http://stephaniec-lisblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/unit-14-readings.html?showComment=1228846620000#c5350351708118936743
http://mhsyoung.blogspot.com/2008/12/week-14-readings.html?showComment=1228847040000#c557301501685131116
http://arklibraryscientist.blogspot.com/2008/12/unit-14-reading-notes.html?showComment=1228847340000#c3191968051686861401
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Week 14 Reading Notes
Computers of the Clouds
I suppose I have dipped my toe into the computer cloud as I have used Google Docs for quite some time now. However, before reading/watching this week's items, I had never heard of the terms "computer cloud" and "SAAS". I was also not aware that Amazon and Google were offering use of their infrastructure. I think the advantages of this type of computing are really, really great. The fact that it can remove some of the financial burden of start-up for some businesses is really wonderful. I also think it is a boon for collaborative work. As I said, my only use so far is Google Docs, but the time and effort it has saved me at my job as well as for personal task is paramount! It made writing subject guides so much easier for my colleagues and I. And it really helped me orgaznize my graduate school application materials.
Frey's Trends Article
I could not tell from the website just when this article was written. If it was written a couple of years ago, then he was right on many accounts. Our academic library is becoming much more of a cultural center and we are encouraging a balance between that and the library as center for learning. I can personally attest to his prediction that we will be increasing pressed for time, forced to to super multi-task, and be somewhat overwhelmed by the information sent to us. I know that I sometimes want to shut my inbox and not open it again for a very, very long time. Information fatigue is starting to set in.
Muddiest Point: How do companies feel about security when using cloud computing. Do they feel better because Amazon and Google must have the money and technology to afford great security? Or do they worry because a lot more people could possibly have access to their information and security is somewhat out of their hands?
I suppose I have dipped my toe into the computer cloud as I have used Google Docs for quite some time now. However, before reading/watching this week's items, I had never heard of the terms "computer cloud" and "SAAS". I was also not aware that Amazon and Google were offering use of their infrastructure. I think the advantages of this type of computing are really, really great. The fact that it can remove some of the financial burden of start-up for some businesses is really wonderful. I also think it is a boon for collaborative work. As I said, my only use so far is Google Docs, but the time and effort it has saved me at my job as well as for personal task is paramount! It made writing subject guides so much easier for my colleagues and I. And it really helped me orgaznize my graduate school application materials.
Frey's Trends Article
I could not tell from the website just when this article was written. If it was written a couple of years ago, then he was right on many accounts. Our academic library is becoming much more of a cultural center and we are encouraging a balance between that and the library as center for learning. I can personally attest to his prediction that we will be increasing pressed for time, forced to to super multi-task, and be somewhat overwhelmed by the information sent to us. I know that I sometimes want to shut my inbox and not open it again for a very, very long time. Information fatigue is starting to set in.
Muddiest Point: How do companies feel about security when using cloud computing. Do they feel better because Amazon and Google must have the money and technology to afford great security? Or do they worry because a lot more people could possibly have access to their information and security is somewhat out of their hands?
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Week 12 Comments Left on the Blogs of Others
Friday, November 21, 2008
Reading Notes for Week 12
Creating the Academic Library Folksonomy...
Several of my colleagues and I participated in a library-sponsored Web 2.0 project this past summer. The project lasted nearly the entire summer and consisted of several assignments that introduced us to different tools and websites. Del.ico.us was one the tools we used. I thought it was a cool concept especially for someone like me whose Favorites and Bookmarks page had grown to the point of being unmanageable! I had not heard of "institutional" social tagging like the PennTags programs. I think that something like that would really encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing between students, faculty, and library staff. I can imagine using it during library instruction sessions where the concept is introduced and we add to it as part of the class.
Wikis in library instruction programs...
At this point our library only uses wikis in order to prepare for social-type gatherings. Staff can see what items are needed, volunteer to bring them, and then mark those items off the collective list. Gone are the days where we have 47 bags of chips and no ice! The reference staff is in the process of revamping all of our subject guides. We have tossed around the ideas of using wikis, but have to yet to make a decision. I really like the collaboration aspect, especially being the newest member of the reference team. However, I am a bit concerned about the consistency and appearance of a wiki-based subject guide. For the sake of our patrons, we want them to have a familiar and easy-to-use look and format. Other wikis I have seen tend to look a bit unkempt.
Behind-the-scenes of Wikipedia video-
I have mixed feelings about what I learned in the video. On the positive side, I feel better about the validity of the information provided in Wikipedia entries. I think it's great that they maintain such a strict neutrality policy and they do have more of a information-vetting process than I realized. I do think, however, some of the claim of the self-proclaimed creator rang a bit false. He claims that they only need 5000 dollars a month to operate. Yet they are practically begging for money on their home page. Plus their own entry on their site lists that they have a foundation that is worth over 3 billion dollars. Granted this video was made over four years ago and perhaps things have changed since then.
Weblogs in Scientific Libraries
We have yet to use any kind of blogs in our academic library. There is an interest in writing one geared towards informing our patrons but also a fear that those patrons (especially our students) simply won't read it. Perhaps if we educated highlighted RSS feeds as well as the blog, it would be more effective. I certainly rely on Google Reader to follow personal blogs as well as those of my fellow 2600 classmates.
