Transcript - National Aerospace Laboratories

Role of Digital Libraries in
Knowledge Management
Poornima Narayana
Deputy Head, Information Center
National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL)
Bangalore 560 017
Communication is human
nature
Knowledge sharing is human
nurture
Alisan Tucker
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Defining KM
 What KM - Vendors (researchers and consultants) are
doing.
 Concepts are best defined from how people use them.
 What KM -Users (companies and practitioners) are
doing.
 KM Researchers with computer and/or information
science background consider
Knowledge = Objects (IT - Track KM)
Contd...
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 KM researchers with philosophy, psychology,
sociology or business/management background
consider Knowledge = Processes (People - Track
KM)
 KM research & practice focus could be on individual
or organizational
 Knowledge is not something that can be managed, but
can be regarded as Human Faculty
 KM is the art of crating value from an organizations
intangible assets
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Knowledge Management
Track/Level
Organization
Level
Individual
Level
IT-Track
Knowledge =
Object
“Re-engineers”
Group Ware
“Al-specialists”
“E-specialist”
People-Track
Knowledge =
Processes
“Organization
Theorists”
Philosophers,
Sociologists
“Psychologists”
Reference - Karl-Erik Sveiby5
SYSTEMS DOCUMENTATION
------------------------------------------Reports to Management
Instructions to Users
System Functions
Instructions to control staff
FUTURE
PLANNING
-----------------Staff Technology
Market Planning
Implementation
MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEMS
(DAY-TO-DAY)
USER SUPPORT
-----------------------Training
User documentation
Help-desk
On-line help
MAINTENANCE
----------------------Quality of Databases
Integrity of Databases
Back-ups
Attending Trouble shooting
Upgrades
SECURITY
--------------Identifying risks
Counter measures
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KM & Paradigm-Shift in Librarians Role
OLD
Warehouse-like
function
NEW
Research support
function, desk-top
delivery
Desk-bound (‘Sit and Pro-active (‘CaseWait’) service
work’) service
Document provided
‘as is’ little value
addition
Value-addedinformation, Packaged
knowledge
Managing many
libraries
Managing intranet and
a few libraries
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Web as a media for KM
WWW provides hypertext access to documents located anywhere on
the Internet.
 Web facilitates combination of text, pictures, sound, animation
and video.
 Many varying information systems are tied into a homogeneous
browsable, searchable web.
 Net is equal opportunity provider without caste, creed, colour,
belief, etc.
 Net requires motivation and motivated learning is much more fun.
 Information sharing with global dimensions.
 IP enabling for accessing information databases.
 Facilitates keeping abreast of rapidly changing data.
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Computer support for
knowledge processes…
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How DL Can Contribute to KM?

Develop improved KM systems and tools –
by using relevant principles, processes, tools
and techniques of DL

Integral part of an enterprise’s KM system
in improved management of
– Implicit and explicit knowledge
– Internal and external information assets
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DL and KM: Domain Analysis
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Essence of KM

“Identifying, managing and sharing all of
enterprise’s information assets, including
database, documents, policies and
procedures as well as unarticulated
expertise and experience resident in
individual workers” – Gartner group
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Essence of KM …

Make effective information and expertise
available at the time of need to improve
the learning process

Take implicit knowledge held by key
people and make it explicit for informed
decision making across the enterprise
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Digital Library

Organized collections of digitized material
– Deployed over intranets and Internet via web
– Typically via intranet library portal sites
Evolved out of extensive R&D with the
advent of the Internet and the web
 Large number of DL collections exist
today
 Co-exist with print-based libraries

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Digital Library …

Incorporate the principles and processes of
knowledge organization in:
– Print-based libraries
– Automated libraries
– Information retrieval systems

Currently domain specific (collection
and/or user group)
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DL: Motivation







Anytime, anywhere access to large document
collections
Promote scholarship and learning
Promote collaboration and sharing of knowledge
Preservation and conservation
Structured access to semi-structured information
Search across massive document collections
Access to wider range of material
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DL: Architecture
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Principles and Processes of DL
for KM

Information needs analysis and user profiling
– Requirements studies, query negotiation and capture,
profiling for SDI/filtering/push (routing) services

Content evaluation and selection
– Print, electronic and Internet –based sources
(knowledge rating?)

Content capture, digitisation, conversion
– Imaging, format conversion

Content de-selection
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Principles and Processes …

Content analysis and representation:
– Classification, indexing and abstracting
Hierarchical, alphabetical-classed, thesarui –based
knowledge organisation
 Automatic content extraction, categorisation and
summarisation systems
 “Intranet taxonomies” – as basis for organising
internal knowledge and to capture external
knowledge

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Principles and Processes …

Cataloguing principles
–
–
–
–
Determination of access points for search
Rendering of personal and corporate names
Automatic name identification systems
Metadata
Information about information
 Entry to the information store & rights management

– Knowledge access needs to be metadata driven
(currently – search engine driven)
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Principles and Processes …

Content organisation
– Data compression

Text, multi-media objects
– Inverted file organisation for efficient search
and browsing
– Representation of unstructured information:
variable & repeating fields, records (e.g. ISO
2709)
– Full text indexing
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Principles and Processes …

Search and retrieval
– Retrieval techniques: Exact match (Boolean) and best
match (Vector Space and Probabilistic),
– Advanced search algorithms - citation/ link based (e.g.
Google came out of DL research in Stanford)
– Powerful browse/ search features
– Natural language queries
– Relevance ranking
– Relevance feedback and QBE (“Find more like this”)
– Multi-media object searches (feature extraction)
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Principles and Processes …

Standardisation and networking
– Cataloguing, classification & thesaurus systems
– Search across distributed information stores (Z39.50 IR
Protocol)
– Information exchange via formats like MARC and CCF
– Metadata standards like Dublin Core
– Inter-operability (federated digital libraries)


Persistent Identification of network-based digital objects (e.g.
DOI and linking of citations, handle system, PURL)
CrossRef – Linking of citations across e-journals
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Enterprise KM: Functions and
Challenges for DL

DL – integral component of the enterprise
KM system
– Deployed via the intranet library portal
– Dynamic knowledge base to gather and
organise relevant internal and global
information sources, based on a taxonomy of
the enterprise information needs, and make
these available for decision making and
learning
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Enterprise KM: Functions and
Challenges for DL …

Knowledge base of the DL:
– Internal information sources:

Laboratory notes, project reports, staff
publications, staff profiles, annual reports, progress
reports, vision documents, query profiles, search
results, etc. (embedded implicit knowledge)
– External information sources:

Locally held and/or remote information sources
(print, electronic)
– Online collaboration and information sharing
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Enterprise KM: Functions and
Challenges for DL …

Challenges for the DL:
– Granularity of access and content delivery
Need to move beyond metadata level access and
document as units of access & delivery
 Access/ delivery at TOC/ chapter/ paragraph/ table/
figure level
 Implications for knowledge capture and
representation (structured / unstructured)

– Interactivity (feedback component)
– Personalisation (customisable)
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Concluding Remark:
“In times of profound change, learners
inherit the Earth, while the learned find
themselves beautifully equipped to deal
with a world that no longer exists”
- Al Rogers
Executive Director
SchoolNet Foundation
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