Re: [CODE4LIB] Chat bot

[Fitchett, Deborah]

Hi Jeffrey,

I started looking into this a couple of years ago (using LibraryH3lp's API 
even) and then the project got pushed to the backburner due to too many other 
priorities.

I was using Program O for the chatbot itself - 
https://github.com/Program-O/Program-O  except I fixed a bug and now would have 
to dig to remind myself what that was. Maybe they've fixed it themselves since 
then though

And then I built a 'bridge' between the two in PHP. I can email you that code 
separately. No guarantees, etc etc especially since I haven't looked at it in 
two years, but it did by and large work at the time...


Kā mihi maioha,
 
Deborah Fitchett
Senior Advisor, Digital Access
Library, Teaching and Learning
 
p +64 3 423 0358
e deborah.fitch...@lincoln.ac.nz | w ltl.lincoln.ac.nz
 
Lincoln University, Te Whare Wānaka o Aoraki
New Zealand's specialist land-based university






-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Jeffrey 
Sabol
Sent: Wednesday, 8 June 2016 8:04 a.m.
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: [CODE4LIB] Chat bot

Greetings,

Has anybody created a chat bot to answer basic questions (what are the hours, 
how many books can I check out) for the Library's chat reference service?  If 
so would you be willing to share your code?  I have just started to explore 
this so any direction or resources would be of help.  My Library is using 
LibraryH3lp, which has a REST api and some limited resources.

Thank you,

​-​
Jeffrey


P Please consider the environment before you print this email.
"The contents of this e-mail (including any attachments) may be confidential 
and/or subject to copyright. Any unauthorised use, distribution, or copying of 
the contents is expressly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in 
error, please advise the sender by return e-mail or telephone and then delete 
this e-mail together with all attachments from your system."

Re: [CODE4LIB] Chat bot

[Mark Vega]

Jeff,
Here at UC Irvine Libraries in California, we are using a free software package 
called Program-O (http://www.program-o.com/).  One of our research librarians 
works with one of our programmer/analysts to install, develop, customize and 
maintain our chatbot (http://www.lib.uci.edu/antswers).  You can find more 
information about our efforts here on our eScholarship page 
(http://escholarship.org/uc/uci_libs_antswers), where you'll also find contact 
information if you have any additional questions about our implementation.
--
Mark Vega
Programmer/Analyst
University of California, Irvine Libraries - Web Services
veg...@uci.edu
949.824.9872
--

Re: [CODE4LIB] Formalizing Code4Lib? [diy]

[Kari R Smith]

And I'll throw into the mix that there are several one and two day meetings 
that deal with sectors of technologies and archives/libraries.  An idea that's 
been talked about in other groups is about having a week when several of these 
meet so that attendees might cross-over to other relevant meetings and topics 
and thus not have to travel to several one-day meetings but instead take 
advantage of a single location.  

Just another thought --

Kari R. Smith
Digital Archivist, Institute Archives and Special Collections
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries

617.253.5690   smithkr at mit.edu   http://libraries.mit.edu/archives/

-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Eric 
Hellman
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 2:51 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Formalizing Code4Lib? [diy]

Since we're brainstorming...

In addition to regional meetings, how about having some smaller, national or 
even international thematic Code4Lib meetings. For example, I see an aching 
need for a "Code4Lib:Privacy".


Eric Hellman
President, Free Ebook Foundation
Founder, Unglue.it https://unglue.it/
https://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/
twitter: @gluejar

