A suggested computer program for Dewey Decimal Classification and some other library services and processes

in the digital library of Minia University (in Egypt)

Inas Mohammad El Husseini Mandour

Assistant Professor of Educational Technology Faculty of Specific Education Minia University, Minia, Egypt

e-mail: inas,mandour@hotmail.com

1- ABSTRACT

This study concerns with the design and application of a suggested computer program in the digital library of Minia University in Egypt. A training program is also designed and used to train 10 individuals from the teaching staff members and 15 individuals from the educational technology student in Minia University. The working staff members (50 individuals) were asked to compare between the suggested computer program and the existing program in the digital library in regard with the general and specific technical features and criteria. This study uses the scanning and application methodologies. According to these methodologies, the study uses different tools including the questionnaire, the suggested computer program (designed with MicroSoft Visual Basic version 6), a performance test (pre- and post- test), a observation card and a training program designed with MicroSoft Power Point. The results have shown that there is a statistical difference between the average scores of the teaching staff members and education technology students in using the suggested computer program in the pre- and post- tests in favor of the port- test due to training them. The results also show that there is a statistical difference between the response scores of the library working staff members about the availability of the general and technical criteria in the existing computer program and the suggested computer program in favor of the suggested computer program.

KEYWORDS

Dewy Decimal Classification, Digital Library, Library Computer System, Library Service and Processes.

2- INTRODUCTION

There is no doubt that libraries are gaining so much importance in nowadays life. Due to the wide spreading of the computers and Internet, digital libraries are taking a new era. Minia University in Egypt has founded a digital library to match the new demands of that era. A computer program is used in that library to help the teaching staff members, students, and the library working staff members to benefit from many services and processes of the digital library. The author visited the library and had some discussions the working staff members about the used program. Some bugs and problems in the used program were highlighted according to these discussions. This was the reason behind this study. Thus, this study concerns with the design and application of a suggested computer program for the Dewy Decimal Classification (DDC) and some other library services and processes. The paper is divided into sections: section (3) introduces the problem of the study. Aims of the study are given in section (4) and the hypotheses of the study are pointed out in section (5). Section (6) discusses the methodology of the study and section (7) gives the different tools of the study. Section (8) clarifies the limits of the study. Some terminologies are explained in section (9) and some previous studies are discussed in section (10). The theoretical frame work of the study is detailed in section (11) including parts about the DDC system, the digital library services, the computer program in the digital library of Minia University, the suggested computer program, and the training program on using the suggested program. Section (12) discusses the procedures of the study and section (13) deals with the validity and reliability of the different tools of the study including the study questionnaire, the suggested computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes, the training program on using the suggested program, the performance observation card of the pre- and post- tests which are mainly concerning how to use and run the different steps of the suggested computer program. Section (14) gives the results of the study and section (15) discusses the verification of the study hypotheses in light of the study results. Section (16) highlights some conclusions and recommendations and a list of the used references is given at the end of the paper before the appendices.

3- PROBLEM OF THE STUDY

Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) is one of the most famous classifications applied in the libraries. DDC (also called the Dewey Decimal System) is a proprietary system of library classification developed by Melvil Dewey in 1876 [1]. The original DDC has encountered many developments and modifications that may have reached about 23 times. The system categorizes books in the library in an effective way to make it easy to find a book and to return it to the appropriate place. The system is used in more than 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries [1]. Minia University (in Egypt) has founded a digital library. This library is getting much care form the university administration to increase its effective use. A computer program is used for the library services. The researcher visited the library, used the program, and had discussions with the working staff people there. It was found out that the program has some bugs and problems. For instance: the program cannot be used to

automatically classify books, and instead there is a committee of the working people who carry out the classification process. This of course may be lead to mistakes, errors, and a non-systematic classification. It should be mentioned here alss that most of the working staff people in the library are not library specialists. This means that they did not study about the library processes such as classification and indexing. Some examples of the problems in the library are: 1- Some of the used classification numbers were also found incorrect, e.g.:

Computer teaching methods 371,03

The educational computer 371,33

Windows' advices for professional 001,6404

The Internet 004,678

Your introduction to Microsoft access 005,3

How to design to an Internet web site 001,6404

2- The program cannot be used to delete old (not used) resources nor add new ones. 3- The program is hardly used by the teaching staff members and students to search the library contents. These problems raised the following main question: Is it possible to suggest and design a computer program for the DDC and other library services that overcomes the encountered problems of the currently used program is the digital library in Minia University (in Egypt). This main question forms the problem of this study and it can be branched into the following questions: 1- Is there a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the teaching staff

members in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them?

2- Is there a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the second year students of the department of educational technology in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them?

3- Is there any difference between the suggested program and the currently used program in the digital library in Minia University in Egypt in regard with the application of the Dewy Decimal Classification method?

4- AIMS OF THE STUDY

1- Suggesting and designing a program for computerizing the Dewy Decimal Classification method.

2- Studying the effect of training the teaching staff members and educational technology students on using the suggested program.

3- Studying the difference between the suggested program and the currently used program in the digital library of Minia University in Egypt in regard with applying the Dewy Decimal Classification method.

5- HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

1- There is a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the teaching staff members in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them in favor of the post-test.

2- There is a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the second year students of the department of educational technology in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them in favor of the post-test.

3- There is a difference between the suggested program and the currently used program in the digital library in Minia University in Egypt in regard with the application of the Dewy Decimal Classification method in favor of the suggested program.

6- METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY

This study uses the scanning methodology to scan the view points of the people related to the use of the currently available program in the digital library of Minia University (in Egypt) in regard with its general use as well as the library technical processes. The study also uses the applied methodology in the form of training a specimen of the teaching staff members and educational technology students in Minia University and testing them on how to use and run the suggested computer program.

