All Lies, All The Time

Week 05: February 22 – 26

This week I downloaded and tested the trial version of Abbey FineReader 10.  The software has made noticeable improvements upon its previous version in its ability to recognized tiny or blurred text.  This software also allows the conversion of an existing PDF to a machine readable and editable format.  The upgrade from our “lite” version 9 to the “professional” version 10 apparently costs 179.99, but I need to get someone from their company to confirm this.

I also met with electronic acquisitions specialist who deals with connection problems and security breaches.  Security breaches fall into two categories.  One type is excessive use or downloading behavior of particular electronic resources, which show up in a breach log, which point out the user who is contacted and made aware of his violation.  Another type is an E-Z Proxy server breach, which points out unusual use of Stanford network username (sunet ID) and password, usually from someplace oversees.  Access issues consist of proxy setup problems, sunet ID problems, Firefox caching, network issues and problems with opening PDF’s.

Finally, I met with an analyst to discuss the E-Loader, which is a way to obtain MARC records from the vendor.  Periodically, vendors send a file with information on newly purchased books, newly unavailable books and edits to existing records.  Based upon the comparison of the vendor list and the library catalog, it is determined which MARC records need to be obtained.  The MARC records that the vendor supplies still need to be verified for accuracy prior to applying them.

I also continued with license reviews.

Week 06: March 1 – 5

This week I installed Filemaker Pro  9.0 and began learning its operation.  I accessed an e-book entitled, “Learn FileMaker Pro 9,” and began creating simple database tables.  We have been working with a member of the SULAIR Tech Support department, who developed one possible database structure to help us get started.  I eventually copied her database and began adding fields to various tables.  Connecting relational tables has proved to be a challenge.  My first project will be a single table consisting of all the fields they we came up with during the license sample review.

This week we gained access to a test version of Coral, the University of Notre Dame ERM software.  This system uses drop down menus to apply descriptive terms to various license attributes, but mainly used notes fields where the actual passage can be copied and pasted.  From our point of view, a major limitation is that the system only allows a single list of qualifiers (descriptive choices) to be used to describe all expression types (attributes).  Out originally idea was to have unique sets qualifiers for each attribute.  We will investigate the labor involved in modifying the code to better suit our needs.

Week 03: February 8 - 12

This week I met with two library employees who administer SFX, the Ex Libris service that interconnects links to electronic resources such as journals and e-books. This service helps in catalog record creation, link resolving and provides seamless access to resources from various places within the OPAC and library website. Members of the Electronic Acquisitions Department verify the proper loading of new electronic journal or e-book purchases and at times request the manual creation of catalog records.

The project manager and I again met with the head of the SSRC and manager of Strategic Digital Projects to discuss our progress and get help interpreting certain phrases we have been finding during the license review. We discussed the changes we have been making to our metadata terms and categories. We are developing a set of rules for data input, interpretation and synonyms that is steadily growing as we continue reviewing our sample set of licenses.

The OCR program we chose is called Abbyy FindReader. OCR (optical character recognition) software interprets the text of scanned documents and creates PDF or Word documents that include machine-editable text. We hope that such documents will eventually be able to be uploaded and attached or copy and pasted into database records for full-text searching. We have a library of hundreds of scanned license PDFs that need to be interpreted using OCR. Unfortunately, we discovered that the version of Abbyy FineReader that we acquired only interprets documents that are scanned immediately prior, with no ability to interpret existing PDFs. I will look into options for upgrading our software.

I also continued with my license review, adding rules and synonym to our metadata list.

Week 04: February 15 - 19

This week I continued with license review.

The project manager and I met with a member of the SULAIR tech support team who has expertise in FileMaker Pro relational database application. Several library departments use FileMaker Pro for various database needs and store data on a server devoted to this program. We had previously met with the tech support member to discuss our needs and for this meeting, she created a small database structure and demonstrated how data is entered and retrieved. There is still a question about how license amendment records will be stored (child and parent records) and how we will relate amendments to the original contracts. The project manager then requested that a FMP license and a guide book so I can get started on developing our database. On the side, the project manager is investigated our possible use of the ERM software that Notre Dame is using called Coral. Coral is programmed with PHP and data is stored on a MySQL database. Although we will be using FMP for this project, I will continue to work with the project manager to investigate other methods.

Week 01: January 26-29

This first week of the project consisted of several introductions, meeting pertinent people associated with electronic acquisitions and licenses. This week I met with the Ordering Operation Manager who gave me a step-by-step overview of the ordering process beginning with the order request from a selector to the bibliographic information being entered into the library catalog and link set up. I also met with a member of the tech support department, who helps to support Filemaker Pro. She considered our needs and gave us an overview of the requirements for our project.