> On Jun 8, 2016, at 6:40 AM, Eric Lease Morgan  wrote:
> 
> On Jun 8, 2016, at 1:55 AM, Kyle Banerjee  wrote:
> 
>> My recollection is that in the bad 'ol days, c4l was much more about sharing 
>> ideas to solve practical problems… Nowadays, the conference (which has 
>> become like other library conferences) has become an end in itself…
> 
> 
> In the spirit of open source software and open access publishing, I suggest 
> we earnestly try to practice DIY — do it yourself -- before other types of 
> formalization be put into place.
> 
> I was struck by Kyle’s statement, “the conference has become an end in 
> itself”, and the more I think about it, the more I think this has become 
> true. The problem to solve is not identifying a fiduciary for the annual 
> conference. The problems to solve surround communication and sharing. A 
> (large) annual conference is not the answer to these problems, but rather it 
> is one possible answer.
> 
> Unless somebody steps up to the plate, then I suggest we forego the annual 
> meeting and try a more DIY approach for a limited period of time, say two or 
> three years. More specifically, I suggest more time & earnest effort be spent 
> on local or regional meetings. Hosting a local/regional meeting is not 
> difficult and relatively inexpensive. Here’s how:
> 
>  1) Identify one or two regional leaders - These are people who will 
> initialize and coordinate events. They find & recruit other people to 
> participate. Sure, they require “spare cycles", but they do not have to keep 
> this responsibility past a single event.
> 
>  2) Create/maintain a Web presence - This is a Web page and/or a mailing 
> list. These tools will be communication conduits. Keep the Web page 
> up-to-date on the status of the event. Refer to it in almost every email 
> message. Use it to record what will happen as well as what did happen. The 
> mailing list can start out as someone’s address book, but it can grow to an 
> mail alias on a Linux machine or even a Google Group. The Web page can live 
> in the Code4Lib wiki.
> 
>  3) Communicate - Kind of like voting in Chicago, “Talk early. Talk often.” 
> This is essential, and can hardly be done too much. People delete email. 
> People don’t plan ahead. People think they are not available, then at the 
> last minute they are. The reverse happens too. Send communications about your 
> event often, very often. Use email to build a local/regional community. Share 
> with them your intention as early as Step #1. Keep people informed.
> 
>  4) Identify a venue — Find a place to have the event. Colleges, 
> universities, and municipal libraries are good choices. Ideally they should 
> be associated with the output of Step #1. The meeting space has to 
> accommodate fifty people (more or less), but bigger is not necessarily 
> better. The space can be an auditorium, a meeting room, many meeting rooms, 
> or any combination. The space requires excellent network connectivity. A 
> meeting space sans strong wi-fi is detrimental.
> 
>  5) Identify a time - The meeting itself needs to be at least one afternoon 
> long. A day is good. More than two full days becomes a bit difficult. 
> Starting at times like noon allows people to have traveling time, or for 
> folks who arrived the night before time to get oriented. Starting at nine and 
> ending at 5 makes for a nice full day. Ending the meeting around noon makes 
> it easy for people to travel back home. Host the event on a weekday and maybe 
> ending on a Saturday. This is professional work, and it may be fun & 
> interesting, but it should not require vacation leave.†
> 
>  6) Outline an agenda - The agenda embodies "la raison d’être”. The agenda is 
> a tool for facilitating the commu

Re: [CODE4LIB] Formalizing Code4Lib? [diy]

[Matt Sherman]

Eric,

Thanks for tossing these ideas out there.  A number of these ideas had
not occurred to me, even though I've been wanting to see more local
events.  What you and Kyle are saying is resounding far more than I
would have initially thought.  I think in general one of the great
things with Code4Lib has been more of a focus on hashing out projects
and ideas, helping one another learn new things, consider new ideas
and approaches, and build relationships that way. Which having more
local meet ups would help with.  Part of me hates to see the national
conference go away as I love getting a chance to meet and interact
with so many folks from all over, but I think you have a great point
on needing to put some greater focus back into regional events and the
collaborative aspects that build this community in the first place.

