techMETRO

Creating a Comprehensive Technology Model for a Converged Facility @ U. of Calgary

Thanks to CNI for posting this from their Spring 2011 Membership Meeting.

Creating a Comprehensive Technology Model for a Converged Library, Archive, Art and Publishing Facility at the University of Calgary, a project briefing session presented by Thomas Hickerson (Vice Provost and University Librarian, University of Calgary) and Shawna Sadler (Technology Officer, Taylor Family Digital Library, University of Calgary)

 

Digital Public Library of America Beta Sprint Presents Opportunity for NYC Librarians and Technologists

As was reported by Jennifer Howard on Wired Campus, the Digital Public Library of America initiative is moving forward with a Beta Sprint phase. This presents a tremendous opportunity for NYC libraries to partner with the vibrant tech community in the city to play a lead role in the development of what a DPLA might look like. Here's more from Howard's article:

Think you know what the proposed Digital Public Library of America should look like? Now’s your chance to weigh in. The project’s steering committee has just announced a “Beta Sprint,” inviting the public to contribute “ideas, models, prototypes, technical tools, user interfaces, etc.” Anyone who wants to take part must submit a statement of interest by June 15, and final submissions are due September 1.

“We hope geeks and librarians, especially, will join forces to develop beta submissions in support of this initiative,” John Palfrey, the director of the steering committee, said in a statement. He is co-director of Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society, which has been coordinating DPLA planning. (It also runs a public wiki where people can contribute to the discussion.) Mr. Palfrey explains more about the beta sprint and how it will fit into the broader planning process in this video, also posted today.

 

And a clip from John Palfrey explaining the Beta Sprint phase in more detail:

 

Free "myMETRO Presents" Event to Highlight Cutting-Edge Research from LIS Students

Join us for a sample of cutting edge research in librarianship from three students, including an investigation of the impact of recommender systems; risk management applied to digital asset preservation; and a collaborative project to connect LIS students. Register for free here. 

 

Robin Naughton
Recommender Systems: Investigating the Impact of Recommendations on User Choices and Behaviors
Recommender systems have been used in many information systems, helping users handle information overload by providing users with a way to receive specific recommendations that fulfill their information seeking needs.  Research in this area has been focused on the recommender system algorithms and improving the core technology so that recommendations are robust.  However, little research is focused on the user-centered perspective of recommendations provided by recommender systems and the impact of recommendations on user’s information behaviors.  In this paper, we describe the results of an exploratory survey study on a book recommender system, LibraryThing, and the impact of recommendations on user choices, particularly what users do as a result of getting a recommendation.  Based on survey respondents, our results indicate that users prefer member recommendations rather than the algorithm-based automatic recommendations and about two third of users that responded are influenced by the recommendations in their various information activities.

 

Michael Bellacosa
Digital Asset Preservation as a Risk Management Process
A collection of digital assets [e.g. text, images, audio/video, data, etc.] can be viewed as analogous to a portfolio of financial assets. As such, ways of looking at risk drawn from the financial markets sector are translatable and applicable to collections of digital assets. This presentation will introduce a digital preservation decision-making model based on three components: value, vulnerability and cost. The value of digital assets can be assessed and articulated in alignment with an organization’s strategic objectives. Their vulnerability can be expressed as a combination of the probability of “bad” events and the severity of their impacts. Value and vulnerability assessments are used to display a digital asset collection’s initial risk profile of as well as the profiles that result from implementing different digital preservation strategies. This graphic tool can help make the case for an investment in digital preservation consistent with a defined level of risk tolerance.

 

Micah Vandegrift
The HackLibSchool Experiment
HackLibSchool is a collaborative project that developed out of a perceived need for greater connections between LIS students as they transition from school to professional life. Beginning in October of 2010 as a publically-edited Google Doc, “HackLibSchool” quickly became a cross-institutional mantra, inspiring conversations on topics from pedagogy and curriculum in LIS to the practical experiences of life as a library school student. In its current incarnation HackLibSchool is a group blog featuring editors/bloggers representing 7 different schools, open submissions for guest authors, and ongoing critical discussions on education in library and information science. Micah Vandegrift, who created and manages the HackLibSchool experiment, will discuss the intricacies of it including inspirations, development, and future ideas.

Collaborative Digitization Discussion Group at ALA Annual

Join us for conversations about new and ongoing issues and opportunities related to collaborative digitization initiatives across a diverse array of consortia, libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage institutions. This meeting is open to all and will feature a main presentation (see below) and brief project updates from attendees. Please contact Jason Kucsma([email protected]) if you would like to be added to the project update agenda.

