Oct. 28 Required Reading: HTML and Web Authoring Software

1) W3schools HTML Tutorial: http://www.w3schools.com/HTML/ 
     I thought that this link was really cool, but with very little instruction or explanation on what the tutorial expected or allowed me to do- I was a little lost.


2) HTML Cheatsheet http://www.webmonkey.com/2010/02/html_cheatsheet/
     For some reason I had a lot of trouble with being able to consistently access this link. On the same laptop I would attempt to open it and an error would occur half of the time and the other half the link opened fine.
     When I was able to open it- it was very helpful and actually helped make sense of what I could do in the HTML tutorial link.
 

3) Pratter, F.E. (2011) Introduction to HTML, Chapter 2 of Web Development With SAS by Example, 3^rd Edition (Google Book) http://books.google.com/books?id=l_MFZYMv3YgC&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=introduction+to+html+pratter&source=bl&ots=nXRgMFYZHz&sig=muV0UY1c_ePZO1pcdu8_V_IdbwQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Mvs4ULG9O4Gf6QG8h4GICw&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=introduction%20to%20html%20pratter&f=false 
     This article did a great job of providing examples of how to write HTML and then showing the resulting webpage view of the code. It is definitely a good reading to start with before beginning to play around with HTML code. The content was dense and difficult to follow at times but the main points I pulled out of the reading include:

• All markup languages are tags to annotate the document content- HTML has a short list of standard tags that you need to learn in order to use HTML
• HTML has a lot of repetition- writing it can be tedious
• Automated process called IDE exists to save time
• The best way to learn to write HTML is by viewing examples and a lot of practice
• XHTML- difference from HTML is that all elements must be in lowercase, having closed tags, nest properly, and attributes must be quoted
• XHTML must also conform to DTD for XML-based Webpages- so you cannot use formatting instruction in your pages
• HTML tags must be nested and the standard is that all tags should be lowercase
• Images can be generated using: GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, and BMP

4) Goans, D., Leach, G., & Vogel, T. M. (2006). Beyond HTML: Developing and re-imagining library web guides in a content management system. Library Hi Tech, 24(1), 29-53.  
     This reading focused on the Georgia State University Library, subject liaison librarians, and the content management system designed to manage 30 web-based research guides.

      It explains how 15 liaison librarians were developing and had complete editorial control of web guides for their subject fields at the University. As a result there was no consistency between the guides and a lack of training was resulting in poor quality.

     Because these issues the library hired a web development librarian. Standard's were implemented, web content was improved, and the web presence was managed all while the web content continued to grow. As a result the library now had an official library content management system to make the guides and web content more accessible to users/students.

The reading does a great job of explaining the different aspects, options (open access or not), and importance of a content management system in a library aspects such as the content, control, customization, and complexity of the CMS underscore the importance of such a system and how it cannot be simply defined as just a library repository.

Oct. 21 Required Readings: Internet and WWW Technologies

1) Tyson, Jeff. How Internet Infrastructure Works.  http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet/basics/internet-infrastructure.htm

• No one owns the internet but it is monitored and maintained- The Internet Society est in 1992 oversees the formation of policies and protocols that define how we use the internet
• All computers with internet connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) regardless of the type of network or connection- The ISP is a network that connects to a larger network which connects to another network and so on and so forth creating the internet!
• There is no controlling network- just several high-level networks connection to each other through Network Access Points (NAPS)
• Networks rely on routers to "talk to each other"
• IP Address/internet protocol- is the language that computers use to communicate over the internet- consider 32-bit numbers
• URL stands for uniform resource locator which contains the domain name (human-readable domain name v machine readable IP)
• Root DNS servers handle billions of url/ip address request and are the reason the internet runs so smoothly-reduncy is the key to DNS servers success

Overall I liked this readings. It covered all the basics in a very easy to understand language. It was, however, a long read so it will definitely be an article I refer back to for information I didn't remember.

2) Andrew K. Pace “Dismantling Integrated Library Systems” Library Journal, vol 129 Issue 2, p34-36. 2/1/2004 http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2004/02/ljarchives/dismantling-integrated-library-systems/

     I hesitate to take much of this article as applicable to today's "library land" issues as the article is ten years old and I am sure much has changed on the ILS front in that time. I would hope that in the last ten years from when this article was first written, that solutions addressing interoperability and software issues have been found. I also struggled with some key terms and references to library software. It seems this article requires a bit of working library background and jargon to be able to follow the author smoothly.
     I would also make the argument that this "struggle" to integrate new technology but still provide the same level of library service to patrons is not a new one. Librarians pre Gutenberg Press had to deal with the radical shift from scribes to printing presses and the mess that came along with it. And a more recent example is the inception of the typewriter and the technology changes that it brought along. Librarians have to reason to struggle and fuss over this drastic, large scale shift into a new digital age. But they need to remember that they have been doing this sort of thing for a looong time and there is no reason to doubt their capabilities.

3) Sergey Brin and Larry Page: The genesis of Google (Inside the Google machine). http://www.ted.com/talks/sergey_brin_and_larry_page_on_google

     I wonder if we were to see the globe searches and bit travel mapping would be any different today since this video was filmed in 2014. I'm sure access and availability has increased in ten years time. It's interesting to me that Google mentions wanting to grow their company with more searches and to do that the have invested in charities and grant programs under Google Foundations.
     When they talked about the over 100 Googlette projects and issues of staying organized. I immediately thought that librarians would't have this problem! Prioritizing and organizing a large list of projects is exactly what we are trained to do. But taking the initiative to start over 100 different innovating projects at one time, with no guarantee of success, that is what librarians don't always do. And it is a problem Google jumps in starts something even if it fails. And that's why Google beat libraries to the punch when it comes to digital preservation and access to information with Google Books. Money is the major dividing factor between Googles innovations versus library innovations. Libraries do not have the same capital to play with that Google does.
     Also, Google better have librarians working on the research end of Google Answers!

