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Information Technology Innovations - Part 1*

A Look at Internet2 and at Academic Library Changes

"Although the university has survived earlier periods of technology-driven change...intact, the changes being induced by information technology are different because they alter the fundamental relationship between people and knowledge."
(Preparing for the Revolution: Information Technology and the Future of the Research University.
National Academy of Sciences, 2002.)

This BEEP examines the latest developments in two areas currently at the forefront of e-learning technological change: Internet2 and academic libraries. Included is background information, as well as examples of recent innovations and applications that have been implemented nationwide and worldwide.

Internet2 - Current Status

Background

• Internet2.  Official and comprehensive Web site of the University Corporation for Advanced Internet Development (UCAID), a non-profit consortium of university members and corporations, and affiliate members, who provide leadership and direction for I2 networking development.
• Frequently Asked Questions About Internet2. Good starting point that succinctly summarizes the philosophy and activities of I2.
• "Internet2: Building a Better Net." Article by Judy Salpeter in T & L Magazine, February 15, 2002, that explains the basics of I2 to an audience not involved in higher education.
• Internet2 Exchange (i2x). A clearinghouse for the latest news, information and resources concerning I2.
• "Planning to Use Internet2 Network? A Few Other Upgrades Might Be in Order." Article by Florence Olsen in the Chronicle of Higher Education, July 5, 2002, that discusses the need for additional technology upgrades before users can make the best use of the enormous carrying capacity I2 offers. These upgrades may include fast local network, high-speed computer clusters, and ample data storage.

Examples

• Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Institute of Music. A joint venture that allowed an interactive performance over the Internet at the Fall 2002 I2 members' meeting. It used synchronized surround sound and video, with performers in both Los Angeles and Cleveland.
• Florida State University. University I2 Web site that includes a description of its involvement in the Internet Data Delivery Project, which distributes real-time meteorological and hydrological data from the agencies like the National Weather Service to universities and others.
• Gemini Observatory. "High-Speed Links Connect Astronomers with 2 Telescopes 7,000 Miles Apart." Article by Florence Olsen in the Chronicle of Higher Education, November 15, 2002, that describes the work of a two-site observatory, one in Hawaii and one in the Chilean Andes. Using them in tandem on both sides of the equator permits observations of the entire sky.
• University of California, San Diego. "Researchers Take a Spin on Future Web." Article by Jay Lyman in NewsFactorSci-Tech, February 8, 2002, about an effort by two groups, the Southern California Next Generation Internet and the San Diego Supercomputer Center, to work on I2 applications that include global trading and multi-modal disabled access.
• University of Michigan. Comprehensive Web site that describes the status of the I2 initiative at the university, where I2 staff offices will be relocated in late 2003.

Academic Libraries
Changes in Design and Services

Background

• "As Students Work Online, Reading Rooms Empty Out..." Article by Scott Carlson in the Chronicle of Higher Education, November 16, 2001, about the decline of the physical use of libraries by college students in favor of Internet-based research. Carlson is also the author of a similar Chronicle article, "Do Libraries Really Need Books?" published on July 12, 2002, that offered an update on colleges' moves away from planning for books in designing new libraries. The author's most recent coverage of the same subject, "Students and Faculty Members Turn to Online Library Materials Before Printed Ones, Study Finds," appeared in the October 3, 2002 issue of the Chronicle.
• "The College Library in the New Age." Cover article by Jeff Morris in University Business, (5:8), October 2002, that reports on a roundtable of librarians and architects discussing the challenge of library design in the new e-learning environment. When planning new libraries, they call for consolidation of library structures/services, more opportunities for student collaboration, and establishment of a community feeling in the physical building to bring students in. (In the same issue, Morris has also authored a "Guide to College Library Builders and Planners," with links to firms involved in recent construction and renovation of libraries.)
• Libraries on the Web: USA Academic Libraries. Web site maintained at the University of California, Berkeley, that lists and links to all academic libraries that offer online services.
  
  

Examples

• E-Global Library. A truly virtual library developed by Jones International University, available and customizable, for a fee, to academic institutions. It includes tutorials, research guides and databases, Web-based document delivery, and reference librarians available seven days a week. Although it has been in existence for several years, its expanding services are still unique.
• California Institute of Technology. Library Innovation Chronology 1989-2002. Detailed timeline of technological development in one academic library.
• "History Meets State of the Art." Article by Jeff Morris in University Business, (5:8), October 2002, about how Illinois Wesleyan University and Williams College (MA) met the challenge of change in the use of libraries in the 21st century.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "A Library to Store Digital Work Is Born." CNN release, November 5, 2002. MIT has added an electronic library, DSpace, to its free online offerings for posting scholarly materials produced in digital form. Others are expected to join.
• "New Service Allows the Public to Pose Reference Questions Without Visiting the Library." Article by Scott Carlson in the Chronicle of Higher Education, May 31, 2002, about QuestionPoint, a service for public and academic member library users that provides reference service from librarians around the world. Follow-up article by Carlson, "Service Offers Easy Way to Get Answers to Reference Questions," appeared in the Chronicle, June 28, 2002.
• New Zealand Electronic Text Center. Opened at the Victoria University of Wellington in the spring of 2002, a searchable electronic archive of the nation's colonial texts and writings. The effort is one of several worldwide undertaken by the University of Virginia's E-Text Center.
• "Nova Southeastern University (FL) Shares Its New Library." Article by Scott Carlson in the Chronicle of Higher Education, January 11, 2002, about one example of new joint-use library ventures that reflect reduced need for physical space as users rely more on computers for research. Another example is a new campus library now under construction at St. Petersburg College, a joint venture of the college and the Seminole County Library. (View a video clip of the ongoing progress at the Seminole Campus Web site.)
• Princeton University. "University Libraries Have Designs on the Future." Article by Marilyn Marks in the Princeton Weekly Bulletin, June 17, 2002, about the university's library construction program, which was dramatically altered to cut back on shelving and add more workstations.
• "Who Needs Paper? Not Iowa College." News release by Katie Dean in Wired News, August 6, 2002, about a new community college campus in Des Moines that is entirely book-free.
  
  

*Part 2, the January 2003 issue of BEEP,will review the impact of wireless technology on e-learning.

The contents of BEEP were developed under a grant from the U. S. Department of Education (DOE). However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the DOE, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.