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SeJ.i/ar PerplI\/tlJ.UlIll
JARINGAN ILMU: CHALLENGESBEYOND*
SIIAHAR BANUN JAAFAR**
ABSTRAK
Kejayaan JARINGAN ILMU banyak bergantung kepada keupayaan Pustakawan dalam memanafaatkan penggunaan Internet.Sebagai pengurus maklumat, Pustakawan harus lebih pro
aktif den.gan mellggllnakall teknologi terkini dalam memberikan perkhidmatan maklumat. Perancangan strategik perlu dilakllkan oleh Pustakawan untuk menghasilkan produk dan
perkhidmatan maklumat yang kreatif dan inovatif.
INTRODUCTION
D he Imernet. a computer network of
networks, was introduced into Malaysia
through JARING (.Joint Advanced Research
Integrated Netwo rkin g) in 1992. JARING is
coordina ted by the Malaysian Institute of
Microelectronic Systems (MIMOS). Today, the
Internet has cncroached upon all walks of life in
Malaysia with great speed and effectiveness. It is
nOw being used by many sectors, from corporate
groups, business people, educators, librarians ,
researchers to hobbyists, for a variety of reasons.
The JARINGAN ILMU (or Knowldege Network) is
one oftheJARING networks. It is a network among
libraries in Malaysia using the JARING
telecommunication facilities and is coordinated by
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia and MIMOS.
Today, all the 14 state public libraries (including
the Perpustakaan Peringatan Kuala Lumpur). 9
university libraries, and more than 75 special libraries
in the Ministries, Government Departments, research
institutions, training institulions, as well as
associations, have access to Internet. Libraries are
using internet for daily communications via email,
development of their homepages and information
resources in their core competencies, as well as for
navigating the Internet web sites to search for
information to fulfill the information needs of their
users. Libraries are)aking advantage of the global
network for the promotion of information products
and services.
However, it is to be noted that the internet is
borderless and ownerless as it is not owned by anyone
in particular, yet it belongs to everyone. Every day,
• *.
Paper presented at the Internet St:minar 1996: ~llltemel The Way Forward", KOla Kinaba\u. 5 No .... ember 1996 . Deputy DireclOr-Gt:ncral. Pt:rpustakaan Negara Malaysia.
---------=~--~~==~~====~O
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
thousands of bits of information ranging from messages, advertisement, annoucements, world
'seli.il(lr PerplI .ftali."H!'
The general aims of the JARlNGAN ILMU are:
news, discussions on panicular topics among interest • for MIMOS and the Perpustakaan Negara
groups enters into the net. Anyone who has a Malaysia to jointly undertake research and
computer with internet facilities will be able to access
web sites across the world or create their own
homepages.
development programmes to establish linkages
between libraries in Malaysia using the latest
Information Technology;
The advancement of new technologies and the • to facilitate the sharing of resources among
emergence of global telecommunication such as libraries;
internet will be tile driving force toward globalization
and the development of a borderless world. The • to enable librarians and library users to access
IT revolution has given new opportunities for
libraries to become the gateway for sourcing vital
information from various web sites across the globe.
JARINGAN ILMU
JARINGAN ILMU, initiated in 1994, when
Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia signed a
memorandum of understanding with MIMOS to
develop a library and information network in
Malaysia. It is one of the research and development
projects of MIMOS under JARING. As a
coordinator of JARING, MIMOS provides
telecommunication backbone facilities for its
suscribers to have access to Internet. Other similar
networks are JARINGAN PENDlDIKAN (a network
among schools and the Ministry of Education),
JAR1NGAN PENYELIDIKAN (a network among
research .institutitolls in Malaysia) , JARINGAN
PERTANIAN (a network among agricultural
institutions), and JARINGAN AW AM (a network
of institutions which provides information of interest
to the general public via internet).
Any library that subscribes to J ARING will
automatically become a member of JARINGAN
ILMU, thereby have access to internet and to any
public domain information resources created by any
one of the JARING network participants .
library resources from remote locations;
• to encourage libraries to become information
provider by creating public domain databases
and to allow members for the public to access
such databases;
• to facilitate technology transfer in the use of
computer networks and developing databases
through training , workshops, seminars,etc.
