Week 14 - Muddy

So ... I've seen a few episodes of Law & Order this week where investigators have been temporarily thwarted by not being able to access online chats because they are not saved in memory. Is there anything to this? I know that a tool like Gmail Chat can "archive" the chats and that might be problematic, but what about programs that don't archive, or have that function turned off?

Week 14: Organizational Computing, Cloud Computing, and the Future

1- 2. Gruman and Norr, "What Cloud Computing Really Means" and "Explaining Cloud Computing"

The Info World article appears to nail this one: cloud computing seems to be a buzz concept. Though I'm not underestimating how useful cloud computing can be, I see it as another piece of the pie - not a new pie.

While the Explaining Computers video does a fine job of ... uh ... explaining this, another Info World article is also helpful in understanding the concept.

3. The Future of Libraries: Beginning the Great Transformation

Well ... this stuff is fun to think about sometimes ... While the wholesale disappearance of literacy is something I cannot agree with, a changing literacy is. In a similar article in the New York Times Magazine, Wired "maverick" Kevin Kelly discusses the transition to "screen literacy" which itself shares many of the same characteristics and functions with what he considers traditional "textual literacy." In other words, the basic principles in how we communicate through text are still pertinent to how we communicate visually - but the technology has changed and there are still hurdles to overcoming the unique demands of "screen literacy."

What I quite like about Frey's predictions are his emphasis that libraries should explore "creative spaces" and provide access to more hand-on, studio-type activities and his emphasis on preserving local history. To me, these are two major holes left by information technology that libraries should fill in order to remain relevant physical institutions. Of course, this comes with increased outreach and interaction on the part of library staff - another suggestion I would make if writing this article.

One last consideration here is thinking beyond our need for any technology to communicate. At what point can our physiology or power of cognition adapt to communicate telepathically or to meld with technology. For further consideration, see below:

Videodrome (1983)

Dark City (1998)

Long live the new flesh ...

Week 11 Comments

here and here

Week 11 - Digital Library - Institutional Repositories

1. Mischo, W. (July/August 2005). Digital Libraries: challenges and influential work. D-Lib Magazine. 11(7/8).

An interesting review of how these technologies have evolved ... perhaps the most telling point in this article is the amount of standards developed outside of federally-funded research projects. The line between the academy and popular or business development is always a blurry one when it comes to technological development as advancement gets absorbed by the marketplace.

2. Paepcke, A. et al. (July/August 2005). Dewey meets Turing: librarians, computer scientists and the digital libraries initiative. D-Lib Magazine. 11(7/8).

While reading this piece, I couldn't help but recall our discussions of The Social Life of Information in our other courses. The discussion of how librarians had to "humanize" technology - and get over technophobe anxiety - is especially indicative of this. More importantly, though, is the general relationship of the institutions of THE LIBRARY and COMPUTER SCIENCE and how this seemingly wasn't as prominent? If that is what the authors are arguing I would disagree that this relationship is something that happened in 1994 due to the DL projects. I have the impression that libraries, especially in the the late 20th century, have been involved in offering new technologies to their communities. Does anyone else feel this way?

3. Lynch, Clifford A. "Institutional Repositories: Essential Infrastructure for Scholarship in the Digital Age" ARL, no. 226 (February 2003): 1-7.

I was particularly drawn to what the author sees as failures of institutions to disseminate knowledge. While working as a research assistant for a faculty member in another program, I ran up against the issue of "lost" articles that she and other scholars had written in the '70s and '80s. In some cases, her personal filing cabinet was more efficient than the university databases in tracking down specific types of subject matter and sources. The uneven nature of dissemination and preservation was very evident.

Week 10 Comments

available here and here and here

Assignment 6 - Web page

The Committee Online is available here

Muddiest Point - Week Nine

The class lecture on XML - with all of the examples - helped me a good bit, but for this week I'll just say that XML is a big muddy point that I need to work through by using it.

I guess in general, it seems this is useful for applying to databases, what else are useful applications for it?

Week 10 - Web Search and OAI Protocol

1. David Hawking , Web Search Engines: Part 1 and Part 2 IEEE Computer, June 2006.
Very nice, simple articles providing an overview to web searching here ... In the first part, I was interested in mechanics of crawling. It all makes sense given the size of the web. I am particularly pleased by the idea of "politeness" because ... well ... it's just nice to be polite. Part II discusses many of the details behind indexing. Even in this simplified form, the intricacies of indexing appear really tedious. Again the amount of tools needed to harness the web is large, but not surprisingly so.

