LENS – University of Chicago

Posted on 19 December 2007 by Rick Mason

LENS is an AquaBrowser online catalog installation at the University of Chicago library that has just gone live, albeit in beta.

It is an impressive catalog interface, showing what can be done with our existing cataloging, good software, and an eye towards good layout.  I especially like the Library of Congress Classification links that reside above the search results… each time you narrow your search, you get additional options for narrowing it even further.  Try it and you will see what I mean.

Pretty much the only things I don’t like on first look are:

  1. I have never really liked the “starburst” tag cloud that is part of the AquaBrowser installation.  It doesn’t really add to the ease of use, and isn’t very accessible (a text-based tag cloud is more user-friendly, I feel).  No big problem, though, as it isn’t an integral part of the search, and can be ignored fairly easily.
  2. When you turn off page styles, the resulting page is very unfriendly, especially the search results box, which is sized quite poorly.  Their high accessiblity version of the site (called “text only”) is a great improvement.  Web sites should handle styling much more naturally, imo.

These minor points aside, this is our future, and UofC has done some fantastic work.  Kudos!

from a post to NGC4LIB

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ReadMe

Posted on 18 December 2007 by Rick Mason

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

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Code4Lib Journal

Posted on 17 December 2007 by Rick Mason

Issue 1 of the Code4Lib Journal is now available!

The journal is an open-access journal dealing with, well, the more techie aspects of libraries. Even if you aren’t into systems and web coding, you should still look this over. The articles give a snapshot of creative technical solutions for libraries, and include:

  • Beyond OPAC 2.0, an overview of CatalogWS, an application programming interface (API) for library catalogs. The idea behind the software is to create a universal way to access library catalog information across different Integrated Library Systems (ILS).
  • Book Review : The Success of Open Source, by Steven Weber, which is actually a fantastic brief overview of what Open Source is, from a library perspective.
  • 700 Dollars and a Dream, which is a column about a small library that installed and implemented Koha, an open-source Integrated Library System (ILS).

Even if you aren’t into the tech aspects of libraries, check out this journal. It never hurts to look into the leading edge of the profession, and you might encounter a new solution for your own library!

found nearly simultaneously via Catalogablog and a Web4Lib list posting by Tom Keays

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Zotero Commons

Posted on 14 December 2007 by Rick Mason

Kind of an interesting application of the Zotero add-on for Firefox : the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University (no relation 😉 ) and the Internet Archive are working to create a storage for scholarly annotation of online documents.

The annotation would work through added functionality (in the form of a new button) on the Zotero workspace, and could create an entirely new means to access scholarly critique and commentary. Simply put, this will make one of the most interesting and promising add-ons even better by allowing the user to collaborate with other researchers.

Research 2.0 anyone?

from Open Access News

Additional:  note that this will also create an option to save an archival copy of an electronic document on the Internet Archive servers.  This centralized storage will also provide benefits beyond the initial commons concept.

additional info found on Dan Cohen’s blog

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The Definite Article

Posted on 14 December 2007 by Rick Mason

The Definite Article : Acknowledging ‘The’ in Index Entries (pdf) is this years’ winner of the IgNoble Prize in Literature. Note that the banner of their site includes the phrase “Research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK”, and note that the winning essay fills that criterion well.

By the bye, how does anyone find out if a library has any music by The The via an OPAC… simply wade through titles between “thazzz” and “thea”??? An Inter-Library Loan staff member pointed that out to me years ago, and it still highlights one of the challenges of significant articles in titles.

found in LISNews

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LC and Open Data

Posted on 12 December 2007 by Rick Mason

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).

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Zotero program on OPAL

Posted on 7 December 2007 by Rick Mason

Zotero is a fantastic example of how open source can transform not only software development, but organization of information as well.  The potential of this citation management web-browser add-on to transform learning and research is tremendous.  If you haven’t tried it out yet, I highly suggest doing so.

OPAL is offering a program on Wednesday, January 23, 2008 (list is organized by date) from the South Carolina State Library on using Zotero, presented by Chris Strauber, Reference and Web Services Librarian at Wofford College.  Mark your calendar!

encountered on the Web4Lib list

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Two Essays by Eric Lease Morgan

Posted on 7 December 2007 by Rick Mason

I have run into two essays by Eric Lease Morgan this week that paint an excellent picture of today’s challenges for library technology and possible future solutions within our reach:

Catalog Collectivism : XC and the Future of Library Search (Pdf from E-LIS) [“Collections without services are useless, and services without collections are empty.”]

Today’s Digital Information Landscape from Infomotions, Inc. [“It is not so much about the what we are doing. It is more about the how.”]

