The Smiling Librarian

Tools to Measure your Effectiveness

2010-05-25T20:19:00.000+01:00

Analysing all elements of your communications is essential to ensure ROI. Here are some useful links that will help you evaluate key metrics:

Google Analytics - for tracking traffic to your website

Google Alerts - for breaking news on your organisation

Google Insights for Search - compare search volumes over time

Hootsuite - for Twitter tracking

Klout - for your Twitter reputation

Twitter Grader - for your Twitter influence

Socialmention - real-time social media analysis

NetTrackz - to check where you are listed online

I would definitely pay NetTrackz for their premium service if you are widely linked to in order to manage your listings and make sure all of your information is up-to date. It is much better use of time and money than doing it yourself, which can take hundreds of man hours and doesn't always guarantee complete and consistent coverage.

RESOURCES FOR DITA POSTINGS

2010-01-02T16:39:00.003Z

All of my module lecture materials were the backbone of my learning in this module and therefore the basis of the content of these blog posts. Every time I have referenced (Lecture materials), I am referring to the lecture materials from the specified session I am writing about.

During my learning I also referenced:
http://www.city.ac.uk/tsg/unix/DoingMore.pdf
http://www.getty.com/
http://www.google.com/
http://homepage.mac.com/pmsexton/Germany/PhotoAlbum14.html
http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Internet/2002/JPG_GIF_PNG.asp
http://www.w3.org/
http://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee/
http://www.w3schools.com/Css/default.asp
http://www.wikipedia.com/(entries on HTML, XML, SQL)

My programming work can be viewed at:
http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~abhp725/indexsession4rvsd2.html
http://www.student.city.ac.uk/~abhp725/mariaefstathioufirstjavascript.html

My blog can be viewed at:
http://www.thesmilinglibrarian.blogspot.com/

Hmmm … My Information Architect Ex-Boyfriend in 1997 Was Actually Cool?? (Session 10)

2010-01-02T16:26:00.002Z

Information architecture and information technology: architecture and construction. Each relies on the other – it is a symbiotic relationship and will always impact my work as an information manager. A website is like a building, or like a grocery store for example like in lecture today - quite ‘Godard-esque’ as many people actually grocery shop online.

To identify the mystery vegetable I first entered my own descriptors ('vegetable, large white bulb, multiple green stems') which returned pictures of spring onions. I then searched for ‘vegetable pictures’ which returned veggie cornucopia pictures. Then I searched 'vegetable descriptions' which returned sites that were child-oriented. Then 'guide to vegetables' or 'vegetable guide' yielded a site that listed vegetables which required me to click on the vegetable names to access pictures and descriptions. I chose vegetable names that I couldn't identify until I found a picture that vaguely looked like the mystery vegetable. I entered the name of the pictured vegetable into Google Image search and the mystery picture came up number 3: a kohlrabi. This took over 5 minutes, but it would have taken me over 1 hour at the library.

The Tesco site was built with excellent architecture. The user has fantastic control with the 'shopping list feature'. The lack of graphics and more copy heavy product description works well. It is a practical choice of architecture favoring speed over prettiness, but the user can choose to see images. Amazon is busy and annoying with too many choices, but I can create a wish list (a desired library).

Information architecture has a wide reaching impact. Datacenters will proliferate as e-books become de rigueur and client-server applications based in JavaScript move from our desktops into the Cloud. This information tidal wave must be managed by information architects on the WWW, and our world will look very different. The learning materials and tools in this program are just one example. We are entirely digital and a significant amount of information architecture was required to put our learning experience together comprehensively.

Developing Applications Rather Than Applying My Make-Up (Session 9)

2010-01-02T16:15:00.001Z

I learned that nothing I have done to date is actually programming, it is just ‘declarative’ code that defines the digital world. JavaScript is programming that allows for user interaction and results in more personalization of online experiences. (Lecture materials)

Here is my sad JavaScript:

Maria's JavaScript

JavaScript exists within HTML and it influences HTML processors in the WWW, and that is why it is written within an HTML file.

Durer’s Drunk Bunny Must Feel Inverted Too (Session 8)

2010-01-02T16:13:00.001Z

I used Boolean search terms in Bing: all of these terms "arts & crafts movement" AND "architecture" AND "best" produces great results, in fact even better than when I did not specify 'all of these terms' in the search box. When I replaced AND with OR in the exact same query as above it gave me results I have no interest in (most were about cooking). No coherent answer was returned if I asked "Who is the best architect in the arts and crafts movement?" Not surprising, as the answer is debated widely.

To find a photo of the Durer statue of the Drunken Bunny in Nuremburg, I created two inverted files:
DOC 1: Durer and the Nuremberg rabbit statue
DOC 2: Gothic sculpture photos and archived in a ‘collection’

Inverted files allow for full searches of terms in a document. They are the central data structure allowing typical search engines to operate. Rather than Google searching through a forward index of listed words in a document, which would take significant power and time, inverted indexes are lists of how many documents contain a specific word, like, for example, ‘Durer’. So instead of searching a list of words for each document that exists on the WWW, there are lists of words that correspond to a number of existing documents that contain the word ‘Durer’. (Lecture materials) Inverted files don’t work as well for images, as they must be specifically tagged by the creator or user. This is why Flickr is better than Google, because users throughout the WWW tag photos with descriptive terms on Flickr. On Web 1.0 sites, photos can not be tagged to make them more searchable.

Source: http://homepage.mac.com/pmsexton/Germany/PhotoAlbum14.html

My Se-Qu-eL To Basic Algebra, But Actually Useful This Time Around (Session 7)

2010-01-02T16:09:00.001Z

Doing complicated things on a black screen makes me feel smart. Following the directions, I am rushing through the exercises, and I love it. It reminds me of algebra class, like I am writing math. SQL commands are fantastic. This is how we find things, how we impose order on heaps of information. I am pleased that I can query effectively within a given set of rules.