In order to facilitate libraries in Malaysia to have
access to internet, the Perpustakaan Negara
Malaysia, as the coordinator for JARlNGAN ILMU,
installed free of charge, computer systems with
Internet network facilities in about 45 libraries
including state libraries, Ministries and Federal
Government Department libraries. As coordinator
of JARINGAN ILMU, the Perpustakaan Negara of
Malaysia is encouraging these libraries to develop
information sources with local contents according
to their core competencies , and have them on the
net.
PROBLEMS WITH INTERNET
There are problems with internet. Internet is now
faced with "global shockwave" i.e. highway
congestion. Internet becomes a victim of its own
• ============~------~==~-----=~
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
success and popularity. (Dr. Pekka Tarjanue). The
low-cost and flat rate price of the internet services
encourage heavy users. It is predicted that internet
is destined to collapsed under its own weight. The
internet is like a library without any filing system,
one that is constantly receiving books in random
wiUlOut a proper retrieving system. Search enquiries
such as the Yahoo and Lycos create indexes of the
net contents, however , novice users still find
problems searching on big databases. The Internet
has a rich fountain of information resources on a
varieties of subjec ts . However , it may lead to
information overload with useless bits if one cruises
or navigates the net without guides or proper user
training. Librarians must be able 10 analyze each
web site at least in the area of their subject interests.
Malaysian librar ies tend to develop graphic-heavy
web pages, therefore, 100 often it is slow to retrieve
informatio n from library home pages. The
bandwidth of telecommunication infrastructure at
local levels is not developed for resource intensive
graphic applications.
Lack of understanding among libararians in the
c reation and managemeut of websites or homepages
has resulted in the web sites not being full y utilized .
Often homepages are not updated and are "under
construction". They are created WiUlOut taking into
consideration the international audiances. There is
a need for Malaysian libraries to develop information
resources that are creative, interactive , frequently
updated , and delightful local contents which create
an interest with the net cruisers for repeat visits. In
thi s digital environment. there is a need for a
paradigm shift amongs librarians in the way they
manage and consolidate information products and
services.
Security is weak in Internet. Practically anybody
Se!i.itar PerplIfla!i.ault
undesireable elements which are in contradiction with
our Asian values. Inspite of a number of negative
features, there are a lot of useful information in the
net if one is fully competence in navigating the net.
Presently , the Internet are not well suited for voice
and video messages, though the technologies are
improving to have these facilities upgraded. As audio
and video traffic becoming more common, there wiII
be more congestion. However, librarians should
not be discouraged with these limitations. The
experts in ule IT industries are undertaking R&D
to find new ways to improve the situation. The
convergence of internet with broadcasting systems
via satellites will certainly improve the transmission
of multimedia digital information. The internet is
here to stay.
REASONS TO BE ON THE NET
JARINGAN ILMU use JARJNG network in order
for libraries to have access to internet. There are
various reasons why libraries should be on the net.
This include: (a) to be up-to-date with the latest
development in subject disciplines on core
competencies, (b) to open up library services to
global communities, (c) to create a 24-hour library
services , (d) to reach users from/to remote places ,
(e) to allow fast up-date of information, (f) to reach
different sectors of library users , (g) to reach
specialized groups of users - expert groups, suppliers,
discussion groups, (h) to serve local communities,
(i) to allow feedback from library users, (j) to test
new information products andservices, (k) to stay in
contact with professional/colleagues/staff at different
places.
OPPORTUNITIES & CHALLENGES FOR JARINGAN ILMU
can write anything on the net. These are a lot of The future success of the J ARINGAN ILMU
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Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
depends on the ability of librarians themselves.
Librarians must understand the potential of internet
and make full use of its services. Librarians should
develop strategic plans LOwards developing creative,
innovative, enticing information products and
services and to go global by taking advantage of the
available new technologies.
The growth of internet and it's world wide web sites
have made a great impact on libraries and
communities at large. It is important for librarians
to learn more about internet, with regard to its
technical foundation , economic implication and its
social impact. Undestanding the basics of the
internet is essential as it affects the future of library
services. Internet is such a useful tool for searching
information worldwide . Libraries need to make use
of the Internet and World Wide Web (WWW) in a
more innovative way LO generate high customer value
services to its users. As knowledge workers,
librarians must be knowledgeable in database design
and be able to create local contents on the net. This
will lead to the globalization of local knowledge
and information. At the same time, librarians must
be competent in navigating the WWW effectively as
well as be able to consolidate information from
various sources and repackage that piece of
information according LO specialized user need ,
thereby becoming truly information managers. This
is a challenge for librarians.
