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Academic Communication for Advanced Secondary Schools Utilising ICT in academic communication

or online services to suggest new material purchases or report lost items. This is
usually facilitated by providing online access to a digital version of the resource
catalogue, sometimes called the library OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue),
where details of all resources are recorded.

In addition, academic libraries may also offer a range of digital and online resources,
including access to academic databases, electronic journals and articles, e-books
FOR ONLINE READING ONLY
and multimedia and archive materials. For example, university libraries commonly
provide students and staff with remote, off-campus access to a wide range of digital
academic resources, allowing them to search and retrieve information without being
physically present in the library.

(b) Dewey Decimal Classification

Most libraries organise and store physical resources using a classification system called
the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) or the Library of Congress Classification.
These systems group related topics together, assigning a unique number to each
topic in a way conducive to the physical arrangement of materials on the shelves.
Then, it becomes possible to browse the collection by topic. Further information
about the use of DDC can be accessed through online sources.

Archives and special collections
In addition to university libraries and their special collections, physical resources of
academic information can also be found in various types of archives. Archives primarily
collect unpublished and unique materials, such as manuscripts, letters, diaries and
photographs, which are organised according to their origins or sources. Academic
institutions, museums, governmental bodies, non-profit organisations, or prominent
individuals and families may set them up. You may consult library catalogues, archival
directories, or specialised databases to locate relevant archives for your research topic.
Some archives offer a detailed list of their contents, known as finding aids, which describe
the origins, contents, dates, formats and locations of the materials in a collection. You
may use keyword and subject searches to find aids, but a good starting point is to identify
the key person, organisation, period and event associated with your topic.

Due to the uniqueness and rarity of archival materials, it is a common practice for
researchers to contact the archive staff. This is particularly important in the case of overseas
or remote archives, where professional archivists could offer valuable advice on logistical
arrangements, such as access, citation, or reproduction. Finally, it is essential to note that
some special collections may have started digitising their materials and creating online
platforms. Researchers can benefit from the increasing availability of digital images,
online catalogues and even advanced functions like geographical information systems
(GIS) for map-based collections. An ever-growing number of archives and libraries are
engaged in large-scale digitisation projects under financial and academic support from
government agencies and research councils.

40 Student’s Book Form Five

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Academic Communication.indd 40 30-Jun-24 11:02:05 AM