Matt Sherman

On Wed, Jun 8, 2016 at 2:50 PM, Eric Hellman  wrote:
> Since we're brainstorming...
>
> In addition to regional meetings, how about having some smaller, national or 
> even international thematic Code4Lib meetings. For example, I see an aching 
> need for a "Code4Lib:Privacy".
>
>
> Eric Hellman
> President, Free Ebook Foundation
> Founder, Unglue.it https://unglue.it/
> https://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/
> twitter: @gluejar
>
>> On Jun 8, 2016, at 6:40 AM, Eric Lease Morgan  wrote:
>>
>> On Jun 8, 2016, at 1:55 AM, Kyle Banerjee  wrote:
>>
>>> My recollection is that in the bad 'ol days, c4l was much more about 
>>> sharing ideas to solve practical problems… Nowadays, the conference (which 
>>> has become like other library conferences) has become an end in itself…
>>
>>
>> In the spirit of open source software and open access publishing, I suggest 
>> we earnestly try to practice DIY — do it yourself -- before other types of 
>> formalization be put into place.
>>
>> I was struck by Kyle’s statement, “the conference has become an end in 
>> itself”, and the more I think about it, the more I think this has become 
>> true. The problem to solve is not identifying a fiduciary for the annual 
>> conference. The problems to solve surround communication and sharing. A 
>> (large) annual conference is not the answer to these problems, but rather it 
>> is one possible answer.
>>
>> Unless somebody steps up to the plate, then I suggest we forego the annual 
>> meeting and try a more DIY approach for a limited period of time, say two or 
>> three years. More specifically, I suggest more time & earnest effort be 
>> spent on local or regional meetings. Hosting a local/regional meeting is not 
>> difficult and relatively inexpensive. Here’s how:
>>
>>  1) Identify one or two regional leaders - These are people who will 
>> initialize and coordinate events. They find & recruit other people to 
>> participate. Sure, they require “spare cycles", but they do not have to keep 
>> this responsibility past a single event.
>>
>>  2) Create/maintain a Web presence - This is a Web page and/or a mailing 
>> list. These tools will be communication conduits. Keep the Web page 
>> up-to-date on the status of the event. Refer to it in almost every email 
>> message. Use it to record what will happen as well as what did happen. The 
>> mailing list can start out as someone’s address book, but it can grow to an 
>> mail alias on a Linux machine or even a Google Group. The Web page can live 
>> in the Code4Lib wiki.
>>
>>  3) Communicate - Kind of like voting in Chicago, “Talk early. Talk often.” 
>> This is essential, and can hardly be done too much. People delete email. 
>> People don’t plan ahead. People think they are not available, then at the 
>> last minute they are. The reverse happens too. Send communications about 
>> your event often, very often. Use email to build a local/regional community. 
>> Share with them your intention as early as Step #1. Keep people informed.
>>
>>  4) Identify a venue — Find a place to have the event. Colleges, 
>> universities, and municipal libraries are good choices. Ideally they should 
>> be associated with the output of Step #1. The meeting space has to 
>> accommodate fifty people (more or less), but bigger is not necessarily 
>> better. The space can be an auditorium, a meeting room, many meeting rooms, 
>> or any combination. The space requires excellent network connectivity. A 
>> meeting space sans strong wi-fi is detrimental.
>>
>>  5) Identify a time - The meeting itself needs to be at least one afternoon 
>> long. A day is good. More than two full days becomes a bit difficult. 
>> Starting at times like noon allows people to have traveling time, or for 
>> folks who arrived the night before time to get oriented. Starting at nine 
>> and ending at 5 makes for a nice full day. Ending the meeting around noon 
>> makes it easy for people to travel back home. Host the event on a weekday 
>> and maybe ending on a Saturday. This is professional work, and it may be fun 
>> & interesting, but it should not require vacation leave.†
>>
>>  6) Outline an agenda

Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

[Louisa Choy]

Thank you for the helpful responses!  I was feeling a little overwhelmed trying 
to wrap my head around it.  

Louisa Choy
Digital Services Librarian
Wheelock College Library
132 Riverway
Boston, MA   02215
(617) 879-2213
www.wheelock.edu/library
(she/her/hers)


-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Harper, 
Cynthia
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 2:13 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

Thanks! I'd heard of Heroku, but hadn't understood why it might be just what 
I'm looking for!
Cindy

-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of James 
Fournie
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 2:08 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

Heroku is a Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a series of many different services, they offer a 
service similar to Heroku called AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is usually the service people are thinking of 
when they think of AWS.  EC2 is what is called Infrastructure-as-a-service 
(IaaS).  IaaS like EC2 gives you a virtual machine, usually a Linux server. You 
maintain the Linux server, install dependencies such as Ruby, MySQL, PHP, 
Apache, etc, install updates, etc and are essentially the sysadmin for that 
server.  You upload your application and keep it running on there and maintain 
things.

With PaaS like Heroku, most of that Linux sysadmin stuff is abstracted away and 
largely done by automatically. Instead, you just create a simple configuration 
file to tell Heroku what kind of application you have (Ruby on Rails, Python, 
PHP, Java, etc), and maybe also what services you need (MySQL, PostgreSQL, 
Redis, etc) and then upload your code.  The PaaS will automatically install 
dependencies and wire things up for you and make things just magically work for 
you, you don't need to worry about monitoring the server, upgrades, etc.  PaaS 
makes it simpler to deploy and maintain an app, you don't need to worry as much 
about being a sysadmin.

There are some drawbacks:
- it might not be quite as flexible as a full VM depending on your needs
- you usually must adhere to certain app development methodologies,
ie: 12-factor apps http://www.12factor.net/ (but this can be a benefit
also)
- sometimes there is a little bit of vendor lock-in -- you often must make some 
minor changes to your application if you want to move to a different vendor

Hope this helps :)