SQL is a programming language that deals with files that are in a DATABASE format. You can create tables by choosing the relevant data as necessary (ordered by column) in order to make it useful for those who need to use the database to get information. (Lecture materials)

I searched SQL on Google and learned it is a language that was based on relational algebra. It is satisfying that my first reaction to SQL was the same as when I learned basic algebra. I attempted to make a database table that contained my favorite magazines and publishers and category names. It didn’t work. But if someone were writing the code, I believe I could guide them well in which publications were important within a given subject and the appropriate publisher’s name.

Oooh, I Just Loooove Your New Cascading Style Sheet … Did You Get It On Net-A -Porter? (Session 6)

2010-01-02T16:07:00.001Z

Cascading Style Sheets are my answer to how websites look good. I understand why those who are good at writing CSS get compensated handsomely. It is important to interface with work colleagues that are masters of these style sheets, as your resources and should be presented in a user-friendly, engaging manner. Style is the key.

CSS does not result in consistent styles across browsers, because browsers read the code differently. This creates user dissatisfaction. CSS work is necessary create efficient, useful and popular information resources, but I am frustrated by my in ability to rattle off code. This can't be learned in a heartbeat.

I applied a CSS that I found on the internet from W3 Schools to my website:
Maria's HTML

"THIS IS LIKE OPENING THE BONNET TO SEE WHAT IS INSIDE." - Professor Andy MacFarlane

What A Coincidence! I Love To Consider Myself Valid And Well-Formed As Well … (Session 5)

2010-01-02T16:04:00.001Z

XML is a richer form of HTML. XML and CSS are two technologies that have been agreed upon by W3W to support the exchange of information on the WWW. XML has a lot more tags than XML to account for semantics. It is a mark-up language that has exponentially more functionality and possibilities but requires a fraction of the processing power of other mark up languages like SGML, although they are compatible – SGML as a first attempt that was quickly replaced with XML. XML works through a collection of declarations that define structure, elements and attributes called DOCUMENT TYPE DEFINITION (DTD). (Lecture Materials)

My colleague and I flew through the XML code review exercises. We spotted all of the flaws that were either not valid or not well-formed. It was great fun – like playing a word game. Grammar and syntax aren't just concepts in books anymore, they are actually tools. XML is a language that more robustly serves information search and retrieval. It is a stack of virtual shelves upon which information lives.

An example of XML at work in my field, which is media and marketing, is GETTY IMAGES, one of the leading image banks in the world. See my search for images of Greece, both editorial and creative:
Getty Search - Images from Greece

Getty uses XML to result in images tagged with what the user specifies as the entire system operates according to the rules set by firstly DTDs ultimately defined by TCP/IP.

Issues arise when the metadata are not written into the XML as a user specifies. I entered the word ‘Tsangarada’ into the Getty search and it did not return any images. It is unlikely that they have no images taken from that location because it is notoriously beautiful, but they did not define that metadata to any images in their archive.

Advertising banners on the WWW also operate through XML. Moreover, this blog operates on XML. I actively use XML every day.

Graphic Designers Have Painstaking Jobs (Session 4)

2010-01-02T16:00:00.002Z

Amazing - I have updated my webpage in my own html with a picture of my mother and me in Paris and an image of David Hockney from The New York Times, because today was all about images and graphics.

To view my altogether pathetic work please click on the following: Maria's HTML

I followed course instructions with images – manipulated them, changed sizes and colors with IrfanView 4.23. It was straightforward but I don’t enjoy the work. It’s great to know what is available, if needed, but I will post pictures on my blog with the tools available through Blogspot, and leave graphic design to the designers. For my marketing work I use MailingManager which allows images to be uploaded and manipulated (size, color, and quality).

The difference between a GIF and a JPG is the amount of information stored in each (bits per pixel). JPG stores millions of colors but has limited use on the WWW. More programs can read GIFs as they display only 256 colors, making them perfect for the WWW as they are easier to process and have the maximum amount of color that the WWW can handle. PNGs lose no information when they are shrunk in size because they use the fewest bits per pixel, thereby making them ideal for web pages, but they have a limited color palette so they have largely fallen out of use. (Reference)

Of Poets And Physicists … (Session 3)

2010-01-02T15:54:00.001Z

This week’s graphics give a bird’s eye view of a digital world map. One showed different computers linked together, and the next showed a Domain Name system, which illustrated how the data associated with these names is stored digitally in different places. The world now has 4 billion computers at minimum. The ‘identity’ of data stored within them are assigned both names that are more intuitive to use, as well as address numbers exchanged during requests. (Lecture materials)

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) enable the identification of files, within folders, within domains within a country. The information is transferred with something called HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) which is ‘how’ we make requests for information on the WWW. (Lecture materials)

Berners-Lee understood that in OLE (object linking or embedding) information can either be file –centered (embedding) or document-centered (linking). The WWW emerged through DOCUMENT CENTERED THINKING. Software that could ‘read’ images and graphics within documents helped with the growth of the WWW. The organization of information on the WWW is based on the linking of documents, which is non-linear and reflexive. That is the basis of the programming language HTML which is written specifically ‘document centered’ rather than ‘file centered’ for this system.

There is a language of HTML by which the WWW works otherwise it wouldn’t know how to transfer binary code. Data is held in packets and http, ftp, and telnet is governed by a set of protocols called TCP/IP. (Lecture materials)

‘Mark-up’ in the WWW is particularly important, and this is why we need to learn to ‘code’ in HTML because we are ‘marking-up’. This was born out of the idea of Berner-Lee’s ‘hypertext’, which is a means of “adding value to information”. (Lecture materials) Hypertext is a section of text within a document that incorporates links to other parts of the document or other documents. (Lecture materials)

As an undergrad, the Creative Writing department was buzzing about this new thing called ‘hypertext’ and everyone was including this ‘tool’ in their dissertations. Poetry students showed me work that linked to all different places. I was stunned by it 13 years ago. Little did I know that was the beginning of HTML.

