Libology Blog

Karen Coyle has written a post on Coyle’s InFormation that I feel greatly helps to explain why it can be so complex to structure bibliographic information.

I first encountered Entity-Relationships (note:  right now this link is not a great introduction to the concept, but provides some good examples) when learning to create queries and reports from a Voyager database.  It was intimidating, to say the least, but was one of several steps that proved to be extremely helpful.

The diagrams, for whatever they represent, usually mirror the complexity of the system they represent.  They oftentimes are the most effective way to show this.

Understanding this complexity in bibliographic structure is important, I feel, because it allows us library types to better evaluate the tools that we use and select.  An OPAC search screen, or an ILS module, or any program we use is more useful when its structure better fits the entity-relationship that already exists for our materials.  A spreadsheet is great for certain types of information and presentation; a word processor for others.  A program that doesn’t fit the structure so well tends to be “clunky” to use in that context.

Read her post.  Repeat as necessary.  Don’t feel that you need to memorize the detail, or be able to re-create her diagrams.  Simply get the gist of what she has put into words and pictures, and know that it will help you in your daily work, and in your understanding of how things work.

Schemes to Add Functionality to the Web OPAC is a posting by Disruptive Library Technology Jester (a.k.a. Peter Murray of OhioLINK) in which he lays out a basic categorization of ways in which libraries can get their OPACs to do more.

This list is interesting in many ways, not the least of which is that on first read this seems to be a very good foundation for examining the options available to libraries.  So much depends on the current state of your library’s OPAC (which integrated library system (ILS) you have, how it is hosted, who has the authority to make changes, and your library’s human/technical resources), but this gives a starting point to see just what a library can do with the available resources.

Over the years I keep revisiting a desire to revamp OPACs that are sorely in need of improvement.  When I worked for a Voyager library, I set up this and this (each developed by someone else, but that I configured to work for my library).  I haven’t found anything like these for my current situation, but Scriblio sounds like a possible option.  The faceted searching alone would make it worthwhile.  I may get creative over the next couple of months…

found via Librarian.net

Nope, the list hasn’t been announced yet.  In fact, Library Journal is asking for nominations:

The editors of Library Journal need your help in identifying the emerging leaders in the library world. Our seventh annual Movers & Shakers supplement will profile 50-plus up-and-coming individuals from across the United States and Canada who are innovative, creative, and making a difference. From librarians to vendors to others who work in the library field, Movers & Shakers 2008 will celebrate the new professionals who are moving our libraries ahead.

I have been impressed with the Movers & Shakers lists over the past few years, and look forward to that supplement (which will arrive with the March 15, 2008 issue).  The people profiled are all putting themselves forward in the library world in interesting ways that benefit us all. 

The deadline has been extended to November 15th, so if you know of anyone deserving, be sure to fill out the online nomination form by then!

found on Catalogablog

WebWISER is an online access point for WISER, which stands for Wireless Information Sytem for Emergency Responders.  This database of information on hazardous materials is maintained by the National Library of Medicine, and can be used to both find information on known materials, as well as to assist in identifying unknown materials.

WISER is designed to provide Emergency Responders, such as Police, Fire, and Medical personnel, quick information about a wide range of chemicals and their dangers.  Mobile phones, pdas, computers, and the internet can all be used to access the database.

Not only is WISER in its various flavors a great site for reference questions, it should be a part of any organization’s disaster plan, and people should be prepared so they can access it whenever the need arises.  A tutorial is also available.

found via ResourceShelf

Edelfäule (roughly translatable as “noble rot”) is a video of books being scanned, like those for the Google Book Project or the Open Content Alliance.  Except that these books have mold damage.  And the result is hypnotic…

found on if:book

The World Digital Library is a project that is quite vast in scope, but is looking ready to take on the challenge of combining primary historical resources from many of the worlds great libraries.

This project was started by UNESCO and the U.S. Library of Congress just last year, and was the subject of a presentation at the Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) 2007 conference last month.

Using PostGIS and MapServer, open-source programs that together join a database with mapping information, the library will allow users to search for and retrieve information via a well-thought-out, multi-lingual, world map interface, with a variety of tools for narrowing the search parameters.

I say “will allow users to search” because the library is not yet live. They do, however, have a demonstration video available, in two sizes:

• 500×365 pixels, 8MB
• 1010×720 pixels, 35MB

There is also a good article about the project in the Washington Post.

found on One Big Library

American FactFinder is a lookup service from the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide a decent snapshot of statistical information for a given geographical area.  Enter your zip code, city or county and there you go!

found in the third comment to this MetaFilter post

I wasn’t going to post this because you need an account to access the article, but the Chronicle of Higher Education has an article titled “Young Librarians, Talkin’ ‘Bout Their Generation” which is quite an interesting read.  I recommend you track it down.