In the past, I have followed project-based blogs like those mentioned in the Reichardt/Harder article, but I am not aware that our university has ever used one. They make a great point about a blog being a much easier way compared to e-mail to keep a group of people informed and up-to-date. I just cleaned out over 5000 messages from my work inbox, so I am certainly aware of e-mail overload! As far as blogs for reference staff, I think our staff is bit too small for this to work. I certainly see the benefit for libraries with large reference staffs.
Several of my colleagues and I participated in a library-sponsored Web 2.0 project this past summer. The project lasted nearly the entire summer and consisted of several assignments that introduced us to different tools and websites. Del.ico.us was one the tools we used. I thought it was a cool concept especially for someone like me whose Favorites and Bookmarks page had grown to the point of being unmanageable! I had not heard of "institutional" social tagging like the PennTags programs. I think that something like that would really encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing between students, faculty, and library staff. I can imagine using it during library instruction sessions where the concept is introduced and we add to it as part of the class.
Wikis in library instruction programs...
At this point our library only uses wikis in order to prepare for social-type gatherings. Staff can see what items are needed, volunteer to bring them, and then mark those items off the collective list. Gone are the days where we have 47 bags of chips and no ice! The reference staff is in the process of revamping all of our subject guides. We have tossed around the ideas of using wikis, but have to yet to make a decision. I really like the collaboration aspect, especially being the newest member of the reference team. However, I am a bit concerned about the consistency and appearance of a wiki-based subject guide. For the sake of our patrons, we want them to have a familiar and easy-to-use look and format. Other wikis I have seen tend to look a bit unkempt.
Behind-the-scenes of Wikipedia video-
I have mixed feelings about what I learned in the video. On the positive side, I feel better about the validity of the information provided in Wikipedia entries. I think it's great that they maintain such a strict neutrality policy and they do have more of a information-vetting process than I realized. I do think, however, some of the claim of the self-proclaimed creator rang a bit false. He claims that they only need 5000 dollars a month to operate. Yet they are practically begging for money on their home page. Plus their own entry on their site lists that they have a foundation that is worth over 3 billion dollars. Granted this video was made over four years ago and perhaps things have changed since then.
Weblogs in Scientific Libraries
We have yet to use any kind of blogs in our academic library. There is an interest in writing one geared towards informing our patrons but also a fear that those patrons (especially our students) simply won't read it. Perhaps if we educated highlighted RSS feeds as well as the blog, it would be more effective. I certainly rely on Google Reader to follow personal blogs as well as those of my fellow 2600 classmates.
In the past, I have followed project-based blogs like those mentioned in the Reichardt/Harder article, but I am not aware that our university has ever used one. They make a great point about a blog being a much easier way compared to e-mail to keep a group of people informed and up-to-date. I just cleaned out over 5000 messages from my work inbox, so I am certainly aware of e-mail overload! As far as blogs for reference staff, I think our staff is bit too small for this to work. I certainly see the benefit for libraries with large reference staffs.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Comments Made on Others Week 11 Notes
Friday, November 14, 2008
Reading Notes for Week 11
Lynch- ARL Article (Institutional Repositories)
I really liked Lynch's clear explanation of his idea of an institutional repository- I just wish he had provided it before the middle of the article. I also liked his suggestion that educational institutions make an effort to digitize some work of their students and faculty (like dissertations) and make them available. As ILL coordinator, I receive several requests for theses or dissertations daily. Many institutions do not lend the hard copies, so these requests have to be denied or purchased at a high cost. He mentioned MIT's dSpace. I had tried to use that several years ago when it must have been in its earliest form. I could never find anything that I needed, so I had seen look at the site in years. I followed the link provided in the article and the interface looks much better. I look forward to giving it another whirl.
Digital Libraries- Challenges and Influential Work
Our library has applied for a grant so that we may digitze and make accessible our large of collection of Southern Episcopal and Civil War History. I truly hope that it will go beyond just a collection of scanned images and documents. Granted our project is is much smaller than the projects profiled, but it is interesting to see those who went before. I truly hope that it will go beyond just a collection of scanned images and documents. I think we could incorporate a simpler version Mischo's mentions of internal linking between citations and footnotes, forward and backward links to cited articles using DOIs and Open URLs and make the scholar/patron's efforts much more fruitful.
Dewey Meets Turing
I didn't know that the idea of modern digital libraries stretched back to the early 1990's, I thought that it was a more recent idea. His point about the metaphorical struggle between metadata and algorithms was interesting and still true to some extent.
I really liked Lynch's clear explanation of his idea of an institutional repository- I just wish he had provided it before the middle of the article. I also liked his suggestion that educational institutions make an effort to digitize some work of their students and faculty (like dissertations) and make them available. As ILL coordinator, I receive several requests for theses or dissertations daily. Many institutions do not lend the hard copies, so these requests have to be denied or purchased at a high cost. He mentioned MIT's dSpace. I had tried to use that several years ago when it must have been in its earliest form. I could never find anything that I needed, so I had seen look at the site in years. I followed the link provided in the article and the interface looks much better. I look forward to giving it another whirl.
