Wed 22 Oct 2008
The International Music Score Library Project is a great concept: a collection of public domain musical scores made freely available to musicians, composers, and everyone else as well!
Note also that the site was built using MediaWiki software.
found via MetaFilter
Mon 19 May 2008
Eric Leese Morgan has updated his workshop notes for XML in Libraries : A Workshop. This is as good an overview of XML for library staff as I have seen anywhere.
found via Catalogablog
Wed 2 Apr 2008
A couple of posts about sandboxes have caught my eye:
I have, in a somewhat disorganized manner, been creating and working with sandboxes for several years. Libology is, at least in its first phase, my effort to make a structured sandbox for my own efforts, with an eye towards demonstrating how various tools can work for libraries. These have been scattered throughout several other domains, and one of my first tasks will be to combine what I have done so far under one domain.
Web hosting is inexpensive. A site that can run blogs, discussion lists, wikis, CMSs, and a great many other helpful tools can be had for about $5 per month. An individual or group, taking things one step at a time, can learn a lot from simply getting a site and setting up various software. There is no better way, in my opinion, to learn about open source and web 2.0 than to jump in the sandbox and start playing!
Tue 26 Feb 2008
Last September I wrote about Libguides, an online service that creates web 2.0-style offerings for library web sites. I was impressed with the quality of their offerings, but had misgivings about the cost, especially when one considers that a library can do many of the same things with a bit of time and effort. Interestingly enough, that post is still high in my statistics, so people are interested in the idea and/or the company.
In a way, this is a sequel to that post, though not directly:
Interactive Course Assignment Pages (ICAP) is a site set up by Oregon State University (the “other” OSU to those of us who reside in Ohio) as an aid to creating Web/Library 2.0 home pages for college courses.
Blogs, Wikis and New Media is a site set up on WordPress.com, using WordPress software (same as this blog), that contains what was once held in the Utah State University’s courseware system.
These examples (and I am sure there are many more out there) show just how much can be done with time and effort, and minimal expense. We (meaning libraryland folk) oftentimes find it more satisfying to fit ourselves into someone else’s paradigm of how we should present ourselves on the web.
This is found in libraries that are locked into their institution’s web site, with perhaps the opac itself being the only area found outside the template.
This is found in libraries that are locked into their vendor’s offerings, perhaps customizing colors and wording, but otherwise sticking to yet another template.
This can be found in libraries that haven’t actively pursued their web presence at all, possibly because they feel they need to spend a lot of money or hire a web developer in order to do anything online.
This is also found, ironically, in libraries that throw Web 2.0 goodies onto their site without due consideration of how to effectively incorporate them into their services. Even though I strongly urge experimentation with new technology, too much of something can be more harmful than not enough.
Again, I urge libraries to look at your resources (servers you have access to, your employee’s skill sets, your budget) and figure out what you can do, and what you can expand into with a bit of learning and effort. Even if your resources are near to nothing, you can get a free blog on WordPress, and have someone learn the ins and outs in a relatively short time frame. For a small amount of money, you can get web hosting that will let you do most anything in the web 2.0 arena. The exception to this are those few tools which require a dedicated server, which gets more expensive and involved.
With just a couple of hours of work, I could set up web hosting, install a blog, e-mail lists, message boards, and a wiki. Customizing these (colors, options, etc.) would add some more time, but the net cost would be under $100 per year for a great many useful tools. Add to the mix: you get online storage for library promotions, information, and resources.
Hiring someone to do this setup wouldn’t add too much to your cost, perhaps even some form of trade (fine forgiveness, perhaps?). Imagine what your library might be able to do with something like this… and ask yourself what any or all of these tools would be worth. Not so much in money, but in time and effort.
Blogs, Wikis and New Media found via Weblog Tools Collections
Thu 7 Feb 2008
Visualizing the Bible is a project by Chris Harrison, a doctoral student at Carnegie-Mellon University. It consists of visualization of biblical references and social networking. Check out his other projects, as well, such as his Wikipedia Top 50 and Clusterball.
found via if:book
Tue 29 Jan 2008
Free-Reading is “an ‘open-source’ instructional program that helps teachers teach early reading.” Aimed at Kindergarten/First Grade learners, it is a collaborative means to establish an education program that combines the strengths of those who work on the project, and makes it available to teachers and organizations via a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.
Oh, and the State of Florida just added this program to their list of approved textbooks. Not only can they save a significant amount of funds that would otherwise be spent on texts, the class materials will be current and likely to be updated by a wide variety of professional educators.
found via Open Access News
Mon 7 Jan 2008
Wikia, the search engine designed around the concept of wikis, has been launched in alpha. This means that a) it isn’t going to work as well as anyone wants, and b) no fair comparing it to Google et. al., except in the theoretical. In fact, we usually wouldn’t see software until the beta stage of development; this shows how much Wikia will rely on users.
There isn’t all that much to see yet, but the idea of an annotated search engine where the users provide feedback about the search results, which will then be used to improve future results, is tantalizing. Search 2.0 anyone?
via Open Access News
Tue 18 Dec 2007
ReadMe is a wiki containing Ask MetaFilter questions along the lines of “What should I read… ?”
This can be a great resource for book clubs, reading groups, and for anyone looking for book recommendations for nearly any topic. I should note that the MetaFilter crowd can get a bit snarky at times, as with nearly every online community (and are sometimes nsfw) but they are nearly always interesting, and even if you ultimately don’t agree with them, thought-provoking.
found via Librarian.net
Wed 12 Dec 2007
Read this post on Thingology, the blog for LibraryThing, then check out the OpenBibliographicData petition on the Open Knowledge Foundation Wiki. If you agree with the petition, I urge you to create an account and add your name to the list.