HTML allows text and images to be appropriately formatted and subsequently exchanged on the WWW, which explains why I had problems with embedding links into blog posts, but I needed to understand HTML CODE to do it properly. This is empowering as a budding information manager because I don't want to call IT when I have a problem.

I must build my HTML skills at least to a rudimentary level so I can start posting my own URLs in case I must share information quickly. When we 'published' our HTML, it had to be through a specific server, not on our workstation's hard drive, and not through the general internet. This illustrates interactions of the WWW. My workstation HD can not speak to all workstations at University - code must be uploaded to a specific server in order for it to be shared with my colleagues.
Maria's HTML

‘Byte’ My Metadata, Murdoch! (Session 2)

2010-01-02T15:44:00.001Z

‘Bits’ explain in real terms how much information is required for a computer to be a useful tool in ordering and retrieving information. I remember pop-up notes during the dial-up days which specified whether you had 56 or 128 speed of bits transmitted. ‘Bits’ make sense when recalling how this information was pertinent. The way data is stored, transmitted, represented and managed is based on bits, and thereby they are the foundations of how information is used, shared and developed today. The printing press looks lame.

Exponential possibilities are afforded by adding more bits but extra processing speed would be required by hardware to make binary code with more bits in a chain. (Lecture materials) I am peeking through the door of mathematics and am amazed. The data that binary code represents only means what the author wants it to mean – that why we have coding rules and standards. ‘It is a human decision to apply this meaning’. (Lecture materials) Code is meaningless unless context is defined and agreed by a community of users.

File Format (bits are stored in files) is defined by ASCII so we all use the same formatting rules in English to communicate between all computers (think of it as the ‘alphabet’ of a computer language) and data files help us organize the information on all computers effectively. (Lecture materials) The file is manipulated by the user as a distinct entity – it is a fundamental unit of information that can be used in a distinct way with the FORMAT defining how it can be used. This is the system by which the ‘library’ of a computer is organized.

Metadata is a set of rules that define how the data contained in files is useful, and this metadata is defined as important by the programmer. Metadata is either semantic or presentational, and semantic metadata proves more useful. (Lecture materials) This is the ‘Dewey’ system of a computer ‘library’. We are learning about metadata because this is how the internet works with ‘mark-up languages’. I remember seeing the word ‘mark-up’ in a programmers books once but it makes sense that there is mark up language coded into a PC in general (like Word) because the computer must search for files to operate. Similar principles apply to a mark-up language written with defined metadata as to physical document filing – a file pathname is the same as the structure of a document filing system. There is an academic theoretical model of this ‘root’ architecture in library sciences. There are other academics who say that information is actually organized like tangled, folding ‘ganglia’, but still all files in the digital world are organized with a root structure otherwise we would never be able to find anything. What information is stored in those files is what varies. Data can be stored in a manner that is either ‘File-Centered’ or ‘Document-Centered’. (Lecture materials)

There is sense of data ‘lossless-ness’ surrounding digital information. Because data can be infinitely retrieved/replicated/modified/referenced, IPR issues are created. (Lecture materials) This is demonstrated with the fight between Google and News Corp. – the information publishers/creators VS. search engines that allow us to access/retrieve that information.

Carefully Wading Into “The Messy Middle” (Session 1)

2010-01-02T15:41:00.001Z

“Information exists in the messy middle.” (Rosenfeld and Morville, 2007) This is the essence of DITA. Information technology and architecture enables and makes use of data and knowledge. (Lecture materials)

Blogs are proliferating as a core digital communication used to organize and publish information. They are Web 2.0 technology, not static 1.0 Websites. Facebook can be viewed as a shared mini-blog platform where users do not move between URLs. It is assumed that users filter through blogs that are “credible versus rubbish”, and the rubbish thereby becomes irrelevant, therefore the democratic nature of Web 2.0. (Lecture materials) But blogs can be used by influential propagandists as well, e.g. lies spread about Obama being born in Kenya. Does democracy always get it right?

Setting up the blog was challenging because many programming languages and file formats are used. I hope to use the labeling system efficiently but can't see an option to create a robust labeling system in advance, which is frustrating. Tags are imperative to make your blog interesting and give it an ‘identity’, but tags also have to be useful for the end reader. My blog is targeted to friends/family, colleagues, and prospective employers and tags will be listed alongside for users to sort by interest. In essence is it is an online diary of my personal learning and self-discovery as I embark on a new career.

The UNIX form of information access is the foundation of information storage: the skeleton, the backbone of the “house of knowledge and information storage and access”. (Lecture materials) I had no dexterity at using the system. I know what it is, but I can’t use it. I went to http://www.city.ac.uk/tsg/unix/DoingMore.pdf and it is clear that I will not regularly command a computer through UNIX.

Certain keywords are fascinating: Graphical Information, Presentation of Representation (CSS), Information Retrieval (Google), Applications Development (JavaScript), Wikis, trackbacks (particularly cool), blogroll, Archive including Label/Tag List, Syndication (includes RSS feeds – rich site summary feeds in XML for tracking blogs). I subscribed to Google Reader. The feeds are overwhelming – must filter with keywords.

The purpose of DITA is to understand all the methods and tools available for CREATING/FINDING/ORGANISING digital information. There are industry standards and rules and teachable conventional systems. I did not know this before DITA.

DITA Session 10

2009-12-07T12:06:00.000Z

I love information architecture - I once dated an information architect and I thought he was the coolest thing ever - he must have been one of the first ones because I think this was 1998 or 1999 - we went to Paris together.

So a website is liek a building, or liek a grocery store for example liek in lecture today - this is very Godard-esque as now many peopel actually grocery shop online!! Who woudl have thought!