Digital Libraries- Challenges and Influential Work
Our library has applied for a grant so that we may digitze and make accessible our large of collection of Southern Episcopal and Civil War History. I truly hope that it will go beyond just a collection of scanned images and documents. Granted our project is is much smaller than the projects profiled, but it is interesting to see those who went before. I truly hope that it will go beyond just a collection of scanned images and documents. I think we could incorporate a simpler version Mischo's mentions of internal linking between citations and footnotes, forward and backward links to cited articles using DOIs and Open URLs and make the scholar/patron's efforts much more fruitful.
Dewey Meets Turing
I didn't know that the idea of modern digital libraries stretched back to the early 1990's, I thought that it was a more recent idea. His point about the metaphorical struggle between metadata and algorithms was interesting and still true to some extent.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Link to my 2600 website
http://www.pitt.edu/~css33/
Thanks for your patience, guys and gals. We had a campus-wide Internet failure today that prevented me from posting my link for over from 9an this morning until now. It will not win any website beauty contests, but at least it works!
Cari
Thanks for your patience, guys and gals. We had a campus-wide Internet failure today that prevented me from posting my link for over from 9an this morning until now. It will not win any website beauty contests, but at least it works!
Cari
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Link to My Koha Virtual Shelf
I love books of ghost stories. These are just ten titles from a collection of over 200 titles. For the assignment, I tried to focus on Tennessee, but some encompass the whole South. Enjoy!
http://pitt5.opacwc.liblime.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?viewshelf=55
http://pitt5.opacwc.liblime.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-shelves.pl?viewshelf=55
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Comments on Week 8 Blog Posts (HTML)
http://mhsyoung.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-8-readingspersonal-muddiest-point.html?showComment=1224004140000#c3574286146545758334
http://monicalovelis2600discussion.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-8-readings.html?showComment=1224004620000#c5107739415388618112
http://stephaniec-lisblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-8-readings.html?showComment=1224004920000#c5330538768190370368
http://monicalovelis2600discussion.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-8-readings.html?showComment=1224004620000#c5107739415388618112
http://stephaniec-lisblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/week-8-readings.html?showComment=1224004920000#c5330538768190370368
Friday, October 10, 2008
HTML and Style Sheet Readings
HTML Tutorial/Cheatsheet
I have to admit that I have never created a web page from scratch. I thought this tutorial was thorough, yet not overwhelming and it did not take itself too seriously. (Welcome to the end of the Internet, anyone?) After completing the different chapters, I certainly have a new respect for web designers. I did as they suggested and clicked View and Source and was amazed to see how much code was necessary to create the tutorial! I can just see myself flipping back and forth from my page editor to the cheat sheet to see what individual bits of code that I needed to use? "Now, how do I create blue text again?" I would probably only be able to get my name and address down with maybe a picture before giving up at the tediousness of the process. Perhaps it only appears tedious when you are not used to it? I am spoiled by the fact that Blogger creates the workings of my blog for me and I can rely on SiteMason to do the behind-the-scenes work for my electronic subject guides. The cheat sheet made for a nice concise reference displayed all on one page. Once you were more familiar with the terms and code discussed in the tutorials, it would be easy to refer back only to this sheet.
Style Sheets
I thought this tutorial was interesting but a bit over my head. I do believe that it will make more sense once I become more familiar with basic html. It should make it a bit simpler, especially the fact that you can make apply changes to all of your web pages by only editing one sheet.
Georgia State Paper
Our reference team is currently in the process of creating all new subject guides, so this article was very timely. It was great to read about their experience. This is the first time I have ever had to create a subject guide, so everything is new to me. I suppose we are using a commercial product to design ours. It is rather limited in the way you can design the pages, but it is very good at making it easy for all of your pages to look the same. The templates are web-based, so we can each log in at our leisure to make changes to our pages. The program makes it as simple as editing a Word document. I believe that we do have some sort of "gatekeeper" in place that we have to notify when we are finished editing and our pages are ready to go live.
I have to admit that I have never created a web page from scratch. I thought this tutorial was thorough, yet not overwhelming and it did not take itself too seriously. (Welcome to the end of the Internet, anyone?) After completing the different chapters, I certainly have a new respect for web designers. I did as they suggested and clicked View and Source and was amazed to see how much code was necessary to create the tutorial! I can just see myself flipping back and forth from my page editor to the cheat sheet to see what individual bits of code that I needed to use? "Now, how do I create blue text again?" I would probably only be able to get my name and address down with maybe a picture before giving up at the tediousness of the process. Perhaps it only appears tedious when you are not used to it? I am spoiled by the fact that Blogger creates the workings of my blog for me and I can rely on SiteMason to do the behind-the-scenes work for my electronic subject guides. The cheat sheet made for a nice concise reference displayed all on one page. Once you were more familiar with the terms and code discussed in the tutorials, it would be easy to refer back only to this sheet.
Style Sheets
I thought this tutorial was interesting but a bit over my head. I do believe that it will make more sense once I become more familiar with basic html. It should make it a bit simpler, especially the fact that you can make apply changes to all of your web pages by only editing one sheet.