As JARINGAN ILMU runs on the internet platform,
therefore JARINGAN ILMU can offer the following
services:
(a) Equal access to illformation
The emergence of Internet provides new
opportunities for libraries . to transmit large amount
of data instantaneously. Internet makes it possible
for information to be transmitted across national and
SeAilnr PerplIsllIl\nnll
regional boundaries. Internet allows a single user to
plug into the global network to explore and
communicate from remote places very cheaply.
Internet has gained popularity with its user friendly
search capabalities and interactive multimedia world
wide web facilities. These will change the way we
learn, share and obtain information. Libraries can
use I nternet to narrow the gap betwee n the
sophisticated urban city folk and the rural people by
introducing multimedia and internet facilities in the
rural libraries. Libraries goal should be to bring
internet services to everyone by making it easily
accessible. However, such development requires high band with telecommunication infrastructure at
local district and rural levels.
Libraries in the district and rural areas have the
potential to become catalyst of change by catering
to information needs of rural communities. This
will make works of library staff more challenging
and will create a new image for libraries to become
edutainment and infotainment centres. Libraries will
provide a more conducive learning environment for
the rural communities. Introducing new technologies
to rural libraries will bring the rural communities to
the mainstream of development and thereby making
a quantum leap into a new technological era.
State libraries should be developed as one stop
information centres for the local communities to get
information on the world news through internet.
Tourists too will be able to obtain information about
general information about the country, the local
communities and its famous tourist.
(b) Access to global illformatioll
Asia Pacific is fast becoming an economic growth
centre of the world. As Malaysia is located in the
heart of this region, it must take advantage of this
fast pace of economic development by tranforming
o~~----------------------~==~~
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
the country into an industrialised information rich
society and thereby become competitive in the world
market. As Malaysia enters into the competitive
international markets. high quality products and
services are essential in order to carve out a market
niche. Production of high quality products and
services requires up-to-date information on standards and quality control procedures. [nformation and
knowledge are fa st becoming strategic resources
essential for the fumre development of Malaysia.
Today information resources are proliferating in the
form of databases. which can be accessed through
Internet and other commercial online services.
Access to global information and knowledge will
provide Malaysia with the competitive edge that is
required. [n the information technology era, libraries
can make invaluable contribution through the
provision of prompt . accurate and timely information
using latest technologies. Libraries and information
centres can playa pivotal role in facilitating access
to a host of online information services. Libraries
and information resource centres are able to support
the country's growing economy by utilising new
technologies in dissemination of information to the
relevant business organizations and public at large.
Libraries' goals should be to make information
available to everyone . everywhere. at anytime and
in the format required by the users. Internet is a
place where one can obtain information in the form
of text. images. and sound in almost any subject one
can think of. The Internet and its rich web sites is
an important tool for libraries to identify, source
and retrieve rei avant information required by library
users. Libraries can act as one stop information
centre by making available internet facilities at the
library premises.
(c) Intranet
Intranet is a network linking computers within own
organization. Intranet is a system of using www
SeAi/llr Perpu\:/u/';(ltlll
for internal information, presently used by business corporate sectors, to share corporate information
among their internal staff which are not and are not
for public consumption . Intranet is an interactive
corporate networks built with the same internet
standard.
To provide fast and efficient information services,
libraries need to have a good internal information
system for their own library, especially so when
there are branches located away from the
headquarters. Librarians need to keep in touch with
staff for fast decision making. At the same times
librarians need to communicate with staff of other
libraries for resource sharing or to keep in touch
with special groups of experts for consultations.
Intranet would allow staff to have quick access to its
own organization's information. Intranet allows staff
to refer to staff manual, rules and regulations,
costing, decisions on some issues relating to the
organization, new products and services not yet
avail abe to the public, etc . Intranet can also be
applied in library environment especially for
commmunication among library staff located at
different places (branches) for fast decision-making
and productivity. Libraries can communicate with
each other when undertaking certain common
projects or research, or librarians can - ve special
communication with selected users ego for Selected
Dissemination of Information services. With
Intranet, librarians will be able to share information
and establish effective collaborations between
workgroups, departments and libraries undertaking
similar projects .