2. Shreeves, S. L., Habing, T. O., Hagedorn, K., & Young, J. A. (2005). Current developments and future trends for the OAI protocol for metadata harvesting. Library Trends, 53(4), 576-589.
Although this article is a few years old, it seems that I would be hesitant to begin adopting the OAI protocols until the dust settles. As the authors point out, there seem to be (big, in my opinion) gaps in the registry. I am interested to find out what's happened in the three years since this publication.

3. MICHAEL K. BERGMAN, “The Deep Web: Surfacing Hidden Value”
Bergman's seafaring analogy for the deep web conjures images of The Abyss and makes this vast amount of information an undiscovered territory. His investigation into what constitutes a "deep web" site is equally fascinating - and somewhat alarming. His observation of the increasing growth of the "deep web" make me wonder how web searching will change to accommodate this growth.

Week 9 Comments

Here

and Here

Week 9 - XML

1. An Introduction to XML
OK ... I haven't felt that the material so far has been over my head until this week. I have zero experience using XML and struggle a little with the basic premise of it. It's not a template or pre-defined set of tags, but is used to identify components of documents by identifying the smaller parts that make them up ... Alright, so it seems XML is used to transport data, not display it? I hope these other readings make the concept of XML clearer for me.

2. A Survey of XML Standards
Yeah, no, this did very little for me. What I get from this is that as technologies develop and become more prevalent, standards develop. In the case of this article and XML, I'm not exactly sure what these standards mean.

3. Bergholz, Andre, "Extending Your Markup: An XML Tutorial" IEEE Computing, July/Aug. (2000)), 74-79.
A-ha! It's beginning to coalesce. The examples of code here really help. So, it seems here that we can consider XSL a template?

4. XML Schema Tutorial
And, I'm buried again ... I'm going to trick or treat and come back to this business ...

Week 8 Comments

found here and here

Assignment 5

Assignment 5 is here

Week 8 Readings

1. W3schools HTML Tutorial Not much to comment on here, except how simple basic publishing can be ... every time you get stuck, look up a site like this and figure out how to do stuff. In the words of Dr. Steve Brule: "So go make some computer technologies of your own. Get out of the house and go do it!"

FOR YOUR TECHNOLOGY

2.HTML Cheatsheet: anyone else not able to access this or find it otherwise. Please comment if you found it.

3. W3schools CSS Tutorial
Again, a nice reference ... I've never used CSS, but for me the trick is to just jump in and ignore the pages upon pages of language. Rather, I like to refer to specific portions of the guide as I need them and eventually hope that I pick up a working knowledge for what I need.

4. Goans, D., Leach, G., & Vogel, T. M. (2006). Beyond HTML: Developing and re-imagining library web guides in a content management system. Library Hi Tech, 24(1), 29-53.
Here we can see the benefit of laying out a CMS in order to shift time and effort away from mastering programming language to preparing more meaningful content ... or at least saving time with the original content. I also appreciate the section on what kinds of options exist for CMSs - out-of-the-box, in-house, open source, etc. This is obviously important given the multitude of institutions, their needs, and their financial means.

Assignment 4 - Jing

Jing video for creating an iTunes playlist is here, apologies for not being able to integrate sound ...
Flickr images for capturing DVD stills are below:
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5

Week 7 - Internet and WWW

How Internet Infrastructure Works

I like this site and think it provides pretty clear instructions of ... uh ... how stuff works. This is no exception and serves as a good primer for learning about internet structure. My question here in thinking about the "networks of networks" is the size of one of the big ISPs (Time Warner, AT&T, etc.) and how they are divided. Are there regional networks inside their national networks? I guess so, since when things go down, it isn't a nation-wide crisis, but would like to see how this breaks down nonetheless. Another observation here is direct fiber optic connections to the home/business and how long before that infrastructure is built up. Even in rural southwest Ohio, a company I used to work for could access a small fiber optic network via receiving a beam from the provider, but it wasn't a direct, hard, connection - and, accordingly had problems.

Andrew K. Pace. „Dismantling Integrated Library Systems“ Library Journal, vol 129 Issue 2, p34-36. 2/1/2004

It isn't too surprising to learn about the increase of third party software and add-ons to ILS development. Even in a profession as seemingly cohesive as the libraries, gradations of goals and profiles exist leaving each library in need of customized products, not just a one-stop-shop right out of a box. The trick is creating a market infrastructure to support this model.

Sergey Brin and Larry Page discuss Google back in 2004.