7- TOOLS OF THE STUDY

The study uses the following tools: 1- The questionnaire was used to collect the responses of the people related to the use

of the currently used program in the digital library of Minia university (in Egypt). The questionnaire uses the Lekert scale (five choices) to answer questions about the general features as well as the technical features of the program. The used choices of answering the questionnaire were assigned to: Very strong (VS), strong (ST), medium (M), weak (W), very weak (VW). The questionnaire primarily included 20 points which were increased to 22 points according to the referees' remarks. These points ask about the availability of the different features of the general use as well as the library technical processes of the suggested program.

2- The suggested computer program for the DDC and other library services and processes. This program was implemented using Microsoft Visual Basic Version 6. It is designed with friendly used interfaces. A user guide is also given by the program.

3- A performance test of using the suggested program for the teaching staff members and education technology students.

4- A follow up card of performance evaluation of the teaching staff members and educational technology students in the performance test.

5- The Microsoft Excel is used to do the statistical analysis of the study.

8- LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

This study is limited to the following limits:

8-1- SUBJECTIVE LIMITS

This study is limited to: 1) suggesting and designing a computer program for the DDC and other library services and processes, 2) studying the view' points of people related to the library use about the suggested program in regard with its general use and the library technical processes in the digital library of Minia University (in Egypt). 8-2- POPULATION AND SPECIMEN OF THE STUDY

Population of the study includes the library working staff members, the teaching staff members, and the educational technology students in Minia University in Egypt. The specimen was chosen to include: 1) twenty individuals from the working staff people in the digital library in Minia University (in Egypt), 2) eight individuals from the teaching staff members of Minia University, 3) fifteen students the department of educational technology, faculty of specific education, Minia University. 8-3- TIME OF THE STUDY

The study is carried out in the first semester of the university year 2012/2013.

9- TERMINOLOGIES OF THE STUDY

This study deals with the following terminologies: 1- The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC): the DDC is a system of library

classification made up of ten classes, each divided into ten divisions, each having ten sections. For example, class 600 ("Technology") includes division 630 ("Agriculture and related technologies"), which includes section 636 ("Animal husbandry"). However, there are only 99 of 100 divisions and 908 of 999 sections in total, as some are no longer in use or have not been assigned [2].

2- Classification provides a system for organizing knowledge. Classification may be used to organize knowledge represented in any form, e.g., books, documents, electronic resources [3].

3- Notation is the system of symbols used to represent the classes in a classification system. In the Dewey Decimal Classification, the notation is expressed in Arabic numerals. The notation gives both the unique meaning of the class and its relation to other classes. The notation provides a universal language to identify the class and related classes, regardless of the fact that different words or languages may be used to describe the class [3].

4- The classification system is designed as a way to organize library material by subject to make it easier to find. It uses numbers and letters to coordinate material – address for each book on the shelf. It begins with general area and progresses to specific area [4].

5- Library Services: The library services mean the benefits which can be given to people who use the library. The library can support many services to the society in general and the university people in special. Examples of these services: a- Borrowing, renewing, holding, recalling, returning library materials - appealing fines

- confidentiality of library records - summer library privileges.

b- Reserving: finding hard copy and electronic reserve materials - placing materials on reserve.

c- Interlibrary services: interlibrary loan request - location and hours of services - research libraries cooperative program - document search express.

d- Instruction: online tutorials - library classes & citation management workshops to introduce you research resources and services - faculty services including requesting library instruction for your class

e- Ask a librarian: email or chat with a librarian - call or visit a reference desk f- Media services: collections of audiovisual materials - media services for faculty and

for visitors. g- Copying/printing: copyright restrictions - copy cards - copier/printer locations -

price list. h- Request a purchase: request that the library purchase a book, journal, musical

score, CD, DVD or any other material. i- Digital services: protecting your intellectual property - current and past digital

projects. j- A study space: places to study in groups - places to study alone - carrels – lockers. k- Digital repository: The digital repository may accept, archive, and provide access

to the scholarly and research works, as well as works that reflect the intellectual and service environment of the campus [5,6].

6- Library Technical Processes: These mean the processes which are done by the library technical staff members such as classification, indexing, addition, deletion, …etc.

7- The Digital library: A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible via computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a type of information retrieval system [7]. The digital library may also be defined as: "A potentially virtual organization, that comprehensively collects, manages and preserves for the long depth of time rich digital content, and offers to its targeted user communities specialized functionality on that content, of defined quality and according to comprehensive codified policies [8].

8- The Library computer system: A library computer system is the software used to catalog, track circulation (where appropriate) and inventory a library's assets. It is intended for home, church, private enterprise or other small to medium sized collections. Larger libraries will typically use an integrated library system to manage the more complex activities such as acquisitions, interlibrary loan, and the licensing of online resources [9].

10- PREVIOUS STUDIES

10-1- THE STUDY OF MEYER (1947):

The author studied the studied the failure of both of the DDC and that of the Library of Congress in providing a geographic classification for most of the academic publications appearing particularly in the various branches of the rapidly expanding field of human geography. This is however a matter of common knowledge to geographers and

librarians alike. The author studied this remark by one of forty-four librarians who have indicated this inadequacy is to the point: "Certainly neither the Library of Congress nor the Dewey Classification System is adequate for organizing modern geography material. Both of these schemes have widely separated locations for the various aspects of geography, and neither seems adaptable for use with a geography collection" [10]. 10-2- THE STUDY OF BULICK ET. AL. (1976):

The authors studied the use of books and monographs in terms of “aging.” Data on the use, over a period of five years, of materials acquired in 1969 is presented. The data is presented in such a way as to indicate the points at which negligible use can be predicted, with regard to one-time use, two-time use, three-time use, etc. This methodology would have been used for successive years of acquisitions and the data would have been compared. The attempt would have been made to develop a predictive model on aging which may be useful both in purchasing and in collection weeding decisions [11]. 10-3- THE STUDY OF ENSER (1985):