(d) Developing local contents
Libraries can contribute towards enriching local
contents on the net by creating information databases
according to their core competencies, thus bringing
local contents knowledge and information to a wider
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Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
audience be it, national or international. Malaysia
has rich cultural heritage. Some of them are
documented, however some are still in oral traditions.
There are also places of interest to the tourist which
are not known. By working together with relevant
agencies such as local muzium, historical societies,
local heads who are expert on local history and
cultural heritage, libraries can digitize these heritage,
systematically document it and make it available on
the net. Hence , it is possible to have a virtual
exhibition of Malaysian history and cultural heritage
made available to the local public as well a
international audiences.
Libraries should be able to gather relevant and vital
local information in the areas of education, current
local events, local business news, intergovernment
news, local political , historical figures , etc. In order
to do this effectively , Librarians must know how to
design and develop interesting local contents
databases/web sites. Libraries should develop web
sites which will entice users to visit the sites often.
The thrust of the Vision 2020 is to develop an
information-rich society. To be a information-rich
society, Malaysia must be continuously creating and
generating new information resources and knowledge
which can be shared and used by all. What is lacking
Seli.i/ar Perl}II .~/aknan
MASTlCLlNK, NSTP Onlilles and many other
bibliographic and fulltext databases, many of which
can be assessed through Internet. Recently, Sabah
announced that it Borneo Tribune will be made
available on the net. A number of institutions and
libraries in Malaysia are now beginning to create
their own homepages on Internet to promote their
services.
State libraries can act as a one stop information centre
for local and foreign tourists to know more about its
famous tourist spots. Libraries through its network
of state, district/branch and village libraries should
develop local multimedia tourist information
resources on the net.
Internet provides opportunities for these libraries to
leapfrog to a new era of information technologies
which allows networking and resources sharing on
an unprecedented scale. There are pockets of
databases developed by different institutions, some
of which can be made assessible through Internet.
Having local content databases on the net will
contribute to the enrichment of websites on local
information.
(e) Malaysian table-oJ-contents on the net
in Malaysia is the development of local content Presently, library users and researches use Index /0
databases which can be shared through networks and Malaysian Periodicals and other Malaysiana
be easily retrieved by anyone. Today information
is recognised as a valuable commodity. Value-added
information that are current and systematically
packaged are becoming central to the knowledge
based economy of Malaysia. Therefore, Malaysia
must strive to formulate strategies for creating ,
marketing and delivering information products and
services that can be shared, taking advantage of the
Internet service and its WWW. Malaysia, for
example , has online services such as Civil Service
Link, SIRIMLlNK, PALM OlLIS, SITTDEC,
reference sources to source out information on Malaysia for research.
Malaysian Libraries should collaborate to produce
table-oJ-contents of major Malaysian journals and
selected Malaysiana publications/documents and
have them on the net. This will indirectly advertise
Malaysian sources of information and at the same
time encourage the international audience to read
and understand more about Malaysia from Malaysian
perspectives. Malaysian students abroad will be able
G-------------------------------------
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
to do research on Malaysia by identifying articles
on subject oftJleir research. All requests for articles
should be entertained. Libraries should be able to
digitize it and sent it through the Internet. An
interactive and fast document delivery system should
be developed using internet as a medium for
transfering and delivery of information.
(f) Digitizatioll of local illformatioll
Libraries in Malaysia should plan for cooperative
collection, dccumention and digitization of local
history and other elements of our cultural heritage,
for reference and researh by future generations.
Where possible multimedia collection of these
historical and cultural heritage information should
be collected and maintained. Plan should be made
to have a virtual exhibition of our cultural heritage
on the net for easy access by researchers and the public from remote places. There are a lot of archival
materials which are kepI in print forms that need to
be digitized. Instead of using microform
technologies, library should explore the possibility
of having it digitized for easy retrieval and have it
transfer to the net when required.
(g) IIl/OTtaillment and etilltailllnellt celltre
By integrating information in print forms and audio
visual media on CD-ROM, access to Internet and
new entertaiJUnem such as video-on-demand, etc,
into library services, learning and acquisition of
knowledge can become interesting and entertaining.
The future library will be a repository of multimedia
digital publications and edutaiJU11ent programmes.
