Hannan Digital Library

Given the primary mission of libraries, archives, and documentation centers in meeting the need of users for information, a number of novel models are currently considered for designing such centers, particularly web-based digital libraries. These libraries are distinguished from other models based on their numerous capabilities in managing digital information. Libraries and documentation centers have always been places for keeping, using, and disseminating human information, and increasing amount of data, expansion of the world wide web, and advent of different vehicles for information on one hand and increasing researchers’ interest in different electronic forms of data on the other have created a particular function for libraries and especially the digital ones. Given the primary mission of libraries, archives, and documentation centers in meeting the need of users for information, Hannan Digital Library is a comprehensive model for designing digital libraries at such centers. With its developed capacities in the area of digital data management, Hannan Digital Library can not only attract many customers but also cover a wide range of needs felt by these customers. The software have been designed to help managers of information centers in storing, organizing, logically accessing any form of digital data, interpreting, distributing, and ensuring proper protection of digital works in long term and to access these resources in a fast and economical manner. Adapting knowledge to particular context of our country and effective management of knowledge have always been among major concerns of information managers.

To this end, experts at PAYAM HANAN used their extensive experience in different areas of knowledge management and digitization of resources to prepare an effective and comprehensive knowledge management system in order to facilitate the processes of launching a digital library along with data storage and retrieval systems.

Overview

Hannan Digital Library was designed based on advanced technologies and standards in IT using a user-oriented approach for all of its web-based components. A list of prominent features of this library is provided below:

• Web-based components with no limitation for user
• Supporting all browsers
• Multilingual user interface
• Dynamic data fields and worksheets
• Dynamic formats of data representation based on DC standard
• Data storage in the standard format known as Dublin Core
• Simultaneous management of digital resources at several centers by defining communities, sub-communities, and collections
• Managing and keeping several digital copies of records
• Structural grouping in designing digital library (departments, units, centers, and collections)
• Full-text searching
• Integrated search function for bibliographies and contents
• Management of different digital objects (text, image, video, audio)
• Supporting various digital formats (text, image, video, audio)
• Supporting mail server
• Simultaneous management of several library units (community & sub-community), and collections in integrated comprehensive system
• Centralized management of bibliographical data and digital contents
• Centralized management of digital resources and common formats
• Facilitated process for building digital libraries at information centers, libraries, and archives

Presentation

Hannan Digital Library not only manages digital resources of an information center by creating centers for storing and controlling digital information, but also provides predesigned and dynamic libraries using variety of models:

• Hannan Digitization Library
• Hannan Medical Digital Library
• Hannan Engineering Digital Library
• Hannan Digital Library for Fundamental Science
• Hannan Digital Library for Agriculture and Environment
• Hannan Digital Library for Islamic Science and Humanities
• Hannan Digital Library of Standards

One model used by PAYAM HANAN in offering digital libraries is Hannan Digitization Library. The model can be used to facilitate development of digital information centers for libraries, archive centers of educational organizations, academic centers and research institutes. If digital resources are available at these centers in advance, the model can be easily established and the information may be converted for application at a program center. A new gate will be established for receiving and storing new digital resources of data. Once this process is completed, an up-to-date digital library is established and can be easily controlled.

Search

The retrieval system in Hannan Digital Library is designed in a way that makes it possible to simultaneously retrieve bibliographical data and digital content. All powerful features of the search engine Lucene have been incorporated into this system. A brief list of these features is presented below:

• Performing search based on every single field of bibliographical data and digital content
• Retrieving and presenting all digital objects (video, audio, image, text)
• Retrieving information and returning the results in the form of thumbnails
• Retrieving and showing different sources of information (text, image, audio, video)
• Performing search based on Boolean operators
• Performing search using special characters like “*”, “~”, “?”, etc.
• Supporting Unicode in retrieving system
• Showing the digital object after retrieval
• Managing (and determining) searchable fields
• Possibility of changing the orders of search queries
• Determining popular fields in searches
• Searching several fields from a single portal

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Organizing

In Hannan Digital Library, organizing is a process based on DC standard. In this process collections are prepared and required fields for storing each component of information are identified. The default format for metadata in the software is Dublin Core, although the fields can be modified or new elements can be added to adapt the software to the special requirements.