I finally identified the mystery vegetable - after first tryign to type in descriptors of my own ('vegetable, large white bulb, mutiple green stems'). Nio luck, kept throwing up pics of spring onions. So I Decided to look for vegetable pics - no luck, kept throwing back pics of veggie cornupcopias. Then I just did it the old fashioned way and typed 'vegetable descriptions'. Returned sites that were too child oriented. Then 'guide to vegetables' or 'vegetable guide' yielded a site and I had to click on the vegetable names that I didn't identify myself until I cam up with a pic that vaguely looked like the mystery veg. I then copy and pasted that into Google Image search and then that pic actually came up numbe rthree in the search! It's a kohlrabi by the way. This entire process took me over 5 minutes. Not long if you think about it - I probably would have had to go to the library 15 years ago.

Went to the tesco site and think it is wonderful how personalised nad how much control you have a a user with the 'shopiing list feature'. Excellent architecture. I guess the lack of photos and just copy heavy product description works, that is a choice of architecture that favours speed over prettiness - but it's practical and you can chose to see the pics of you like. Overall fantastic I think.

Amazon not so impressive but obviously I am the only one who thinks that or something bc they are so successful. I find the site busy and annoying and not clean - it throws too many choices at me - I feel bombarded. That being said I cna create a wishlist - which in a way is a personal library I wish I had. I need to futrther explore their e-book potential???

DITA Session 9

2009-12-07T11:53:00.001Z

Javascript.

My log in info does not work - I had to go to the technical support desk.

They said I was OK. Must be something about the system.

When I get anywhere I can't make the script work - I have written it and saved it to server. I want to cry.

DITA Session 8

2009-11-23T11:57:00.002Z

So I am using boolean search terms in Bing

all of these terms "arts & crafts movement" AND "architecture" AND "best"
throws up great results
in fact even better than when I did not specify 'all of these terms' in the searchbox

When I replaced AND with or in the exact same query as above it gave me results I have no interest in, in fact most were about cooking and recipes!!!

No one has an answer for me if I search askign for the exact phrase "Who is the best architect in the arts and crafts movement?"

Not suprising - I am sure that is up for debate, although in my opinion it is Frank Lloyd Wright.

Onto the next experiment ...

Creating inverted files.

I understand it - I guess I am suppossed to make two different documents and create inverted files.

I will make them in an excel spreadsheet

I will use

DOC 1: durer and the rabbit statue in nuremberg
DOC 2: gothic sculpture photographed and archived in collection

Wise words on marraige

2009-11-19T17:36:00.001Z

I hold this to be the highest task for the bond between two people: That each protects the solitude of the other- Rainer Maria Rilke

DITA POST SESSION 7

2009-11-18T23:35:00.000Z

I know how to do complicated things on a black screen and it makes me feel super smart.

It reminds me of algebra class for some reason.

I am writing math.

SQL commands. AWESOME.

Copyright law is really complicated

2009-11-12T14:43:00.000Z

Our ideas about copyright have changed dramatically with the widespread use of computers

A drop down menu on a piece of software used to be a copyright infringement if you had a drop down menu in your software that had a similar 'look & feel'

7 years later - a menu became considered a 'mode of operation' and therefore not a work of copyright.

Reading about this makes my brain feel like exploding!

LIbrarians are on the forefront of new journalism

2009-11-12T14:39:00.000Z

In essence I am probably getting a better education that those at Columbia Journalism School, with a much more solid career before me.

The truth of it hit me when my professor Lyn Robinson joked that librarians should become journalists.

I believe that we are in essence already jounalists.

Newpapers are dying. Staff reporters are getting laid off everywhere.

Digital Information Managers/Librarians/Knowledge Managers are at the forefront of reallocating monies - they have the closet ties to government and industry and academia.

Conde Nast is shrinking, the NYT is haemmoraging - publishers have no readers anymore.

Librarians will redefine Access digitally.

Even TV journalism has become a TV circus proganda wheel to drive up viewership - and that isn't working either, viewership is dropping - even worse for budding journalists if you aren't an actor you can't be a'journalist' on TV anymore (Gus Van Sant's To Die For is a great portrayal of an 'aspirng TV journalist) . Librarians are heading up YouTube, the biggest online archive of video.

Anyway these are all just ideas floating around in my head now. Back to reading.

DITA Session 6 Reflections

2009-11-09T12:55:00.000Z

I feel this need to write code and I am limited bc I don't know the language well enough.

I love how intuitive this all is and bc I love writing I am all the more frustrated by my lack of second nature ability to just write away. I could structure these things for hours.

Cascadign Style Sheets are my answer to so much ... I can see why peopel who are good at them pay so much for them. As a librarian it is important to be able to interface with colleagues within your work that are masters of these style sheets, as otherwise your users would not like using your resources and find it very frustrating.

A website or portal for information should be layed out and presented in an way that engages and is easy/efficient for the user. Style is key.

This is all very exciting for me - I am really understanding the different work that must be done to create efficient and useful and popluar information resources.

That being said I am frustrated by my lack of ability to rattle off code and work quickly. It is hard going back to school - patience is something I have lost as I have grown older, and it is essential I keep control over my frustration as this can't be learned in a heartbeat. It takes practice.

I can't wait unti I get my new big screen desktop - it will be so much easier for me to start looking at multiple frames!

Oh and another thing I did today was learn how to save my code correctly so it can be read by browsers. Didn't quite master that last session! Take a look at my first XML:

OOPS YOU CAN'T BC IT STILL DOESN'T WORK!

I suck.

I swear I will be bald by the end of this term from pulling on my hair.

'THIS IS LIKE OPENING THE BONNET TO SEE WHAT IS INSIDE' - from my Professor Andy MacFarlane

Digi-Memories

2009-11-04T15:00:00.000Z

Does online blogging mess with our minds? Is it healthy?

