Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
comments
http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-reading-notes.html?showComment=1285786901999#c8496775235201159024
http://kel2600.blogspot.com/2010/09/reading-notes-september-28-2010.html?showComment=1285787267898#c7951621806788323927
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Readings
These readings seemed to follow a natural progression as well....
The wikipedia entry about databases was very interesting. I never really thought about the differences between databases, and what purpose they served. I always just thought about them in the "library" sense: a system used to store and search a large volume of information. While there are many uses for databases, some more complex than others, it seemed to me that the most important part of the database entry, as it concerns librarians and information seekers, is the indexing aspect of a database. The indexing section described in simple terms what it takes to make a working, fully search-able database that can be useful for libraries.
The second reading gave a really good history of metadata. Again, I always thought of metadata as only a "library" term. This article went into great detail about how metadata is used by many professions and how it can be helpful, or confusing because of how many people input their own metadata.
The Dublin Core article kind of tied the three together. As I talked about with indexing, it is important for all information to be easily searchable and accessible. Metadata is required to do this, but a big problem with metadata is the wide variety of terms that are used to make up metadata. Dublin Core seemingly solved this problem by creating a standard set of terms to be used when describing works on the web. Dublin Core is still not perfect, as it requires English to be the standard
The overarching theme of the readings this week seem to deal with how difficult it is to find information based on the way metadata is currently inputted into databases. Maybe Dublin Core can be the savior in this, but maybe something else needs to come along.
The wikipedia entry about databases was very interesting. I never really thought about the differences between databases, and what purpose they served. I always just thought about them in the "library" sense: a system used to store and search a large volume of information. While there are many uses for databases, some more complex than others, it seemed to me that the most important part of the database entry, as it concerns librarians and information seekers, is the indexing aspect of a database. The indexing section described in simple terms what it takes to make a working, fully search-able database that can be useful for libraries.
The second reading gave a really good history of metadata. Again, I always thought of metadata as only a "library" term. This article went into great detail about how metadata is used by many professions and how it can be helpful, or confusing because of how many people input their own metadata.
The Dublin Core article kind of tied the three together. As I talked about with indexing, it is important for all information to be easily searchable and accessible. Metadata is required to do this, but a big problem with metadata is the wide variety of terms that are used to make up metadata. Dublin Core seemingly solved this problem by creating a standard set of terms to be used when describing works on the web. Dublin Core is still not perfect, as it requires English to be the standard
The overarching theme of the readings this week seem to deal with how difficult it is to find information based on the way metadata is currently inputted into databases. Maybe Dublin Core can be the savior in this, but maybe something else needs to come along.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Assignment 2, Flickr
Here's my photostream from Flickr. I took these pictures last weekend, during the Penguin's first day of training camp.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40907783@N03/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40907783@N03/
Muddy points
No real muddy points from the last lecture. I became pretty knowledgeable about a lot of these things the last few months. My computer crashed in August and I had to figure out how to fix/install things on my own as it was out of warranty. I guess that was something good that came from a horrible experience!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
my comments
http://tabialibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/09/muddiest-point-9202010.html?showComment=1285180347418#c5827101076663367420
http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-readings-corrected.html?showComment=1285181223695#c787048034759650238
http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-4-readings-corrected.html?showComment=1285181223695#c787048034759650238
Unit 4 Reading
I'll have to admit that a lot of the readings about digital compression had me confused and totally lost. The Wikipedia entry was easy to follow, but the http://dvd-hq.info/data_compression_1.php article was very difficult to follow.
I'm no audiophile, so I never really paid attention to descriptions of music on file sharing sites, (you know, when I'm just browsing file sharing sites, not actively participating in them), so I never really had any idea what lossless audio meant. I'll have to find a track that is listed as "lossless" and compare it to an .mp3 to see if I can notice any difference.
The article that Ed Galloway wrote is very interesting because it combine a few of the things that we have been talking about so far this semester. Digitizing the images themselves is difficult because of the money and time involved, but beyond that, it is hard to categorize a digital collection. He mentions that it was difficult starting the project because there were so many hands in on it. It seems as though different people may have wanted the collection for different reasons, so they had to adhere to the Dublin Core standardization of inputting metadata. This is yet another aspect of digitization that need to be sorted: as items become more accessible, what do they mean to different people?
I'm no audiophile, so I never really paid attention to descriptions of music on file sharing sites, (you know, when I'm just browsing file sharing sites, not actively participating in them), so I never really had any idea what lossless audio meant. I'll have to find a track that is listed as "lossless" and compare it to an .mp3 to see if I can notice any difference.
The article that Ed Galloway wrote is very interesting because it combine a few of the things that we have been talking about so far this semester. Digitizing the images themselves is difficult because of the money and time involved, but beyond that, it is hard to categorize a digital collection. He mentions that it was difficult starting the project because there were so many hands in on it. It seems as though different people may have wanted the collection for different reasons, so they had to adhere to the Dublin Core standardization of inputting metadata. This is yet another aspect of digitization that need to be sorted: as items become more accessible, what do they mean to different people?
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Comments
http://jrm170.blogspot.com/2010/09/920-reading-notes.html?showComment=1284666314046#c2523158196230719769
http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-3-reading-notes-software.html?showComment=1284668127329#c5342705687627710512
http://lostscribe459.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-3-reading-notes-software.html?showComment=1284668127329#c5342705687627710512
Week 3 Reading notes
This weeks notes were more technical in nature. Although I have a bit of experience with all three of the operating systems that we read about, I had never really read about the differences of each. It is interesting to note how each operating system works, not just on a technical level, but on a social level as well.
I have to agree with the Linux manual that it is the least user friendly in its command line form. I've installed a few different versions of Linux (Fedora and Ubuntu). These are a lot more friendly in terms of GUI, they are actually a lot like Windows.