Georgia State Paper
Our reference team is currently in the process of creating all new subject guides, so this article was very timely. It was great to read about their experience. This is the first time I have ever had to create a subject guide, so everything is new to me. I suppose we are using a commercial product to design ours. It is rather limited in the way you can design the pages, but it is very good at making it easy for all of your pages to look the same. The templates are web-based, so we can each log in at our leisure to make changes to our pages. The program makes it as simple as editing a Word document. I believe that we do have some sort of "gatekeeper" in place that we have to notify when we are finished editing and our pages are ready to go live.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Link to Jing Things
Video Link
I apologize that the audio is non-existent, I was having microphone troubles. I hope you can at least get the idea of the coolness and ease-of-use of Roadfood.com.
http://www.screencast.com/users/bookslinger/folders/Jing/media/e67420dd-622c-41ce-8a5b-68a2cac68e11
Flickr Links (If the text on the screen captures is too hard to read, try clicking the "All Sizes" button to see a bigger image.
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2920502642/sizes/o/in/set-72157607808939885/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2919679997/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2920530384/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2919700559/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2919708211/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2920565746/sizes/o/in/photostream/
I apologize that the audio is non-existent, I was having microphone troubles. I hope you can at least get the idea of the coolness and ease-of-use of Roadfood.com.
http://www.screencast.com/users/bookslinger/folders/Jing/media/e67420dd-622c-41ce-8a5b-68a2cac68e11
Flickr Links (If the text on the screen captures is too hard to read, try clicking the "All Sizes" button to see a bigger image.
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2920502642/sizes/o/in/set-72157607808939885/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2919679997/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2920530384/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2919700559/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2919708211/sizes/o/in/photostream/
http://flickr.com/photos/9986600@N08/2920565746/sizes/o/in/photostream/
Friday, October 3, 2008
Infrastructure and I want to work at Google!
How Internet Infrastructure Works
I thought this was a an informative, yet concise article. I knew most of the basic information already, but it was nice to have a reminder. Even though I have a basic understanding of how it works, it still blows my mind that I am able to chat with a friend from South Africa! How can the information possibly travel that far, that fast!
Dismantling Integrated Library Systems
This article seemed to be rather bleak. At our library we have had to piece together different programs from different vendors in order to be able to offer the services we want. I don't know what I would do without our Journal Finder and Article Linker! For those of you who are not familiar, you type the name of a journal in the Journal Finder and it lists every database that we subscribe to that covers that particular journal. It also provides a link to the print journals or micro form records in our catalog if available. The Article Linker then takes over and takes you to the full-text of your article if we have it. The service also works with Google and Google Scholar. Pretty cool. Speaking about "homegrown" versions, I saw a proprietary software developed and demonstrated by UNC-Greensboro last year. First, you typed an item into their catalog search - if they only had a print copy it would immediately give you the call number and show you a map of the library with the location of the item marked, if it was available electronically, it would immediately take you to the full-text of the article. If neither version was available, then an already filled-out ILL form would appear. All of this would happen with one search, you did not have to click several times. It was great! I don't know if they had problems linking it to their established circulation software, but I really admired their initiative!
Google Video
It seems like a really nifty place to work. I really like the idea of the 20% rule! Plus, I just know that I would be even MORE productive if I had all four of my dogs at work with me. I remember hearing about Froogle once upon a time, but I don't know if it ever took off. This was the first time I had ever heard of Orkut. Perhaps it did not work out as well as they hoped, either?
Muddiest Point
This is a little strange for a muddiest point, but it is something that I find frustrating. I have only been able to see some of this week's lecture so I don't know if this was discussed in more detail. I tried to stay ahead of the game and downloaded the required software programs before classes began. Skype was one of them. I have never used it before. However, I want to know how safe it is. Nearly every day, when I open my computer I have several Skype "messages" waiting for me. All of them are creepily soliticous in nature asking me to "view my pics" or "be my friend". Is this type of Skype spam normal and is there a way to stop it?
I thought this was a an informative, yet concise article. I knew most of the basic information already, but it was nice to have a reminder. Even though I have a basic understanding of how it works, it still blows my mind that I am able to chat with a friend from South Africa! How can the information possibly travel that far, that fast!
Dismantling Integrated Library Systems
This article seemed to be rather bleak. At our library we have had to piece together different programs from different vendors in order to be able to offer the services we want. I don't know what I would do without our Journal Finder and Article Linker! For those of you who are not familiar, you type the name of a journal in the Journal Finder and it lists every database that we subscribe to that covers that particular journal. It also provides a link to the print journals or micro form records in our catalog if available. The Article Linker then takes over and takes you to the full-text of your article if we have it. The service also works with Google and Google Scholar. Pretty cool. Speaking about "homegrown" versions, I saw a proprietary software developed and demonstrated by UNC-Greensboro last year. First, you typed an item into their catalog search - if they only had a print copy it would immediately give you the call number and show you a map of the library with the location of the item marked, if it was available electronically, it would immediately take you to the full-text of the article. If neither version was available, then an already filled-out ILL form would appear. All of this would happen with one search, you did not have to click several times. It was great! I don't know if they had problems linking it to their established circulation software, but I really admired their initiative!
Google Video
It seems like a really nifty place to work. I really like the idea of the 20% rule! Plus, I just know that I would be even MORE productive if I had all four of my dogs at work with me. I remember hearing about Froogle once upon a time, but I don't know if it ever took off. This was the first time I had ever heard of Orkut. Perhaps it did not work out as well as they hoped, either?