How important do I think this is? I was online only to get a phone number to call in to work, and checked my overnight e-mail messages. I decided that it needed to be blogged, and that it couldn’t wait (especially since I seem to have misplaced the original e-mail - my apologies to the person not getting credit for passing this information along).
Wed 26 Sep 2007
(Note regarding this post: When you read this post, be sure to read the comments as well. I did not state my case as well as I should, and end up sounding as though I don’t feel that LibGuides has as much value for libraries as they obviously do.)
I don’t normally post “negative” about web sites or services; if I am not impressed by something being offered, I simply don’t blog about it. However, I have noticed a really interesting Library 2.0-related offering, and feel that it should be mentioned here.
LibGuides is a truly interesting and useful product. It offers a way for a library to implement many Web 2.0 tools via a service that is remotely hosted and configured, with content and features that you select.
It looks great, in many ways. They include tools for Facebook integration (great for academic libraries), showing RSS feeds on LibGuide pages, and built in instant messaging (IM) capabilities.
Why am I not happy with this offering? Two reasons.
Reason one is their pricing model. According to their FAQ page, their “annual license fee ranges from $899 to $2,499″. This, to me, is packaging Library 2.0 like a database subscription. True, they have done some excellent work in setting up page templates and integrating tools, but why should a library spend that amount of money to rent those services?
Let me provide an example. This blog is run on a hosted web server. The annual fee for this server is less than $50. This provides 1 GB of disk space, plus quite a few built-in tools such as a MySQL database, full e-mail management including listservs, site statistics, and a comfortable amount of site traffic. I have run several different websites on this company’s servers, and have been happy with their service.
What have I run on these sites? Standard web sites, wikis, a blog, a content management system (CMS), listservs, discussion forums, and custom search pages. There are only two things that I have wanted to install that I haven’t been able to, based on their security settings: I can’t host a WebDAV calendar (for shared group calendar software), and cannot install a library automation system, like Koha or Evergreen (so I have to play with Evergreen using a virtual server on my home computer).
Most Web 2.0 software has open source options available. This means that I can select a blog software, download it, install it to the web server, configure it, and there it is. Is this easy to do? Yes and no. Configuration, especially the database settings, can be fairly detailed. WordPress has very good instructions, and if you are comfortable with copying files from one place to another, and can follow a written guide you won’t have much trouble getting a blog up and running.
Wiki? Same type of installation. Want to run a listserv? Don’t need to install anything, just go to the sites control panel and set it up. What I am trying to say is that for $50, time, and some effort, your library can create a web presence that is just as rich as what is being offered via LibGuide.
Reason two, for those of you who are still with me, is their license agreement (Pdf). You pay them, they provide the service on their servers for one year. They can change anything about the agreement, and all they have to do to make you comply is notify you. You own your own data, and they will provide it to you within 30 days of cancellation, if you ask.
These are pretty standard clauses for many services and software. It is actually quite mild compared to some. It still doesn’t sit well with me that open and interactive services are packaged and controlled like this.
Sure, you could try them out for a year, decide not to renew, and only have an xml file with your content and data to show for it. Or you could get a hosted site, start a blog and a wiki (or a CMS with both built in) and build your site from scratch, adding content here and there, adding new programs and technologies as you go.
Even if you hire someone as a consultant to do the installation and initial training (find people in your area who do this, or want to learn… try contacting web design instructors at your local community college for potential contacts), you can do a great deal in a relatively short time span. Even if you spent $500 for someone (and you shouldn’t even need to go that high), once set up the software and technology is yours for just the annual web hosting fee. Just be sure to learn as much as you can about how everything works, and learning what your site’s potential can be.
And after all of this, if you don’t want the hassle or cost of the hosted web service, you can still do many Library 2.0 functions through other sites. Blogs are available simply by registering at Wordpress or Bloglines. Similar options exist for IM. You can find hosted wiki and CMS sites, but these are mostly paid solutions.
I strongly suggest that every library examine their options for the range of 2.0 technology, and adopt those which will best fit your environment. It doesn’t need to cost much; it doesn’t need a limiting license agreement; it does need to give you the flexibility and the power to connect your services with your customers.
And if you want to see a positive review of LibGuides, which highlights the great points of the site, check out BiblioTech Web
Tue 7 Aug 2007
The Right Way to Fix Inaccurate Wikipedia Articles is the title of a Search Engine Land post by Durova, a Wikipedia administrator.
Not only is it an intersting read, it allows one to see how those who help manage Wikipedia view their responsibilities.
Mon 16 Jul 2007
The Open Library is a project I have been hoping for years that someone would start - an open source universal book catalog. Think WorldCat meets Wikipedia meets Amazon and you won’t be far off.
So go to their demo site, do a couple of searches. Their data is sketchy in places, but this means you have an opportunity to try out their editing interface. I just corrected the title for “John Irving : Three Complete Novels” (you can look at the history for “revision 2″), although my change may not be the final word, as this seems like a possible duplicate. The wonders of a wiki!
This project, if it grows wings or even legs, will truly remake our digital presence. From Open Library Numbers (OLNs) to user corrections and additions, this merger of open source and books gives us both freedom and control of our cataloging information.
from Alexis Rossi via Next Generation Catalog for Libraries (ngc4lib) newsgroup
Mon 2 Jul 2007
Some major updates to Citizendium, the wiki which is intended to become an authoratative wikipedia-type site, have been announced by Larry Sanger. He also summarized his own announcement here.
found on Open Access News
Tue 29 May 2007
Freebase is a new project which I described in a posting last March.
OpenBusiness recently ran an interview on their blog with the sites founders.
from Open Access News
Sat 19 May 2007
It’s WikiSky!
Ideal for answering the question “was that object in the western sky a star or planet?”, as well as many other star / constellation type questions. It also includes photographs from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), which means that you can view photographs of that same area of sky.