Because I like to tinker with my gadgets, I think that Linux is more suited for my needs. The Linux manual points out that a 'con' facing an open source platform is that there is little in the way of technical support. To me, this is actually one of the biggest 'pros' for Linux. I love that there is such a huge community of users out there that are willing to help one another any time there is a problem. For the other operating systems like Windows or OSX, while it is possible to find help online, it is expected that you call some type of corporate helpline to sort you out. While they may be able to fix your problem quickly, for some people, it is better that they actually learn the steps to a solution themselves so that they can go back and fix it again if something breaks again.
I have to agree with the Linux manual that it is the least user friendly in its command line form. I've installed a few different versions of Linux (Fedora and Ubuntu). These are a lot more friendly in terms of GUI, they are actually a lot like Windows.
Because I like to tinker with my gadgets, I think that Linux is more suited for my needs. The Linux manual points out that a 'con' facing an open source platform is that there is little in the way of technical support. To me, this is actually one of the biggest 'pros' for Linux. I love that there is such a huge community of users out there that are willing to help one another any time there is a problem. For the other operating systems like Windows or OSX, while it is possible to find help online, it is expected that you call some type of corporate helpline to sort you out. While they may be able to fix your problem quickly, for some people, it is better that they actually learn the steps to a solution themselves so that they can go back and fix it again if something breaks again.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Second Week's Reading
The reading for the second week focused on the history of computing and what components are involved in computers.
Probably the most that I took away from the readings were just how quickly things move forward, and how accurate Moore was in this prediciton. How could anyone have guessed over fifty years ago that I would be able to carry a 1Ghz processor around in my pocket (in the form of my android phone). Moore knew what the future of computing was huge, but it is crazy to look back on it to see that he was correct.
The other big point that I took away, and one that is important to our discussion of digitizaiton, is that because of Moore's Law and its accuracy, obsolescence is a huge problem. A file type, or a drive that is capable of accessing that file today, might not work a few years down the road. If this continues throughout the digital age (and we have no reason to believe it isn't going to) then all of the digitization efforts might be for naught.
Probably the most that I took away from the readings were just how quickly things move forward, and how accurate Moore was in this prediciton. How could anyone have guessed over fifty years ago that I would be able to carry a 1Ghz processor around in my pocket (in the form of my android phone). Moore knew what the future of computing was huge, but it is crazy to look back on it to see that he was correct.
The other big point that I took away, and one that is important to our discussion of digitizaiton, is that because of Moore's Law and its accuracy, obsolescence is a huge problem. A file type, or a drive that is capable of accessing that file today, might not work a few years down the road. If this continues throughout the digital age (and we have no reason to believe it isn't going to) then all of the digitization efforts might be for naught.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
First Readings
The three required reading for the first week follow a natural progression. The first article "OCLC report: Information Format Trends: Content, Not Containers" details the changing format of information. In the past, students and other information seekers went directly for scholarly journals and books. This changed over time as students moved away from physical media and into a digital world. The change in information delivery has seen its most drastic change over the last few years however, and it is no longer important for many students that their information come from a journal or book. Now it is acceptable for people to get their information from social media, be they blogs or wikis or one of many other forms. The "containers" of information is not the most important aspect of research. It is the idea that the information is current and easily accessible that most. This seems to be very true to most students I deal with day to day. I spend a fair amount of time at Pitt's reference desk, and students seem to be surprised that their are sources of information out there other than wikipedia or the huffingtonpost. For better or worse, this seems to be the way many students get their information.
The following article, “Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture”details what this change in information distribution means for students and instructors. Because information is found in new places, students must be made to be aware of this. Information literacy may be one of the most important areas of study and instruction as time passes. Computer skills are almost a requirement for everyday life so libraries and other institutions must be prepared to help train this new generation of scholars. This is one of the most important issues, to me at least. The age of digitization was supposed to bring information access to everyone. But what of the people that don't have the internet, or even computers? The library system must be willing to train and give guidence to these people. The blind or otherwise physically handicapped issue is very large as well.
The third article, "Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still" describes the culmination of the previous stories. Lied Library not only understood the changing views of research, they embraced it. Computer terminals were added, laptops are being loaned out, and students have access to the wireless network. All of these things are necessary in the new world of information seeking. There are also many more ways for information to be accessed. The library joined a number of consortia to make sure various types of information would be quickly and readily accessible, even if it is not on site locally. It is great that this library was able to adapt and embrace the new roles that libraries need to have. But I worry that many libraries wouldn't be able to afford all of the things that Lied Library did in its upgrade. This is a big concern in the new digital world: that updating and upgrading may be cost prohibitive.
The following article, “Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture”details what this change in information distribution means for students and instructors. Because information is found in new places, students must be made to be aware of this. Information literacy may be one of the most important areas of study and instruction as time passes. Computer skills are almost a requirement for everyday life so libraries and other institutions must be prepared to help train this new generation of scholars. This is one of the most important issues, to me at least. The age of digitization was supposed to bring information access to everyone. But what of the people that don't have the internet, or even computers? The library system must be willing to train and give guidence to these people. The blind or otherwise physically handicapped issue is very large as well.
The third article, "Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still" describes the culmination of the previous stories. Lied Library not only understood the changing views of research, they embraced it. Computer terminals were added, laptops are being loaned out, and students have access to the wireless network. All of these things are necessary in the new world of information seeking. There are also many more ways for information to be accessed. The library joined a number of consortia to make sure various types of information would be quickly and readily accessible, even if it is not on site locally. It is great that this library was able to adapt and embrace the new roles that libraries need to have. But I worry that many libraries wouldn't be able to afford all of the things that Lied Library did in its upgrade. This is a big concern in the new digital world: that updating and upgrading may be cost prohibitive.
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