find interesting to
study. It could be a process, machine or a program.
6.
AUTOMATION/COMPUTERIZATION: It is a process of
making a system to cany out its processes on its own without much help from
man.
7.
MODULE:
An independent unit that is part of a larger development. It is the same as subtask.
8.
THE
RESEACHER: This refers to the developer of the system in study (i.e.
AniukwuT.G)
9.
THE USER:
The user here refers to the people who makes use of the library. It refers to
the person who uses the program.
10. PYTHON: It is web developing programm that is
used for this study.
1.7 CONTRIBUTION
TO THE ICT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE
The study will give birth
to a new system: a web based digital library service system to bring efficiency
in the library operations. It will eliminate some of the problems associated
with the old (manual) library management. This will assist in quick access to
information and easy communication.