A research project is reported in which techniques for the automatic classification of book material were investigated. Attention was focussed on three fundamental issues, namely: the computer-based surrogation of monographic material, the clustering of book surrogates on the basis of content association, and the evaluation of the resultant classifications. A test collection of 250 books, which was assembled on behalf of the project, is described together with its surrogation by means of the complete back-of-the-book index, table of contents, title and Dewey classification code(s) of each volume. Some properties of hierarchic and non-hierarchic automatic classifications of the test collection are discussed, followed by their evaluation with reference to a small set of queries and relevance judgements. Finally, a less formal evaluation of the classifications in terms of the logical appeal of the cluster membership is reported. The work has shown that, on a small experimental scale and in the context of the test data used, automatic classifications of book material represented by index list can be produced which are superior, on the basis of a generalized measure of effectiveness, to a conventional library classification of the same material [12]. 10-4- THE STUDY OF DRABENSTOTT ET. AL. (1990):

This study describes a project that examined the effects of incorporating subject terms from the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) into a bibliographic database. It is concluded that the incorporation of DDC and possibly other library classifications into online catalogs can enhance subject access and provide additional subject searching strategies. (11 references) (CLB) [13]. 10-5- THE STUDY OF MCALLISTER-HARPER (1990):

The study gives the results of a survey of North Carolina libraries revealed that of ninety-one respondents, twenty-nine had online catalogs. Of the libraries with online

catalogs, eleven used the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). Survey findings indicate that the DDC has limited use in online searching today [14]. 10-6- THE STUDY OF TAYLOR (1990):

The author studied the theory of DDC system as a logical approach to a hierarchical categorization of recorded knowledge that makes sense to many people. It both illustrates classification theory and provides a practical way to organize information. It is taught in several different settings with content relying upon the purpose of the education or training. With reference to communications from colleagues, the author identifies some problems in teaching DDC, followed by some of the content covered and some methodologies used to overcome the problems. Several examples of teaching tools are included as appendices [15]. 10-7- THE STUDY OF SHIN AND NOSOFSKY (1992):

The study modeled a classification performance in a dot-pattern, prototype-distortion paradigm (e.g., M. I. Posner and S. W. Keele, 1968) within a multidimensional scaling (MDS) framework. MDS solutions were derived for sets of dot patterns that were generated from prototypes. These MDS solutions were then used in conjunction with exemplar, prototype, and combined models to predict classification and recognition performance. Across 3 experiments, an MDS-based exemplar model accounted for the effects of several fundamental learning variables, including level of distortion of the patterns, category size, delay of transfer phase, and item frequency. Most important, the model quantitatively predicted classification probabilities for individual dot patterns in the sets, not simply general trends of performance. There was little evidence for the existence of a prototype-abstraction process that operated above and beyond pure exemplar-based generalization [16]. 10-8- THE STUDY OF WIEGAND (1998):

Although a debate about the origins of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme has been going on for generations, historical consensus remains elusive. This paper contributes new information to the historiography on the origins of the scheme: (1) by grounding an account of Melvil Dewey's thinking as he was crafting the Decimal Classification on an analysis of a larger body of sources than previous classification historians have consulted; and (2) by expanding and deepening historical understanding of the contextual forces influencing his decisions on the classification structure [17]. 10-9- THE STUDY OF SAEED AND CHAUDHRY (2002):

The authors merged the terms drawn from DDC indexes and IEEE Web Thesaurus with DDC hierarchies to build a taxonomy in the domain of computer science. When displayed as a directory structure using a shareware tool MyInfo, the resultant taxonomy appeared to be a promising tool for categorisation that can facilitate browsing of information resources in an electronic environment [18].

10-10- THE STUDY OF FIELDS AND CONNELL (2004):

The authors studied the placement of home economics in the DDC where few not directly involved with the history of home economics may be aware of Melvil Dewey's close involvement with that discipline's early development. Early leaders in home economics attempted to have the subject subdivided between its original placement in the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) in the 600s (Useful Arts) and a complementary placement as a subdivision of the 300s (Sociology). The failure of this attempt illuminates Dewey's well-known resistance to tinkering with the DDC, internecine struggles within the discipline, and the discipline's gender-driven place within American culture [19]. 10-11- THE STUDY OF SLAVIC (2006):

This is a preprint to be published in the Extensions & Corrections to the UDC. The paper explains the basic functions of browsing and searching that need to be supported in relation to analytico-synthetic classifications such as Universal Decimal Classification (UDC), irrespective of any specific, real-life implementation. UDC is an example of a semi-faceted system that can be used, for instance, for both post-coordinate searching and hierarchical/facet browsing. The advantages of using a classification for IR, however, depend on the strength of the GUI, which should provide a user-friendly interface to classification browsing and searching. The power of this interface is in supporting visualization that will 'convert' what is potentially a user-unfriendly indexing language based on symbols, to a subject presentation that is easy to understand, search and navigate. A summary of the basic functions of searching and browsing a classification that may be provided on a user-friendly interface is given and examples of classification browsing interfaces are provided [20].