Muddiest Point
This is a little strange for a muddiest point, but it is something that I find frustrating. I have only been able to see some of this week's lecture so I don't know if this was discussed in more detail. I tried to stay ahead of the game and downloaded the required software programs before classes began. Skype was one of them. I have never used it before. However, I want to know how safe it is. Nearly every day, when I open my computer I have several Skype "messages" waiting for me. All of them are creepily soliticous in nature asking me to "view my pics" or "be my friend". Is this type of Skype spam normal and is there a way to stop it?
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Comments Left for RFID Readings
Friday, September 26, 2008
Reading Notes- Networks an RFID
Networks
I was already somewhat familiar with the terms Campus Area Networks and Local Area Networks. (Mainly when we receive word from the IT dept. that they have failed. But this was the first time I had heard of WAN's, GAN's, MAN's and all the rest of the "AN's". Intranet and Internet were, obviously, familiar, but not Extranet. Some of the hardware components were familiar (routers, hubs), but the only time I hear about the others is when I am on the phone with tech support and they are trying to walk me through a problem fix. I also found it interesting that "Ethernet" is actually a patented name. I simply thought it was a generic term. I also didn't know that basic networks were around as early as 1970. Interesting.
RFID
When my library wanted to introduce a self-check out station, we thought about using RFID tags as a security measure. In our current setup, the patron would be able to use self-checkout but then would still have to come to the service desk to have their material de-sensitized. (We could just imagine how many VHS tapes and books on cassette would be erased if we left it up to the patrons to remember what desensitizer can be used for what item). RFID tags would remove this step. However our current security gates are not compatible with RFID. When we calculated the costs of giving all our items RFID tags and then buying new security gates, the cost was just prohibitive. So, now we have self check-out and are still working on the security situation. I didn't realize until I read the article that RFID has such wide-ranging uses for inventory purposes. The fact that you can track an item around the library is nifty and just a little creepy. For inventory it would be great! For privacy, not so much.
Muddiest Point
I am still a little unclear about the way RFID works. The article touched on the fact that it uses electromagnetic fields. I have not heard the lecture yet, so I apologize if this was answered. Does this field have an effect on items such as VHS tapes and other magnetic-type materials? Will it damage them?
I was already somewhat familiar with the terms Campus Area Networks and Local Area Networks. (Mainly when we receive word from the IT dept. that they have failed. But this was the first time I had heard of WAN's, GAN's, MAN's and all the rest of the "AN's". Intranet and Internet were, obviously, familiar, but not Extranet. Some of the hardware components were familiar (routers, hubs), but the only time I hear about the others is when I am on the phone with tech support and they are trying to walk me through a problem fix. I also found it interesting that "Ethernet" is actually a patented name. I simply thought it was a generic term. I also didn't know that basic networks were around as early as 1970. Interesting.
RFID
When my library wanted to introduce a self-check out station, we thought about using RFID tags as a security measure. In our current setup, the patron would be able to use self-checkout but then would still have to come to the service desk to have their material de-sensitized. (We could just imagine how many VHS tapes and books on cassette would be erased if we left it up to the patrons to remember what desensitizer can be used for what item). RFID tags would remove this step. However our current security gates are not compatible with RFID. When we calculated the costs of giving all our items RFID tags and then buying new security gates, the cost was just prohibitive. So, now we have self check-out and are still working on the security situation. I didn't realize until I read the article that RFID has such wide-ranging uses for inventory purposes. The fact that you can track an item around the library is nifty and just a little creepy. For inventory it would be great! For privacy, not so much.
Muddiest Point
I am still a little unclear about the way RFID works. The article touched on the fact that it uses electromagnetic fields. I have not heard the lecture yet, so I apologize if this was answered. Does this field have an effect on items such as VHS tapes and other magnetic-type materials? Will it damage them?
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Provided Help on Blog Discussion Page
Answered Evelyn McCarthy's call for help on Flickr Assignment that was posted on Sept. 19th on the "Blogs" Discussion Board.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Reading Notes for Database Management Unit
Data Compression-Wikipedia and DVD-HQ
I thought these were both pretty straightforward explanations of topics I knew really nothing about before. I knew what compression was but the "hows" were pretty much a mystery.
Historic Pittsburgh
What a great project! I thought this was a great real-life example of digitization and the use of metadata. It certainly made it easier to understand than a standard technical explanation. Our library is currently seeking a grant to fund a large digitization project. We want to encourage access to our large collection of Civil War and Episcopal Church history. The seeming success of this project would could certainly be an impetus for what we are trying to do. On a personal note, for someone who loves pictures of old bridges, this is a great find!!
YouTube and the Library
This is a project that is close to my heart. We would love to incorporate videos as part of our library instruction. We hope to work with our Film Studies students to create engaging videos to illustrate the answers to some of our most asked questions at the reference desk. Such as, "How do I look up a reserve item?". We would then use the videos in instruction classes as well as linking our website to YouTube.
Muddiest Point
Will our technology advance enough that compression will be unnecessary for the average computer user?
I thought these were both pretty straightforward explanations of topics I knew really nothing about before. I knew what compression was but the "hows" were pretty much a mystery.