I also met with head of Social Science Resource Center who reviews and approves the license agreements prior to ordering. Also at this meeting was the manager of Strategic Digital Projects, who works on adding content into the Stanford Digital Repository. Both of these people have an interest in he ability to easily search for and analyze license information through the use of the license database that I will create during this project.

I also began the tasks of planning and developing the structure of the license database, based upon the analysis of several electronic resource licenses. I worked closely with the Electronic Resources and Technology Librarian to come up with a set of key attributes that she considered useful. The categories included general information, perpetual access, requirements if any Stanford staff member discovered a breach in the license terms, and public services terms. We chose to use a free online application called Dropbox.com to share files and collaborate during this project.

Week 02: February 1-5

This week I spent several hours reviewing more licenses and revising the database structure, based upon new information and scenarios I am finding while analyzing the sample licenses. Every time I discover a new way vendors describe certain requirements, I am adjusting the way that information will be captured during data entry. The goal is to come up with a way that general enough to apply to all licenses, while specific enough to make queries meaningful. I am reviewing my work with the Electronic Acquisitions librarian on a weekly basis.

I met with two technical specialists for electronic resources, who gave me an overview of loading free e-resources, including journals, databases and single documents found for free on the web. Some free e-resources are included in SFX, an automated linking solution, requiring only a quick activation for creating a catalog record and link. Others require original cataloging.

I also began testing ABBYY FineReader, which is an OCR software package acquired for this project to convert paper licenses into PDF’s with searchable and selectable text.

This last part of my internship consisted of attending meetings, discussing feedback and more tech support.  I also spent some time with the department senior developer and learned more about server side of our Drupal installation.  In the final days I will create an intro Drupal screencast.

Week 12 (April 6 – 10)

Attended a meeting with the Art library staff to discuss their progress and concerns. They were concerned about the server speed, which would change when the new server is installed and the websites migrated. They were also concerned about the lack of print-friendly screens and the attachment size limits that were currently in place. We increased their maximum upload file size and discussed the possibility or installing a module to help with printing appearances. This week I also learned how to create a new panel to homepages for featuring timely information such as events and new offerings. It involved creating new views and panel views and adding them to all group homepage templates. The users then have the ability to tag content with a meta tag associated with this region of the screen to make it appear.

Week 13 (April 13 – 17)

Attended the webteam meeting this week. At it we discussed the different projects that every member was working on. A large recent release was for the Tel Aviv exhibition, for which the webteam created a Drupal website. Timelines for the upcoming Drupal migration was also discussed. I also met with my internship supervisor this week. We discussed my progress and decided that the remainder of my internship should shift to fulfilling the odds and ends of my learning objectives, aside from documentation creation. This includes module creation, automatically changing URL paths when the migration to the new server occurs, the actual migration process and creating a new intro screencast. I met with a senier web developer, Jon Lavigne, who showed me the process of migrating a Drupal website from one server to another. In Drupal, this includes backing up and transferring a MySQL database and the entire Drupal file directory. Modules also have to be updated as well. Challenges include making sure the URLs all change when the custom script is ran, resetting permissions accurately and adjusting the authentication module.

Week 14 (April 20 – 24)

Attended a meeting with the Earth Science Library GIS staff to discuss their progress and concerns. The were concerned about the level of HTML knowledge that is actually needed to create the look and feel of their Drupal website. We displayed the different options available for people of different level HTML expertise. We also discussed the way in which Drupal can display book cover images and bibliographic information. Creating a download page was also discussed, which I will meet with Jon Lavigne to discuss later in the semester.

Week 15 (April 27 – May 1)

Attended a meeting with the Education Library staff to get feedback. They have a Drupal installation outside of our installation, but recently added a subject specialist site to our installation. They provided me with some valuable feedback for by documentation. They would like to see more information about views and taxonomy. I also attended another web team meeting. We discussed the ways in which files are named and stored in our “digital stacks.” An application called “Pair Trees” (similar to tiny url), can provide logical file naming and mask the actual location of downloads. The migration of our Drupal installation to the new server finally occurred. I will spend some time verifying URLs and content.

I am performing tech support now with no need for help from other DLSS staff. The documentation is basically complete. I will soon meet with my internship supervisor to discuss the outcome. I was finally introduced to theme development, which was one of the main topics of the Drupal class I completed a few weeks back.

Week 9 (Mar 16 – 20)

I spent most of this week providing technical support to the libraries just getting started with their Drupal sites. The Earth Science Library is creating three separate sites – GIS, Maps and one for the physical library. Continued working on the instructional documentation.