There will be less of foreign print materials as more
and more libraries worldwide are digitizing and
storing their national imprints in servers accessible
worldwide tJlrough internet. Instead of having rows
of shelves of prints materials, libraries will maintain
several servers and juke-boxes of CD-ROMs capable
Seli.ittlr Pl!rp"~/(lli.tla"
of delivering online information and accessible
through wide area networks. Library users also have
the option of having the information delivered in dIe
format of their choice. Librarians will no longer be
a custodian of print materials , but will act as network
information managers and database creators in their
own right.
(Iz) Illcubator services
Libraries can provide " incubator services" for
publishers or small business communities to use
library internet facilities to create their homepages
to promote and publicise their new publications,
products and services on the net. The Internet
provides a new and effective medium for marketing
library information products and services.
Another form of services that the library can
introduce is the "secretarial services ". Students,
small scale enterpreneurs and researchers will be
able to use computer facilities in the library for
producing their research projects. Library users will
be able to use internet e-mail facilities to interact
electronically with their colleagues, to participate in
electronic forums with their counterparts worldwide,
or to communicate widl dleir members of ~arliament
(wakil rakyat) at their local libraries. Such services
can be income generating activities for lit,raries.
(i) Video cOllferellcillg
The Internet can also used for broadcasting video
and audio data. Conference proceeding can be
telecast over the internet. The Multimedia Asia
Conference which was held at PWTC in August
was broadcasted to specific institutions where remote
participants were able to ask questions and interect
with paper presentors. The Conference was also
broadcasted on the net. The budget speech by the
Honourable Minister of Finance at the Parliament
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Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
on 25 August 1996 was made available on the net,
thereby those having the internet facilities will be
able to listen and refer back for future reference.
Training of library staff can also be captured by video
conferencing facilities. Lecturers can conduct
courses in the main libraries and trainees will be
able to participate in groups at other remote libraries.
Libraries having video conferencing facilities can
tap any major conferences held in the cities to make
it available to local users . Though the quality of
digital images over the I ntemet stiil needs to be
improved with better telecommunication system such
as the satellites, this will improved in the near future.
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TOWARD THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIGITAL
LIBRARIES
(a) The Advent of New Technologies
In the last decade, there have been tremendous
development in information technologies which have
impacted the information needs of the society in a
major way. The advent of new technologies such as
affordoble powerful micro computers/workstations, with massive storage and multimedia capabilities
have changed the way information is being processed
and delivered. There are portable computer with
internet facilities complete with antanna available in
the market today. It will not be long when web sites
from the internet can be retrieved via television
antennas.
The convergence of computers, telecommunicating
and massmedia will enrich the content of the WWW.
The continued development of standards such as
Z39.50, HTML, the protocol of the WWW will
ensure that technology platforms are becoming
interoperable . The convergence of the world's most
powerful technologies, computing,
Sekitllr Perptlstulitltlll
telecommunication and broadcasting will create a
new era of informedia. Informedia will be the
primary competitive weapon of the 21 st century. The
Infomedia Revolution will change the way people
work, play, entertain and conduct their everyday
lives. It will change the way children interact with
others and how they are educated (Koelsch , 1995).
Hence, libraries must cope and adapt to such development.
The emergence of scanning and digitization technologies allow photos and graphic documents
to be converted into digital formats. Digital Video Interactive (OVI) multimedia also allow storage of
a full motion video and audio on a single CD-ROM.
Information on CD-ROMs can be transfered to
servers so that it can be retrieved through LAN or
WAN. There are also the growth of public and private databases - bibliographic, numeric,
multimedia graphics which can be transmitted
through the global networks such as Internet. These
developments have great impact on libraries that
have been the centre for organizing and disseminating
knowledge and information. With the emergence
of commercial electronic publishing such as CO
ROM publications, online publishing on the net,
libraries need to change their collection policies.
Resource sharing need to go beyond
transorganizational and transnational boundaries.
(b) The National Information Superinfrastructure (NIS)
Plans are underway to develop the National
Information Superinfrastructure (NIS) which aims
to create an integrated national information
infrastructure. This will include upgrading the
existing JARING connections and its geographical
coverage to enable equal access opportunities to
JARING and the Internet from any part of Malaysia.