~James


On Wed, Jun 8, 2016 at 6:43 AM, Harper, Cynthia  wrote:
> How does it compare to Amazon Web Services?
> Cindy Harper
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf 
> Of Andromeda Yelton
> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 9:50 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku
>
> I'm a freelance software developer not embedded in a library, but I use 
> Heroku routinely to host apps I'm developing for fun, or as a testing site, 
> and one of my clients deploys its production app on Heroku. It took me a 
> while to wrap my head around, but I love it to little tiny pieces (and once 
> you do wrap your head around it, it becomes *unbelievably* straightforward).
> Do you have any more specific questions?
>
> On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 3:15 PM, Louisa Choy  wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> My college is using Heroku to host a web application for another 
>> department.  I'm trying to get a sense of how many institutions out 
>> there are using it, what you use it for, what the pool of expertise 
>> is like for it, and what your thoughts on it are.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> -Louisa
>>
>>
>> Louisa Choy
>> Digital Services Librarian
>> Wheelock College Library
>> 132 Riverway
>> Boston, MA   02215
>> (617) 879-2213
>> www.wheelock.edu/library
>> (she/her/hers)
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Andromeda Yelton
> Board of Directors/Vice-President Elect, Library & Information 
> Technology
> Association: http://www.lita.org
> http://andromedayelton.com
> @ThatAndromeda 

Re: [CODE4LIB] Formalizing Code4Lib? [diy]

[Eric Hellman]

Since we're brainstorming...

In addition to regional meetings, how about having some smaller, national or 
even international thematic Code4Lib meetings. For example, I see an aching 
need for a "Code4Lib:Privacy".


Eric Hellman
President, Free Ebook Foundation
Founder, Unglue.it https://unglue.it/
https://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/
twitter: @gluejar

> On Jun 8, 2016, at 6:40 AM, Eric Lease Morgan  wrote:
> 
> On Jun 8, 2016, at 1:55 AM, Kyle Banerjee  wrote:
> 
>> My recollection is that in the bad 'ol days, c4l was much more about sharing 
>> ideas to solve practical problems… Nowadays, the conference (which has 
>> become like other library conferences) has become an end in itself…
> 
> 
> In the spirit of open source software and open access publishing, I suggest 
> we earnestly try to practice DIY — do it yourself -- before other types of 
> formalization be put into place.
> 
> I was struck by Kyle’s statement, “the conference has become an end in 
> itself”, and the more I think about it, the more I think this has become 
> true. The problem to solve is not identifying a fiduciary for the annual 
> conference. The problems to solve surround communication and sharing. A 
> (large) annual conference is not the answer to these problems, but rather it 
> is one possible answer.
> 
> Unless somebody steps up to the plate, then I suggest we forego the annual 
> meeting and try a more DIY approach for a limited period of time, say two or 
> three years. More specifically, I suggest more time & earnest effort be spent 
> on local or regional meetings. Hosting a local/regional meeting is not 
> difficult and relatively inexpensive. Here’s how:
> 
>  1) Identify one or two regional leaders - These are people who will 
> initialize and coordinate events. They find & recruit other people to 
> participate. Sure, they require “spare cycles", but they do not have to keep 
> this responsibility past a single event.
> 
>  2) Create/maintain a Web presence - This is a Web page and/or a mailing 
> list. These tools will be communication conduits. Keep the Web page 
> up-to-date on the status of the event. Refer to it in almost every email 
> message. Use it to record what will happen as well as what did happen. The 
> mailing list can start out as someone’s address book, but it can grow to an 
> mail alias on a Linux machine or even a Google Group. The Web page can live 
> in the Code4Lib wiki.
> 
>  3) Communicate - Kind of like voting in Chicago, “Talk early. Talk often.” 
> This is essential, and can hardly be done too much. People delete email. 
> People don’t plan ahead. People think they are not available, then at the 
> last minute they are. The reverse happens too. Send communications about your 
> event often, very often. Use email to build a local/regional community. Share 
> with them your intention as early as Step #1. Keep people informed.
> 
>  4) Identify a venue — Find a place to have the event. Colleges, 
> universities, and municipal libraries are good choices. Ideally they should 
> be associated with the output of Step #1. The meeting space has to 
> accommodate fifty people (more or less), but bigger is not necessarily 
> better. The space can be an auditorium, a meeting room, many meeting rooms, 
> or any combination. The space requires excellent network connectivity. A 
> meeting space sans strong wi-fi is detrimental.
> 
>  5) Identify a time - The meeting itself needs to be at least one afternoon 
> long. A day is good. More than two full days becomes a bit difficult. 
> Starting at times like noon allows people to have traveling time, or for 
> folks who arrived the night before time to get oriented. Starting at nine and 
> ending at 5 makes for a nice full day. Ending the meeting around noon makes 
> it easy for people to travel back home. Host the event on a weekday and maybe 
> ending on a Saturday. This is professional work, and it may be fun & 
> interesting, but it should not require vacation leave.†
> 
>  6) Outline an agenda - The agenda embodies "la raison d’être”. The agenda is 
> a tool for facilitating the communication and sharing. Put it on the Web 
> page. Allow others to fill it in. Outline show & tell sessions of various 
> lengths. Recruit people who you know are doing interesting things. Be 
> prepared to show one or two things from the local institution. Do show & tell 
> on things other than computers in libraries. Give tours of local cool stuff, 
> like an archive, special collection, museum, maker space, or even churches. 
> These tours are less about the showing of the stuff as they are about 
> enabling communication of the attendees. Do you really think people are not 
> going to talk work while gazing at a painting? Identify concrete (library) 
> problems to solve, and these form the basis of hack sessions. Do the 
> “unconference” thing. Take hints from THATCamps. Do roundtable discussions 
> and have reporting back sessions. Bring in people outside computing 

Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

[Harper, Cynthia]

Thanks! I'd heard of Heroku, but hadn't understood why it might be just what 
I'm looking for!
Cindy

-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of James 
Fournie
Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2016 2:08 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

Heroku is a Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a series of many different services, they offer a 
service similar to Heroku called AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is usually the service people are thinking of 
when they think of AWS.  EC2 is what is called Infrastructure-as-a-service 
(IaaS).  IaaS like EC2 gives you a virtual machine, usually a Linux server. You 
maintain the Linux server, install dependencies such as Ruby, MySQL, PHP, 
Apache, etc, install updates, etc and are essentially the sysadmin for that 
server.  You upload your application and keep it running on there and maintain 
things.

With PaaS like Heroku, most of that Linux sysadmin stuff is abstracted away and 
largely done by automatically. Instead, you just create a simple configuration 
file to tell Heroku what kind of application you have (Ruby on Rails, Python, 
PHP, Java, etc), and maybe also what services you need (MySQL, PostgreSQL, 
Redis, etc) and then upload your code.  The PaaS will automatically install 
dependencies and wire things up for you and make things just magically work for 
you, you don't need to worry about monitoring the server, upgrades, etc.  PaaS 
makes it simpler to deploy and maintain an app, you don't need to worry as much 
about being a sysadmin.

There are some drawbacks:
- it might not be quite as flexible as a full VM depending on your needs
- you usually must adhere to certain app development methodologies,
ie: 12-factor apps http://www.12factor.net/ (but this can be a benefit
also)
- sometimes there is a little bit of vendor lock-in -- you often must make some 
minor changes to your application if you want to move to a different vendor

Hope this helps :)

~James


On Wed, Jun 8, 2016 at 6:43 AM, Harper, Cynthia  wrote:
> How does it compare to Amazon Web Services?
> Cindy Harper
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf 
> Of Andromeda Yelton
> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 9:50 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku
>
> I'm a freelance software developer not embedded in a library, but I use 
> Heroku routinely to host apps I'm developing for fun, or as a testing site, 
> and one of my clients deploys its production app on Heroku. It took me a 
> while to wrap my head around, but I love it to little tiny pieces (and once 
> you do wrap your head around it, it becomes *unbelievably* straightforward).
> Do you have any more specific questions?
>
> On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 3:15 PM, Louisa Choy  wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> My college is using Heroku to host a web application for another 
>> department.  I'm trying to get a sense of how many institutions out 
>> there are using it, what you use it for, what the pool of expertise 
>> is like for it, and what your thoughts on it are.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> -Louisa
>>
>>
>> Louisa Choy
>> Digital Services Librarian
>> Wheelock College Library
>> 132 Riverway
>> Boston, MA   02215
>> (617) 879-2213
>> www.wheelock.edu/library
>> (she/her/hers)
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Andromeda Yelton
> Board of Directors/Vice-President Elect, Library & Information 
> Technology
> Association: http://www.lita.org
> http://andromedayelton.com
> @ThatAndromeda 

Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

[James Fournie]

Heroku is a Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) product.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a series of many different services, they
offer a service similar to Heroku called AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

AWS Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is usually the service people are
thinking of when they think of AWS.  EC2 is what is called
Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).  IaaS like EC2 gives you a virtual
machine, usually a Linux server. You maintain the Linux server,
install dependencies such as Ruby, MySQL, PHP, Apache, etc, install
updates, etc and are essentially the sysadmin for that server.  You
upload your application and keep it running on there and maintain
things.

With PaaS like Heroku, most of that Linux sysadmin stuff is abstracted
away and largely done by automatically. Instead, you just create a
simple configuration file to tell Heroku what kind of application you
have (Ruby on Rails, Python, PHP, Java, etc), and maybe also what
services you need (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis, etc) and then upload your
code.  The PaaS will automatically install dependencies and wire
things up for you and make things just magically work for you, you
don't need to worry about monitoring the server, upgrades, etc.  PaaS
makes it simpler to deploy and maintain an app, you don't need to
worry as much about being a sysadmin.

