A review of the major projects constituting the China Academic Digital Library

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to provide an overview for the main project details of the China Academic Digital Library (CADL) with focused introduction on China Academic Library and Information System (CALIS), China Academic Digital Library and Information System (CADLIS), China-America Digital Academic Library (CADAL) and China Academic Humanities and Social Sciences Library (CASHL). Design/methodology/approach -The paper first gives a literary review on CADL and then analyzes the existed and existing problems of China digital library construction using graphical presentation and tabular comparison. Findings -After reviewing CADL and the major related projects developed in the last decade, it is shown that the digital library (DL) construction effort in China is divided into three phases: concept introduction phase, technical exploration phase, and application deployment phase. The first phase of CADL gave a solid preparation in terms of concept introduction while the DL soon began to be recognized and accepted as a practical proposal among industries. In the second phase, various potential technologies for DL realization were substantially investigated, tested, and implemented. The related projects cover subjects including DL architecture, information retrieval, information description, digitization, e-Book, Digital Rights Management, etc. During the last phase, standards, protocols and specifications that help DL to interoperate with one another were widely discussed and deployed. Originality/value -This paper expatiates on the background, development and future trend of the CADL project for the first time in the literature. It is concluded that researchers and the public from China as well as other countries thus may benefit from both positive and improvable DL construction experiences.

Development and Characteristic of Digital Library as a Library Branch

“…Terms such as "electronic library" and "virtual library" are often used synonymously. The elements that have been identified as common to these definitions are: Digital Library is a "Collection of digital object (text, video and audio) along with method for access and retrieval, [as far as users are concerned] and also for selection, organization, and maintenance [1] . Delving into this definition, the library is an organized body that holds collections -digital objects that have been grouped into categories, presumably for access purposes.…”

“…At this conference, DL became an official national technology development plan with China presenting its own DL definition, which subsequently led to future localized large-scale DL construction work [1] . Digital libraries put a world of information at your fingertipsif you could just figure out where the precise fact you want is buried in the electronic storehouse.…”

The comparative performance of chartered accountancy students in South Africa: The impact of historical legacies

“…These legacies have also fundamentally influenced the location and socio-economic status of many households (Machethe, 2004) that has been explained as the long-term effect of inter-generational transfers of natural, social, human, physical and financial assets (Wu & Pretty, 2004;Barrett, 2005). Other household characteristics that have been influenced include size, employment, home language, health and the level of education, as found in a number of countries (Schwarze & Zeller, 2005;Anriquez & Valdes, 2006;Shen et al, 2008;Vermeulen et al, 2008). Comparative performance of chartered accountancy students 2.2 School-level performance Student performance at school is influenced by household characteristics (socio-economic position, level of education of parents, health), as well as a multitude of personal (intelligence, personality), community and school-level variables (Fuchs & Wößmann, 2007).…”

Electronic journal provision and use in China: an initial study

“…By December 2005, over 600 academic libraries were able to benefit from CALIS. 49 As a nationwide academic library consortium, CALIS and CNKI are expected to build the China Academic Digital Library (CADL), creating and extending access to digital resources to all the 1,100-1,500 Chinese universities and colleges. These information systems are distributed through eight main centres connected to all the other national universities in China.…”