The NIS will be the major telecommunication
O====---=====~~~~=======-----~
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
backbone for the transfer and delivery of information across the nation. The NIS must ensure that all libraries and information centres in the nation, publishers, resea rch inst itutions , schools and universities, hospitals , museums, archives, and other cultural centres are connected. It should promote the local contents development. With more graphic information available on the net, the NIS requires more high handwith. Ilmust develop users demand for its products and services, thereby creating its marketplace. The NIS will be linked to the Global Information Infrastructure (GIl) which will pomote a global free flow of information. Internet and telecommunication has made it possible for us to share information among institutions and individuals around the world. This will lead to the development of a g!oballibrary village which is "a single library serving the world"
(c) Digital Satellite Broadcasting
T he arrival of digital satellite broadcasting transmitted directly fro m the Measat-I satellite through ASTRO-DTU (Asian Satellite Direct-to-U), enable Malaysian home viewers to have access to
more than 30 television and radio channels 24 hours a day. This can be done through installing a small 60cm sateEite disk and a Digital Satellite Receiver CDSR) in any area which has direct line sight to the MEASAT-I sate lli te. The Digital Satellite Broadcasting provides a vaflery of multimedia services in the marketplace. This service can also be introduced in libraries, with users being allowed to select some good educational and entertainment programmes to view, for research or other purposes. Introducing varieties of IT services will change the image of libraries from print focused libraries to multimedia edutainment centres.
(d) Wireless Technology
A high-quality and secure wireless technology which offers wireless personal communication services is
SeJ.iltlr PerplI\/tI/..lItlll
underway . The wireless internet access gives new
opportunities for libraries to apply the technology
to introduce its services to remote village libraries
as well as for mobile libraries. Wireless technologies
is the best solution to keep library st:eff in touch
with library staff located at dispersed locations/
branches . However, presently the average speed
of 2Mbps is its major drawback of wireless
technologies for it is too slow for WWW browsing.
(e) The Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)
The Multimedia Supercorridor will be the future
intelligent city of Malaysia. It is located in a area
within the radius of 15km by 40km area stretching
from the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport
(KLIA) in Sepang and the Kuala Lumpur City Centre
at Putrajaya. The MSC's vision to become a world
class business location of the multimedia IT industry
in the future.
The Multimedia Supercorridor will provide an
environment that is condusive for emerging
multimedia industry. It will house knowledge
intensive and information-intensive industries. It will
be the nerve centre for the development of Malaysia
as a globa~ digital economy anchored hy an
information-rich and knowledge-intensive society .
The centre will be the headquater for design and
direction for multimedia industries utilizing the
communication network. It strives to serve as a
multimedia hub that will be able to sell multimedia
products in the region and to the world. The MSC
potential applications will be in the areas of: Ca)
electronic government. It will provide such facilities
as multimedia conferencing , single window to
government through common database, multimedi?
citizen kiosk, and the use of multipurpose smart cards
for all transcaclions; Cb) public facilities such as
multimedia digital library , distance learning centres,
smart highway systems, electronic job billboards ,
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Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
etc, (c) business seclOr for telemarketing, remote
manufacturing, mu ltimedia content and software development.
The development of MSC will prompt other states
in Malaysia to set up its own IT city centres as a
multimedia information supercorridor as an avenne
for providing useful information to the general
public. Public libraries can become the gateway for
the general public in the states, to get to the
multimedia informalion developed at the MSC.
LIBRARIES OF THE FUTURE
In the digital age. the future of libraries will hinge
on links to the global superhighway. Libraries need
to develop "universal intelligent lIetworks" which
have the following characteristics:
(a) ability to understand and analyse each database
or web site contents rather than just browsing
relevant web sites for information sources;
(b) abil ity to repackage information pertaining to
key subject areas required by the library users
from different databases and WWW resources
thereby providing clls tomised/personali zed
services;
(c) allow library users to search the WWW sites
through planned user education programmes;
(d) develop a di rectory / inventory of Malaysian
web sites on a variety of subject areas relevant
to the users:
(e) develop local web sites information resources;
(f) allow online registeration of members, reference
enquiries, reservation and extension of loans,
request for docllment delivery services or inter
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library loan from remote places at anytime of the day;
(g) providing multimedia services from different
sources which are relevant to library users;
(h) develop local contents information resources
pertairting to one's own competencies which are
innovative, creative, frequently updated, have
an international flavour with delightful and
enticing content.