11- THEORETICAL FRAME OF THE STUDY

In this part we explore the following points: 1- The Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) system 2- The Digital library and its services 3- The Computer program in the digital library of Minia University 4- The suggested computer program 11-1- THE DEWEY DECIMAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM

Dewey decimal classification (DDC) is one of the most famous classifications applied in the libraries. DDC (also called the Dewey Decimal System) is a proprietary system of library classification developed by Melvil Dewey in 1876. The original DDC has encountered many developments and modifications that may reach about 23 times. The system categorizes books in the library in an effective way to make it easy to find a book and to return it to the appropriate place. The system is used in more than 200,000 libraries in at least 135 countries. The DDC system divides the knowledge resources into 10 main groups according to their topics. Each group is divided into other 10 groups. The division process can continue giving multiple levels of the system. Because of dividing the resources into 10s

of groups, the system is called decimal system. The system was translated into 30 languages. It is currently used to transfer and exchange the knowledge resources on a worldwide basis. In the recent versions of the system, the topics and terminologies are addressed in a way that saves a wide range of available subjects in the library and these subjects cover 10 main groups which are” 000 General knowledge 100 Philosophy and psychology 200 Religions 300 Social sciences 400 Languages 500 Mathematical and natural sciences 600 Technology and applied sciences 700 Arts 800 Literature and rhetoric 900 Geography and history 11-2- THE DIGITAL LIBRARY AND ITS SERVICES

Over the past decade there has been substantial progress in the use of digital libraries and delivery of their digital resources. The digital library providers, national libraries, universities, or bodies coordinating and delivering distributed national and global services, have begun to identify common service requirements and service frameworks. These services might be delivered in a distributed manner or shared centrally. The core aim of these approaches is to achieve interoperability, ease of access management and use, as well as ways in which to manage digital resources into the future [21]. Plans and studies, in different places in the world, have helped authorities to determine how they must move forward with a set of strategic initiatives, in collaboration with the other Libraries and central IT unit at these places, that will result in an open, modular digital library infrastructure to support integrated, seamless access to digital content and services. This infrastructure will provide flexibility and adaptability that will be essential in a fluid and dynamic information environment. Additionally, the Library Digital Programs at these places can provide an organizational blueprint for other institutions that wish to integrate the Library more closely into the research and learning activities of the University [22]. 11-3- THE COMPUTER PROGRAM IN THE DIGITAL LIBRARY OF MINIA UNIVERSITY

Many computer systems and programs have appeared to give advanced solutions for the library automation. Some of these programs were done to give certain functions while others give a full board of library services. Some of these programs work on personal computers while others are used on networks. Also, some programs work alone while others can be related to other programs through the Internet. However, the spread of computer networks and computer programs in the different libraries made it necessary to have common rules and criteria that relate most of these programs. In the Arabic world the steps of connecting libraries through the internet are still very simple and slow. There are different trials in different libraries to automate the library services but still they have many difficulties.

Minia University (in Egypt) has founded a digital library. This library is getting much care form the university administration to increase its effective use. A computer program is used for the library services. The researcher visited the library, used the program, and had discussions with the working staff people there. It was found out that the program has some bugs and problems. For instance: the program cannot be used to automatically classify books, and instead there is a committee of the working people who carry out the classification process. This of course may be lead to mistakes, errors, and a non-systematic classification. It should be mentioned here also that most of the working staff people in the library are not library specialists. This means that they did not study about the library processes such as classification and indexing. Some examples of the problems in the library are: 1- Some of the used classification numbers were also found incorrect, e.g.:

Computer teaching methods 371,03

The educational computer 371,33

Windows' advices for professional 001,6404

The Internet 004,678

Your introduction to Microsoft access 005,3

How to design to an Internet web site 001,6404

2- The program cannot be used to delete old (not used) resources nor add new ones. 3- The program is hardly used by the teaching staff members and students to search the library contents. 11-4- THE SUGGESTED COMPUTER PROGRAM

11-4-1- DESCRIPTION OF THE PROGRAM

The program starts running by clicking twice on the program icon where the starting screen will appear giving the program name and the information of the author. The starting screen includes also two options: the first “Continue” allows running the program and the second “Exit” exits the program. Pressing the “Continue” button will bring a main screen up.

The main screen includes the following nine options: 1- Introduction 2- Objectives 3- The user guide 4- Decimal Dewy classification “DDC” by subjects 5- The relational classifier 6- Search by the book's topic. 7- Search by the book author's name 8- The previous screen 9- Exit the program

A description of the previous options is given. 1- The introduction highlights the decimal Dewy classification is a special introductory screen.

2- The objectives option gives the different objectives of the program in a separate screen.

3- The user guide option gives a general background about the program and a description of how to use it.

4- The option of “DDC by subject” is used to find the classification number(s) of the given subject where the total subject title (or a part from it) is given to the program.

For the DDC by subject, we notice the following: a- The letters cases (caps or small) are neglected. b- After the search operation, the program continues its operation until the “Enter” key is pressed without any title is given. c- The classification groups were arranged starting by the first classification group 0, 100, 200, 300, ….., , etc, followed by the second classification group 10, 20, 30, ….., etc, then followed by the thirds classification group 11, 12, 13, ….., etc. This means that the search operations start firstly in the first group, then in the second group, and finally

in the thirds group. In other words, the classification numbers (if they exist) will be given according to that arrangement. 5- The relational classifier is used to search for the classification numbers of the different subjects that include a certain word. The same points which were discussed in the last option (in regard with: the letters cases, running/stopping the search, and results of the search) are considered here.

6- The option of “search services” is used to search the library either by the book topics or the book authors. This is done in a separate screen that includes the two search options as well as the buttons of moving to the first screen or the pervious screen or ending the program. In case of searching by the topic, a list of books about the topic and their authors will result. In case of searching by the author, a list of the books of that author will result. The same points, in regard with the letters cases and running/stopping the search, are also considered here.

7- A suggestion of classification using the book name can be done by pressing the option of “Suggesting classification”. This is done to help the librarian to correctly classify the new books and knowledge resources. Similar points in regard with the letters cases, running/stopping the program, and searching the classification groups are considered here also.

8- The option of “Pervious page” hides the current screen and brings us back to the previous screen.