Saturday, June 25, 2011 | 4-5:30 in Doubletree Hotel, Crescent B

Open Parks Grid Project
Emily Gore, Clemson University| Mike Witt, Purdue University

Emily Gore, Clemson University, and Mike Witt, Purdue University, will discuss the collaborative IMLS-funded Open Parks Grid project.  Gore, the PI and Project Manager, will discuss the partnerships with National and State Parks as well as the digitization and repository development process.  The project's goal includes the digitization of 3 million bound pages, outsourced via Internet Archive, as well as the in-house digitization of over 150,000 photographs, maps, documents and other archival items from the parks.  The Hubzero Joomla-based platform hooked to a Fedora-based repository is being used for this project, and Co-PI Mike Witt will discuss Purdue's OAI-ORE development for the Open Parks Grid Hubzero platform. 

The Open Parks Grid project began in November of 2010 and is a 3 year project, partially funded by an IMLS National Leadership grant.  Additional funding for the project comes from Clemson University and the National Parks Service.

 

New York Public Library Hiring for Four Developer Positions

I just receive word from a colleague at New York Public Library that they're hiring for a couple developer positions that readers might be interested in:

Applications Developer (Full-time)

Applications Developer (Full-time, temporary for one year)

Front-End Web Developer/Designer, NYPL Labs (Full-time)

Web Applications Developer, NYPL Labs (Full-time)

[UPDATED] Two-for-One Registration - "Librarian in Black" to Address Future for Libraries and More in Two METRO Webinars

[UPDATED] Register for one session and get a second free. Sign up for the May 24th session and you'll automatically be registered for the May 17th session (and receive recordings for both). 

On May 17th and 24th, Sarah Houghton-Jan, Assistant Director of San Rafael Public Library and The Librarian in Black, will join METRO for two new webinars that will discuss how library technology can be incorporated in a changing economic landscape.

The first webinar, “The Future for Libraries”, will encourage participants to look at the current economic crisis, how it is affecting libraries now, and what we will see from libraries in the future. As digital services will play a large part in our transition from contemporary to future librarianship, Sarah will provide attendees with a better idea of what digital resources we will need to consider now and in the future. To learn more or to register for this webinar, please visit http://www.metro.org/en/cev/70.

On the 24th, Sarah will discuss how libraries with limited technology support can still provide innovative online service to patrons with “Free and Cheap Web Services for Libraries.”  The easy-to-use resources she will outline can be integrated into any library’s website with minimal expertise and for a low cost. Limited resources don’t need to stop your library from implementing Web 2.0 technologies. Join us as we explore how to put these services to work.  Visit http://www.metro.org/en/cev/71 to learn more or to register.

METRO to Host IMAP Workshop on Digital Preservation for Videotape

Through a co-sponsoring partnership with Independent Media Arts Preservation (IMAP), METRO is pleased to announce a new one-day workshop on Digital Preservation for Videotape. Details are below, and interested readers can register here.

Digital Preservation for Videotape
Monday, June 6, 2011
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

If content on analog videotape is to survive for the long term, the tapes must be digitized – moved from the unstable magnetic media on which the content is currently held, into the digital realm where – in theory – they can be preserved indefinitely and migrated forward as files rather than physical objects. Digitization, however, means more than simply selecting a destination file format. It requires a series of decisions that will determine the long--‐term viability of files created – and thus of the valuable video content. Workshop topics include: basic digital file creation, preservation and access file formats and codecs, software, storage and trusted digital repositories, workflows for digitization, and technical and preservation metadata. In addition, participants will examine case studies of small and large-scale digitization projects in order to understand real-world applications of principles introduced in the workshop.

Presenter: Linda Tadic consults and lectures in areas of digital asset management, audiovisual and digital preservation, and metadata. She is Executive Director of the Audiovisual Archive Network (www.archivenetwork.org), and an adjunct professor in New York University’s Moving Image Archiving and Preservation graduate degree program, teaching two core courses: Collection Management, and Access to Moving Image Collections. Ms. Tadic’s over 25 years experience working with and managing audiovisual, digital, and broadcasting collections includes the positions of Manager of the Digital Library at Home Box Office (HBO), and Director of the Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia. She is the past Director of Operations for ARTstor.

Workshop location:
METRO Training Center (4th Floor)
57 E. 11th Street New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 228--‐2320

Workshop fee and registration
$100 IMAP and METRO members
$150 non-members
$50 artists and students
Pre‐payment is required with registration.
Space is limited.