Historic Pittsburgh
What a great project! I thought this was a great real-life example of digitization and the use of metadata. It certainly made it easier to understand than a standard technical explanation. Our library is currently seeking a grant to fund a large digitization project. We want to encourage access to our large collection of Civil War and Episcopal Church history. The seeming success of this project would could certainly be an impetus for what we are trying to do. On a personal note, for someone who loves pictures of old bridges, this is a great find!!
YouTube and the Library
This is a project that is close to my heart. We would love to incorporate videos as part of our library instruction. We hope to work with our Film Studies students to create engaging videos to illustrate the answers to some of our most asked questions at the reference desk. Such as, "How do I look up a reserve item?". We would then use the videos in instruction classes as well as linking our website to YouTube.
Muddiest Point
Will our technology advance enough that compression will be unnecessary for the average computer user?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Comments Left on Discussion Boards
Left comment on General Discussions Board under "2 Questions" thread-09/09/08
Friday, September 5, 2008
Notes on Week 3 Readings
Digitization: Is It Worth It?
In my experience? A resounding, "Yes!" For the access it offers, for the preservation capabilities, I say Yes! Yes! Yes! However, I have to temper this enthusiasm with the admission that I have only experienced the positive aspects of digitization in the academic library arena. I have been on the take with none of the give. As a Interlibrary Loan librarian , I have fielded many a request for antique and rare items. In the past, my queries nearly always ended in disappointment for the patron. Few libraries owned them, even fewer had copies that could scanned (much less loaned), and often by the time I had made all the queries the patron no longer had need for the item. Then came Google Books. In the past month alone I have been able to satisfy the research needs of two faculty members with the help of Google. They needed texts from 1877 and 1906, both of which I found in Google Books, and I all had to do was pass along a URL.
I do think the Lee does raise some valid points, but I don't see how they could possibly negate the obvious advantages. For example, the costs of undertaking such a project. Our library just announced in the past couple of days that we plan on digitizing a few major collections in our archives. The costs could reach upwards of $300,000 for personnel, equipment, etc. We plan to offset most of this with a grant. In the end, I believe a large number of scholars and other interested parties will benefit from our work. If donors are then attracted by such a high-profile project(and in my experience they usually are- if there is a perm. nameplate involved), then all the better.
Herald Tribune Article
This was an interesting article, but certain aspects left me a bit puzzled. Jean-Noel Jeanneney's (the former head of the Bibliotheque Nationale) comment about America's crushing domination struck me as a bit alarmist. Why would partnering with an American company endanger future generations view of the world? I did not believe that when Google partners with a library that it is Google that dictates what will be scanned. Doesn't the burden/ opportunity to decide what materials to present to the world ultimately rest on the library? If I am missing something, I would love to know. Please share your thoughts.
A Few Thoughts on the Google Books Project
After reading the very first line of this article, I thought I would get some sort of contrast to my Pollyanna-positive experience with Google Books. However, Smith never explains to my satisfaction from where the "unease" stems. I agreed wholeheartedly with most of his article. However, the lack of negatives led me to search further to uncover some of the problems folks had with Google Books. I ran across a few after a cursory Internet search. It appears that some people think that Google is not maintaing enough quality control. Quality is being lost for the sake of quantity. Pages are poorly scanned or skipped entirely. Sometimes the meta data (descriptions) of the material was wrong. One blogger mentioned a book that was listed by Google Books as being published in 1953, thus putting it outside of copyright and offering only a snippet view. A closer examination revealed that this particular volume was actually published in 1917, thus making it part of the public domain and the full-text should have been available. Another blogger added that by law copyright does not apply to US govt. documents. However, Google only offered snippet or limited views of several government documents. The points do not severely diminish my positive experiences, but it was nice to get a different perspective.
Muddiest Point
I don't really have a muddiest point this week as much as a blown-away brain. I just can't believe how fast our technology is moving. I had no idea that a hertz was in its simplest form was still lightning fast. Amazing!
In my experience? A resounding, "Yes!" For the access it offers, for the preservation capabilities, I say Yes! Yes! Yes! However, I have to temper this enthusiasm with the admission that I have only experienced the positive aspects of digitization in the academic library arena. I have been on the take with none of the give. As a Interlibrary Loan librarian , I have fielded many a request for antique and rare items. In the past, my queries nearly always ended in disappointment for the patron. Few libraries owned them, even fewer had copies that could scanned (much less loaned), and often by the time I had made all the queries the patron no longer had need for the item. Then came Google Books. In the past month alone I have been able to satisfy the research needs of two faculty members with the help of Google. They needed texts from 1877 and 1906, both of which I found in Google Books, and I all had to do was pass along a URL.
I do think the Lee does raise some valid points, but I don't see how they could possibly negate the obvious advantages. For example, the costs of undertaking such a project. Our library just announced in the past couple of days that we plan on digitizing a few major collections in our archives. The costs could reach upwards of $300,000 for personnel, equipment, etc. We plan to offset most of this with a grant. In the end, I believe a large number of scholars and other interested parties will benefit from our work. If donors are then attracted by such a high-profile project(and in my experience they usually are- if there is a perm. nameplate involved), then all the better.