Week 10 (Mar 23 – 27)

Continued formatting and testing the new documentation section. Learned about creating a custom theme, based on an HTML or PDF file. The project that the Drupal web developer, Jessie Keck, is working on is to create a Drupal site to match the general appearance of an existing photo Stanford image gallery. This involved editing template files for block, node, page, box and comment.

Week 11 (Mar 30 – Apr 3)

Attended a meeting to discuss deadlines for the rollout of upgrades and new features. The science and engineering libraries are hoping to have the search capabilities improved as soon as possible. This will include testing different search terms and documenting the search results. Within 2 months, the entire SULAIR Drupal installation will be migrated to an improved server which should improve performance. The upgrade to Drupal version 6 will have to wait until the panes module is out of beta for that version.

This second period of my internship was marked by more independent assignments and a crash course in Drupal theming and module development.  I have a new-found appreciation for anyone ever tasked with creating instructional documentation.  I will be glad when I can move onto the some actual programming assignments, but for the meantime, documentation is my priority.  I hope the new layout I am designing will encourage more people to use it and create their sites more independently as a result.

Week 5 (Feb 16 – 20)
Attended a 3-day advanced Drupal training seminar that concentrated on creating custom themes, modules and general tips.  The themes section took us through the complete process of changing a theme.  It included adjusting and replacing variables in template files and overriding certain theme programming functions.  The modules section was a bit over my head, but I got a good idea of how to research programming standards that are in place for various core module files, which allows for customizing them to create new modules.  The tips section introduced some of the new capabilities of the next Drupal release version.  We also learned some testing methods and applied them to our current library Drupal website.

Week 6 (Feb 23 – 27)
Continued testing the current instructional documentation.  Learned about the uploading of files using the Drupal interface and loaded the updated screen captures for the instructional documentation. Attended a meeting that discussed the planned implementation of Google analytics to the Drupal sites.

Week 7 (Mar 2 – 6)
Discussed my progress with the project manager in our monthly 1 on 1 meeting.  Was assigned to interview users currently creating their new websites about their use and opinions of the instructional documentation.  Was assigned to create accompanying screencasts of each instructional document.  Continued to update the testing sandbox environment by verifying that user access control and management settings matched with the production environment.  Learned about the view filters that allow aggregation of content using Boolean and multiple taxonomy terms.

Week 8 (Mar 9 – 13)
Attended a meeting about website monitoring, testing systems, Google Analytics and moving to the updated version of Drupal.  Started creating a new way to present the instructional documentation that groups together concepts and tasks that are logically related.

So here is a brief description of the first four weeks of my internship with the Stanford University Digital Libraries Department.  This initial period consisted of several meetings and basic assignments, which served to introduce me to the department and the CMS.  I have been working closely with the main Drupal web developer Jessie Keck, who has been generous in his support of my learning.  After having developed a better understanding of the CMS, in the coming weeks I will be concentrating on developing and re-organizing the training documentation, which at this point is lacking.

Week 1 (Jan 19 – 23)

The first week consisted mostly of attending meetings and learning about the roles of each member of the department.  The Drupal project consists of a project manager, two web developers and a user interface specialist.  I attended an introductory meeting for the next library scheduled to begin their Drupal website creation.  There are several different possible templates for a library website as well as a few for subject-based websites.  The Earth Science branch library desired three separate websites for their physical library, GIS and their maps collection.  I and another library tech support member will be monitoring the help ticket system for this group of content creators.

Week 2 (Jan 26 – 30)

This week began with an introduction to a Drupal module called “views.”  This powerful module allows the CMS to generate dynamic content based on specific criteria, arguments and filters.  The first step in updating the testing sandbox environment was to make sure that its views matched those in the production environment.  I inspected at least fifty views and their administrative settings, reported any discrepancies to the web developer, and then made the appropriate changes to make them match in each environment.  Late in the week I attended another introductory meeting for the Chemistry library, which was also scheduled to begin their Drupal website creation.  The library will be a particular challenge because of the massive amount of web content and hyperlinks they have on their current site that will need migration.  Different methods of migrating content into the Drupal format were discussed.

Week 3 (Feb 2 – 6)

Discussed my progress with the project manager in our monthly 1 on 1 meeting.  To learn the functionality of the CMS, I was assigned to run through the instructional documentation, making notes of inaccuracies and creating new screenshots for the most current theme and modules of the production environment.  I took extensive notes in inaccuracies and areas in need of clarification or improvement.  Discovered a glitch in the WYSIWYG page editor in my specific editing category.  Created several new screenshots and am awaiting access to upload them to the server.

