1. eLibrary Projekt
http://www.literature.at/elib/www/wiki
Description:
The eLibrary Projekt is a shared student project which provides digitized texts together with
guest comments and background information by the means of the Wikimedia-Software. Its
aim is the sustainability and access of the documents. Volunteers of national eLibraries (e.g.
eLibrary Austria) help to digitize the content of national libraries and the work of scientists
and students to publish. Employees have their own user pages and several opportunities of
communication and evaluation of the content. They also help to create and maintain the
content. The collaborative work is a great motivation factor and also teaches the ability to
work in a team and the use of modern communication techniques (Voice-Over-IP, Instant
Messaging). The documents get prepared and published by the employees in special topic
related portals. This helps students to use their learned knowledge by writing own texts which
correlate different contents (original text, dissertation, articles, Papers) and tie them together.
All this promotes linked up understanding of different matters. This thought gets also
reflected in the technical construction of the eLibrary.
But also other population groups can contribute their experiences and step with students in a
dialogue. Contemporary witnesses as well as scientists have thus a direct access so that
mutual reservations during the exchange of ideas get minimized by the primarily electronic
realization.
Contents are available through a full text search as well as through categories and
dynamically growing subject based main entrances. Special attention is laid on materials
which are either hardly accessible or materials which accompany lectures and exercises to
save the expensive acquisition by students. The supply by the Wikimedia-Software allows
also partially sighted people to convert the contents easily into Braille and to use them with a
mechanical Braille line.
The choice of the Wikimedia-Software known by Wikipedia should hold the inhibition
threshold for cooperation low. The software permits modular, distributed work and the syntax
is known to many potential employees already by Wikipedia. An essential difference is that
the possibility to edit is only given to registered users. Also the common presentation of work,
articles and background information which are very important for a content processing is
different to Wikipedia.
Type: Access
Special: Supply of the materials (full texts) as a txt file, but linking to pdfs as well; common
production and treatment of resources; possibility for partially sighted people to gain access
by the means of a mechanical Braille line