Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Unit 3 comments
So far I feel the tech assignments for 675 (Advanced Digital Collections) are less intense than those of 672 (Introduction to Applied Tech). This is a relief. The assignments are not yet as complex and I have encountered no significant trouble-shooting problems. However, as a whole, 675 is a demanding course because the case management assignments combined with the tech assignments constitute a substantial time commitment. But so far I have been able to keep up with the deadlines. I like the fact that the syllabi for this semester include allowances for several extensions without penalty. I feel like this provides us students taking both courses with some insurance and breathing room to reconcile the challenges of each course should we encounter some difficulties with the material in future modules.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Response to 2006 Hi Tech Library Special Issue article
For this weeks blog assignment I used the U of A library to access an online article from Hi Tech Library journal:
Benzing, Matt. "Luwak: a content management solution." Library Hi Tech 24, no. 1 (2006): 8-13. Emerald. Database on-line. Emerald Publishing Group: accessed 15 September, 2008.
This article is a case study that summarizes and analyzes how librarians at the Rensselaer Research Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, New York implemented a content management system for their library website. The libraries adapted a home-grown XML-based application named "Luwak," which was developed by the Communication & Collaborative Technologies division of their university. The story behind the name was quite interesting. A Luwak, also known as the Palm Civet, is a jungle feline that ingests ripe red coffee beans. The cat's digestive system adds value to the beans and people harvest its excrement to create one of the world's most expensive gourmet coffees. The name seen as a good choice because it is a metaphor for what a content management system does to inputted content--digests it and adds value.
I was intrigued by many aspects of this article, which illuminated for me the real world benefits of a content management system by putting them in the context of a case study. Luwak, like all content management systems, uses XML to separate content from form for dynamic manipulation. The Luwak system had three levels of user permissions--creator, editor, and administrator--each with clearly defined roles in a work process for generating web content. Also Luwak incorporates features for setting and automatically enforcing records retention and disposition functionality for web content, so that content can be assigned a "lifecycle" to avoid becoming outdated and cluttering the system. I think this is a ingenious way to be proactive about records management across an entire enterprise; I suppose that if a records officer had the right user permission they could ensure RM compliance across an organization without having to deal directly with myriad users, a near impossible feat without a content management system. Other obvious benefits to the new system were its open source code and in-house tech support with the developers based out of the same institution.
The case study concluded that the new content management system was mostly well received as a replacement for a distributed, decentralized confederation of individual librarians creating content in Dreamweaver. There is now less risk of catastrophic loss or accidental alterations to the website by less tech-savvy users. Dead links have been largely eliminated thanks to the records management functionality and separation of content from form for easy maintenance. I would really like to implement a content management system in my workplace to organize our digital collections. It would have to be a intranet site as opposed to an internet site, but I think that would be feasible. The records management and user permission levels would be valuable features for my role as archivist of a records center housing active, inactive, and permanent records in electronic and paper formats. However, there is much to learn about content management systems before I could begin trying to negotiate all the red tape involved in launching such an initiative.
Benzing, Matt. "Luwak: a content management solution." Library Hi Tech 24, no. 1 (2006): 8-13. Emerald. Database on-line. Emerald Publishing Group: accessed 15 September, 2008.
This article is a case study that summarizes and analyzes how librarians at the Rensselaer Research Libraries at Rensselaer Polytechnical Institute in Troy, New York implemented a content management system for their library website. The libraries adapted a home-grown XML-based application named "Luwak," which was developed by the Communication & Collaborative Technologies division of their university. The story behind the name was quite interesting. A Luwak, also known as the Palm Civet, is a jungle feline that ingests ripe red coffee beans. The cat's digestive system adds value to the beans and people harvest its excrement to create one of the world's most expensive gourmet coffees. The name seen as a good choice because it is a metaphor for what a content management system does to inputted content--digests it and adds value.
I was intrigued by many aspects of this article, which illuminated for me the real world benefits of a content management system by putting them in the context of a case study. Luwak, like all content management systems, uses XML to separate content from form for dynamic manipulation. The Luwak system had three levels of user permissions--creator, editor, and administrator--each with clearly defined roles in a work process for generating web content. Also Luwak incorporates features for setting and automatically enforcing records retention and disposition functionality for web content, so that content can be assigned a "lifecycle" to avoid becoming outdated and cluttering the system. I think this is a ingenious way to be proactive about records management across an entire enterprise; I suppose that if a records officer had the right user permission they could ensure RM compliance across an organization without having to deal directly with myriad users, a near impossible feat without a content management system. Other obvious benefits to the new system were its open source code and in-house tech support with the developers based out of the same institution.