Personally facebook is starting to make me ill I think - I don't enjoy it anymore - a diary is meant to be private so you you can speak freely and meaningfully to yourself.

I always censor myself on FB as it feels like I am onstage. Those who aren't savvy enough to use it that way look stupid to me.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/11/03/digital.diary.brain.mind/index.html

The Idea Store in Whitechapel

2009-10-29T17:07:00.001Z

I guess calling it a library turns people off so they have to call it a store to drive people to visit. Sad testimony to our consumer culture.
http://www.ideastore.co.uk/en/home

My beautiful beautiful library!

2009-10-29T16:43:00.002Z

at Vassar College in the Hudson Valley, 90 miles north o NYC.
Feast your eyes

http://library.vassar.edu/

"Vassar is home to one of the largest undergraduate library collections in the US. The library collection today - which actually encompasses eight libraries at Vassar - contains over 1.6 million volumes and 7,500 serial, periodical and newspaper titles, as well as an extensive collection of microfilm and microfiche."

"In the West Wing is the Cornaro Stained-Glass Window commissioned for the library and installed in 1906. The image shows Elena Cornaro Piscopia, a young Venetian who had previously been denied the Doctor of Theology degree as a woman, receiving her doctorate in philosophy from the University of Padua. She is thought to be the first woman to earn this degree in European history.

The window comes from the studios of Messrs. John Hardman & Company of Birmingham, England, and of the Church Glass and Decorating Company of New York, their U.S. representatives.

The window was designed by Dunstan Powell, grandson of Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, the Victorian era church architect. The much debated question of whose idea is was to choose the subject has not been resolved.[5]

The lights in the tracery represent Grammar, Dialectics, Music, Philosophy, Astronomy, Medicine, Geometry and Theology.

At the bottom are cherubim holding scrolls upon which are written in Latin: "In Laud Helenae Lucretia Cornelia Piscopiae Lauria Philo In Patav Gymn Unico Ex-Emplo Donatae"

Lady Elena's dress is Rose and Grey, the original colors of Vassar College."

Maybe I could work for them one day?

2009-10-29T16:39:00.000Z

http://search.theeuropeanlibrary.org/portal/en/index.html

Hungary is the firmest on complete coverage of anything and everything published that is in Hungarian, has to do with Hungary, or is by a Hungarian, or by someone of Hungarian nationality must be included in their national library.

The main issue for national digital libraries now is do you collect all of th nation's digital output for the record?

A good example now is that Britain has to store Sarah Brown's Twitter feed as it is a matter of public record.

Countries liek Greece must be facing a huge issue with the relavancy and accessibility of their information. You can't really ge tto anything if it hasn't been translated, and if it is new information can it be translated quickly enouh to keep it relevant? Must get up to speed on this and how Greece is managing this issue.

Thoughts on libraries best put in context by my professor David Bawden

2009-10-29T14:43:00.001Z

"Library and Information Sciences are defined by:
-the services which they provide
-the collection which they maintain
-the places and spaces in which they operate
-a managed and organised collection of information resources, of all kinds, with services provided so that the collections can be used effectively within physical and virtual spaces."

"A digital library is deliberately similar:
A managed and organised collection of information resources preserved for a long time with associated user service, where the information is stored in digital format and accessed over a computer network.
The digital world invites transience, but it also persists by nature. It also implies connectivity.
A digital library also decays."
Example: Pharmaceutical industry needs to keep ORIGINAL data FOREVER when they get FDA approval. This means they also have to keep all machines and archiving systems that tha tinformation requires for viewing as the regulators INSIST ON IT, as they need access to the ORIGINAL data. If you switch over systems in the library it is no longer original data. So a librarians job becomes saving and archiving equipment, hardware and software as well as the data in its original format.

The current laws say that if a document doesn't come directly from your comuter it is not the original. But some things live across 'borders' or on several computers. So this all sounds wholly unreasonable to me, particularly in light of the fact that so many documents today are being created on shared platforms across the world.

A chart to illustrate spectrum of Library and Information Sciences

2009-10-29T12:59:00.001Z

Reflections on Libraries in practice #1

2009-10-29T12:21:00.002Z

Mondays lectures really got me thinking.

A library is a library, just as I knew it as a child. I have been getting too fancy in my thinking - I guess that is natural for a new student (??)

Chambers Dictionary defines a library as "a collection of boos, a building or room containing it"

Harrods definition includes: "kept for a purpose"

This is a concept recognised since antiquity.

Now when we start talking about Information Sciences is where things get tricky:
-it's ill defined
-it's only been used since the mid 20th century
-typically centered around a specialised subject and user group
-strong emphasis on access and user services, rather than the collection.

This way we can even view James Bond as an information officer.

What distinguishes Library Sciences from Information Sciences? In short, Information Science implies a more active relationship with documents.

DITA Session #5 part 2

2009-10-26T12:36:00.000Z

So I tried to publish what I thought was my first XML on the samba server, and it didn't work. I think I am missing a piece of software - I probably jumped the gun. I am sure I will figure out why it didn't work next week.

In the menatime this week I will take the skeleton on the example as given in this week's exercise and plug my own tags into it to create at least the skeleton of my own database that I will one day hopefully be able t opublish.

I the meantiem I anjoyed this weeks lecture and excersizes and I love that grammar and sytax aren't just things in books anymore. They are actually tools I use! (And yes I know you can say I use them every day when I speak, but this is decidely different to me. I don't go around saying 'hey! open bracket library close bracket openbracket reflist description such and such close bracket.')

Anyhow XML is a language that quite simply organises information. It is a stack of virtual shelves upon which information lives.

DITA Session 5

2009-10-26T12:19:00.000Z

Paul Magree and I flew through the XML code review - we spotted all of the flaws we beblieve. I will see once I attempt to post my own XML online next. I think we will take Andy's XML examples, correct them, and publich them online - stay posted to see how we do.