Watch for Eric’s name on library writings… he often offers well-phrased and insightful comments on whatever issue he addresses.

found via LISNews and ResourceShelf, respectively

Posted in Blogs, Cataloging, Fair Use, Lecture, Libraries, Online Databases, Online Services, Search, Software | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Two Essays by Eric Lease Morgan

FRBR Readings

Posted on 6 December 2007 by Rick Mason

As a follow-up to the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control report, which discusses Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) quite a bit, I thought I’d pass along a link to a site that not only has the full text of FRBR, but a collection of introductory readings on the topic, as well as discussion lists and translations:

IFLANET : Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records

found on Catalogablog

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Bibliographic Control – first read

Posted on 3 December 2007 by Rick Mason

I just now finished my first reading of the Draft Report (Pdf) from the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control. I will be re-reading parts of it, as there is a great deal to be pondered, but here are my first impressions:

  • The group seems to have wrapped their collective brains around the issues quite well. They address many of the future issues that will hurt libraries greatly (and we are being hurt already, like the proverbial frog in the slowly warming pan) if they are not dealt with. I am impressed with the report’s breadth.
  • The group stresses the interconnectedness of our future — bibliographic information should be gathered from diverse sources (publishers, booksellers, other libraries, etc.), as well as distributed widely. I think that our understanding the implications of this is holding us back. If we address this, we will not only solve most of our bib control issues (the two are inseparable, solving one involves solving the other, I feel), but solidly position ourselves in the information age.

One aspect I feel may be missing is the next generation of bibliographic cataloging. FRBR is a fantastic step forward, but it still doesn’t address the most fundamental issues that we face. How do we catalog our collections (and this includes everything we can access) so that we don’t have to use millions of hours doing so, and in such a way as to be able to adapt quickly and effectively to the changes coming in 5, 10, 50 and 100 years?

I think our solution needs to be as flat (non-hierarchical) as possible, and as granular as we can make it. Small chunks of data can be gathered and assembled in countless ways to serve the myriad of needs we will encounter. If we create an “uber-catalog” now that can be easily converted to MARC or FRBR or whatever system is developed. And not just our systems: we need to realize that we need a system that everyone and anyone can tap into for bibliographic information. Amazon has no use for MARC. We should have a system that everyone wants to use. That’s when we will know we have it right.

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Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control – Draft Report

Posted on 30 November 2007 by Rick Mason

Library of Congress’ Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control released their Draft Report (Pdf) today, and are requesting that people review and comment on their recommendations between now and December 15th.

This promises to be one of the most influential documents in librarianship, influencing the choices and direction of our technology and cataloging for years to come. I have only read their cover letter (Pdf) so far, but I encourage anyone with an interest in the future of libraries, information, and how we will interact with it to download it, read it, think about it, discuss it, and comment.

found out via Next Generation Catalogs for Libraries (NGC4Lib) listserv

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MIT OpenCourseWare goes to High School

Posted on 30 November 2007 by Rick Mason

MIT has expanded their OpenCourseWare initiative to include science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for high school students.  Dubbed Highlights for High School (a name that, for me at least, evokes Highlights magazine), their stated purpose is to “inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists”.

This sounds like it will be a great repository for college level students to review this material, as well as a resource for the general public.  Keep this site in mind for future use…

from Open Access News

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Firefox : Add to Search Bar

Posted on 29 November 2007 by Rick Mason

For those of you using the Firefox web browser (and if not, why?) here is an add-on that is currently impressing me to pieces : Add to Search Bar.

It isn’t flashy, or obvious, but it does one thing that makes it highly recommended in the library world : you can visit an OPAC search page, right-click in the search box, and add that search to your built-in Firefox toolbar. It’s that easy.

I have tested it on Millenium and Voyager with 100% success. I don’t know how it will handle other OPACs or search tools, but the ability to search my workplace’s collection without having to go through the multiple layers of our web site will save a great deal of time and effort.

Add to Search Bar web site.

found via ResourceShelf

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Survey of Library Database Licensing Practices – Highlights

Posted on 29 November 2007 by Rick Mason

ResourceShelf has a list of highlights of the Survey of Library Database Licensing Practices.  The highlights are pretty interesting, and the cost of the complete survey results ($80 for a paper version and a whopping $89.50 for a downloadable pdf) make the highlights that much more interesting.

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Library Terms that Users Understand

Posted on 27 November 2007 by Rick Mason

Redesigning or editing the content of your library’s web site? Unsure whether to call that particular section “Periodicals” or “Serials” or “Journals” or even something else? Check out Library Terms That Users Understand for a useful collection of data on what words are best understood by library users. Be prepared to spend a bit of time, as most everything is found via dozens of links. The information can save you, and your users, quite a bit of time in the long run!

thanks to Kathleen Turner for posting this to the Web4lib list

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Lingro

Posted on 27 November 2007 by Rick Mason

Lingro is a service that will allow one to have a dictionary available for text on any web site.  Simply enter the URL for a site, then click on any word.  Viola!  You get definitions for that word quickly and effectively.

