MLS Information Systems and Technology 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which file format is specifically designed for encoding finding aids for archival collections and uses a hierarchical XML structure?
- EAD (Encoded Archival Description) (Correct answer)
- METS (Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard)
- PREMIS
- MODS
Correct answer: EAD (Encoded Archival Description)
EAD is an XML standard maintained by the Library of Congress for encoding archival finding aids, capturing the hierarchical arrangement of archival collections.
Question 2: A library's website experiences a sudden spike in traffic that exhausts server resources. Which architecture pattern best mitigates this through automatic resource scaling?
- Cloud-based auto-scaling with a load balancer (Correct answer)
- A single high-memory dedicated server
- Caching all pages as static HTML files daily
- Restricting concurrent user sessions per account
Correct answer: Cloud-based auto-scaling with a load balancer
Cloud auto-scaling dynamically provisions additional server instances in response to demand spikes and distributes traffic through a load balancer.
Question 3: In digital preservation, what does the OAIS (Open Archival Information System) model call the package of content submitted by a producer to the archive?
- Submission Information Package (SIP) (Correct answer)
- Archival Information Package (AIP)
- Dissemination Information Package (DIP)
- Content Information Package (CIP)
Correct answer: Submission Information Package (SIP)
The SIP is the information package delivered by a producer (depositor) to the OAIS archive for ingestion and preservation.
Question 4: Which index structure does most modern full-text search software (e.g., Solr, Elasticsearch) rely on for fast keyword lookup?
- Inverted index (Correct answer)
- B-tree index
- Hash index
- Bitmap index
Correct answer: Inverted index
An inverted index maps each unique term to a list of documents containing it, enabling extremely fast full-text search across large corpora.
Question 5: A cataloger wants to express that two different FRBR Works are translations of each other using BIBFRAME. Which property should be used?
- bf:translationOf (Correct answer)
- bf:hasPart
- bf:relatedTo
- bf:derivativeOf
Correct answer: bf:translationOf
BIBFRAME defines bf:translationOf as the specific relationship property linking a translated Work back to the original Work it was derived from.
Question 6: What is the primary advantage of using a microservices architecture for a next-generation library services platform (LSP)?
- Individual services can be updated, scaled, or replaced independently without affecting the entire system (Correct answer)
- A single codebase simplifies development and reduces inter-service communication overhead
- All library functions share the same database, eliminating data synchronization issues
- Microservices eliminate the need for APIs between library system components
Correct answer: Individual services can be updated, scaled, or replaced independently without affecting the entire system
Microservices decompose a system into loosely coupled, independently deployable components, enabling targeted upgrades and scaling without system-wide downtime.
Question 7: Which NISO standard defines a framework for comparing and licensing electronic resources, commonly used in library e-resource negotiations?
- SERU (Shared E-Resource Understanding) (Correct answer)
- OpenURL Framework (ANSI/NISO Z39.88)
- COUNTER (Code of Practice)
- KBART (Knowledge Bases and Related Tools)
Correct answer: SERU (Shared E-Resource Understanding)
SERU provides a voluntary framework that allows libraries and publishers to forgo formal license agreements by relying on shared understandings of standard practices.
MLS Information Systems and Technology 5
Which file format is specifically designed for encoding finding aids for archival collections and uses a hierarchical XML structure?