First, I'm wondering what has changed in the past 3-4 years at Google?
This video presentation is interesting in terms of getting a peek at how Google operates as a corporate structure and how immense it is. Most amusing is the simplicity of their search as evidenced by the example of the teenage blogger. Otherwise, I'm not sure how much I learned about how Google works in this presentation.

Assignment 3

available here

Week 6 Comments

here and here

Week 5 Muddies Point

How long does it take for an organization to endorse a new format - say archival photo format? I'm sure the answer includes some variation of "it depends" but am asking nonetheless ...

Week 6 Readings - Computer Networks

1. LAN
Not really sure how much there is for me to say here … LANs have proven useful for me since the days of playing Doom co-op (stop laughing), through my nearly daily use of VPN to access library materials. A little more of an abstract thought: learning about the history of these technologies has been interesting, especially when there seems to be a big gap between when the technology is developed and when it becomes more ubiquitous. What else is down the pike for us “normal” users that’s already been used in some tech school or company?

2. Computer Network
Again, a good discussion of the nuts and bolts of networking … Here I’m most interested in the expanse of GANs and how we may be already using them. Any thoughts or suggestions here?

3. Frank Klein tells us about the common types of networks

Thanks, Frank.

4. Coyle, K. (2005). Management of RFID in libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(5), 486-489
Coyle raises some good points in her analysis of RFID use. ROI is always the a good starting point when considering a new technology – even in the library with all of its inherent difficulties determining ROI (including the “public good” aspect of the institution). The other detail I enjoyed was the mention of how to adapt the tag system for items such as musical scores or childrens' books. Sometimes details like these are much bigger nuisance than they originally seem to be.

Week 5 - Comments

Found here and here.

Assignment 2 - Flickr Photostream

Find the assignment here

Week 3 - Muddiest Point

Regarding our discussion of open source software, I am wondering if government-funded institutes would run into any resistance in wanting to use an open source integrated library system?

Comments - Week 4 Readings

Here

And here

Week 4 Readings - Information Organization

1) Defining "Database" on wikipedia
Admittedly I found it difficult to weed through the jargon here, but think I grasped the big picture. I can't help but consider the fragility of any database, but at the same time don't think that's an appropriate characterization. Given the immense nature of databases, I'm interested in how we negotiate an appropriate amount of error. Do any institutional recommendations for margin of error exist - or, maybe first, what auditing strategies exist for this purpose?


2) Introduction to Metadata by Anne J. Gilliland
In the conclusion her article, Gilliland emphasizes "carefully designed" metadata as being the important building block of information before offering suggestions for how to develop a good metadata base. Aside from the issue of time and resources, I wonder what other perils might result from over doing data tagging? In other words, does "careful design" imply a necessary balance needed between the amount of metadata for an object and the quality or precision of that metadata?

On a side note, do any international metadata standards exist?

3) An overview of the Dublin Core Data Model by Eric J. Miller

Well, I should look into completing all the reading before posting ... That said, I appreciate this article for giving an overview of the difficulties arriving at One True Standard - which, of course, does not and will never exist. This writing dates back to 1999, I'm curious how effective it has been worldwide.

Week 3 - Computer Software

Notes for this week's primary readings:

1) Linux History

This article elaborated on some basic Linux background, while simultaneously promoting the platform. For me, the most important aspect of this article is the importance of the user - in this case the user represented by the market. While I appreciate and get behind the ideals underpinning the Linux community, it will ultimately have to appeal to the desktop user. What will happen when a free software obtains a bigger portion of a commercial market?

2) Mac OS X

What I find most interesting about the History of Mac's OSes is how Apple has played with Unix platforms, Intel chips, and such. Though sexy, I am interested to see how much of the computer market Macs occupy ...

3) Windows

As a Windows user currently straddling the line between XP and Vista-64 (one on a desktop, the other on a laptop), I feel as though I understand and sympathize with the woes of transition. It's often a pain the ass to be frank. Yet, as I continue to hammer the point of market-value vs. technical value, I am curious as to how long Windows popularity will sustain? To use a car analogy (for better or worse), I think of this past quarter where Toyota finally outsold GM in the United States.

All for now ... please feel free to comment:

Week 1 Readings

I'm a bit stuck trying to communicate one distinct theme for this week's readings. The best I can come up with is "flux" as I think each of the authors make the point that nothing is static in the library field due to its ubiquitous reliance on technology. An ability to adapt and run with technological development, even to the point of projecting trends, is paramount to a library maintaining its relevance. It's a message that seem quaint, given even the few years since these specific subjects were written about. I guess having that feeling simply reinforces the point.

