An online digital resource center and its core services

Abstract

This study is about the development of an Online Digital Resource Center. The purpose is to improve the way that resource centers deliver information to its users, in the most efficient and cost effective way possible, through automating the processes and rendering them as an online procedure to do away with the need to physically move to the resource centers to get information. Traditional Libraries are run manually whereby a user must physically move to the libraries for any service required. This brings about problems of time used in traveling to the libraries, distances to be covered and convenient time for both the library staff and the user. In order to set up an Online Digital Resource Center, the reseracher proposed developing a web based system of a 2 tier architecure with a thin client and a fat server. On the side of the server there would be the webserver and the database together with Java servlets for logic and communication and on the side of the client there would be an Internet browser. The result of the project is a functional online resource system that is capable of meeting the needs of the users and staff. It will be possible to retrieve articles using the title of the article, the subjects class in which the article falls and the author of the article. The project will improve information dissemination since it is accessible anywhere at any time and also the staff of the resource center will be in position to quickly make reports of the activities carried out at the center.