The software allows for correct and facilitated access to documents. In general, all processes carried out for preparing and keeping a set of data, including identification of entry, bibliographical description, topic, and other additional tags are available in the organizing section of Hannan Digital Library.

It should be noted that Hannan Digital Library organizes items based on standard frameworks and particular set of rules. In addition, users are defined using international procedures and standards. Worksheets are defined based on DC. Furthermore, digital files can be modified edited, or augmented with additional data. The features of this section include:

• A dynamic environment for entering, correcting, or removing bibliographical data
• Storing a wide range of resources based on DC standard
• Determining categories, classes, subclasses, and collections using the digital library standard
• Managing different types of digital objects
• Data exchange and receiving standard bibliographical input from different centers based on MODS and Dublin Core
• Supporting standard characters like ISO 2709 and XML
• Transferring and preparing standards for different centers based on MODS and Dublin Core
• Organizing digital resources based on accessibility
• Possibility of removing digital data added to a record
• Possibility of editing digital data in each record
• Keeping and managing different versions of a digital item
• Higher resolutions for text files for better viewing their contents
• Extracting pdf or attached files for presenting these files on tablet or mobile phone based on the standards used by MAC, Android, and Windows

Users Management

Users are indentified in the software based on how they are presented and their access to resources. Features of this management system include

• Limiting user activities based on accessibility
• Defining users based on classes, units, and collections
• Defining user groups based on classes, units, and collections
• Modifying and removing users’ accessibility levels
• Managing access to records
• Managing access to contents

Technical Features

• Presenting all web-based functions
• Design and analysis based on rational unified process (RUP) in software engineering
• Implementation in J2EE platform
• Storing large amount of digital resources and bibliographical data using SQL server databases
• Highly user-friendly interfaces in programs
• Application of a wide range of models based on the organizational structure
• Distributable data servers
• Sending emails for tracking
• Implementation using Java
• Controlled role-based accessibility
• Determining which users can access digital elements
• Supporting Unicode
• Essentially web-based software for leadership and user management
• Full-text search using the advanced search engine Lucene
• Creating worksheet fields based on Dublin Core standard
• Storing and presenting data in MDOS and DC-supported formats
• Multi-tier architecture
• Applicable to all browsers
• High speed access to contents
• Centralized simultaneous management of several units or classes
• Supporting metadata object description schema (MODS) as an extensible markup language (XML) including MARC21 fields compatible with MARCXML which specifically supports electronic records listing
• Supporting Dublin core metadata initiative (DCMI) which, as an international and interdisciplinary initiative, forms the basis for description of the data in the software. It provides a collection of simple and effective element for description of a wide range of information and digital resources.

Software Efficiency and Quality

Hannan Digital Library is a remarkable library in terms of quality indices such as error tolerance, applicability, and efficiency. It can tolerate large amounts of dataflow, high density of users, and simultaneous use of programs with no adverse impact on efficiency and performance. The software relies on security measures to provide a safe substrate for the metadata and digital content.

Since the system provides web-based software, it can be easily used through a user-friendly interface which facilitates the communications.

Support for the software, which is critical for the survival of the system, is provided using technical tools and techniques based on a 24/7 web-based system to help you manage your digital resources.

Compatibility with Standards

Hannan Digital Library is compatible with the standard protocols currently used in accessing, storing, and retrieving data. The system supports the following standards.

Hannan Digital Library; a gateway to more than 3000 digital libraries around the world

Hannan digital library based on information management standards, can communicate online with more than 3,000 reliable digital libraries around the world. Hannan Digital library clients can choose many of databases with common topics from other digital libraries and add them to their ones. With this methods, when researchers log in to Hannan DL, they can communicate with thousands of digital libraries around the world. Most of these centers have also provided free access to their digital contents. This facility means tens of thousands of digital sources and latest scientific achievements in digital formats are accessible to researchers and students in a fraction of the time. For this communication protocol, OAI-PMH standard is used which with some plans in the system, the operation is done online.

 Hannan Digital Library at a Glance  

Some of Hannan Customers