Muddiest Point from Oct. 7 Class

Is there a way to do an advanced search in Google Scholar to only get conference papers as a search result?

Oct. 7 Required Readings: Computer Networks & Wireless Networks

1. Local Area Network
     A local area network or LAN is a computer network that interconnects computers in a limited space, such as an office, campus, or home. The purpose of its development in the 1980's was to cut costs by allowing more than one computer share expensive storage and printers. Ethernet and Internet Protocol are the most popular modes for the network. LANs include network devices such as switches, firewalls, routers, load balancers, sensors, and the like. Another feature to note is that LANs can maintain connection with other LANs.
     Overall I felt that this reading complicated a very simple concept because of how poorly written the wikipedia entry was. And I am certain that there are much more well-written readings from much more authoritative sources about LANs that could have been more beneficial for the class to read about LANs

2. Computer Network
     As a whole I thought that this wikipedia reading was the most well-written so far, but as mentioned earlier, I am sure that are much better written readings out there. Either way, I appreciated how the reading discussed the Darknet and some of its properties. Even though I really know nothing about how the darknet works, I still think it's really cool. I also thought that it was very relevant how the reading mentioned current issues of privacy and mass surveillance.
     But the reading manly discussed computer networks and the data connections that comprise them. Computer networks support access to the web, share storage, servers, printers, fax machines, email, and instant messaging between computers within the network. Computer networks are the core of modern communication. There are many ways to link devices in a network, two of the most popular are wired and wireless. Wireless is the most popular for its speed advantages. Information is carried through the network in network packets.

3.Coyle, K. (2005). Management of RFID in libraries. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 31(5), 486-489.
     I feel that this article was a little too outdated to be considered relevant for technology in the library science field. I understand that RFID chips still offer a lot of advantages for libraries and their collections, but with the current shift to eResources and subsequent reduction in physical collection material- there are probably more relevant technologies. And I'm sure RFID have evolved since 2005 and can offer many more functions than the article describes.
     But, when the article was written there was some controversy over switching to RFID chips. Even though they offer many benefits and functions, the disadvantages, privacy issues, and constant evolution of the technology caused librarians to hesitate integrating the technology into their collection. The RFID is a chip that would be taped to the book and would act as an identifier for circulation purposes. The chips can hold large amounts of information and are read like a barcode with an electro-magnet. The chips main advantage is its inventory and security functions for physical materials in the libraries collection.

Muddiest Point from Sept. 30 Class

I'm a little confused about the review before the lecture about MARC being replaced with a new system, which I know nothing about- Shouldn't we be learning more about it? Also, it was discussed that we as students- who are about to enter the field, we don't need to know how to manage and create databases but only know how they work conceptually. I just don't understand then what I should be focusing on gaining from the lectures now.

Sept. 30 Required Readings: Metadata and Content Management

1. Intro to Metadata, Pathways to Digital Information
     This reading discusses how libraries create metadata (data about data) for indexes, abstracts, bibliographic records, and really any document or data in their collection to provide access to it. But in the digital age, it's not just librarians/information professionals who are creating metadata about an object. Really anyone can create metadata by saying what the content, context, and/or structure of the object, data, information, etc is and user created metadata is gaining momentum online.
     Metadata is governed by a "community-fostered" to ensure quality and consistency but there is no consistent metadata standard that is interdisciplinary enough to be adequate for all collections/materials in all fields. Theres also an issue of managing and maintaining metadata, but algorithms can at times ease this difficulty.
    All-in-all this reading reinforced my knowledge of how metadata certifies authenticity, establishes context of content, identifies relationships between other information, provides access points, and much more to create, organize and describe information. The reading kept mentioning folksonomies, which I have no idea what that is.

2. Dublin Core Data Model
     The reading describes a data model that attempts to create international and interdisciplinary metadata. This RDF and Dublin Core initiative will identify common cross-domain qualifiers through internationalization, modularization, element identification, semantic refinement, identification of coding schemes, and identification of structured compound values.
     It's called RDF-W3C's resource description framework and it looks a lot like HTML meets a MARC record. I think it would be incredibly helpful and almost revolutionary if it worked and took over metadata standards. But it seems like one of those things that sound great in theory- but could never truly work in reality.

3. Using Mendeley
     I really like the authors approach and writing style for this reading. He seemed very honest and real about how Mendeley worked and made me consider more of his opinions had he been a more boring writer. I actually download Zotero after reading the article (I already have and use Mendeley).
     But, he basically explained Mendeley's key features and their pros and cons. His point about the social networking aspect is really relevant, because the feature really is only as good as the people in your field that are using it. The feature does not add any value if no one is using it. But, the feature does make Mendeley a strong competitor for scholarly collaboration.
     Other cool features include the recommendation feature that's based off of the papers you view and share. How Mendeley will organize your documents and cite for you. It's also free to use (expect more storage cost money).

Muddiest Point from Sept. 23 Class

I''m still pretty confused about relational databases and how the whole primary key thing works.