Hyper‐books and visual‐books in an electronic library
| Published date | 01 March 1993 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045228 |
| Pages | 175-186 |
| Date | 01 March 1993 |
| Author | Monica Landoni,Nadia Catenazzi,Forbes Gibb |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
Hyper-books and
visual-books in an
electronic library
Monica Landoni and
Nadia Catenazzi
Environmental Informatics
Unit,
TP.
440
—
CEC Joint
Research
Centre,
21020 Ispra
(VA),
Italy
Forbes Gibb
Department
of
Information
Science,
University of
Strathclyde,
26
Richmond
Street,
Glasgow G1
1XH,
UK
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to provide an overview
of current developments in the area of electronic books and
libraries, and
to
describe an on-going
research
project.
Following a discussion of the key terminology used
in
this
field,
a number of issues will be
investigated:
what an
electronic library is; how this concept has evolved during
the last twenty years; what an electronic book is; and the
relationship between an electronic library and an electronic
book.
As a result of our research we have defined
a
new
concept,
the
Virtual
Electronic Library, and
its
basic
components: the hyper-book and
the
visual-book.
These are
two forms of electronic books which are built from different
sources: paper books and electronic texts respectively. The
environments in which such electronic books are produced
will also be
described.
1.
Introduction
Information technology is radically changing the publishing
world. More and more information is available in electronic
form and several distinct classes of tools already exist for
handling it. Computers now influence all aspects of publish-
ing, from the arrival of the author's manuscript in wordpro-
cessed files to the world of digital typesetting and EDI-based
book ordering. Our research looks at the next natural step in
the evolution of this technological
process.
Here the
computer
will not only provide support for publishing, it will also be a
means of publishing.
The main obstacle to computer publishing is that the com-
puter is an intermediary between the user and the document,
and despite its widespread use many people do not feel com-
fortable with an electronic medium. The idea of preserving
metaphors and models for reading, writing and publishing
which are familiar and well understood is an attempt to solve
this problem. Therefore, in the following discussion the con-
cept of the book metaphor will be used in reference to the
creation of documents in electronic form.
The other problem which is addressed is concerned with
organising electronic books and making them readily access-
ible.
One potential solution is to build an electronic library,
which can guarantee timely provision of selected full-text
materials to individuals when and where they need them.
The concepts of the electronic library and the electronic
book are explored in the following two sections. The remain-
der of
the
paper describes the results of our own research into
the design and implementation of systems incorporating these
concepts.
2.
From the traditional to the electronic library
When speaking about libraries and their history, it is possible
to identify three main periods: the traditional library, from
Aristotle up to the beginning of library automation; the mod-
ern or automated library, where computers have been applied
to basic services such as cataloguing and stock organisation;
and finally the electronic library, the library of the future,
where systems make information universally accessible on-
line.
2.1.
The traditional library
The history of the library started some time before the birth of
the book as we know it in its modern form. The library was
initially a repository for scrolls — a place where important
documents, sacred and religious tablets, and legislative
manuscripts were kept. The transition from book collection to
knowledge repository is associated with Aristotle, who was
the first person to organise documents according to their con-
tents.
Following his example, libraries became increasingly
centred around philosophical schools. At the same time the
library became a place where knowledge was not just held but
produced,
thereby establishing publishing as one of the core
functions of the historic library. In addition, systems for or-
ganising and cataloguing books by kind and the names of
authors become more and more widespread.
During the Roman Empire, the library became a status
symbol and wealthy citizens often owned two distinct collec-
The Electronic Library, Vol.
11,
No. 3, June 1993 175
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