The case study concluded that the new content management system was mostly well received as a replacement for a distributed, decentralized confederation of individual librarians creating content in Dreamweaver. There is now less risk of catastrophic loss or accidental alterations to the website by less tech-savvy users. Dead links have been largely eliminated thanks to the records management functionality and separation of content from form for easy maintenance. I would really like to implement a content management system in my workplace to organize our digital collections. It would have to be a intranet site as opposed to an internet site, but I think that would be feasible. The records management and user permission levels would be valuable features for my role as archivist of a records center housing active, inactive, and permanent records in electronic and paper formats. However, there is much to learn about content management systems before I could begin trying to negotiate all the red tape involved in launching such an initiative.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Starting Advanced Digital Collections...my proposed collection
The collection I propose to build for uploading to a Drupal content management system (CMS) will consist of academic papers and projects I have written over last four years for various different classes. The files will be mostly in Word format, with perhaps a couple of PowerPoint or XML files for variety's sake. Should we focus on making the files all in one format or are we encouraged to use several different file formats? Once I find out, I'll tailor my pretty extensive body of work accordingly. I think this will be a good collection to work with for several reasons. First, I am familiar with the collection because I am the author. As such, it will give me an opportunity to do a retrospective of what I have written to serve as both a refresher and a confidence booster to encourage myself about what I am capable as I encounter difficult aspects of DigIn assignments. It's been a long road for me to get to where I am now and I feel like I don't always pause to reflect enough.
Another reason why I'm using my own work to build a collection is that this project could become a valuable personal asset. I could possibly see myself building a personal website with representative samples of my work as part of a "virtual" resume or CV complete with links to a digital repository of papers for potential employers or professional colleagues to access. Posting text files to a digital repository should be one of the simplest formats to work with as opposed to something more complex like digital images or audio which have more proprietary and varied formats that could pose problems. In a worst case scenario, I could post the papers as plain text files instead of Word files if I encounter any interoperability problems or something.
Finally, my personal papers can be arranged into a logical taxonomy fairly easily. I envision structuring a hierarchy based mostly on chronology with year composed at the top of the pyramid, then semester (fall, spring or summer) as the next layer, followed by spefic month. Additional links among the hierarchy could be based on instructor, class number and title, subject (e.g. history, archival theory, library science, preservation, applied technology, etc.), topic (e.g. provenance, early railroad development in the South, library preservation planning, etc.) or function (thesis, finding aid, internship overview and analysis, etc.). I could also create separate taxonomies according to educational degree objective such as MLIS, MA Public History or certificate program. For now I will try to select a sample of my best work that also includes a wide selection of different subjects, topics, years, functions, and educational objectives.
Another reason why I'm using my own work to build a collection is that this project could become a valuable personal asset. I could possibly see myself building a personal website with representative samples of my work as part of a "virtual" resume or CV complete with links to a digital repository of papers for potential employers or professional colleagues to access. Posting text files to a digital repository should be one of the simplest formats to work with as opposed to something more complex like digital images or audio which have more proprietary and varied formats that could pose problems. In a worst case scenario, I could post the papers as plain text files instead of Word files if I encounter any interoperability problems or something.
Finally, my personal papers can be arranged into a logical taxonomy fairly easily. I envision structuring a hierarchy based mostly on chronology with year composed at the top of the pyramid, then semester (fall, spring or summer) as the next layer, followed by spefic month. Additional links among the hierarchy could be based on instructor, class number and title, subject (e.g. history, archival theory, library science, preservation, applied technology, etc.), topic (e.g. provenance, early railroad development in the South, library preservation planning, etc.) or function (thesis, finding aid, internship overview and analysis, etc.). I could also create separate taxonomies according to educational degree objective such as MLIS, MA Public History or certificate program. For now I will try to select a sample of my best work that also includes a wide selection of different subjects, topics, years, functions, and educational objectives.
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