SociaLib: a collaborative digital library model platform using Web 2.0
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/EL-09-2012-0123 |
| Published date | 30 September 2014 |
| Date | 30 September 2014 |
| Pages | 622-641 |
| Author | Sarandis Mitropoulos,George Dimitrios Baltasis,Michalis Rodios,Christos Douligeris |
SociaLib: a collaborative digital
library model platform using
Web 2.0
Sarandis Mitropoulos, George Dimitrios Baltasis,
Michalis Rodios and Christos Douligeris
Department of Informatics, University of Piraeus, Piraeus, Greece
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the SociaLib system, which is a collaborative digital
library system. The system uses Drupal content management system to implement Web 2.0
functionalities and facilitate collaboration and cooperation between its users. It offers a variety of
functions, like wikis, forums and it is also accessible from microbrowsers.
Design/methodology/approach – The paper starts with a reference to collaboration in Digital
Libraries and states related work. Then, it introduces the SociaLib system, including implementation
and functionalities. There is also an example of how such a system can be used in a real-world situation.
Ideas for future work are also included.
Findings – The system was evaluated using a usability questionnaire on a subject of 50 people. The
results were promising, showing user acceptance and satisfaction.
Originality/value – This paper offer collaborative solutions to Digital Library users, helping them
communicate and cooperate with colleagues on their research. The system uses Web 2.0 functions that
enable the user to be more productive and also work mobile if he wishes.
Keywords Digital libraries, Cooperation, Library 2.0, Web 2.0, Content management systems
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
With the development of Web 2.0, several integrated library systems (ILS) began to
provide various new functionalities apart from simple navigation in the content of their
lists (Chalon et al., 2008). For example, they now provide users with the capability to
evaluate and comment on a book that they read, to add keywords (tags) to books that
depend on their views, to discuss in a forum with other users that have read a book, to
participate in blogs, and to interact using the library’s chat feature. This new
functionality arose from the general tendency of the Internet today to be more social,
allowing its users to interact and not to be simply passive receptors of information
(Murugesan, 2007). This tendency has also inuenced digital libraries changing them
progressively to Library 2.0 versions in tandem with Web 2.0 developments (Maness,
2006).
However, these systems do not provide on their own any environment which would
allow their users to develop some form of electronic collaboration at the same time with
The authors are grateful to Konstantina Roussi for her contribution in the design and
development of the usability questionnaire used to evaluate the SociaLib system, as well as for her
help in the process and assessment of the data and the production of the evaluation results.
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm
EL
32,5
622
Received 25 September 2012
Revised 1 November 2012
Accepted 18 November 2012
The Electronic Library
Vol. 32 No. 5, 2014
pp. 622-641
© Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0264-0473
DOI 10.1108/EL-09-2012-0123
the rest of the functionality they provide. Examples include giving the capability to their
users to create work groups, processing their work jointly via wiki technologies,
maintaining group blogs or discussing their work or project. It is obvious that such
additional functionalities could be very useful for users of academic digital libraries.
Apart from bringing them closer to the library (Katsarou, 2008), users would be
encouraged to use the rest of the functionalities provided, thus helping to improve the
services offered by the library.
The goal of this paper is to propose and present the implementation of a model
integrated system which provides all of these advances in collaborative digital libraries.
In fact, the goal of the SociaLib system is the effective incorporation of an environment
of collaboration and interworking between users for all the main functionalities of
digital libraries.
While offering a variety of functionalities to digital library users, the system aims
towards two new targets. First, the integration of all of the aforementioned
functionalities into one social and collaborative digital library system while utilizing the
power of widespread social networks, both those focused solely on socializing (e.g.
Facebook, Twitter) and those focused on bringing professionals together (e.g. LinkedIn).
The second target is to discuss the pros of embedding such a system in a traditional
library environment, as this relates to providing solutions to both librarians and library
users. This integration results in many benets, such as: easy access to library content
and thus making the librarian’s work simpler, offering faster user service and providing
other advantages that will be discussed in the corresponding sections. The SociaLib
system also creates a hybrid model which covers the needs of both old and new users
while providing innovative services. The authors discuss how this model offers
solutions to both librarians and users, and succeeds in moving ahead.
Furthermore, following contemporary technological needs in mobile devices, the
authors are interested in determining how such a system can be modied or transposed
to smartphone and tablet applications. As mobile applications have made such a
breakthrough in the past few years, allowing us to be able to perform work while away
from our personal computers (PCs), and using the ever-expanding utilities of
smartphones or tablet PCs, the authors will discuss how SociaLib can be utilized on
Android and iOS platform systems.
This paper is organized as follows. In Section 2, related work and a study on the
theory of collaborative environments in digital libraries are presented. Section 3
contains information about SociaLib, a model of a cooperative Digital Library 2.0, which
has the advantage of incorporating a wide set of desirable functionalities in a
collaborative user environment. The authors discuss how the development of the
system is based on a content management system (CMS), which has been adapted
suitably in a digital library portal, so that it supports all the 2.0 functionalities and, at the
same time, the collaborative environment of users. In Section 4, the functionality of the
individual system modules is presented and the authors demonstrate their high
applicability and compliance with a complete set of the initially set requirements.
Section 5 describes the administrative functionality of the system. An evaluation of the
system using an online survey based on a 50-person population is discussed in Section
6. In Section 7, the benets of embedding a system such as SociaLib in a real-life library
are detailed. Section 8 focuses on the ever-growing use of mobile applications and
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SociaLib
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