Herald Tribune Article
This was an interesting article, but certain aspects left me a bit puzzled. Jean-Noel Jeanneney's (the former head of the Bibliotheque Nationale) comment about America's crushing domination struck me as a bit alarmist. Why would partnering with an American company endanger future generations view of the world? I did not believe that when Google partners with a library that it is Google that dictates what will be scanned. Doesn't the burden/ opportunity to decide what materials to present to the world ultimately rest on the library? If I am missing something, I would love to know. Please share your thoughts.
A Few Thoughts on the Google Books Project
After reading the very first line of this article, I thought I would get some sort of contrast to my Pollyanna-positive experience with Google Books. However, Smith never explains to my satisfaction from where the "unease" stems. I agreed wholeheartedly with most of his article. However, the lack of negatives led me to search further to uncover some of the problems folks had with Google Books. I ran across a few after a cursory Internet search. It appears that some people think that Google is not maintaing enough quality control. Quality is being lost for the sake of quantity. Pages are poorly scanned or skipped entirely. Sometimes the meta data (descriptions) of the material was wrong. One blogger mentioned a book that was listed by Google Books as being published in 1953, thus putting it outside of copyright and offering only a snippet view. A closer examination revealed that this particular volume was actually published in 1917, thus making it part of the public domain and the full-text should have been available. Another blogger added that by law copyright does not apply to US govt. documents. However, Google only offered snippet or limited views of several government documents. The points do not severely diminish my positive experiences, but it was nice to get a different perspective.
Muddiest Point
I don't really have a muddiest point this week as much as a blown-away brain. I just can't believe how fast our technology is moving. I had no idea that a hertz was in its simplest form was still lightning fast. Amazing!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Comments for Week 1 Readings
Lied Library Article
I am a reference librarian and interlibrary loan coordinator for an academic library at a small, rural liberal arts college. We also serve as a community library for a seven-county region. We have shared many of the same problems and successes as the Lied Library, albeit on a much smaller scale. After countless amounts of staff time was spent each day removing items such as downloaded software and custom wallpaper (too many embarrassing student photos), we recently purchased Deepfreeze-esque software to reset our PC's each evening. It has worked great so far. Our next major item to tackle is print management. We are currently HEMORRHAGING paper and toner and copious amounts of staff time is currently needed to coddle an aging printer population. After much experimentation with ideas such as fewer (yet higher-capacity) printers, print-management software seems they way to go. However, the cost of this software continues to be a barrier. We are also trying to find ways to balance the needs of our university and community patrons. As soon as the local elementary and middle school bells ring in the afternoon, we become overrun with game-playing adolescents. The in-house software developed by UNLV to show the location of available computers, and whether that user is a university person or a community resident, etc. is intriguing. However, it seems it could easy develop into something a little too Big Brother.
OCLC Content, Not Containers
In some ways I would qualify as a format agnostic. My mix-tape approach to musical enjoyment has led me to nearly forsake cd's in favor of iTunes. I give as much (or more) weight to certain online resources as I do their cousins in print. The one item mentioned in the OCLC article that continues to give me pause is e-books. I truly have a love/hate relationship with them as do, it seems, many of my patrons. In my experience, many patrons understand that there are intrinsic aspects of print materials that limit their availability and ease of use. Electronic materials can be free from some of these limitations. Before they actually use an e-book, these same patrons view e-books as having all the benefits of electronic materials (such as journal articles) with none of the limitations of print materials. They are usually disappointed. If we only have one copy of a particular print book on reserve and it is checked out, they will just come back later. No problem. If they cannot access an e-book because another patron has it checked-out virtually, they do not understand why. The same goes for printing. If you need to copy a couple of pages from a print book, you understand that it will take a bit of time to copy it page by page. However, the copyright limitations for our e-books also only allow the patron to print one page at a time. That is considered frustrating and irritating. I have had more than a few patrons simply request an print copy of an available e-book through ILL rather than bother with it. ILL has also allowed me to experience the "love" side of this equation. There has been several instances where Google Books has saved me when a patron requests a copy of an old, obscure item. I simply send them the link to the full-text of the (out-of copyright) item and they are thrilled. We both love the immediate availability, ease of use, searchability of these texts. Plus, they are free! What librarian would not love that?!
As an aside, some of the terms this article provided in the "The New Vocabulary" section of this article were completely foreign to me. Fleshmet, anyone?
Clifford Lynch Article
I agree with Lynch's opinion that too much emphasis has been placed on a learning exeperience that results only in the acquistition of a new skill-set. Even though the article is ten years old, I find it even more relevant today than when it was authored. The "pervasive" technology he talked about has grown exponentially as has our reliance on it.
It also appears that the higher-ups at my current institution also agree with Mr. Lynch. The research instruction I provide to our library patrons varies greatly from that which I received as an undergraduate.
I am a reference librarian and interlibrary loan coordinator for an academic library at a small, rural liberal arts college. We also serve as a community library for a seven-county region. We have shared many of the same problems and successes as the Lied Library, albeit on a much smaller scale. After countless amounts of staff time was spent each day removing items such as downloaded software and custom wallpaper (too many embarrassing student photos), we recently purchased Deepfreeze-esque software to reset our PC's each evening. It has worked great so far. Our next major item to tackle is print management. We are currently HEMORRHAGING paper and toner and copious amounts of staff time is currently needed to coddle an aging printer population. After much experimentation with ideas such as fewer (yet higher-capacity) printers, print-management software seems they way to go. However, the cost of this software continues to be a barrier. We are also trying to find ways to balance the needs of our university and community patrons. As soon as the local elementary and middle school bells ring in the afternoon, we become overrun with game-playing adolescents. The in-house software developed by UNLV to show the location of available computers, and whether that user is a university person or a community resident, etc. is intriguing. However, it seems it could easy develop into something a little too Big Brother.