9- The option of “Exit the program” ends the program. 11-4-2- SETTING UP THE PROGRAM

The program needs two data files. These files are described as follows: The first file is named "". This file contains the decimal Dewy classification groups. The second file is named "". This file contains a list of the different books available in the library and their authors' names. 11-4-3- ADVANTAGES OF THE SUGGESTED PROGRAM

The program has the following facilities: 1- The program gives a guide of how to use it. 2- The program uses a simple text file for the library knowledge resources according to the classification rules of the decimal Dewy classification system. New groups of classification can be added to the used file. This is used to get the classification numbers of the books. 3- The program uses a simple text file for the library knowledge resources and their authors. New groups of classification can be added to the used file. This is useful if searching the library either by the books' titles or by the books' author names. Either the full title (or the author's name) or a part from it is given to the program. 4- The program correctly gives the classification numbers of the knowledge resources according to the decimal Dewey classification “DDC” using the topics. 5- The program can give the classification numbers of the knowledge resource based on a part of the topic. 6- The program facilitates the search by the book's topic to yield a list of the books and their authors. 7- The program facilitates the search by the book's author names to yield a list of the author and related books to that author. 11-4-4- DISADVANTAGES OF THE SUGGESTED PROGRAM

The program is a primary step towards having a program that will facilitate all the library services. We have started by including the decimal Dewey classification system and some of the library services such as the search by topic or by author names. Thus, many of the other library services are still to be programmed and included. 11-4-5- FUTURE MODIFICATIONS AND DEVELOPMENTS

1- Programming other library services and including them in the program. 2- Putting the program online. 3- Connecting the program to other library programs either in Egypt or abroad. 11-5- THE TRAINING PROGRAM

A training program was designed to train the teaching staff members and educational technology students how to use the suggested computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes. The program was designed and implemented in Microsoft Power Point. The presentation is composed of 38 slides. These slides present in a step by step way how to use the suggested computer program.

12- PROCEDURES OF THE STUDY

This researcher has carried out the following procedures: 1- The problem was stated according to the meetings and discussions with the working

staff members of the digital library in Minia University (in Egypt\) and a number of the teaching staff members and educational technology students in the university.

2- A literature review and checking some of the available programs in other libraries were done to evaluate the services of the available program. Thus, the problem was precisely represented in the form of a main question and some branched questions. Thus, the aims and hypotheses of the study were pointed out.

3- A review of the previous studies was done to stop at what researchers have done. 4- The suggested computer program was designed and tested using MicroSoft Visual

Basic 6. 5- The other tools of the study were designed including the questionnaire, the training

program, and the performance observation card. 6- The validity and reliability of the study tools are studied. 7- The specimen of the study was chosen. 8- The pre- test was applied to the specimen of the teaching staff members and

educational technology students. Also, the questionnaire was distributed to the library working staff members to give their views about the availability of the different criteria and features in both of the existing computer program and the suggested one.

9- The training program was used to train the specimen of the teaching staff members and educational technology students on how to use the suggested computer program

10- The post- yesy was applied to the specimen of the teaching staff members and educational technology students.

11- Results of the pre- and post- tests as well as the responses of the library working staff members were collected and statistically treated to find their averages.

12- The study hypotheses were discussed in light of the obtained results. 13- Conclusions and recommendations are highlighted.

13- VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE STUDY TOOLS

13-1- MODIFYING THE QUESTIONNAIRE

A primary questionnaire of 20 points was designed and used to validate the program. Appendix (1) gives the primary form of the questionnaire. The Likert scale [23] is used to value the points of the questionnaire. The scale uses 5 choices. These choices are: very strong, strong, medium, weak, and very weak. A specimen, composed of 10 specialists in the fields of education; computer programming and libraries, was chosen to help in designing the questionnaire. The primary list was distributed asking the referees to give their views about any modifications. The referees suggested: 1- The division of the eighth point of the primary questionnaire into two separate points:

"Usefulness of the relative index" and "Accuracy of the relative index".

2- The addition of a new point to the questionnaire: "Recommendation of training the users". Thus, the total number of the points becomes 22.

3- Modifying the first point from "Using the program and browsing it" to "Easiness of using the program and browsing it".

4- Modifying the second point from "The used language in the program" to "Calrity of the used language in the program ".

5- Modifying the eleventh point from "Design of the user interfaces" to "Fulfilling the design rules in the user interfaces"

6- Modifying the sixteenth point from "Possibility of applying the program in the university" to "Recommendation of applying the program in the university".

7- Modifying the seventeenth point from "Places of the used texts in the program screens" to "Suitability of places of the used texts in the program screens"

8- Modifying the eighteenth point from "Properties of the used texts in the program screens" to "Suitability of the properties of the used texts in the program screens".

9- The division of the questionnaire into three parts: The first part includes 13 general technical features of the program and it was distributed to all the specimen fifty members. The second part includes five general user services of the program and it was distributed to all the specimen fifty members. Finally the third part included four librarian technical features of the program and it was distributed to only the library staff twenty members.

The final form of the questionnaire is given in appendix (2). 13-2- VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE SUGGESTED PROGRAM

Reliability refers to the extent to which results are consistent over time and an accurate representation of the total population under study. In other words, if the results of a study can be reproduced under a similar methodology, then the research instrument is considered to be reliable. Validity may mean to answer the question: Does the research instrument allow you to truly fulfill your research object? Researchers generally determine validity by asking a series of questions, and often look for the answers in the research of others [24]. The program was distributed on the specimen of 10 referees who helped in designing the questionnaire. The distribution was done twice and a gap of 4 weeks separated the two times. The responses of the referees were collected and statistically treated. The referees gave almost the same remarks about the program. The researcher modified the program according to these remarks. Accordingly, the referees did not give any more remarks. This means that the program was validated by the referees. A correlation coefficient between the votes of the referees in the two times of distribution was found to be 0.98 at a significance level of 0.005 which means a high reliability of the program. Thus the program was ready to be applied and tested by the specimen of the library working staff members, the teaching staff members, and students in Minia university. The validity of the program was measured by the internal consistence of the program and this can be measured by the agreement levels between the referees’ answers about the questionnaire's items. The views of the referees demonstrated that the points (given by the questionnaire) are either "very strong" or "strong" in the program. From the received referees answers, it could be found that in the first time of distribution, an

average of 28.50 (96.20%) from the referees agreed that the points are "very strong" in the program, while an average of 1.50 (3.80%) agreed that the criteria are "strong". In the second time of distribution, an average of 29.50 (98.00%) from the referees agreed that the points are "very strong" in the program, while 0.50 (2.00%) from the referees agreed that the points are "strong". This apparent agreement of the referees, in the two times of distributing the questionnaire, about the availability of the criteria (given by the questionnaire) in the program confirms that the program is highly valid and it can be used with a high validity to fulfill the objectives it was designed for. 13-3- VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM

The training program "power point presentation" was distributed on a group of referees composed of 10 individuals to give their views and suggestions about it. The distribution process was done twice with a gap period of 4 weeks. The responses of the referees were collected and statistically treated. A correlation coefficient between the responses of the two times was computed as 0.986 at a significance level of 0.005 which means a highly significant correlation. In other words this can be interpreted as a high reliability of the Power Point presentation as a training program to train the teaching staff members and educational technology students in Minia university how to use the suggested computer program of DDC and other library services and processes. The referees also gave similar views about the different slides of the presentation and they almost agreed on elimination of some slides and adding others. Thus, the final presentation is composed of 38 slides and the agreement of the referees about the presentation could be interpreted as a high validity to be used as a training program. 13-4- VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF THE PERFORMANCE OBSERVATION CARD

A performance observation card was designed and distributed onto a group of 10 referees. The distribution process was done twice with a separation gap of 4 weeks. The responses of the referees were collected and statistically treated. A correlation coefficient between the responses of the two times was computed as 0.978 at a significance level of 0.01 which means a high reliability of the performance observation card to be used to observe the performance of the teaching staff members and educational technology students in using the suggested computer program of DDC and other library services and processes. The referees also agreed about the modifications of the different aspects of the observation card including: the performance steps, the language describing the steps, the scores given to the steps, and the time given to perform the steps. The final form of the performance observation card and , its score table are given in appendices (3,4).

14- RESULTS OF THE STUDY

In this section we give the results we obtained after applying the study tools. The questionnaire and the suggested computer program (of the DDC and the other library services and processes) were distributed to the library working staff members (in the digital library of Minia University) to give their opinions and views about the program. Also, a pretest was done to test the teaching staff members and educational technology students about using the suggested program. Then the training program was applied

and a post test was done. The performance observation card was used in the pre – and post - tests to evaluate the performance of the staff members and students in running and using the suggested program. A specimen, composed of 10 teaching staff members and 15 students, was trained on how to use the suggested program. A pre- and post-test was applied to evaluate their performance. Table (1) gives the scores of the pre- and post-tests of the teaching staff members. Table (2) gives the scores of the pre- and post-tests of the educational technology students in the pre- and post-tests. The library working staff members (50 individuals) were asked to compare between the existing program in the library and the suggested one in regard with the availability of the different features of applying the DDC rules and the library services and process. Two copies of the study questionnaire were distributed on these staff members such that each copy is used to answer the questions about the availability of the different features in each program separately. The responses of these library staff members were collected and the different averages and rates of responses are computed as shown in table (3). Table (1): Scores of the teaching staff members in the pre- and post-tests of using the

suggested program

Student no 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Average

Scores in the pre-Test 6 5 6 5 5 5 6 6 5 6 5.5

Scores in the post-Test 10 9 10 10 9 10 10 10 9 10 9.7

Table (2): Scores of the educational technology students in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program

No 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 average

Pre-Test 5 5 5 5 6 5 5 6 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 5.2

Post-Test 10 9 10 10 10 9 9 10 10 9 10 10 10 10 9 9.666667

Table (3): Responses of the working staff members about the criteria availability in a computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes

Availability of

Program

Features

Very strong

Strong Medium Weak Very Weak Weight of

votes

Exis

ting

pro

gra

m

Su

gge

st

ed

pro

gra

m

Exis

ting

pro

gra

m

Su

gge

st

ed

pro

gra

m

Exis

ting

pro

gra

m

Su

gge

st

ed

pro

gra

m

Exis

ting

pro

gra

m

Su

gge

st

ed

pro

gra

m

Exis

ting

pro

gra

m

Su

gge

st

ed

pro

gra

m

Exis

ting

pro

gra

m

Su

gge

st

ed

pro

gra

m

1 20 45 5 3 10 2 15 0 0 0 180 243

2 20 45 5 3 10 2 15 0 0 0 180 243

3 35 45 5 3 5 2 5 0 0 0 220 243

4 30 45 5 3 10 2 5 0 0 0 210 243

5 30 46 5 3 10 1 5 0 0 0 210 245

6 35 46 5 3 5 1 5 0 0 0 220 245

7 40 46 5 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 235 245

8 40 46 5 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 235 246

9 35 45 5 4 5 1 5 0 0 0 220 244

10 40 45 5 4 5 1 0 0 0 0 235 244

11 40 45 5 3 5 2 0 0 0 0 235 243

12 10 45 5 3 20 2 15 0 0 0 160 243

13 10 46 5 4 20 0 15 0 0 0 160 246

14 10 46 5 4 20 0 15 0 0 0 160 246

15 20 46 5 3 10 1 15 0 0 0 180 245

16 20 46 5 3 15 1 10 0 0 0 185 245

17 40 46 2 3 3 1 5 0 0 0 227 245

18 40 45 2 3 3 2 5 0 0 0 227 243

19 10 46 2 4 20 0 18 0 0 0 154 246

20 10 46 2 4 20 0 18 0 0 0 154 246

21 10 46 2 3 20 1 18 0 0 0 154 245

22 10 46 2 3 20 1 18 0 0 0 154 245

Votes Average

s 25

.23

45

.59

4.1

8

3.3

2

11

.18

1.0

9

9.4

1

0

0

0

19

5.2

24

4.5

Votes Rates 5

0.4

5

%

91

.18

%

8.3

6

%

6.6

4

%

22

.36

%

2.1

8

%

18

.82

%

0

0

0

78

.09

%

97

.80

%

15- DISCUSSION AND VERIFICATION OF THE HYPOTHESES

15-1- THE FIRST HYPOTHESIS

"There is a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the teaching staff members in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them in favor of the post-test." From table (1), we see that the performance average scores, of the teaching staff members in the pre- and posts tests of using the suggested program of the DDC and other library services and processes, are 5.5 and 9.7 respectively. This means that the performance of the teaching staff members was better after getting training on how to use the program. However, we notice that the performance of the teaching staff members was above 50% in the pre-test which confirms that the program is easy to be used. However this confirms the first hypothesis that there is a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the teaching staff members in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them in favor of the post-test. 15-2- THE SECOND HYPOTHESIS

"There is a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the second year students of the department of educational technology in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them in favor of the post-test." From table (2), we see that the performance average scores, of the educational technology students in the pre- and posts tests of using the suggested program of the DDC and other library services and processes, are 5.2 and 9.7 respectively. This means that the performance of the educational technology students was better after getting training on how to use the program. However, we notice that the performance of the

educational technology students was above 50% in the pre-test which confirms that the program is easy to be used. However this confirms the first hypothesis that there is a statistical difference between the averages of scores of the second year students of the department of educational technology in the pre- and post-tests of using the suggested program after training them in favor of the post-test. 15-3- THE THIRD HYPOTHESIS

"There is a difference between the suggested program and the currently used program in the digital library in Minia University in Egypt in regard with the application of the Dewy Decimal Classification method in favor of the suggested program." From table (3), we can see that an average of 25.23 (50.45%) from the library staff members, agreed that the general and technical criteria are very strongly available in the existing program in the digital library of Minia university for the library services and processes. On the other side, an average of 45.59 (91.18%) of these members agree that these features are very strongly available in the suggested program of the DDC and other library services and processes. An average of 4.18 (8.36%) from the library staff members agreed that the general and technical criteria are strongly available in the existing program while an average of 3.32 (6.64%) from them agreed that the criteria are strongly available in the suggested program. An average of 11.18 (22.36%) from the library staff members agreed that the general and technical criteria are medium available in the existing program while an average of 1.09 (2.18%) from them agreed that the criteria are medium available in the suggested program. An average of 9.41 (18.82%) from the library staff members agreed that the general and technical criteria are weakly available in the existing program. From the last analysis we can see that a total average of 195.2 (78.09%) from the library staff members agreed about the availability of the general and technical criteria in the existing program while a total average of 244.5 (97.80%) from them agreed about availability of these criteria in the suggested program. This, however, confirms the third hypothesis that there is a difference between the suggested program and the currently used program in the digital library in Minia University in Egypt in regard with the application of the Dewy Decimal Classification method in favor of the suggested program.

16- CONCLUSIONS

This study concerned with the design and application of a suggested computer program in the digital library of Minia University in Egypt for the DDC and other library services and processes. A training program was designed and used to train 10 individuals from the teaching staff members and 15 individuals from the educational technology student in Minia University. The working staff members (50 individuals) were asked to compare between the suggested computer program and the existing program in the digital library in regard with the general and specific technical features and criteria.

The results have shown that there is a statistical difference between the average scores of the teaching staff members and education technology students in using the suggested computer program in the pre- and post- tests in favor of the port- test due to training them. The results also show that there is a statistical difference between the response scores of the library working staff members about the availability of the general and technical criteria in the existing computer program and the suggested computer program in favor of the suggested computer program. It is recommended to apply the suggested program or at least to modify the existing computer program to apply the same procedures in the classification of the library resources and the other services and processes.

REFERENCES

[1] Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dewey_Decimal_classes [3] http://www.oclc.org/dewey/versions/print/intro.pdf [4] http://ers.dpsk12.org/documents/FAQ/Dewey.pdf [5]http://www.lib.utexas.edu/services/ [6]http://www.actuaries.org.uk/research-and-resources/pages/library-services [7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_library [8] L. Candela, G. Athanasopoulos, D. Castelli, K. El Raheb, P. Innocenti, Y. Ioannidis,

A. Katifori, A. Nika, G. Vullo, S. Ross: The Digital Library Reference Model. April 2011, 17.

[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_computer_system [10] Meyer, A. H. (1947): "A Geographic Classification of Geography Material as Based

Upon the Dewey Classification System", Annals of the Association of American Geographers, Volume 37, Issue 4, 1947, pp 209-222.

[11] Bulick, S.; K. L. Montgomery; J. Fetterman; and A. Kent (1976): "How to Cite Author Information Publication History Funding Information", Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Volume 27, Issue 3, pages 175–178, May/June 1976, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[12] Enser, P.G.B. (1985): Automatic classification of book material represented by back-of-the-book index", Journal of Documentation, Volume 41, Number 3, 1985 , pp. 135-155(21).

[13] Drabenstott, Karen Markey; And Others (1990): "Analysis of a Bibliographic Database Enhanced with a Library Classification", Library Resources and Technical Services, v34 n2 p179-98 Apr 1990.

[14] McAllister-Harper, D. (1990): "Dewey Decimal Classification in the Online' Environment: A Study of Libraries in North Carolina", Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Volume 11, Issue 1, 1990.

[15] Taylor, A. G. (1990): "Teaching the Dewey Decimal Classification System", Cataloging & Classification Quarterly, Volume 42, Issue 3-4, 2006, pp 97-117.

[16] Shin, Hyun Jung and Nosofsky, Robert M. (1992): "Similarity-scaling studies of dot-pattern classification and recognition", Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Vol 121(3), Sep 1992, 278-304.