What gets this posted, however, is that one of the librarians, Jessamyn West, is featured on a five-minute podcast, available to all.  It is an interesting listen, if you will.

link found on librariansrock

OpenStreetMap is a U.K.-based project that fulfills a great need:  an open, collaborative mapping project.  Ever find an error in MapQuest, Google Maps, or Yahoo Maps?  Can’t do much about it, can you?  OpenStreetMap will be able to be updated and corrected by their user base, and will be available for free, as in both beer and speech.  Think of it in terms of Wikipedia, which also illustrates the possibilities for errors and abuse, as well.

They have just jump-started their U.S. mapping effort with mapping information from the U.S. Census Bureau.  They have a long way to go, but with some local effort from people across the country, they could be a serious contender for our mapping needs.

Check out your local area to see what they have, and what they still need for their maps.

found on Linux.com

This online Flu Clinic Locator, provided by the American Lung Association, is an excellent way to find out where and when flu shots will be available in your area.  A great health resource for your ready-reference information or even your library web site.

My wish list for the locator would include being able to sort the results by date or distance, because when you get more than 20 results, you have to wade through them page by page.  In addition, it would be excellent to display all the results of your search on a Google map… and since they already link their individual results to Google maps, this would be fairly easy to add on.  

found via ResourceShelf

As a longtime user of OpenOffice.org, I pay attention to comparisons between that software and Microsoft Office.  The first set of reviews that I have encountered that compares Microsoft’s updated suite with the current version of OpenOffice have just been completed and posted to Linux.com, and I thought it was worth passing along:

1. OpenOffice.org Writer vs. Microsoft Word
2. OpenOffice.org Impress vs. Microsoft PowerPoint
3. OpenOffice.org Calc vs. Microsoft Excel

My own verdict:  if you have a need for something that is available only in Microsoft Office, then that is what you need.  Otherwise, OpenOffice.org is a great fit, and at a much better price (free!). 

The Really Modern Library is a project undertaken by the Institute for the Future of the Book.  They are soliciting comments from all quarters, and holding meetings in Los Angeles, London, and New York, in order to define how our analog libraries can and will fit into the digital world that is increasingly becoming a reality.  This will potentially lead to “outlining plans for a major international design competition calling for proposals, sketches, and prototypes for a hypothetical ‘really modern library.’”

This sounds like the genesis of a library X-Prize, and it may just be the shot in the arm we need to focus on the future.  We have come a long way, but oftentimes it seems that we use up our energy and resources on a) talking about the future, and b) sticking with the previous generation of technology because it is what every other “one-step-behind” library is doing.

And so I challenge you:  think about your job, your library, libraries in general.  What does the future look like?  What do we need to build that bridge, to let human beings, books, and digitization co-exist in a complementary way?  Let them know… it is as simple as leaving a comment on their blog.

I’ve left a comment suggesting that granularity and structure is the key to online data… make it as easy for people to get to the information and present it in various ways.  Our current generation of OPACs are very nearly the opposite of that philosophy, even though our catalogs contain some of the richest data in all of cyberspace.

Thanks to Eric Lease Morgan for posting this to the NGC4Lib listserv

For many years I thought that the latin-esque text known as “Lorem Ipsum”, commonly used as a placeholder when designing web sites, brochures, etc., was simply meaningless syllables that looked and sounded like latin. It turns out there is more to these words than many realize…

Lorem Ipsum web site (and try out their Generator).

Lorem Ipsum wikipedia entry.

stumbled upon here…

There is a bill being voted upon by the U.S. Senate on October 15th which will potentially open up a great deal of research being done with National Institute of Health (NIH) funding.  The bill will mandate that the public (as well as other researchers) have access to research funded through grants by the NIH.  Similar language has already passed a House vote in a budget bill, and so if this is approved in the Senate it is likely to become law.

The ALA has an easy to use site to allow people to send e-mails to their senators (just enter your zip code), and Digital Scholarship has some well-phrased suggestions for the text.  I did my own summary, after reading through the above pages.  Use if you like, but think about how you could state it in your own words, as well:

Dear Senator xxxxx:

As a library staff member, a blogger, and a U.S. citizen, I feel strongly that government sponsored research should be as open and available for everyone’s benefit as possible. This will lead to greater understanding of health issues, and will assist in focusing research more effectively in the future, which will save time, money, and lives. Open Access is the most effective way to do this with the NIH research.

For further information, the resources and talking points at http://www.digital-scholarship.org/other/nihtext.htm contain a great deal of merit. Also, Peter Suber’s website has excellent information: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm

Thank you for your consideration on this important topic.
 
Sincerely,
Rick Mason
xxx-xxx-xxxx
Library Support Staff blog
http://blog.librarysupportstaff.org/