Dear All *** Apologies for any cross-posting of this message *** FAO has recently released a self-learning module on "Digitization and Digital Libraries". This was developed jointly between FAO and UNESCO with the support of the National Centre for Science Information (NCSI) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). This module is intended to train librarians and other information specialists in the conceptual and practical bases for the digitization of collections, and in the creation and provision of access to digital libraries. This module is part of the Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) initiative of FAO, which has been developing a series of interactive self-paced learning modules, related to information management since 2001 for delivery on CD-ROM (http://www.fao.org/IMARK/). The first IMARK module on "Management of Electronic Documents", which covers the collection, archiving, management and dissemination of electronic documents and associated images was released in November 2003 and has been received quite well, notably in the Asian region. The "Digitization and Digital Libraries" module provides 31 lessons concerned with the creation and sharing of digital library collections. Lessons cover topics such as copyright issues, electronic formats for text and images, metadata and subject indexing, preservation of digital material as well as a comprehensive overview of the creation and management of digital documents. The module expands upon several of the topics covered in the module "Management of Electronic Documents" mentioned earlier. The 31 lessons (each roughly of 30-40 minutes learning time) are organized in 6 units: Unit 1: Conceptual Overview. Introduces digital libraries and the legal environment within which they operate. Examples from different subject domains are used to demonstrate the use and main features of digital libraries. Unit 2: Electronic Documents and Formats. Describes and provides a technical overview of the various formats of electronic documents, character encoding schemes and encoding scripts, document mark-up, and how to convert between the various formats. Unit 3: Metadata Standards and Subject Indexing. Describes the role of metadata, metadata types, various standards and their application in organizing electronic documents, including the Dublin Core. Introduces the principles and procedures of subject indexing. Unit 4: Creation and Management of Digital Documents. Covers the workflows involved in the creation and management of electronic documents, including the digitization, creation and adaptation of documents for a digital library, issues related to heritage documents. Unit 5: Creation and Sharing of Digital Libraries. Covers the processes and resources required for planning, implementing and managing a digital library project. Unit 6: Example of Digital Library Software – Greenstone. Describes the use of the Greenstone Digital Library Software in building and providing access to digital library collections. The module uses Flash and XML technology for retrieving and presenting the lessons. In addition to the lessons themselves, the module provides the learners with access to an internal search function and a technical glossary, as well as with on-board and on-line reference materials, including relevant non-proprietary software applications and tools. The module also contains several additional resources, including Greenstone Digital Library software, three thesauri related to Agriculture and a digital imaging tutorial. The module CD-ROM is available free of charge. Visit IMARK website (http://www.fao.org/IMARK) for more details of the IMARK initiative and to request for a copy of this e-learning module CD-ROM. We sincerely hope that this module will help a large number of information professionals, particularly those who are not in a position to undergo formal education/ training in this area, in improving their conceptual and practical understanding of digitization and digital libraries. We also hope that this will lead to creation and sharing of greater number of quality digital library collections, particularly with local content. We welcome your critical comments and suggestions about this module which will help us to improve it further. Regards T.B. Rajashekar ------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. T.B. Rajashekar Associate Chairman Tel: +91-80-23600271, 23601427 National Centre for Science Fax: +91-80-23601426, 23600683 Information (NCSI) E-Mail: raja@ncsi.iisc.ernet.in Indian Institute of Science URL: http://144.16.72.189/raja/ BANGALORE-560012 (India) ------------------------------------------------------------- SciGate: http://www.ncsi.iisc.ernet.in/ The IISc Science Information Portal