Master's Degree in Library Science and Information Studies.
"Automation applied to Information Services”

STUDENTS GUIDE FOR THE FINAL WORK ABOUT A DIGITAL LIBRARY:

To develop this work it is suggested to follow these guidelines, in order to cover all the important issues:

1) Use as a model a real library (an archive is valid too) in which you have access to their data. Do not use neither a too large library (National Library, UNAM's Central Library, the whole libraries system of UNAM or ITESM, etc.), as it would greatly complicate this first work, nor a one too small as it won't provide enough material do the job properly. A specialized, school, or public medium size libraryis ideal. No matter how advanced digital or hybrid.

2) Quantify basic data: size of each collection (books, journals, theses , maps, etc),amounty of users, etc.

3) Establish a starting list of all services available in the library with detail: access catalogs (which ones), loans (how many); see books, journals, theses, etc., selective dissemination of information, alerts, etc. All of them in the traditional way, and the a second list of those already existing in automated form.

4) Establish a third list of digital collections which would increase your library: eg. Books (How many and how soon?) Magazines (how many and in which term?), Thesis (How many and how soon?) etc. The time span means, for example, that you want to start with 10% of a collection of journals in digital form and you want to increase it another 10% per year through 5 years to reach 60% of the entire collection of magazines in digital form. Or you want to digitize your collection of theses 20% per year to finish in five years.

5) Establish the possible sources to obtain these collections: Commercial providers (digitization of collections that the library already has ), digital born material original from that institution or that material to be gained rights, links to collections or materials from other institutions that are useful to our purpose without cost for you: ie.. UNAM e-journal, Project Gutenberg, Cervantes Virtual, etc.

6) If you intend to digitize own collections of the library, do not forget to set the criteria for digitization and project deadlines.

7) Establish services this library will provide, which ones are intended to be digital from scratch or by increasing the already partially digital. Which are the priorities for building services and time span.

8) Design and draw in paper a Web page paper which describes your list of collections and digital library services thus created. The important thing here is not the graphic design of the page, but the coherent list of collections and services. The emphasis must be made on collections and services (obviously, digital).

9) Make a map reflecting current and potential users of this library, dividing them into concentric cores.

A brief exposition (15 minutes) of each project will be presented by every student for the whole class in a specific date given by the professor. This date will be right after the regular semester is concluded. The written complete project will be sent to the professor's e-mail in the date indicated by professor. Every project is personal; can not be shared by two or more students.