This week's readings were all about XML and how to create valid XML documents. As I've stated in previous posts, I completed the metadata class last semester. So, this week's topic is another review for me. I love the w3schools site and find its tutorials on nearly any topic very helpful.
The IBM site was new to me and I found it a nice addition to my resource collection. I like how the explanations are both complete but not overwhelmed with jargon. Students new to the topic will really appreciate those aspects.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Week 5 Readings
Having taken the metadata class offered by the University of Pittsburgh last semester, this week's readings served as a welcome review. Gartner's article covered not only the history of metadata, but the general subcategories and possible future developments in the field. Gilliland provided another brief introduction to the topic. I read the entire work and not just the assigned sections and, therefore, reviewed crosswalks and harvesting as well. Weibel's article presented a bit of history on the creation of Dublin Core and well as comparing what they believed would be its use and purpose versus what actually happened as the web matured. Weibel also receives some bonus points from me for referencing Star Trek's "Prime Directive" in a scholarly article.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Week 3 Muddiest Point
I think I have a mild advantage thus far since I have already taken the metadata course. We used Greenstone in that class and I have used Omeka in another. D Space is new to me, but these systems seem to have some patterns in their designs. Therefore, I still don't have a muddiest point as of yet.
Week 4 Readings
The Arms and Lesk readings focus on mark-up languages, character coding sets (ASCII and Unicode), and text conversion. Even though the chapters were written several years apart from each other, there were still some agreements between the two. Both talked about the disadvantages of OCR systems. While the technology has developed enough that the cost Arms discussed has dropped, Lesk still holds that the error-finding, especially on old and worn items, can be quite time consuming.
Lesk also dove into more modern digital library issues, like the simple fact that some people just don't want to read on a computer screen. Since this piece is about 8 years old, it doesn't cover the newer developments in e-reading technology including e-ink. E-ink appears like ink on a page and is much less strenuous on the eyes than a backlit screen. Still, the patron has to either own the device or borrow one from the library, both of which can cause problems not found with traditionally printed materials.
The other two readings by Lynch and Peskin cover digital identifiers in detail. Lynch wrote about systems as whole while Peskin zoomed in on the DOI system. I hadn't actually read anything on DOI in detail up until this point and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about its history and development. It seemed as though those creating the DOI system had read Lynch's article in a way. They made sure to cover many of the concerns that Lynch raises about new identifier systems.
Lesk also dove into more modern digital library issues, like the simple fact that some people just don't want to read on a computer screen. Since this piece is about 8 years old, it doesn't cover the newer developments in e-reading technology including e-ink. E-ink appears like ink on a page and is much less strenuous on the eyes than a backlit screen. Still, the patron has to either own the device or borrow one from the library, both of which can cause problems not found with traditionally printed materials.
The other two readings by Lynch and Peskin cover digital identifiers in detail. Lynch wrote about systems as whole while Peskin zoomed in on the DOI system. I hadn't actually read anything on DOI in detail up until this point and I enjoyed the opportunity to learn about its history and development. It seemed as though those creating the DOI system had read Lynch's article in a way. They made sure to cover many of the concerns that Lynch raises about new identifier systems.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Unit 3 Readings
The assigned readings this week focus on open-source software designed for digital libraries. Specifically, the articles focus on Greenstone and DSpace listing their features, history, advantages, and general usage information. Both packages seem like great options for libraries and other organizations to investigate when in the planning stage of creating a digital library.
In one of my other classes, I have had the opportunity to use and build a small collection in Greenstone. The Witten, Bainbridge and Boddie article presented the browser interface for both the public user and the administrator of the collection. Having only used the desktop application interface, it was interesting to see the other side in more detail. My class project was centered around the cataloging aspect of a digital collection, so it was unnecessary for us to explore to far past that functionality.
I have heard of DSpace, but have never used it. In some ways, it seems similar to Omeka. At least, it stood out to me that both have user submission features included. I think I will explore more in this topic to see how much they actually compare.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Unit 2 Readings
In a general note, I think it would have been easier to have read the second chapter of Digital Libraries by Arms first, followed by "Interoperability for Digital Objects and Repositories." "A Framework for Building Open Digital Libraries"could have been next, leaving "An Architecture for Information in Digital Libraries" for last. This is because the writing styles and terminology of the readings as listed in Blackboard begins very technically and finishes more simply. It was a bit disheartening to be thrown into the more complex articles first.
I sensed a bit of a theme among this week's readings. While the Arms chapter focused on the basics of the Internet and its use for digital libraries, the other articles heavily discussed interoperability and extensibility. With all of them being over tens years old, I have to wonder how much the arguments and experiments recounted actually impacted the modern reality. I could piece together a few examples from my experiences, but certainly not enough to truly make a judgement.
One theory that stood out to me was, in the Suleman and Fox article, the assertion that components were the future of digital libraries. I think one could confirm that this idea has not only shown up in modern digital libraries, but in all sorts of web applications. From the library standpoint, Omeka is a platform that I am somewhat familiar with and it is made up of a basic package and many optional component pieces. Selections include component pieces for patron submissions of material, various metadata standards, and PDF searchability.
Other websites and software packages, especially those classified as social media, allow users to attach add-ons to their personal accounts in order to customize their experience. Tumblr, Twitter, and several web browsers permit this. Therefore, Suleman and Fox's prediction has, in fact, become reality. I would be very interested to see what other statements had been proven or disproven from these readings.
I sensed a bit of a theme among this week's readings. While the Arms chapter focused on the basics of the Internet and its use for digital libraries, the other articles heavily discussed interoperability and extensibility. With all of them being over tens years old, I have to wonder how much the arguments and experiments recounted actually impacted the modern reality. I could piece together a few examples from my experiences, but certainly not enough to truly make a judgement.
One theory that stood out to me was, in the Suleman and Fox article, the assertion that components were the future of digital libraries. I think one could confirm that this idea has not only shown up in modern digital libraries, but in all sorts of web applications. From the library standpoint, Omeka is a platform that I am somewhat familiar with and it is made up of a basic package and many optional component pieces. Selections include component pieces for patron submissions of material, various metadata standards, and PDF searchability.
Other websites and software packages, especially those classified as social media, allow users to attach add-ons to their personal accounts in order to customize their experience. Tumblr, Twitter, and several web browsers permit this. Therefore, Suleman and Fox's prediction has, in fact, become reality. I would be very interested to see what other statements had been proven or disproven from these readings.
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