Week 4 (Feb 9 – 13)

Began writing a new introduction to CMS and Drupal, which emphasizes the differences between dynamic content management system websites and traditional static HTML websites.  Discussed concepts with web developers.  Attended a meeting to discuss Google Analytics and its potential application to our new Drupal library websites.

For the 2009 Fall Semester I will be participating in an internship with the Stanford University Libraries Digital Libraries Department. The emphasis will be on Drupal administration. Here is a more detailed list of the learning objectives and activities that I have arranged with my supervisor, Stuart Snydman, Manager of the Digital Production Department:

Learning Objectives:

• Learn general administration of a library-wide installation of the Drupal content management system (http://drupal.org/).  This will include configuration of modules, setting permissions, and code maintenance and upgrades.
• Learn documentation process specifying the SULAIR instance of Drupal, including modules chosen, site configuration, use of the Organic Groups framework, use of taxonomy, etc.

• Learn documentation process in supporting library staff in creating and maintaining Drupal-based sites.
• Learn first-response feedback management and user support. Will heavily use Atlassian JIRA (http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira) for issue tracking and resolution.
• Learn to create Drupal modules and widgets. This will provide the intern with the opportunity to develop and exercise PhP programming skills.

Additional tasks:

• Assist in the creation of screencasts.
• Work with Earth Science Library staff on the creation of their Drupal library website.
• Update Drupal sandbox testing environment.
• Start monitoring the Drupal help ticket list.
• Investigate potential modules for future deployment.

SJSU MLIS Competencies Addressed:

• Understand the system of standards and methods used to control and create information structures and apply basic principles involved in the organization and representation of knowledge.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the use of current information and communication technologies, and other related technologies, as they affect the resources and uses of libraries and other types of information providing entities.
• Design, query and evaluate information retrieval systems.
• Use the basic concepts and principles related to the creation, evaluation, selection, acquisition, preservation and organization of specific items or collections of information.

Class in Second Life

Second Life turned out to be a pleasant experience this time around. About a year ago I had signed up for an account and played around for a few weeks and came to the conclusion that it was a big waste of time. In fact, most librarians I know still feel this same same way.  Having this two week period to spend time getting to know the terrain and guided by Debbie and classmates on a few occasions, I came to see a slightly different side of this technology. I spent a few days stumbling around, meeting random library people on Info Island, SJSU SLIS and Stanford University Libraries. With the class I visited places devoted to books publishing, renaissance times, and science fiction literature. Most of the people I met along the way were willing to answer questions and simply stop for a second to chat.

During my initial visit to Info Island International I met a pair of reference librarians who lived in South Carolina and New Mexico in Real Life. They told me that most questions they fielded centered on how to do and find things in Second Life. Second Life has yet to challenge the regular world wide web as a source for real life information. One niche that was expanding in Second Life was medical reference. We talked a little about the services that libraries provide in Second Life and one of them mentioned a library they knew about that had tiny computer terminals with regular internet access. We joked about the possibility of running Second Life on one of those little computer terminals within Second Life. The librarians were a little skeptical of the potential for Second Life to be a source of information for real world information needs – they thought the regular internet will continue to dominate in this area.

ALA SLymposium

This morning I attended the ALA SLymposium and caught a presentation by Carol Perryman, coordinator of Health Info Island. She spoke of the various health-related information projects in Second Life, the role of disabled people in those projects and accessibility issues within Second Life. She concurred with my two previous acquaintance about the growth of health reference services within Second Life. The most important opportunity within Second Life was to further bridge boundaries and develop new relationships with people in need of information. Second Life is one way that people will continue to find information, but particularly for the homebound patients, all online reference sources will continue to be in demand.

I also attended a presentation by Lori Bell and Kelly Czarnecki about teen services in Second Life. I learned that there is a special restricted Second Life world for people under the age of 18. They spoke of other virtual worlds created that present entertaining challenges for school children that focus on math, science and history. There are also programs that develop communication skills and provide opportunities to perform various professions in a virtual setting.

The last presentation I attended was Sue Karillian (this was her Second Life name), a current MLIS student. She mentioned that while many people are contemplating whether or not librarians should be concentrating on Second Life, there has been very little written on actual library services provided in Second Life. What was most important for her was the social aspect of Second Life. Sue is completing her entire MLIS program online, so the ability to roam around and bump into her classmates and experts in the library field is invaluable.