There are some drawbacks:
- it might not be quite as flexible as a full VM depending on your needs
- you usually must adhere to certain app development methodologies,
ie: 12-factor apps http://www.12factor.net/ (but this can be a benefit
also)
- sometimes there is a little bit of vendor lock-in -- you often must
make some minor changes to your application if you want to move to a
different vendor

Hope this helps :)

~James


On Wed, Jun 8, 2016 at 6:43 AM, Harper, Cynthia  wrote:
> How does it compare to Amazon Web Services?
> Cindy Harper
>
> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of 
> Andromeda Yelton
> Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 9:50 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku
>
> I'm a freelance software developer not embedded in a library, but I use 
> Heroku routinely to host apps I'm developing for fun, or as a testing site, 
> and one of my clients deploys its production app on Heroku. It took me a 
> while to wrap my head around, but I love it to little tiny pieces (and once 
> you do wrap your head around it, it becomes *unbelievably* straightforward).
> Do you have any more specific questions?
>
> On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 3:15 PM, Louisa Choy  wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> My college is using Heroku to host a web application for another
>> department.  I'm trying to get a sense of how many institutions out
>> there are using it, what you use it for, what the pool of expertise is
>> like for it, and what your thoughts on it are.
>>
>> Thanks!
>> -Louisa
>>
>>
>> Louisa Choy
>> Digital Services Librarian
>> Wheelock College Library
>> 132 Riverway
>> Boston, MA   02215
>> (617) 879-2213
>> www.wheelock.edu/library
>> (she/her/hers)
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Andromeda Yelton
> Board of Directors/Vice-President Elect, Library & Information Technology
> Association: http://www.lita.org
> http://andromedayelton.com
> @ThatAndromeda 

[CODE4LIB] Job: Digital Initiatives Librarian at AUC Woodruff Library (Atlanta, GA)

[Joshua Hogan]

Hello all,

We are hiring for a Digital Initiatives Librarian at the AUC Robert W. Woodruff 
Library.  See below for details.

Regards,

Josh Hogan
Metadata & Digital Resources Librarian
Atlanta University Center Robert W. Woodruff Library
111 James P. Brawley Drive, SW
Atlanta, GA  30314
404-978-2081 (v)
http://www.auctr.edu
jho...@auctr.edu



We will always provide service that exceeds the customer’s expectation… Because 
we care!
_

The Atlanta University Center - Robert W. Woodruff Library supports the 
teaching and learning missions of four institutions of higher learning that 
comprise the world’s largest consortium of HBCUs—Clark Atlanta University, the 
Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College, and Spelman College. 
 Conveniently located and easily accessible to the campuses, the Woodruff 
Library is the center of the intellectual and social life at the Atlanta 
University Center.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Atlanta University Center – Robert W. Woodruff Library is committed to 
displaying excellence in our delivery of service and is known for 
transformative change in innovative services and programs.  Our organizational 
culture is represented by a staff of engaged and highly motivated individuals 
and is one in which entrepreneurial thinking is encouraged. These factors are 
evidenced by our library’s recognition in the “university library” category for 
the 2016 ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.  To continue our 
excellence in program and services, the library is seeking collaborative, 
energetic, and innovative candidates for the position of Digital Initiatives 
Librarian.The Digital Initiatives Librarian will support the continued 
development, implementation and use of emerging technologies that enrich the 
teaching and learning landscape.  S/he will partner with Reference Librarians, 
Archives, and Information Technology staff to identify, build, and maintain our 
rapidly growing digital library collections.  They will support and maintain 
existing software solutions for library and archival open source and vendor 
applications including but not limited to, DigitalCommons, CONTENTdm, 
ArchivesSpace, Omeka, XTF (eXtensibe Text Framework).   The Digital Initiatives 
Librarian will play a role in researching, testing, and proposing initiatives 
for technology innovations for the library in support of strategic goals 
including digital preservation planning.



ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

In collaboration with library and technology staff, will explore and identify 
new and emerging technologies
Consult, collaborate and support AUC faculty and students in the introduction 
and use of digital learning tools and methodologies
Manage scanning and digitization activities for all formats including print, 
audio, and video
Assist in the development of new systems and applications including project 
management
Work with contract developers and vendors when necessary, and assist with new 
software implementations
Work with Archives Research Center staff to facilitate online access to new and 
legacy collections including the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr 
Collection to ensure timely and convenient access by students, community and 
scholars worldwide
Improve the efficiency and integration of existing implementations such as 
ArchivesSpace and XTF (eXtensibe Text Framework) including performing 
migrations, upgrades and customizations
Provide technical support for library digital preservation initiatives
Participate in professional activities and collaborate with library staff in 
developing funding proposals to advance digital initiatives


QUALIFICATIONS:

Graduate degree from an ALA accredited library school
Broad understanding of emerging trends in digital curation principles, 
standards and best practices
Experience with creation, management and usage of digital collections
Familiarity with repository software technologies both open source and vendor 
products, including CONTENTdm, DigitalCommons, Omeka, Fedora/Hydra
Strong technological skills including some programming, familiarity with 
Unix/Linux and Windows operating systems
Knowledge of XML and database design and construction; knowledge of HTML, CSS 
and website creation and maintenance
Experience with supporting archival management systems, such as ArchivesSpace 
and XTF
Knowledge of research data management and digital humanities an asset
Analytical, organizational, and oral and written communications skills
Ability to work independently and as a member of a team and to foster a team 
environment
Proficiency in MS Office Suite, including Word and Excel
DESIRED QUALIFICATION:

Experience in an academic library environment

SALARY & BENEFITS:

Salary commensu

Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

[Harper, Cynthia]

How does it compare to Amazon Web Services?
Cindy Harper

-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of 
Andromeda Yelton
Sent: Tuesday, June 07, 2016 9:50 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Heroku

I'm a freelance software developer not embedded in a library, but I use Heroku 
routinely to host apps I'm developing for fun, or as a testing site, and one of 
my clients deploys its production app on Heroku. It took me a while to wrap my 
head around, but I love it to little tiny pieces (and once you do wrap your 
head around it, it becomes *unbelievably* straightforward).
Do you have any more specific questions?

On Mon, Jun 6, 2016 at 3:15 PM, Louisa Choy  wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>
> My college is using Heroku to host a web application for another 
> department.  I'm trying to get a sense of how many institutions out 
> there are using it, what you use it for, what the pool of expertise is 
> like for it, and what your thoughts on it are.
>
> Thanks!
> -Louisa
>
>
> Louisa Choy
> Digital Services Librarian
> Wheelock College Library
> 132 Riverway
> Boston, MA   02215
> (617) 879-2213
> www.wheelock.edu/library
> (she/her/hers)
>



--
Andromeda Yelton
Board of Directors/Vice-President Elect, Library & Information Technology
Association: http://www.lita.org
http://andromedayelton.com
@ThatAndromeda 

[CODE4LIB] Survey on Faculty Self-Deposit Patterns in Institutional Repositories

[Ruth Tillman]

You are being invited to participate in a research project conducted by
Ruth Kitchin Tillman, Digital Collections Librarian, University of Notre
Dame. This survey gathers basic and broad information about patterns of
faculty self-deposit, or the lack thereof, in institutional repositories at
institutions of higher education in the United States. The survey will be
available through July 8, 2016. This survey is open to anyone at an
institution of higher education in the United States self-identifying as
responsible in some way for bringing content into an institutional
repository or otherwise involved in handling metrics of an institutional
repository. The total number of participants will depend on responses to
the survey.



This is a virtual, multi-location study. This study will ask respondents
basic information about their institution and repository, information about
self-deposit (including whether it is possible in their repository), and
information about satisfaction with levels of self-deposit in the
repository, whether they have developed alternative ingest methods, and
whether outreach is currently being conducted to faculty members. The
survey should take 5-20 minutes to complete. Respondents are asked to take
the survey only once.



https://nd.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eRToVvYaUtbLHSt



While participating in a study carries the risk of a loss of
confidentiality, the investigator has minimized risk by not collecting IP
or other personally identifiable information. Questions about institutional
affiliation are optional.



While you will not directly benefit from participation, your participation
may help the investigator understand trends in faculty self-deposit in
institutional repositories. As the resulting data will be shared through
publication, your participation may also help the field understand patterns
which will allow for the development of better practices in creating and
promoting institutional repositories.



The results of this study may be published in professional journals. It may
also be used for educational purposes or for professional presentations.
However, no individual respondent will be identified. Your participation in
this project is anonymous. The survey will not be collecting any personally
identifying information, however, the first section contains optional
identifying institutional information. These identifying fields are
entirely optional and will be used for deduplication. Once deduplication
has been performed, the identifying fields will be removed from the
Qualtrics site. They will not be exported, saved, shared with any other
researcher, or published.



If you have any questions, you may contact Ruth Kitchin Tillman at
rtill...@nd.edu or 574-631-6067. If you have questions about your rights as
a research participant, please contact the University of Notre Dame
Institutional Review Board (IRB), Notre Dame Research Compliance, (
complia...@nd.edu), phone (574-631-1461), IRB Number: FWA 2462.



Your participation is voluntary and you may refuse to participate or
withdraw at any time. You may refuse to answer all but 3-4 core questions
(the number depends in part on your responses) and still complete the
survey. You may refuse to answer the core questions and withdraw from the
survey without penalty.