I am really enjoying this - it is very empowering. Honestly I don't understand how XML literally works, I just know it is a richer form of HTML.

And I think that is all I need to know.

Work to follow.

Librarianism in Action

2009-10-26T10:58:00.000Z

"Transitional justice is also about ensuring that victims have more information about their dear ones who are still missing years after the conflict," she said. "It's also about them obtaining reparations. It's to some extent a measure of truth and acknowledgement of the crimes of the past."

Aptel said the establishment of a "truth commission," charged with investigating and documenting crimes, atrocities and testimonies of victims and perpetrators on all sides, would go some way towards addressing that need.

"If you were to have a truth commission being established -- involving local processes of acknowledgement and documentation of the crimes -- that would certainly have a positive impact on reconciliation," she said.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/10/26/karadzic.trial.analysis/index.html

Irresponsible reporting by CNN

2009-10-26T10:54:00.000Z

What they don't tell you is that the money she is using all comes from the Kabbalah Centre and the school is being opened for indoctrination purposes.

I know this for a fact because I used to do their PR for two years in London. It was sort of like trying to publicity for paedophiles. Thanks goodness I don't have to do it anymore.

This school should not be allowed to open their doors - it is a front for a cult- I will be writing to the government in Malawi to inform them.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/10/26/malawi.madonna.school/index.html

NYTimes clearly working with Apple on iTablet

2009-10-26T10:26:00.000Z

after his very embarassing interview with The Daily Show the head of the newspaper of record is finally getting his sh*t together

http://gawker.com/5389636/bill-keller-apple-tablet-impending

Take this survey when you can

2009-10-25T18:04:00.003Z

http://virtuallyalibrarian.com/2009/10/20/libraries-saas-the-cloud-and-more-participate-in-our-survey/

Video clip of Peter Murray-Rust

2009-10-25T17:58:00.002Z

http://frommelbin.blogspot.com/2009/10/peter-murray-rusts-12-point-action-plan.html

Peter Murray-Rust Lecture Notes

2009-10-25T17:52:00.000Z

PETER MURRAY-RUST LECTURE
LIBRARY SCIENCE AND INFORMATION FOUNDATION
19/10/09

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Murray-Rust
http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/staff/pm.html
http://wwmm.ch.cam.ac.uk/blogs/murrayrust/

What is a librarian?
• Looks after information
• Information and knowledge steward
• Gives access to information
• Organised
• Adds value

5 Laws of Library Science
1) For every reader, his or her book.
Corey Doctorov – Science Fiction writer, publishes on web, writes for guardian, open access on web, how do you get income – advertising, subscriptions
AND
Sell electronic books
Business model to make money out of free material – THIS IS KEY TO OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING
Corey talks about copyright in order to protect the creator solely
Leaders of Library Science today are probably Google
Copyright records ownership
Protects the economics and moral rights of the creator

Requires license or fee for reproduction and dissemination

They do not have to register it
EVERYTHING I WRITE IS MY COPYRIGHT

Rangunathan owns the 5 Laws of Library Science:
He is dead so it depends on have long he has been dead and afterwards it depends on jurisdiction
(THE BOOK) is a key cultural artefact
E.g. Fahrenheit 451

Peter has an aspiration towards defining what makes a great librarian
Academic Library Sector is in crisis, especially in the Sciences
Index of chemical abstracts
Scientists no longer use academic libraries

What do you see as the growing points in the library sciences in this information age?
• Google
• Wikipedia
• Amazon
• IMDB
• YouTube
• Apple (iTunes)
• US Military
• Tim Berners-Lee

The semantic web changed Peter’s life
‘Everything decays rapidly’

Movement of documents drives the real world
Causes people to move goods and currencies, etc.
VERY COMPELLING in terms of the future of information
To help conceptualise the power of information, read/watch some seminal works in science fiction:
• Gibson: Neuromancer, Burning Chrome
• Twelveoaks: Shockwave Rider
• EM Forrester: The Machine Stopped – written in response to Wells
• 1984 – 'The information controlled dystopia'
• Gattica
• The Terminator
• The Matrix
Military, healthcare, entertainment will be the first sectors to start chipping people
Universal connectivity
You will be able to interact with devices outside of you
http://www.rfidbuzz.com/news/2004/chip_the_vip.html
http://www.prisonplanet.com/Pages/210504_clubbers_chipped.html
Events/conferences/publication
Voice recognition
BE PROACTIVE ABOUT THESE SORTS OF DEVELOPMENTS – this was we will have more control over its applications

Rangunathan – his job was to set up a library - The 5 Laws of Library Science
1) Books are for use.
(A library is not a museum)
2) For every reader, his or her book.
(uses book as the epitome of what he/she wants) (it is a reciprocal arrangement)
3) For every book there is a reader
(A book with no use has no place in the library)
4) Save the time of the reader.
5) A library is a growing organism.
Sarah is fired up in creating the library of the future.
Based on public library concept. She taught peter about Rangunathan.

Carnegie set up library system in the USA
What are the artefacts of today? Google, Wikipedia, Amazon, The British Library, UK Pub Med Central

MUCH INFORMATION EXISTS IN ‘WALLED GARDENS’
Particularly in the fields of health, environment, and climate change
‘Commoners’ can’t get a hold of that information, and isn’t available to even purchase
How do we get the internet to become a HUMAN RIGHT, as it is in Finland?
My Society
Gets people involved in causes, you get easier access to your MPs, congressmen
It is a democracy website
HADOPI – particularly true as far as government goes
EXAMPLE: Paying Disney for Mickey Mouse
He will never be free for the public to use
Yet he belongs to us
He is about 70 years old and they just extended copyright
3 Strikes Law – if you are accused of copyright infringement 3 times you can be disconnected from the WWW forever

Serials Review – Peter’s work, once they published it, no longer belongs to him, it belongs to them
Many publishers have page charges – the publishers don’t pay for a thing!