This is great for those who are learning a new language, as you can get definitions in one of several languages.

from Metafilter

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Browsing LCSH

Posted on 16 November 2007 by Rick Mason

Bernhard Eversberg of the Braunschweig University Library (or Universitätsbibliothek Braunschweig ) has created a very neat, and very useful online tool : a Library of Congress Subject Headings Browser.

Try it out; put in some of your favorite gnarly subject terms. Try various sub-headings. Enter a LC Classes to see the subject headings in shelf order. Enjoy!

found via the ngc4lib listserv

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reCAPTCHA

Posted on 14 November 2007 by Rick Mason

You have heard about the book digitization projects.  You know that Optical Character Recognition is sometimes an uncertain thing, especially with offbeat typesets and obscure fonts.

Then there is CAPTCHA (and here), the security method that many sites are using to monitor logins.  Basically you view an image of distorted text, and type in the correct letters in order to access the site.

What if each of these problems could use the other as a solution?  reCAPTCHA (here, too)

found on MetaFilter

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Copyright Cost Trend

Posted on 14 November 2007 by Rick Mason

Three items have caught my eye this past week, and they all point in the same direction, even though they each are about something fairly specific:

  1. First was an article about a bill working its way through the Ohio General Assembly. If passed as is, it would mandate that all state schools must provide via. their libraries two copies of every textbook used in their classes. The cost, in todays textbook market, would start in the hundreds of thousands. (received via the OhioLink-gen listserv)
  2. Next was an article in ars technica about the federal education bill that would require colleges and universities to police their networks in order to prevent file sharing. (I wonder if universities will be able to allow legal file sharing at the same time? Some don’t, apparently.) The bill would also mandate that colleges and universities provide an alternate means of acquiring copyrighted files… meaning that they would need to partner with music subscription services. (found on The Patry Copyright blog )
  3. Last was an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education detailing a project that works to provide textbooks to people in developing countries. These include donated used texts, but the focus is increasingly moving towards free and open textbooks available online. (found on Open Access News )

Put these together and what do you get? An incredible amount of pressure, financially and legally, placed on educational institutions to move towards open access. If a significant number of texts in use on a campus are available as open access, the issue of providing them becomes more a matter of format (print vs. screen) than of anything else. Look at the costs involved for policing and providing copyrighted materials. Open texts, as well as other open access media, will look very attractive to those who have to implement these laws (assuming they pass).

Think of squeezing a watermelon seed between two fingers… at some point it will move in a particular direction, and very quickly. Be prepared….

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Library Software Manifesto

Posted on 12 November 2007 by Rick Mason

The Library Software Manifesto was compiled by Roy Tennant (with input from many others) and should be read by everyone who uses an Integrated Library System (ILS).

Why?  Reviewing the manifesto puts one into the mindset of critically reviewing your ILS, detailing its strength and weaknesses from your perspective.

What did I get out of it?

  • A great deal of of the manifesto deals with open and honest communication – in both directions.  This includes the vendor being straightforward about what their system can and cannot do, as well as the consumer communicating their needs and issues clearly and with the understanding of what can reasonably be done by the vendor in response.
  • Another large part of the manifesto deals with access.  There is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to connect to our system in various ways in order to better understand our data, or to enhance our offerings.  One of the shocks at my current job is how clunky the default reporting tool is in our product, compared to my previous place of work.  Setting up this access was complicated, but the end result was powerful and relatively easy to learn.  There is no reason why we shouldn’t have direct, read-only access to our own database.
  • Thinking about the Evergreen project in relation to this manifesto is illuminating.  Open Source is going to transform the ILS landscape, sooner or later, especially when people recognize that the access and communication issues improve dramatically for a healthy open source project.  The downside will be some of the documentation issues (often times a problem with open source… rare are the people who like to write software documentation, and valuable are their contributions), and the need to actively engage the community.  Note:  I am not specifically discussing Evergreen’s documentation, which I have only viewed once or twice… I am referring to open source as a whole.
  • I like the last point:  “…lighten up and have fun!”  There is more than enough mind-numbing detail for us to deal with; if we all make an effort to enjoy our work as well as helping others to do so, then we are all better off.

So, read the manifesto, note the issues that exist with your current system, but also note the issues that exist on your institution’s side, as well.  Think about all of it, and remember it in the future, especially when it is time to consider changing to a new system.  This may be the single best tool for you to begin that process.

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