OCLC Content, Not Containers
In some ways I would qualify as a format agnostic. My mix-tape approach to musical enjoyment has led me to nearly forsake cd's in favor of iTunes. I give as much (or more) weight to certain online resources as I do their cousins in print. The one item mentioned in the OCLC article that continues to give me pause is e-books. I truly have a love/hate relationship with them as do, it seems, many of my patrons. In my experience, many patrons understand that there are intrinsic aspects of print materials that limit their availability and ease of use. Electronic materials can be free from some of these limitations. Before they actually use an e-book, these same patrons view e-books as having all the benefits of electronic materials (such as journal articles) with none of the limitations of print materials. They are usually disappointed. If we only have one copy of a particular print book on reserve and it is checked out, they will just come back later. No problem. If they cannot access an e-book because another patron has it checked-out virtually, they do not understand why. The same goes for printing. If you need to copy a couple of pages from a print book, you understand that it will take a bit of time to copy it page by page. However, the copyright limitations for our e-books also only allow the patron to print one page at a time. That is considered frustrating and irritating. I have had more than a few patrons simply request an print copy of an available e-book through ILL rather than bother with it. ILL has also allowed me to experience the "love" side of this equation. There has been several instances where Google Books has saved me when a patron requests a copy of an old, obscure item. I simply send them the link to the full-text of the (out-of copyright) item and they are thrilled. We both love the immediate availability, ease of use, searchability of these texts. Plus, they are free! What librarian would not love that?!
As an aside, some of the terms this article provided in the "The New Vocabulary" section of this article were completely foreign to me. Fleshmet, anyone?
Clifford Lynch Article
I agree with Lynch's opinion that too much emphasis has been placed on a learning exeperience that results only in the acquistition of a new skill-set. Even though the article is ten years old, I find it even more relevant today than when it was authored. The "pervasive" technology he talked about has grown exponentially as has our reliance on it.
It also appears that the higher-ups at my current institution also agree with Mr. Lynch. The research instruction I provide to our library patrons varies greatly from that which I received as an undergraduate.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Comments for Week 2 Readings
Computer Hardware Wikipedia Entry:
Overall this was a pretty concise overview of computer hardware basics. While I was familiar with a majority of the terms, I did have a couple of "so that's what that means" moments. I thought the section that offered simple explanations for "Removable Media Devices" was particularly effective.
Moore's Law Wikipedia Entry:
The authors of this entry could take a few lessons in streamlining from the authors of the Computer Hardware Entry. It was SO, so dense. I found the basic premise of Moore's Law to be fairly straightforward. However, you would never know it from the glut of information that was included. It is an entry in dire need of a few pared-down paragraphs and a "for a more in-depth explanation" link. Thank goodness for the Scientific American video! Ms. Nicholson's little paper-folding exercise was ten (or more) times more effective than the Wikipedia offering.
Computer History Museum
Sadly, this was the first I had heard of the Computer History Museum. Their website with its wealth of online content was quite engaging. I really appreciate those museums websites that give you more than just the barest taste of their in-house exhibits. The collection of oral histories was something that really piqued my interest. Do you think they would be interested in my wistful remembrances of afternoons spent in the 5th grade playing Oregon Trail on a ginormous Macintosh?
Muddiest Point
I had no problem understanding the points and topics covered in the lecture video. It is a simple due date that gives me pause. I am still not completely sure that the above postings are correct for the Friday deadline. But, based on other blog entries I have read, I think this is the muddiest Muddiest point for several of us.
Overall this was a pretty concise overview of computer hardware basics. While I was familiar with a majority of the terms, I did have a couple of "so that's what that means" moments. I thought the section that offered simple explanations for "Removable Media Devices" was particularly effective.
Moore's Law Wikipedia Entry:
The authors of this entry could take a few lessons in streamlining from the authors of the Computer Hardware Entry. It was SO, so dense. I found the basic premise of Moore's Law to be fairly straightforward. However, you would never know it from the glut of information that was included. It is an entry in dire need of a few pared-down paragraphs and a "for a more in-depth explanation" link. Thank goodness for the Scientific American video! Ms. Nicholson's little paper-folding exercise was ten (or more) times more effective than the Wikipedia offering.
Computer History Museum
Sadly, this was the first I had heard of the Computer History Museum. Their website with its wealth of online content was quite engaging. I really appreciate those museums websites that give you more than just the barest taste of their in-house exhibits. The collection of oral histories was something that really piqued my interest. Do you think they would be interested in my wistful remembrances of afternoons spent in the 5th grade playing Oregon Trail on a ginormous Macintosh?
Muddiest Point
I had no problem understanding the points and topics covered in the lecture video. It is a simple due date that gives me pause. I am still not completely sure that the above postings are correct for the Friday deadline. But, based on other blog entries I have read, I think this is the muddiest Muddiest point for several of us.
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