[17] Wiegand, W. A. (1998): The "Amherst Method": The Origins of the Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme", from the WEB page: http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25548614?uid=3737928&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21101568602913, cited in the First of Feb. 2013, at 5:00 am GMT + 2:00.

[18] Saeed, H. and A. S. Chaudhry, (2002) "Using Dewey decimal classification scheme (DDC) for building taxonomies for knowledge organisation", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 58 Iss: 5, pp.575 – 583.

[19] Fields, A. M. and T. H. Connell (2004): "Classification and the Definition of a Discipline: The Dewey Decimal Classification and Home Economics", Libraries & Culture, Volume 39, Number 3, Summer 2004, pp. 245-259.

[20] Slavic, A. (2006): "Interface to classification: some objectives and options", Interface to classification: some objectives and options 2006, A blue preprint from a Web page: http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/105459, cited in the First of Feb. 2013, at 5:00 am GMT + 2:02.

[21] The British Library Conference Centre (2012): "The Digital Library and its Services, The British Library, Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) and UKOLN", 6-7 March 2006, a web link: http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/events/bl-jisc-conference-2006/ taken on 6/5/2010-5:15 am.

[22] Sayed Choudhury (2012): "Integration of digital library services", A web link: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=ar&site=&q=cache:O_ICUijnd78J:http://www.library.jhu.edu/departments/librarydean/integration.html%2Bdigital%2Blibrary%2Band%2Bits%2Bservices&gs_l=hp.1.0.0i15i19.2201.2201.0.8340.1.1.0.0.0.0.198.198.0j1.1.0...0.0.acyvglxT-ZA&safe=active&ct=clnk, taken on 6/5/2010 at 5:35 am.

[23] http://www.simplypsychology.org/likert-scale.html [24] Nahid Golafshani: "Understanding Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Research",

The Qualitative Report Volume 8 Number 4 December 2003 597-607, http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR8-4/golafshani.pdf

Appendix (1): A primary list of the questionnaire about the criteria availability in a computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes

No Criteria Criteria availability in the program

V strong (V.S)

Strong (ST)

Medium (M)

Weak (W)

V weak (V.W)

1 Using and browsing the program

2 The used language in the program

3 Clarity of the introduction presenting the program

4 Clarity of the objectives of the program

5 Fulfilling the program objectives

6 Clarity of the user guide of the program

7 Accuracy of the classification results

8 Usefulness and accuracy of the relative index

9 Accuracy of the topic search

10 Accuracy of the author's name search

11 Design of the user interfaces

12 Existence of the text data file of the Dewey classification groups

13 Easiness of using the data file of Dewey classification groups

14 Existence of the text data file of the books' titles and authors' names

15 Easiness of using the data file of the books' titles and authors' names

16 Possibility of applying the program in the university

17 Places of the used texts in the program screens

18 Properties of the used texts in the program screens

19 Suitability of the images and pictures in the program screens

20 Suitability of the used buttons in the program screens and their significance to their functions

Appendix (2): A final list of the questionnaire about the criteria availability in a computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes

No Criteria Criteria availability in the program

V strong (V.S)

Strong (ST)

Medium (M)

Weak (W)

V weak (V.W)

(A)- General use features of the program (distributed onto the two groups)

1 Easiness of using and browsing the program

2 Clarity of the used language in the program

3 Clarity of the introduction presenting the program

4 Clarity of the objectives of the program

5 Fulfilling the program objectives

6 Clarity of the user guide of the program

7 Fulfilling the design general rules in the user interfaces

8 Suitability of the places of the used texts in the program screens

9 Suitability of the properties of the used texts in the program screens

10 Suitability of the images and pictures in the program screens

11 Suitability of the used buttons in the program screens and their significance to their functions

12 Recommendation of training the users

13 Recommendation of applying the program in the university

14 Accuracy of the classification results

15 Usefulness of the relative index

16 Accuracy of the relative index

17 Accuracy of the topic search

18 Accuracy of the author's name search

(B) Librarian technical use features of the program (distributed onto only the first group)

19 Existence of the text data file of the Dewey classification groups

20 Easiness of using the data file of Dewey classification groups

21 Existence of the data file of the books' titles and authors' names

22 Easiness of using the text data file of the books' titles and authors' names

Appendix (3): The performance observation card for the suggested computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes.

Minia University Faculty of Specific Education Educational Technology Department

A follow up card for the performance test of using a computer program for the Dewy Decimal Classification method

Name: Position (class): Work place (study place): Test date: Test time: Name of the observer:

No Performance steps

Performance

yes No

Confident Hesitated 1 Run the program and get the first page

2 Show the elements of the main page of the program

3 Press the button of the introduction, read it and go back to the main page

4 Press the button of the program objectives, read them and go back to the main page

5 Press the button of the user guide, read it and go back to the main page

6 Press the button of the Dewy Decimal Classification, use it to find the classification number of a book of following subjects: a- History b- Christianity c- Africa d- Arabic language e- Go back to the main page.

7 Press the button of the relative index, use it to find the relative subjects related to the following words: a- Religions b- History c- Asia d- Go back to the main page

8 Search the books of the author …… Then go back to the main page

9 Search the authors who wrote in the subject ……. Then go back to the main page

10 Go to the first page of the program and then end

Performance time taken in the test

Performance time

Minutes Seconds

Average scores of the three observers

The observer The score

1

2

3

Summation

Average

Appendix (4): Table of scores of the performance observation card for the suggested

computer program of the DDC and other library services and processes.

no Performance score

1 If the trainee performs the task confidentially 1

2 If the trainee performs the task hesitantly 0.5

3 If the trainee does not perform the task 0

4 If the trainee performs all the tasks confidentially in the allowed time, it means that the skill of using the program is acquired

10

5 If the trainee performs the tasks (6-9) confidentially in the allowed time, it means that the skill of using the program is acquired

8