ORGANISING INTERNET RESOURCES IN THE INFORMATION SCIENCE PROFESSION

Abstract

Since the advent of Internet and the Web, electronic resources have proliferated significantly raising the issues concerning how best to organize and facilitate access. Questions to do with the kind of methods which are appropriate in organizing Internet Resources have been raised in Information Management. The traditional libraries have been using traditional MARC/AACR2 in organizing Internet Resources. Development of new methods is necessary to incorporate the changing nature and size of Internet Resources. Some of the methods developed include; super catalogue, encoded texts and robot generated indexes. There are standards that are available for the purpose of organizing Internet resource. In this regard, the paper will examine new methods and standards being used to organize these resources. The need to organize internet resources to enhance access and use is critical. The paper will further focus on challenges faced in organizing internet resources. Navigating the web can be challenging to many Internet users. Existing search tools produce extensive lists and require users to spend time sieving irrelevant information. There are many confusing citations which are caused by extracting data directly from the document without human review. Another challenge is the absence of standardized descriptions and authority control for names and subjects. The ever new, unnecessary and excessive information often obtained by users can confuse them in deciding what specific information to use Organizing information and putting it under indexable headings can therefore be helpful in enhancing speed of searching information. The active organization of information on the web ensures that one can still find an item after it has been moved elsewhere.The use of URL or bookmarking in Netscape navigator or storing favorites on Internet Explorer assist in retrieving information from sites. The problems that hinder the effort of organizing Internet resources include lack of qualitative control hence anybody can post information on the Web,lack of effective roadmaps and signs, lack of updating policies and the use of diverse information meant for general public interest. Organizing internet resources will save time, facilitate access and sharing of information. An exploratory approach of study will be used to obtain data and information from the internet and available literature. The data obtained will be analyzed using themes which shall be represented in a narrative form and where necessary, illustrated using tables and graphs. The expected solutions to this study are the use of gateways to organize information resource. These gateways would generally allow the end user to search or browse the database descriptions. Web portals is another recommendation that can be used. It aggregates information from multiple sources and make them available to various users. Organizing information resources effectively and efficiently makes information searching on the web focused and faster. Thus, information retrieval services for online resources in all types of disciplines are expected to have a positive impact in research and crucial decision making at all levels. Key words: Organizing the web, Internet Resources, Metadata, Organizing information