Monday, October 25, 2010
Readings for Wk #7
How Internet Infrastructure Works / HowStuffWorks.com
A very simple and easy to understand breakdown of how the back-end of the Internet works. It's something most of us use daily without thinking, it's helpful to know how my computer at home links up to the network. (This has been especially timely for me because, thanks to some heavy rain storms, my internet has been spotty or nonexistent lately. It's amazing how a few little broken wires in a junction box can kill internet connection for an entire neighborhood.)
Dismantling Integrated Library System / Library Journal
The article shows some of the challenges of adopting and managing integrated library systems. These systems form the back end of library management systems, including cataloging, circulation, serials management, and OPACs. They sometimes have to cover the gamut of specialized library functions as well: reserves, digital resources. As technology has grown exponentially over the years, ILS systems have had to adapt. Libraries have sometime had to create their own modules or systems to meet their changing needs because ILS vendors can't (or won't) deliver these necessary customizations within already stretched library budgets. I'm very sure that more libraries will be turning to open source ware or hybrid products to meet their needs.
Sergey Brin & Larry Page on Google / TED
It was interesting to hear more about the most popular search engine from its creators. I like their 20% rule rule: employees spend 20% of their work day doing whatever it is they think is best to work on. It's from these side projects their able to make big breakthroughs & innovation. Because they nurture their employees' passions, Google has been able to grow & they're still in the top10 most desirable companies to work for.
A very simple and easy to understand breakdown of how the back-end of the Internet works. It's something most of us use daily without thinking, it's helpful to know how my computer at home links up to the network. (This has been especially timely for me because, thanks to some heavy rain storms, my internet has been spotty or nonexistent lately. It's amazing how a few little broken wires in a junction box can kill internet connection for an entire neighborhood.)
Dismantling Integrated Library System / Library Journal
The article shows some of the challenges of adopting and managing integrated library systems. These systems form the back end of library management systems, including cataloging, circulation, serials management, and OPACs. They sometimes have to cover the gamut of specialized library functions as well: reserves, digital resources. As technology has grown exponentially over the years, ILS systems have had to adapt. Libraries have sometime had to create their own modules or systems to meet their changing needs because ILS vendors can't (or won't) deliver these necessary customizations within already stretched library budgets. I'm very sure that more libraries will be turning to open source ware or hybrid products to meet their needs.
Sergey Brin & Larry Page on Google / TED
It was interesting to hear more about the most popular search engine from its creators. I like their 20% rule rule: employees spend 20% of their work day doing whatever it is they think is best to work on. It's from these side projects their able to make big breakthroughs & innovation. Because they nurture their employees' passions, Google has been able to grow & they're still in the top10 most desirable companies to work for.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Readings for Wk #6
Local Area Network & Computer Network / Wikipedia
These articles explained how computers can be connected to communicate & share resources among several users. There weren't really any sticky points in either article that I couldn't follow or understand. One thing I didn't know before was that ARPANET was the first computer network. (I had thought it was CERN, with Tim Berners-Lee creating the Internet). Although my home has four computers, printer, game consoles, & a fax machine, I never really though of the whole thing as a personal area network.
RFID/ Coyle
I'm confused about this part of the assignment - didn't we read/discuss this earlier in the semester? Here's what I posted to the DB then:
I do think that RFID can be useful in libraries only if the privacy concerns of the patrons are carefully addressed before implementing this technology. Libraries have a responsibility to protect the privacy of their users & make sure that they understand tools the library uses to safeguard their materials. The library should have a "plain English" privacy statement posted on their website & in other prominent places in the library. Reference & circulation staff should also explain the purpose of the tags to assuage the concerns of library users.For library staff, RFID can help guard against theft or loss. It could also save many, many hours of staff time in collection maintenance. But, because of the high cost of implementation, many libraries can't adopt this technology.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Muddiest Point - Wk #5
Will adopting DCMI make library catalogs (OPACs) like Google (in ease of use)?