There are no costs and there is no compensation for participating in this
survey.


This survey is intended to be taken by persons 18 years of age or older. By
taking the survey, you agree that you are 18 years of age or older.

-- 

Ruth Kitchin Tillman

Digital Collections Librarian

Hesburgh Libraries

113 Hesburgh Library

o: 574-631-6067

e: rtill...@nd.edu

Re: [CODE4LIB] Formalizing Code4Lib? [diy]

[Eric Lease Morgan]

On Jun 8, 2016, at 1:55 AM, Kyle Banerjee  wrote:

> My recollection is that in the bad 'ol days, c4l was much more about sharing 
> ideas to solve practical problems… Nowadays, the conference (which has become 
> like other library conferences) has become an end in itself…


In the spirit of open source software and open access publishing, I suggest we 
earnestly try to practice DIY — do it yourself -- before other types of 
formalization be put into place.

I was struck by Kyle’s statement, “the conference has become an end in itself”, 
and the more I think about it, the more I think this has become true. The 
problem to solve is not identifying a fiduciary for the annual conference. The 
problems to solve surround communication and sharing. A (large) annual 
conference is not the answer to these problems, but rather it is one possible 
answer.

Unless somebody steps up to the plate, then I suggest we forego the annual 
meeting and try a more DIY approach for a limited period of time, say two or 
three years. More specifically, I suggest more time & earnest effort be spent 
on local or regional meetings. Hosting a local/regional meeting is not 
difficult and relatively inexpensive. Here’s how:

  1) Identify one or two regional leaders - These are people who will 
initialize and coordinate events. They find & recruit other people to 
participate. Sure, they require “spare cycles", but they do not have to keep 
this responsibility past a single event.

  2) Create/maintain a Web presence - This is a Web page and/or a mailing list. 
These tools will be communication conduits. Keep the Web page up-to-date on the 
status of the event. Refer to it in almost every email message. Use it to 
record what will happen as well as what did happen. The mailing list can start 
out as someone’s address book, but it can grow to an mail alias on a Linux 
machine or even a Google Group. The Web page can live in the Code4Lib wiki.

  3) Communicate - Kind of like voting in Chicago, “Talk early. Talk often.” 
This is essential, and can hardly be done too much. People delete email. People 
don’t plan ahead. People think they are not available, then at the last minute 
they are. The reverse happens too. Send communications about your event often, 
very often. Use email to build a local/regional community. Share with them your 
intention as early as Step #1. Keep people informed. 

  4) Identify a venue — Find a place to have the event. Colleges, universities, 
and municipal libraries are good choices. Ideally they should be associated 
with the output of Step #1. The meeting space has to accommodate fifty people 
(more or less), but bigger is not necessarily better. The space can be an 
auditorium, a meeting room, many meeting rooms, or any combination. The space 
requires excellent network connectivity. A meeting space sans strong wi-fi is 
detrimental.

  5) Identify a time - The meeting itself needs to be at least one afternoon 
long. A day is good. More than two full days becomes a bit difficult. Starting 
at times like noon allows people to have traveling time, or for folks who 
arrived the night before time to get oriented. Starting at nine and ending at 5 
makes for a nice full day. Ending the meeting around noon makes it easy for 
people to travel back home. Host the event on a weekday and maybe ending on a 
Saturday. This is professional work, and it may be fun & interesting, but it 
should not require vacation leave.† 

  6) Outline an agenda - The agenda embodies "la raison d’être”. The agenda is 
a tool for facilitating the communication and sharing. Put it on the Web page. 
Allow others to fill it in. Outline show & tell sessions of various lengths. 
Recruit people who you know are doing interesting things. Be prepared to show 
one or two things from the local institution. Do show & tell on things other 
than computers in libraries. Give tours of local cool stuff, like an archive, 
special collection, museum, maker space, or even churches. These tours are less 
about the showing of the stuff as they are about enabling communication of the 
attendees. Do you really think people are not going to talk work while gazing 
at a painting? Identify concrete (library) problems to solve, and these form 
the basis of hack sessions. Do the “unconference” thing. Take hints from 
THATCamps. Do roundtable discussions and have reporting back sessions. Bring in 
people outside computing but inside the hosting community, and learning by 
everybody will take place.

  7) Identify how to eat - Going to one more more restaurants/bars for lunch or 
in the evening is a very good thing. When it comes to lunch, people can go out 
on their own, or the hosting institution may want to sponsor. Cookies and 
snacks during the day are good things, but not necessary. Shy away from 
caterers. They are expensive. Take the same money, go to the grocery store, and 
buy things to eat. Make reservations in restaurants for larger groups.

  8) Do the e