£5-£10 Billion is the value of the academic publishing market worldwide
Can try and change it catastrophically or it will automatically change itself

Publishers are not facing up to this
And academics are not doing any better
Scholarly publishing is 1-2% of budget for academic institutions
CASE STUDY:
The Wellcome Trust - Aggressive takeover by GlaxoSmithKline - But still all of their research has to be public - Not just available to people that can afford it, like Lancet, etc.
This could not have been done before the internet
The only thing stopping us from doing the same are social aspects

ANOTHER CASE STUDY:
Google wants to digitise Nigeria
The librarian negotiating on behalf of Nigeria has to do a good deal
Don’t underestimate the value of your information. Library of Congress – who digitised it for them?

Under Thatcher, the ordinance survey system was structured, it was structured to generate an income as the department is expensive to run – they generate £100M per annum for their maps alone, but is you make it digital and free the government would actually be SAVING £500M by revolutionising the system.

Why don’t we all just use Googlemaps instead?
Because they are licensed and we would have to pay them.
They are free to use but they are not OPEN SOURCE
Stallman
GNU

Its ‘free beer’ VS ‘free speech’
High cost of entry to make maps
Until Steve Coast (one of Peter’s heroes)
Got all of the couriers to input their GPS tracking data (which they have anyway, this costs them nothing extra) free of charge and they were able to generate a perfectly accurate map of London! Without ‘Easter eggs’ (A to Z puts non-existent streets in their maps for copyright purposes)
OpenStreetMap (free of Easter eggs)
Uses crowd sourcing and have achieved a significant amount of organised information for free and even have achieved very accurate metadata, in fact more accurate that A-Z!
As Internet Librarians, we create metadata
How well do we index things ourselves?
When two separate librarians read the same document/book they come up with a 50% match in tags at best
Human domain metadata is too expensive. This era must come to an end.
Text reading through Google is better/more efficient.
Indexing by machine is clearly the way forward.

Speech recognition is also having a huge impact on publishing
Microsoft funds Peter’s research
They are funding Opensource in part because it is in their best business interests. Opensource allows the meetings of minds and the easy sharing of information
Opensource Chemistry – we are starting to have a new understanding of chemical language
Chem4word 2D Editor
Needed librarians to create it
How can we read chemistry texts better/faster? How can we assess them, organise them better/faster?
Software now exists to ‘decode’ chemistry abstracts/research for us
OSCAR TEXT EXTRACTION
You tip the chemistry code into JavaScript and it ‘spell checks’ it!
Then it automatically puts the text into a table, and reconstructs the chemical spectrum

Anybody can do this as it is run on the Royal Society of Chemistry’s website.
You can easily find out is a document is correctly stated formulaically

Easy to do this exact same thing in most disciplines that have ‘named entities’
Machines can do as good of a job as humans
OSCAR can understand 90% of names – it is a very smart chemistry parsing language with noun phrases and verb phrases
Can mark up as a ‘dissolve’ phrase, a ‘heat’ phrase, and ‘wait’ phrase

Graph of experiment is part of thesis
Annotate & hides it away
PPT finding the journey of the chemical reaction
So it becomes a graphic illustrating the story of the molecule.

We can now communicate without a single word – the document no longer must be written in English or any other language

OPENSOURCE EXAMPLE:
Galaxy Zoo
Indexing by trained astronomers would take years to classify
Also a machine can’t identify a spiralled galaxy
Humans are very good at recognising patterns
Galaxy Zoo spells out the guidelines, and you help classify!
Democratising of information
The ‘Blue Thing’ was discovered by non-astronomers, papers by non-trained astronomers are published – traditional barriers are breaking down.
So much information is now digital

LIBRARIANS ARE THE CUSTODIUANS OF OUR CULTURE
LIBRARIANS ARE THE GUARDIANS OF SCHOLARSHIP
We are in danger because we worry too much about copyright and subscription rates
Take the old ideas/principles and bring them into the information age!
Ideas that librarians can put into practice:
-citizen Librarian
-post all academic output publically – IGNORE COPYRIGHT
-text-menu everything
-put 2nd year students in charge of developing educational technology and resources
-actively participate in obtaining science grants
-actively participate in the scientific publication process
-close the science library building and move into departments
-hand over all purchasing to ‘National Rotweiller Purchasing Officer’
-set up a new type of University Press
-develop own metrics system
-publicly campaign for openness
-make the library an addictive game

DITA Session 4

2009-10-19T13:01:00.000+01:00

This is all pretty unreal for me - I have updated my webpage in my own html with a picture of my mother and I in Paris and also with an image of David Hockney, bc today was all about images and graphics.

To view my altogether pathetic work please click on the following:
Maria's First HTML

Death of the bookstore as we know it?

2009-10-15T15:41:00.001+01:00

Hopefully not, because I love my books and I love losing myself in the stacks.
But if eBooks can get more kids reading I am all for it. Just because I have my favourite book covers/editions doesn't mean 'little Timmy' must. Also, as a student I have to say I would really enjoy not having to carry a load of books on the bus/tube.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/1015/breaking46.htm

Does the brain like e books?

2009-10-15T15:34:00.000+01:00

We read more slowly online and we don't use our peripheral vision the same way.
Historically, every time information has become popular in a new format, there has been public uproar. Plato famously didn't even like the invention of writing because he felt it compromised man's ability to focus.
http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/does-the-brain-like-e-books/

No longer angry about del.icio.us

2009-10-15T01:39:00.002+01:00

Because now my books are organised here:
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/mariaefstathiou

Changing documents forever

2009-10-15T01:21:00.002+01:00

No pun intended. heehee.
http://wave.google.com/help/wave/about.html#video

MY 3rd DITA Session and I have made first two html files of my life!

