Page:The Wikipedia Library-The largest encyclopedia needs a digital library and we are building it By Jake Orlowitz.pdf/13

13 The​ ​service​ ​will​ ​index,​ ​in​ ​full​ ​text​ ​wherever​ ​possible,​ ​the​ ​resources​ ​available​ ​through​ ​the​ ​various partnerships​ ​The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library​ ​has​ ​established,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​open​ ​access​ ​content.​ ​Instead​ ​of visiting​ ​a​ ​series​ ​of​ ​individual​ ​publisher​ ​or​ ​database​ ​sites​ ​to​ ​search​ ​for​ ​resources,​ ​editors​ ​will​ ​be able​ ​to​ ​search​ ​centrally​ ​and​ ​discover​ ​most​ ​of​ ​the​ ​available​ ​sources​ ​on​ ​their​ ​topic​ ​of​ ​interest.​ ​Link resolvers​ ​will​ ​allow​ ​users​ ​to​ ​move​ ​seamlessly​ ​from​ ​search​ ​to​ ​the​ ​full​ ​text,​ ​further​ ​improving search​ ​efficiency.​ ​Integrated​ ​online​ ​reference​ ​support​ ​can​ ​also​ ​be​ ​delivered​ ​through​ ​the​ ​proposed system​ ​to​ ​assist​ ​users​ ​in​ ​locating​ ​content​ ​relevant​ ​to​ ​their​ ​research,​ ​and​ ​potentially​ ​to​ ​provide practical​ ​learning​ ​opportunities​ ​for​ ​library​ ​and​ ​information​ ​students​ ​in​ ​the​ ​model​ ​of​ ​the​ ​Internet Public​ ​Library.

The​ ​Library​ ​Card​ ​system​ ​also​ ​has​ ​the​ ​potential​ ​to​ ​greatly​ ​enhance​ ​the​ ​acquisitions​ ​process​ ​used by​ ​The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library.​ ​Currently,​ ​major​ ​publishers​ ​are​ ​highly​ ​requested​ ​whereas still-valuable​ ​alternatives​ ​with​ ​a​ ​lower​ ​profile​ ​are​ ​often​ ​overlooked.​ ​A​ ​discovery​ ​service​ ​can enhance​ ​the​ ​usage​ ​of​ ​niche​ ​publications​ ​by​ ​exposing​ ​them​ ​to​ ​unfamiliar​ ​users.​ ​Implementation​ ​of a​ ​discovery​ ​service​ ​generally​ ​increases​ ​full​ ​text​ ​downloads​ ​of​ ​indexed​ ​publications.​10 ​An automatically​ ​generated​ ​A-Z​ ​list​ ​will​ ​educate​ ​readers​ ​on​ ​which​ ​databases​ ​index​ ​a​ ​particular journal​ ​of​ ​interest,​ ​allowing​ ​them​ ​to​ ​be​ ​better​ ​informed​ ​on​ ​which​ ​partnerships​ ​they​ ​would​ ​want to​ ​request.​ ​This​ ​would​ ​replace​ ​a​ ​manually​ ​curated​ ​list,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​cumbersome​ ​to​ ​search​ ​and update.

The​ ​Wikipedia​ ​Library​ ​Card​ ​is​ ​a​ ​novel​ ​and​ ​challenging​ ​solution.​ ​It​ ​is​ ​effectively​ ​a​ ​global​ ​library, open​ ​to​ ​qualified​ ​Wikipedia​ ​editors​ ​from​ ​any​ ​country​ ​or​ ​region​ ​on​ ​the​ ​planet,​ ​and​ ​without​ ​any daunting​ ​subscription​ ​costs.