Some notes and thoughts:

1) "OCLC 2004 Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers"

On the continuum spanning from "Theory" to "Practice," this article sits between the other two required readings. I think the argument that being technologically adept is crucial to library relevance is presented in the foreground here as the OCLC speaks directly to librarians and information professionals and challenges them to consider ways to implement technology and technological uses found in the consumer sector.
I am especially interested in the emphasis that technology cannot be determined by its producers. The argument that users are empowered to appropriate technology for the needs that they deem necessary, through the consumer sector, is one that one that I believe information professionals must consider (even if to deny or disagree with their significance). We see in this week's other readings suggestions on how to respond to user needs.
One more point I'd like to discuss about this report concerns the importance of evaluation and how librarians have shifted (and will continue to shift) into roles as educators. The glut of "nonauthoritative" publishing and user-generated information, on top of the vastly expanding amount of more "legitimate" sources, requires education on the value of sources. Certainly, this isn't easy and I'm curious as to what you have to say about different types of information in different settings: when are wikis and blogs useful? In a general setting? In an academic setting? What about non-peer-reviewed academic work such as FlowTV where primarily professors and graduate students discuss in an online forum based on short articles? What information is useful to get a user started in the right direction, but not much else?

2) "Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture" by Clifford Lynch

Lynch's remarks also speak to the need for education, as he discusses the symbiotic relationship of Information Literacy (understanding structures of content) and Information Technology Literacy (understanding structures of technology). His position is, of course, useful and I want to single out his point that education in both of these sectors requires a macro and micro perspective. I know it was not his intent to offer a detailed agenda or rigorous statistics concerning the subject, but I nonetheless wanted to interject and position the necessity for education into practical constraints - mostly just that fact of having limited resources.

I came to consider another big symbiotic relationship: theory and practice as I continued to Jason Vaughan's case study ...

3) "Lied Library @ Four Years: Technology Never Stands Still" by Jason Vaughan

Much like the discussed nature of technology, when reading Vaughan's update on the technological developments of UNLV's library system, I couldn't help but wonder how long is an article like this useful? How long does it take for technology to become standard in something as specific as academic libraries? Also, on the idea of standards, I am curious to explore what are standard methods to track usage in a library. Vaughan occasionally references the potential limits of the facility along with statistics such as print usage and measurements of how many users hit the library web site - I'm curious if any of the professional organizations have offered a recommended rubric of data that best reflects user preferences or a general understanding of how many people use library services. If anyone knows of a resource for this, please let me know.

All for now ... I appreciate your comments.

The Muddiest Point - Week 1

I'd like to stray just a little to gripe about the fact that I'm still not on CourseWeb. I registered the week before the semester began (seemingly late, but still cool with LIS I guess) and have yet to receive the letter - through the olde thyme mail - that has my user name and password. This is the procedure right? I phoned and was instructed to wait for the letter ... My question to anyone that knows anything about security is this: why? Am I just being cranky for being a week behind?

Week 2 Readings - Computer Hardware

Three websites make up our readings for week two - all of which revolve around the basics of computer technology from the perspectives of hardware, capacity, and history.

Our primary readings:

1) Computer Hardware

The wikipedia entry on this topic answers very simply what is inside a computer. Shorthand lingo and abbreviations (such as SCSI or "scuzzy") and links for the specific parts are handy for learning or brushing up. For anyone curious or feeling adventurous, I also find videos that illustrate how to put together your own computer to be interesting.


(This is an olllllllld machine, but still gives you a good idea of how easy computers are assembled)

2) Moore's Law (see video here)

NERD ALERT: I think this is a really cool concept and obviously one that became indispensable in our lifetime. Imagine computer pioneers envisioning super-computers as big as houses or city blocks ... those poor suckers didn't consider the paradigm shift to micro technology. My question to the LIS group: what's the next paradigm shift? My guess involves humans manipulating space and time with a currently unused portion of our brains - then librarians will really need to find other jobs. A more serious question: do you see the need for power dwindling in computers? When I think about "bare minimum" computers, I think about internet usage as one of the(if not the) primary reasons to own a computer. Do you think internet "readers" are becoming internet "producers" in an exponentially increasing way - and thus requiring the increased power/mobility of new technology?


3) Computer History Museum


I didn't know this even existed. Now I kinda want to visit it. The resources look cool and the lover-of-old-things in me wants to start gathering up old computers and decorating my apartment with them. Obviously I expect a museum dedicated to technology to be high tech - which is why I'm curious about the lack of streaming oral histories, and other web-based or interactive web exhibits. This is wandering into archival/museum management territory (money), but that's what I thought of most while visiting this site.