2009-10-12T12:14:00.005+01:00

The amazing part of this session is I finally figured out have to control my own blog if my coputer is acting funny. I have had issues with my ability to embed links into my posts on this blog. And now I think I can fix them.
This is incredibly empowering for me as an budding information manager because I really don't want to have to call IT every time I have a problem like this.
I hope to build my html skills at least to a rudimentary level so I can start posting my own urls if i need to in case of an emergency sometime when it is urgent that i share information to a group quickly.
I am really pleased with this section of the course and will be spending lots of time this week practicing so I can hone my skills - I will be posting again to keep a record of my development.

Also I just spoke with my colleague and realised that when we 'published' our html, it had to be through a specific server, not on our workstation's hard drive, and not through the general internet - this further illuminates the interactiosn of the world wide web, that my workstation HD can not speak to all workstations in the school - my code must be uploaded to a specific server in order for it to be shared with my colleagues at City University, and with is a server that i can only get access to with passwords if I am not sitting at a comuter in the City U system, where I can launch the server from my start menu.

This will get even more interesting once I try and publish html onto student.city.ac.uk from home.
The second module of this course was largely historical and contexual. I understand it is important to keep my vocabularly growing so I think I will just make a list of keywords for the second session's entry.

OH MY GOD! I JUST FIXED MY LINKS BY MYSELF!

Pertinent to my studies and mentions my alma mater

2009-10-02T09:14:00.001+01:00

http://gawker.com/5372619/bloggers-higher-learnings-saviors-or-destroyers

Why does Vassar always get picked on?

Flaubert quote

2009-10-01T16:07:00.000+01:00

Be regular and orderly in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work.

My del.icio.us

2009-10-01T15:59:00.005+01:00

http://delicious.com/mariaefstathiou
It's a work in progress but very exciting for me to build - it's really like having my own personal library - too bad I am limited to just websites.

Party time

2009-10-01T01:37:00.018+01:00

I practice this dance at home.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlBS3PmPfaI

For my friends in media and marketing

2009-09-30T16:07:00.005+01:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8&feature=fvst

Great statistics for presentations.

Revolutionising publishing

2009-09-30T15:14:00.002+01:00

http://gizmodo.com/5370252/apple-tablet-aiming-to-redefine-newspapers-textbooks-and-magazines

It's a dream device.

What am I?

2009-09-28T22:27:00.001+01:00

Am I a Librarian? Am I an Information Scientist? Am I a Knowledge Manager?

I do not agree that Librarians are simply 'custodians' of existing knowledge. First and foremost, in my youth, Librarians helped me uncover knowledge. I had limted resources to myself. My parents were immigrants, albeit educated, but immigrants who could not steer my enquiries. The Librarians were not the most expressive or extroverted, but when asked they indeed responded through directing me. Yes, I felt lost in a sea in a deluge of information, but I was steered, admittedly. By addressing Librarians as 'Custodians' they are easily equated to 'Janitors', i.e. Janitorial Administrators of knowledge (synonymous). This is an unfounded categorisation. It is an importnat job and one that has not been performed well by anyone in the information profession when history stands as testimony. Without Librarians one can doubt whether where Science today would be and moreover, where Science will be tomorrow. Thank goodness for those who have preserved knowledge, while making it accessible.

The title of Information Scientist also falls deflated, flat ... retrieting information is quite dog-like. Any computerised search engine can do that for an informd individual. Instinctually I do not adore that title either.
Knowledge Manager ... that sits beter, although I understand it is inoccuous and a bit wishy-washy ... also I am swayed by those who have practiced in the private sector and done incredibly well for themselves ... early adaptors I might add ...
More to some after my first day in school after I won't say how many years.

SESSION 1

2009-09-28T12:40:00.000+01:00

In this module I was informed about the best tools available today for blogging. I learned about the importance of blogging, how to filter through blogs or sites that are credible versus rubbish.
Overall, I ahave been pretty disappointed in todays lectures and lab work. I understand the point of it but didn't feel very well guided or instructed I have to say. I understand that the Unix form of information acess is important as it is the barebones foundation of information storage, the skeleton, foundation, backbone of the 'house of knowledge and information storage and access'. Nothing worked today though - so my dexterity at using the system and understanding it by stream of concious was not accomplished or developed.
Not alot of guidance for blog creation - had to wade through it myself. I hope to use the labeliign system efficiently but I can't undertand or see the option that allows me to create a robust labelling system in advance. Although I understand a lot better the structure of what makes a good blog and how they can be useful - first and foremost I have to understand they have to be useful for the ultimate reader, the audience. My blog will be for which target audience? I guess it could be for the general public and certain tags will be targeted? Have to think about this. But also I can not forget that this is my first attempt and the essence of it is that it is an ONLINE DIARY. So my webpage is more Web 2.0 than Web 1.0 I am guessing.
Soem keywords that were particularly illuminating to me today: Graphical Inforamtion, Presentation of Representation/Cascading Style Sheets (CCS), Inforamtion Retrieval (Google, BING), Applications Development (Javascript), Wikis, TRACKBACKS (which I thought were particularly cool/new/illuminating to me), Blogroll (list of other sites/blogs recommended, Archive includign Label/Tag List, SYNDICATION (RSS feeds) eg Google Reader (rich site summary feeds in XMLso I can track other blogs). I have to check out this Google reader and will post my experience about that once I check it out.
The purpose of this moduel is to understand all the methods and tools available for FINDING/SEACHING/ORGANISING Information.
Nice to see there are accepted standards already in the Industry and that they are truly considered intstitutions to be taught and used and considered 'legitimate'. My age makes me view all of these things as ephemeral and 'cheating' but that's because the last time I went to school I had to lug around newpapers, magazines and books!

My first post!

2009-09-23T17:29:00.000+01:00

Wow. This is really exciting. I have a blog. I have always been told I should have one - and now I do. Wow.