My personal opinion of Second Life matches that of Sue Karillian. I am impressed with its ability to bridge gaps that exist between people in the real world. This is the same reason why I think many web 2.0 tools are

Self Image

deserving of respect. Many lessons can be learned in Second Life on effectively communicating with people through an online interface. I still do think that it has the potential be a tremendous waste of time, but only because there are so many other entertaining things to do in Second Life (and because I have an addictive personality). I think the most learning potential of Second Life comes from experiencing original or replica exhibits that provide a spatial sense. I also think there is potential for creating immersive language environments in Second Life. As for Second Life ever replacing the traditional web as a primary source of information, I too have doubt. Also, there might be a need for direction and technical assistance within Second Life and librarians might be the perfect people to provide that, but I am not sure how profound such a role is. There is probably a similar need in World of Warcraft for instance. The difference between those two virtual worlds is that in Second Life there is no script. The ability to experiment stands to be Second Life’s greatest offering.

While the library is where many children spend time, the web is challenging it as the primary resource for information. Young people are increasingly turning the web into the first stop for their information needs. These children will someday be adults and with no familiarity with the library, why would they support libraries as adults? Attracting teens is essential for creating citizens who will continue to support libraries as adults.

Gaming is a popular activity among the teenage population. It is more than a way for them to waste time as many in the older generations see it. Farkas (2007) pointed out that many games can develop problem-solving skills and provide opportunity for social networking (p. 212). An entire culture has developed around video games. Some types games are even attracting members of older generations as well. Despite the controversy surrounding violence in video games, the educational opportunities should not be ignored. Some of the more complicated sole playing games require a whole set of skills to function ad succeed. Skills such as trial and error, patience and focusing on a desired outcome are clearly applicable to the “real” world. Many games reflect the real world and provide learning opportunities. How could a simulated world not provide lessons about the real world? If a system existed that made learning fun and actually attracted kids to learn, why wouldn’t that be desirable? This is yet one additional medium to provide useful information. As we continue to learn throughout this semester, not everyone learns in the same manner and providing additional platforms for learning will only stand to benefit a greater number of people.

Modern gaming is a social activity. The old image of the lone gamer shunning the world by retreating into his basement to play video games isn’t realistic. Libraries can become places where teens come to play games in a social environment and provide the hardware and software needed to run some of the more demanding multiplayer networked games. The planning and social interaction involved in some games extends to real-world interaction as well. Farkas pointed out that gaming can turn the library into that all important “third place” where citizens have traditionally sought to congregate (p. 222). Aside from school and home, where do the millennials spend their time? Attracting this generation to the library will not only provide them with opportunities for gaming, but it will also expose them to the more traditional resources that the library has to offer. A teen section in the library could provide gaming consoles, but also literature surrounding the gaming culture. Farkas pointed out the challenge of getting teenage boy in particular to read and this may be an ideal way (p. 228).

Aside from attracting kids to the library, the virtual world itself could provide a new world in which to provide information services. Bell, Pope and Peters (2008) pointed out, “Today, the dream of a universal library seems distant and impossible, given funding realities, tax districts, and geographical limitations. However, in virtual worlds such as Second Life or Whyville, a universal library could serve a global audience in many languages with no worries about geographic boundaries or constituency tax districts.” Second Life is interesting because it mirrors the real world, with many of its opportunities and pitfalls, but importantly for us, the need for information. There is a need for Second Life-oriented information, but Second Life also provides a platform upon which to provide real life information. Afterall, the people participating in Second Life are still technically living in the First World. Many real life organizations are creating a presence in Second Life, and libraries are following suit. Libraries have been built there and librarians are volunteering their time to provide reference assistance. It is just a matter of time before paid reference positions exist in Second Life? I guess that all depends upon the need for this type of service. Online reference has been available for as long as the internet, but the experience of being immersed into an online library is far closer to the real thing. Eisenberg (2008) discussed the “new levels of library experience in the virtual world.” He paints a vivid picture of a potential experience: “For example, imagine “walking” into the virtual world representation of your library in order to study. You are immediately shown to your “virtual study carrel,” where you gather various resources — print, graphic, audio, and video. As you expand your investigation, your carrel expands, too. You have the full range of library collections and tools at your disposal as well as librarians to help you search for and use information.” Describing the experience in an article is exactly what not to do if you are interested in understanding the true potential of Second Life. One must join and try it out.

References

Bell, L., Pope, K., & Peters, T. (2008). The universal library in a virtual universe. Searcher, 16(5), 26-61.

Eisenberg, M. (2008). The parallel information universe. Library Journal (1976), 133(8), 22-25.

Farkas, M. G. (2007). Social software in libraries. Medford, N.J.: Information Today.