Readings for Week #5
(This week's reading gave me some pretty awful cataloging flashbacks - all of those acronyms came rushing back in a flood. AACR, MARC, & RDA, oh my! After a 2 year stint in cataloging, I knew that I was better suited for reference work. To all of those aspiring catalogers out there, I salute you!)
Database/ Wikipedia
This article was a fairly straight-forward explanation of what databases are (a collection of data), their varieties & how they're used. I've used with relational database management systems & software (Access, SQL), but I don't have that much experience with object DMS.
Introduction to Metadata / Gilliland & An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model / Miller
Metadata is basically, "data about data." This term is used to describe how an object (or set of objects) is classified or found or managed in a specific setting/organization. In many academic libraries, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is used, while some school & public libraries use Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). A lucky few of us who work in special libraries end up creating special in-house systems. Tagging in user-generated environments (blogs, wikis, etc) comes pretty close to what metadata is about. Having good metadata is enormously important for accessibility, whether you are in an academic, public or special library. Let's say you are searching for an Italian cookbook in your library. You've checked the online catalog & found the call number associated with "cooking, Italian" is TX723. In LCSH, TX means "home economics" and the number range 642-840 describes specific methods or varieties of cooking. If the online catalog has more complete records available for public view, you can also see author & publisher information, physical details about the item (format, pages, illustrations, photos), physical location, & other classification schemes. On the cataloger side, one can see all of that information as well as machine readable fields (MARC) that make that item accessible to external databases. The public can see Batali, Mario in the Author field, while a cataloger or external database can see his name in the 100 field represented this way: 100 1 Batali, Mario.
Unfortunately, as thorough as it is, LCSH (or any other cataloging scheme) can't possibly accurately describe data for every discipline. That's where the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative comes in. This initiative is proposing standardized metadata that can be used across disciplines, languages & also internationally. As you can see from my lengthy LCSH example above, each information community has their own language & terms that may not easily or ever translate to another community - even if they're describing the same objects. The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is the basic set of fifteen components used for resource description, ranging from "creator" to "type."
Database/ Wikipedia
This article was a fairly straight-forward explanation of what databases are (a collection of data), their varieties & how they're used. I've used with relational database management systems & software (Access, SQL), but I don't have that much experience with object DMS.
Introduction to Metadata / Gilliland & An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model / Miller
Metadata is basically, "data about data." This term is used to describe how an object (or set of objects) is classified or found or managed in a specific setting/organization. In many academic libraries, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) is used, while some school & public libraries use Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC). A lucky few of us who work in special libraries end up creating special in-house systems. Tagging in user-generated environments (blogs, wikis, etc) comes pretty close to what metadata is about. Having good metadata is enormously important for accessibility, whether you are in an academic, public or special library. Let's say you are searching for an Italian cookbook in your library. You've checked the online catalog & found the call number associated with "cooking, Italian" is TX723. In LCSH, TX means "home economics" and the number range 642-840 describes specific methods or varieties of cooking. If the online catalog has more complete records available for public view, you can also see author & publisher information, physical details about the item (format, pages, illustrations, photos), physical location, & other classification schemes. On the cataloger side, one can see all of that information as well as machine readable fields (MARC) that make that item accessible to external databases. The public can see Batali, Mario in the Author field, while a cataloger or external database can see his name in the 100 field represented this way: 100 1 Batali, Mario.
Unfortunately, as thorough as it is, LCSH (or any other cataloging scheme) can't possibly accurately describe data for every discipline. That's where the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative comes in. This initiative is proposing standardized metadata that can be used across disciplines, languages & also internationally. As you can see from my lengthy LCSH example above, each information community has their own language & terms that may not easily or ever translate to another community - even if they're describing the same objects. The Dublin Core Metadata Element Set is the basic set of fifteen components used for resource description, ranging from "creator" to "type."
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