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What is a library?
Library participates in public communication,
which is institutionally organized transmission of
content;
The participation means access organization,
and mediation in communicates circulation and
retransmission;
Based on the assertions, we can say, that public
communication means transmission of human
thought output to the society.
Wojciechowski J.: Biblioteka w komunikacji publicznej. Warszawa 2010
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Scientific communication on Internet:
Global Digital Library (GDL)
Internet has some features of organized structure, so
can be treated as specific „institution”;
Internet is „institution” summing efforts of all units
operating in a scope of (scientific) public (and not only)
communication;
These units (institutions, persons), acting in the
Internet I name GDL systems;
Internet is for access organization, mediation in
circulation and retransmission of messages between
GDL systems and message recipients.
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GDL systems
(Scientific) public communication in the
Internet means transmission of human
thought output:
from creators,
through GDL systems,
to… creators.
In science there is no writing without
reading and reading is for writing.
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GDL systems
„Place” in the Internet, where resources of
digital objects are created and archived
and/or communication functions (services)
of GDL are executed (access organization,
mediation of communicates circulation and
retransmission).
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GDL systems and services
Services are any functions, which can be
executed on one or more digital objects situated
in GDL system;
Execution of service in GDL system usually
creates added value to digital object;
GDL systems take over many functions (so also
services) from traditional libraries, museums,
archives and publishers, often connecting
functions of several traditional institutions in one
system.
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New organization of science
Cyberinfrastructure, e-Science
Infrastructure of distributed computer, information and
communication technology;
Integration of computer tools in the Internet, such as
computing equipment (for data processing and
networked), digital sensors, observatories,
experiment’s equipment and other research
instruments and software services and tools.
Science 2.0
Bottom-up organized discussion on research results.
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GDL in Cyberinfrastructure
GDL can be identified with the whole scientific
communication system, formal and informal;
GDL as networked systems infrastructure,
abstract structure, created by a sume of
specialized systems;
GDL in cyberinfrastructure is used for circulation
of scientific information.
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Global and local services
Objects in GDL are created and managed
locally;
They are circulated globally;
Global and local contents don’t need to be in
conflict, as they may be assimilated together;
It is named glocalization (global+local), or
fragtegration (fragmentation+integration).
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Hybrid GDL
Naturally in GBC there are only digital objects;
There is also digital information on physical objects, like
printed books, museum artefacts, persons, institutions,
research instruments;
Thanks to that it is possible to use GBC for identification
of physical objects, preserved in libraries, archives,
museums, governmental and other organizations, and
every places where resources important for science are
preserved.
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Self-organization of GDL
GDL like a global market is not an institution;
It is self-organized techno-personal network, what is not
possible to control completely;
It is controlled rather by processes typical for chaotic
systems: complexity is made by simplicity and order is
made by chaos;
In that sense GDL is similar to complex social networks,
without designed architecture but self-organized on the
basis of local interactions of great amount of members
and their groups.
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GDL as boundary object
Instead of strengthen differences between social groups
and communities (eg groups of scientists) it allows for
agreements of the groups over the boundaries and
differences;
GBC content can be utilized by many communities. Data
acquired in one system for to fulfill needs of one group of
scientists can be used by other groups, which members
make research in some other discipline. Each of the
group interpret the data in a specific way in spite of they
take it from common resource.
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What about librarians?
Important role of librarians in GDL
systems;
Library work is distributed, moved closer to
creators and (simultaneously) users of
information;
Librarian is embedded in a virtual team of
researchers (collaboratory).
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Metaphor or reality?
Metaphor – intuitive representation of some
new phenomena;
Internet is not a library in literal sense;
Internet fundamentally changed scientific
public communication, forced changes of
notion on library, librarians and the user.