The digital libraries of the future will be a "repository
of digital knowledge and information" of local
information in their own core competencies, and that
these libraries are linked together into a single nation
wide integrated digital library network which are
linked to global networks. Libraries will serve as
information gateways which will enable users to
access information no matter where it is located world
wide. The role of librarians is to retrieve pertinent
information required by users, to assist and direct
users to releve nt web s ites, and to use their
professional expertise to help users to navigate
effectively through the "jungles" of WWW.This
will facilitate self-directed learning among library
users. Libraries will be able to provide cLstomized
services such as SDI and current awareness services
to selected users thereby reducing their times in
searching for information. They will will be able
to concentrate in conducting professional research
activities.
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
(a) Human Resource Development
In the era of globalization with world wide resource
available through internet, the winning library is
not the library that has the best collections but the
library that has the best team that can provide the
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
~ Sf!4illlr Per/JII .\IU4UUII
best library services using the available resources .
Library sta ff who are skilled and competent in
navigating the net and exploiting information
resources is one of the most strategic library
resources. Librarians are expected to increase the
usage of information technology and internet as an
enabling tools to increase productivity , efficiency
and competitiveness. This requires librarians with
multiskills. As web sites require frequent content
upgrading , librarians need to play a new role as
"webmaster" in content creation and enrichment
responsible for designing, developing , organizing
and enhancing local contents.
As an agent of change, a librarian in the digital age
should have the following skills and characteristics: (a) be scholarly and research oriented; (b) be an
information network navigator; (c) be a database
designer and creator; (d) have a public relation and
markerting approach in handling information
services; (f) be a trainer and facilitator; and (g) have
a global mind set. "To develop the best solutions,
one needs the best ideas, the best technology , and
the best people" (Larry Ellison). Therefore ,
librarians as people are the greatest asset that can
make it possible to establish a nation-wide multimedia digital library networks. Librarians must be creative
in designing loca l database and local contents
information resourccs. They need to change their
mindset, in terms of organization and delivery of
knowledge and information. In the digital era ,
libraries collections are not confined to collections
within the library premises. It extends to those
collections scattered in different web sites of major
libraries around the world. Libraries must be able
to consolidate key information from different sources
including global web sites and repackage pertinent
information relevant LO the users.
Therefore the success of JARINGAN ILMU depends
internet and optimize its use. Librarians must
constantly enhance their knowledge, competencies
and skills in search strategies to retrieve relevant
information from the net.
(b) User Education
In order to provide effective and efficient information
services, librarians must familiarize themselves with
all the web sites in their core competencies.
Librarians must build navigation tools such as
directories/inventories local web sites and in different
subject areas, guides to search strategies, and user
manual for optimum use of internet by library staff
and library users. Regular user education
programmes should be planned to teach user to
navigate and search for information from the WWW
effectively. A virtual user education programme
should be built into the libraries homepage. The internet can be demanding. Supervision and
monitoring are required to prevent users from
straying into undesirable web sites.
(c) Shorter IT product life cycle
Computer software and hardware have short product
life cycles. New software products with .dditional
features come and disappear in the market. It is
difficult for librarian to cope up with such a fast
pace of change. Before librarians can master a
particular software, a new version of the software
appears in the market, which make it hard for
librarians to be at the fore front of new technology
development. This challenges can be overcome to
a certain extend by attending products launches/
previews/seminars organized by vendors as often as
is possible.
(d) Financial constraints
on the ability of librarians to tap the fu ll potential of As more and more new information products appear
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
in the market, libraries encounter financial and
budget constraints. Acquisition and upgrading of
computer hardware and software requires financial
investmem, which also include investment providing
training and retraining staff in the new technologies.
One way to build worldclass library services is to
collaborate not to compete. Resource sharing is
important. Collection building of library resources
should take into consideration the availability of
documents from the net and the possibility of
obtaining the documems through online request for
document delivery services from distant library.
Advances in satellite technologies and
telecommunication has led to exponential increase
in the publication of material a variety. Library
budgets are strained as it strive to meet the escalating
costs of library materials and increasing users
expectation.
(e) Security
Librarians needs to be concerned with security which
include hacker incidents , computer viruses, online
thefts. These require librarians to apply security
measures to ensure optimum protection for the
networks and the web sites especially so when
libraries are now encouraging their users to have
access to internet. Some computer industries have
introduced encryption and cryptography for detection
of computer frauds. Firewall are installed to protect
databases especially those containing confidential items. Firewall can prevent unwanted entry and
Sekilur PerplIS"IU4t1l1l1
sharing and to define statewide collection
development, especially in the acquiring CD-ROM
titles which are expensive. Libraries need to redefine
and reposition their roles, and shift their focus on
timely information delivery. It requires rearranging
library priorities. Librarians in the information age
should concentrate more on access to information
from various sources and web sites instead of
emphasizing acquisition and ownership of
collections. The philosophy and methodology for
delivery information are changing from just-in-case
to just-in-time. Libraries should consider to the use
of acquisition budget to fund utilization of
commercial document delivery services. Some
libraries have introduced "access budget" instead
of "acquisition budget"
(g) Legal issues
In order to safeguard Malaysian intellectual property
and to safeguards library against frauds,the
government is planning to introduce the first
Malaysian CyberJaws to govern the new
technologies. This will be tabled in the Parliament
soon. The law covers" Acts which are: (a) tile Digital Signature Act which will address the
verification of contracts and agreements signed across
a computer network or the internet ; (b) The
Multimedia Convergence Act will regulate issues
involving intellectual property protection in an
environment where products or services would be
sourced from various media; (c) the Computer Crime
keep data secured. However. library policies and Act, will be an amendment to the existing act to
procedures must be arranged to ensure that librarians protect computer crime, and; (d) Telemedicine
and users adhere to the security regulations at all Development Act which will oversee legal issues in
times. the practice of telemedicine.
if) Access vs. OwnerShip
Formalized library consortia should be developed
to enhance effectiveness of sta tewide resource
(h) Preservation of website contents
Malaysian information sources available on tile net
which are frequently updated will create immence
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
preservation problems. How can we trace the history
of the document and ils contents when information
is constantly evolving and changing?
Stalldards
Presently thaI is no standard for developing graphic
user interface (GUI) for Malaysia.n libraries to refer
to. Therefore, libraries create their own graphic
user interfaces, when creating their homepages or multimedia databases. However, TFLA Standing
Committee on Information Technology is now developing a GUI slandards which can be a good
source for Malaysian libraries to refer to in the near
future.
Seliilur Perplt\IUJ.UUIl
CONCLUSION
The future of JARINGAN ILMU lies in the hands of librarians who will be able to tap the potential of internet and make full use of its services. The success
of JARINGAN ILMU depends on what you plan as librarians , make and create out of it. Librarians must integrate JARINGAN ILMU with other IT products and services. For librarian to continue their roles as information managers , they should be proactive in providing information services and delivering information products utilizing the existing new technologies. A strategic plan for library services should be collaboratively developed, leading libraries toward the creation of a nation-wide of an
integrated digital libraries.
REFERENCES
CAMERON. Debra. The world wide web: strategies and opportunities for business. Charleston, South Caroline: Computer Technology Research Corp. 1996.
COMPUTLMES. Kuala Lumpur: The New Straits Times Press, 1991 -. {Twice weeklyl.
CLUTTERBUCK. David. Information 2000: insight into the coming decades into information technology. London: Pitman PubliShing, 1989.
HATVANY , Bela. Tmvards 1I \VorldlVide library. IFLA JOURNAL 22 (1966): p.246-247.
KOELSCH, Frank. The Infomedia revolution: holV it is changing our world alld yOllr life. Toronto: McGraw-hili Ryerson, 1995.
MOHAM ED Arif Nun. Putrajaya - rhe ifllelligetlf cicy: a strategy towards the digital economy. Paper presented at the Infolech Malaysia '95 at Putra World Trade Cenrre, Kuala Lumpur, 1-3 November, I 995.
PLANNING gobal information in!rastfllcture. Edited by Ching-chill Chen. New Jersey: Ablex Publishing Corporation, 1995.
REUSS, Diant!. Changing strategies fo r ill formation delivery: theory into practice. Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery and Information Supply. 5(. ) 1995: p 43-50. .
SHAHAR Sanun laafar. Exploiting gLobal illformatioll resources through JARINGAN ILMU. Paper presented at (he Infotech Malaysia '95 at the Putera World Trade Centre on 1-3 November 1995.
SHAHAR Banun laafar. Feeling the pulses of the lIatioll: assessing information needs for national developmem. Paper preseIHed at the Tenth Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians (CONSAL X) with the theme Libraries in National Development held in Kuala Lumpur on 21-25 May, 1996. Kuala Lumpur: CONSAL X. 1996.
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia
Hakcipta Terpelihara © 1996 - Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia