[CODE4LIB] Job Posting: Web Development Librarian, East Carolina University
As posted on http://www.ecu.edu/cs-lib/administration/weblib.cfm Feel free to message me directly if you have any questions: Web Development Librarian J.Y. Joyner Library East Carolina University Known for its leadership in distance learning and its mission to serve, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University seeks a creative, knowledgeable, and collegial individual to lead in the development and management of the Library's web site. The successful candidate in this position will work with other faculty and staff members within the library to design, develop and support innovative, intuitive web-based services. Responsibilities: Reporting to the Assistant Director for Library Technology and Digital Initiatives, the Web Development Librarian will: * Provide vision and leadership in designing, developing and supporting the main library web site and integrating it with the larger library web presence which includes discovery tools, digital collections, and electronic resources * Lead, supervise, and direct the Web Development Team * Maintain and refine existing web services offered by the department * Develop and implement web applications and tools, particularly for mobile environments * Ensure that web services and applications are tailored for targeted user groups, including distance education students, on-site patrons, faculty members, and library staff * Evaluate local web resources through a variety of assessment methods * Actively explore current web technologies, recommending and implementing best practices for an academic library environment * Participate as a member of the library's technology team Dean's Council Some client-centered public service desk duties may be assigned. Finalists will make a presentation during the on-campus interview. Required Qualifications * ALA-accredited master's degree or international equivalent in library or information science. * Strong leadership skills and ability to lead a web development team * Experience in designing, developing, and supporting web sites using HTML and CSS * Familiarity with content management systems, intranets, relational databases, and web servers * Familiarity with usability testing, WAI guidelines, and web analytics * Familiarity with mobile platforms, applications, and design * Demonstrated flexibility and initiative * Strong commitment to user-centered services and service excellence * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills * Ability to work effectively with faculty, staff, and students * Superior oral and written communication skills * Ability to achieve tenure through effective job performance, service, and research Preferred Qualifications * Academic library experience * Demonstrated experience with content management systems, relational databases, and web servers * Demonstrated experience with usability testing, WAI guidelines, and web analytics * Demonstrated experience with mobile platforms, applications, and design * Familiarity with a programming environment that includes languages such as PHP, ColdFusion, JavaScript, XML, XSLT, and SQL * Familiarity with multimedia and graphic design standards and production * Experience with APIs from providers such as Google, LibraryThing, OCLC, Serials Solutions (especially Summon), and SirsiDynix * Project management experience * Supervisory experience * Knowledge of current issues and trends in scholarly communication * Additional graduate degree * Academic background in computer science or related field Academic Library Services: Academic Library Services (ALS) supports the campus community's mission of teaching, research, and service. It holds membership in the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) and is a selective federal depository library. ALS is supported by an operating budget of $10 million, a materials budget of $5 million, and a staff of 119, including 43 faculty members. The Library's virtual infrastructure consists of a combination of vendor-based, open source, and locally developed resources using a variety of programming languages, primarily in a Windows environment. Key components include: SirsiDynix Symphony ILS, Serials Solutions e-resource access and management products, and an institutional repository powered by DSpace. Visit the Library's web site at http://www.lib.ecu.edu for additional information. ALS recognizes that diversity and respect for human differences within the academy is a key source of intellectual vitality and innovative spirit, and encourages genuine respect for individual backgrounds, lifestyles, experiences, perspectives and opinions. ALS invites candidates from diverse backgrounds who will contribute affirmatively and creatively to the university's multicultural environment. We seek candidates who reflect the rich mix of backgrounds, life experiences, cultures, perspectives and world views found within our university and commun
Re: [CODE4LIB] HTML Load Time
Hi Nathan, Aside from just load time, there's another point that you might want to consider: the last time that I checked, Google would only index our particular pages up to 1 MB (though this value certainly isn't static, and 5 MB might be the new limit in the near future / already for some sites). So, if you're not splitting this file up, you should also be aware that not all of the contents will be indexed by external search engines. Since this particular finding aid of yours has already been split into 10 different series, though, I think that that would be most logical method to split things up (and that should take care of both problems, while presenting one more problem of making sure that everything is still presented in a user-friendly way). Mark -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Brian Tingle Sent: Monday, December 06, 2010 4:15 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] HTML Load Time > If I split the page into say three parts and then combined them on one page > using the include function of PHP, would I still have to same problem? I don't think this will really help any, because the files would still be combined together on your side of the server and the large file will go over the wire and be loaded into a ~5MB file in the local browser. The static HTML page is pretty much as fast as you can get on the server side.
Re: [CODE4LIB] Digital object distribution
If they don't mind installing Opera and forgoing the UI that would display anything beyond filenames, they can use Opera to share files over HTTP within a few, mere minutes (as long as they keep their computer logged on): http://unite.opera.com/application/132/ I haven't used this myself, but I noticed the addition when Opera 10 launched last year, I think it was. Mark -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Will Brockman Sent: Wednesday, June 23, 2010 2:19 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Digital object distribution I've had good luck with Google Docs for sharing modest numbers of files with a variety of collaborators - is that *too* simplistic for this application? Will On Wed, Jun 23, 2010 at 2:06 PM, Hillel Arnold wrote: > Hi Adam, > I'm actually asking for someone else (not at my institution) but I believe > we're talking about primarily images, with maybe some audio. As far as I know > they currently have their digital objects stored on a combination of internal > and external hard drives that are only available locally. I'm not sure about > the file or folder naming conventions, but my intuition tells me there > probably aren't many... > > > >> Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2010 13:58:01 -0400 >> From: aw...@rockhall.org >> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Digital object distribution >> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU >> >> Hillel, >> >> How are you currently managing your digital objects? What type are they >> generally? (images, a/v, text) >> >> ...adam >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: Code for Libraries on behalf of Hillel Arnold >> Sent: Wed 6/23/2010 1:15 PM >> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU >> Subject: [CODE4LIB] Digital object distribution >> >> A colleague of mine is looking for a simple and lightweight way to make >> digital assets available to researchers. What they'd like to have ideally is >> a system that provides online access to specified files for a specified user >> via a login. A user would only see the files that have been assigned to them >> and not any other users' files. In addition, they'd like to have some sort >> of a UI that would display basic descriptive information about the object. >> Does anyone have any ideas for a solution to this? It seems like there >> *should* be an easy and obvious answer, but I'm coming up blank... >> >> Thanks, >> Hillel Arnold >> >> Project Archivist >> Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archive >> New York University >> >> _ >> The New Busy is not the too busy. Combine all your e-mail accounts with >> Hotmail. >> http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multiaccount&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_4 >> >> >> >> Rock & Roll: (noun) African American slang dating back to the early 20th >> Century. In the early 1950s, the term came to be used to describe a new form >> of music, steeped in the blues, rhythm & blues, country and gospel. Today, >> it refers to a wide variety of popular music -- frequently music with an >> edge and attitude, music with a good beat and --- often --- loud guitars.© >> 2005 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. >> >> This communication is a confidential and proprietary business communication. >> It is intended solely for the use of the designated recipient(s). If this >> communication is received in error, please contact the sender and delete >> this communication. > > _ > The New Busy think 9 to 5 is a cute idea. Combine multiple calendars with > Hotmail. > http://www.windowslive.com/campaign/thenewbusy?tile=multicalendar&ocid=PID28326::T:WLMTAGL:ON:WL:en-US:WM_HMP:042010_5
[CODE4LIB] Job Posting: Assistant Director for Library Technology and Digital Initiatives
East Carolina University invites applications for the following position: Assistant Director for Library Technology and Digital Initiatives J.Y. Joyner Library East Carolina University Known for its leadership in distance learning and its mission to serve, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University (ECU) seeks a creative, forward-thinking, experienced, and user-focused individual to fill the new position of Assistant Director for Library Technology and Digital Initiatives. The individual in this position will be the primary technology architect and planner for the Library. The individual will have direct supervisory responsibility for four areas: Digital Collections, Integrated Library System Services, Technology Support, and Web Development Team. Responsibilities: The Assistant Director for Library Technologies and Digital Initiatives reports to the Dean of Academic Library and Learning Resources and serves on the senior management team. The Assistant Director will contribute to strategic planning, program development and evaluation, and allocation of resources in support of the Library's mission. The individual will coordinate activities and set priorities for the four reporting areas; develop and promote a cohesive vision for the Library's online identity; represent the Library on information technology groups on the ECU campus, within the University of North Carolina system, and externally; establish and maintain effective partnerships and collaborations; maintain professional knowledge of trends in libraries and higher education and a strategic awareness of the role of technology in libraries; and assure that the Library is at the forefront of best practices in delivering services. Finalists will be asked to make a presentation during the on-campus interview. Required Qualifications: * ALA-accredited master's degree or international equivalent in library or information science * Minimum of three years of progressively responsible management experience in a library * Experience with at least one of the areas for which the individual will have supervisory responsibility * Demonstrated ability to supervise and direct a team of professional and support staff * Demonstrated project management skills, with a proven record of introducing and managing strategic, innovative projects * Strong analytical and problem-solving skills * Strong commitment to user-centered services and service excellence * Demonstrated ability to facilitate technical communication among a variety of stakeholders * Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of key issues and trends in digital initiatives and information technology, academic libraries, and higher education * Demonstrated ability to create an environment conducive to innovation and creativity * Demonstrated skill in building and sustaining effective interpersonal relations with library faculty and staff, campus administrators, and professional colleagues * Demonstrated flexibility and initiative * Superior oral and written communication skills * Demonstrated ability to achieve tenure through effective job performance, contributions to the profession through research and scholarly publication, and involvement in regional or national library organizations. Preferred Qualifications: * Additional graduate degree * Five or more years of experience in a library * Knowledge of web technologies and standards; Unix and Windows operating systems; programming and scripting languages; library information technology standards; and metadata standards * Experience managing an ILS, a content management system, or other discovery systems; securing outside funding for technology initiatives; and delivering resources and services to distance education students. Academic Library Services: Academic Library Services (ALS) supports the campus community's mission of teaching, research, and service. It holds membership in the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) and is a selective federal depository library. ALS is supported by an operating budget of $10 million, a materials budget of $5 million, and a staff of 119, including 43 faculty members. The Library's virtual infrastructure consists of a combination of vendor-based, open source, and locally developed resources using a variety of programming languages, primarily in a Windows environment. Key components include: SirsiDynix Symphony ILS, Serials Solutions e-resource access and management products, and an institutional repository powered by DSpace. Visit the Library's web site at http://www.lib.ecu.edu for additional information. ALS recognizes that diversity and respect for human differences within the academy is a key source of intellectual vitality and innovative spirit, and
Re: [CODE4LIB] digital storage
Speaking of LOCKSS (and PLNs), there's the MetaArchive: http://www.metaarchive.org/ You might want to consider contacting them as well. Mark -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Jason Griffey Sent: Thursday, August 27, 2009 9:59 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] digital storage The basic idea of LOCKSS is always what I think of when it comes to archival: lots of copies. For my own personal archival stuff, I do use a Drobo...and have recommended that we get one of the new Drobo Pros for use here in the library. But not for archival, just for storage. For things that I really do not want to ever go away, I make sure that I have 3 copies: one remote, and at least two local. There are bigadvantages to the Drobo over traditional RAID, and with about the same amount of risks overall. The Drobo is growable, and can use mix and match drives, which gives it, IMO, a leg up over traditional RAID. I'm a huge, huge fan. But for things I really care about, I'd have one copy on a server, one copy on a drobo, and another copy in the cloud somewhere. Jason On Thu, Aug 27, 2009 at 8:10 AM, Edward Iglesias wrote: > As I was trying to figure out what to do with half a terabyte of > archival TIFFS it occurred to me that perhaps someone else had this > problem. We are starting to produce massive amounts of digital > objects (videos, archival TIFFS, audio interviews). Up until now we > have been dealing with ways to display them to the public. Now we are > starting to look at "dark archives" like OCLC's digital archive > product. I would welcome any suggestions from those of you who have > dealt with this on an archival level. It's one thing to stick the > stuff up on a server, but then what? Our CIO suggested storage > appliances like this one > > > http://www.drobo.com/products/index.php > > but I am wary of the proprietary RAID system. > > Thanks in advance, > > > > ~ > Edward Iglesias > Systems Librarian > Central Connecticut State University > -- Follow me on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/griffey
Re: [CODE4LIB] multimedia carrier vocabulary?
Perhaps I'm not sure what you're looking for, but the Getty has the Art & Architecture Thesaurus: http://www.getty.edu/vow/AATHierarchy?find=dvd&logic=AND¬e=&page=1&su bjectid=300220523 (got your cd, dvd, but not blu-ray... yet) But when you're talking "digital" (sans container), I guess you're just talking format, like you said. For that, there's the PRONOM registry: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pronom/ Either of those helpful? Mark -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Jonathan Rochkind Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 12:24 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] multimedia carrier vocabulary? Anyone know of any good existing controlled vocabulary for 'format' or 'carrier' for multimedia materials? I'm thinking of things like "CD", "DVD", "digital", etc. The closest I can get is from RDA at http://metadataregistry.org/concept/list/vocabulary_id/46.html (thanks Karen and Diane), but it seems _really_ insufficient. As far as I can tell "audio disc" is used for both a CD and a vinyl disc, and there's nothing available there for "DVD" at all. Or for "digital". Although I'm not sure what I mean by "digital", I guess CD and DVD are both digital, but I was thinking of something to identify a digital file on a computer network free of particular carrier. I guess that wouldn't be in a carrier vocabulary at all, after all, that would be sort of a null carrier. Phew, this stuff does get complicated quick. Which I guess is why nobody's worked out a good one yet. Too bad RDA's is so _far_ from good though. Any others anyone knows about? Jonathan -- Jonathan Rochkind Digital Services Software Engineer The Sheridan Libraries Johns Hopkins University 410.516.8886 rochkind (at) jhu.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] digital project librarian
Eric Lease Morgan, My name is Mark Custer and I work in the Digital Collections department at East Carolina University (but I did my undergraduate work at IU-Bloomington, so I'm no stranger to Indiana). In any event, this email probably arrives way too late, but I was wondering if applications were still under review for the Digital Project/CRRA position? (I noticed, of course, that the original deadline was November 1st) This would be an ideal position for me since I have a library degree and have been knee-deep in EAD for over the past year (and have actually enjoyed it). So, if the search is still open, please let me know, and I'll start writing a cover letter this week so that I can apply ASAP. If not, though, hopefully I'll be able to see you around at the code4lib conference this year if I'm able to go. Coding isn't my background, but it's something I'm trying to learn a bit on my own time now since I have to work with so much XML and XSLT. Thanks in advance, Mark Custer Markup & Text Coordinator Digital Collections East Carolina University http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/ -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Eric Lease Morgan Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 3:50 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] digital project librarian [Please excuse the duplication.] Digital Project Librarian Hesburgh Libraries University of Notre Dame On behalf of the Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA), the Hesburgh Libraries at the University of Notre Dame seeks applicants for the position of Digital Project Librarian. This position will support the creation, maintenance and implementation of a portal application providing access to rare, unique, and infrequently held materials in academic libraries, seminaries' special collections, and archives. In electronically bringing together access to resources from many collections, the portal will create easy, effective, and global discovery of Catholic research resources. By exploiting any number of well-established metadata schemes, community-building processes, and database/indexing technologies, the portal will provide access to research resources in print, digital and other formats. Responsibilities The primary job responsibilities include: * Writing documentation for requirements, standards, portal protocols, portal architecture, instructions for participating libraries, and "about the portal." * Planning the implementation schedule for future development. * Communicating project activities to participating libraries, CRRA committee members, and project sponsors. * Training and instructing on the creation of Encoded Archival Description (EAD) files to participating libraries based on current best practices as well as CRRA metadata standards, requirements, and protocols. * Serving as a member of Team Catholic Portal. The successful candidate will initially be appointed for a two year term with every expectation that the position will become ongoing. The individual will be housed in the Digital Access and Information Architecture Department and administratively report to the Head of the Department. Team Catholic Portal is responsible for the overall management of the portal. Environment The CRRA is a collaborative effort initiated by eight Catholic colleges and universities to share their resources electronically with librarians, archivists, researchers, scholars interested in the Catholic experience, and the general public. The CRRA was founded by the libraries at Boston College, The Catholic University of America, Georgetown University, Marquette University, University of Notre Dame, Seton Hall University, University of San Diego and St. Edward's University. More information as well as a demonstration portal is accessible at http://www.catholicresearch.net/. On behalf of the CRRA, the University of Notre Dame serves as the current secretariat where the project staff will be housed. The University of Notre Dame is a highly selective national Catholic teaching and research university located in South Bend, Indiana. Approximately 8,200 undergraduates and 3,100 graduate students pursue a broad range of studies. The Hesburgh Libraries hold about 3 million volumes and provide access to the content of about 60,000 serials. The Libraries have approximately 140 staff and 55 librarians. The Libraries are a member of the Academic Libraries of Indiana, the Association of Research Libraries, INCOLSA, the Michiana Academic Library Consortium, the Center for Research Libraries, and the North East Research Libraries. The University of Notre Dame is open to and enriched by the presence of diverse scholars. As such, we welcome and encourage applications and nominations from women and minorities. Qualifications ALA-accredited master's degree in library, archival and/or information
Re: [CODE4LIB] eXtensible Catalog - New Website
The site was working fine earlier, as I was able to view it with Opera (now, of course, I've the same problems). For the time being, this should get you there: http://www.extensiblecatalog.org/node/59 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Alhambra Sent: Friday, October 17, 2008 4:18 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] eXtensible Catalog - New Website I used Internet Explorer 7 to go this website, and I get the message "You are using *Internet Explorer* version *6.0* on *Windows XP*" -Chris Alhambra On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 4:11 PM, Mark A. Matienzo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I'm using Firefox 3 on OS X and the project's website is claiming I'm > using IE 6 on Windows XP and thus not letting me access the site. Fix > this, please? > > Mark Matienzo > Applications Developer, Digital Experience Group > The New York Public Library > > On Fri, Oct 17, 2008 at 10:31 AM, Dibelius, Steven > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > ***Cross-posted; apologies for duplication*** > > > > > > > > The eXtensible Catalog Project is pleased to announce that we have > > launched our new website at http://www.extensiblecatalog.org/. This new > > website will be the main vehicle for distributing our open-source > > software once it is released in 2009. In the mean time, the website > > contains a wealth of information regarding the project, including > > publications, an overview of the software we are developing and the > > technologies that software will use, and a blog that has already been in > > use. > > > > > > > > The eXtensible Catalog (XC) Project is working to design and develop a > > set of open-source applications that will provide libraries with an > > alternative way to reveal their collections to library users. XC will > > provide easy access to all resources (both digital and physical > > collections) across a variety of databases, metadata schemas and > > standards, and will enable library content to be revealed through other > > services that libraries may already be using, such as content management > > systems and learning management systems. XC will also make library > > collections more web-accessible by revealing them through web search > > engines. > > > > > > > > Since XC software will be open source, it will be available for download > > at no cost. Libraries will be able to adopt, customize and extend the > > software to meet local needs. In addition, a not-for-profit organization > > will be formed to provide the infrastructure to incorporate community > > contributions to the code base, encourage collaboration, and provide > > maintenance and upgrades. > > > > > > > > The project is hosted at the University of Rochester and funded through > > a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Scholarly > > Communications Program as well as through significant contributions from > > and in collaboration with XC partner institutions. The project is in a > > design and development phase until July 2009, at which point the > > software will be released under an open-source license. > > > > > > > > > > > > Steven Dibelius > > > > Deployment Engineer, eXtensible Catalog Project > > > > University of Rochester > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >
Re: [CODE4LIB] Google books js api, oclc/lccn, any problems?
I haven't noticed any problems like that myself lately, but I have had some trouble/confusion with OCLC numbers and GBS in the past. If you do a search for OCLC number 2416076 in worldcat.org, you get directed to the book: http://www.worldcat.org/search?q=no%3A2416076&qt=advanced [which, of course, features no link to Google Books right now] but the OCLC number listed is 24991049, and no longer 2416076. So, I would assume that the 2416076 record was merged into the 24991049 record (which was just recently updated on 2008-08-28), and so I would also assume that the records retained by Google would not reflect this update? In any event, I would suspect that it might not be a problem with the GBS api, but rather with the change in metadata that is tracked by OCLC but not by Google (since they wouldn't have known). Do you have any other suspect examples, though, that might provide other evidence? Mark Custer -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Jonathan Rochkind Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 3:04 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Google books js api, oclc/lccn, any problems? Anyone else noticed any problems with the GBS javascript api? It seems to have stopped returning hits for me for LCCN or OCLCnum, where it used to work. Seems to work now only for ISBN. Here's a URL call that used to return hits, and now doesn't: http://books.google.com/books?jscmd=viewapi&callback=gbscallback&bibkeys =OCLC%3A2416076%2CLCCN%3A34025476 Jonathan --- Jonathan Rochkind Digital Services Software Engineer The Sheridan Libraries Johns Hopkins University 410.516.8886 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: [CODE4LIB] coverage of google book viewability API
Isn't the whole point of this to get the user to the book? Knowledge about the book should/will come from research and reading, not bad metadata... or even hastily automated extraneous info... and in fact, I'd say that most MARC metadata is only there to get a user to the book, not to describe it to the user (aside from subjects), but mainly to describe it to the library. That said, I showed an example (http://books.google.com/books?id=kdiYGQAACAAJ) in which a Google Books "no view" gets a user to a "full view", completely electronically! (though, my goodness, in the state it's in now it does require experimentation and two extra mouse clicks) What's more, Google already has a link for every book to Worldcat, which helps the user get to a "full view", completely physically. Ideally, researchers will begin to have more and more opportunities to research texts side-by-side with a physical and an electronic copy. That is, of course, once they have more options to download different formats rather than just the rather large PDFs currently available at Google. Right now, yes, most "no view" options offer far less information to a user who can read a MARC record... but I'd presume that as more texts go online, the more value and richness will be added, even to those "no view" cases. Mark Custer -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tim Spalding Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 11:44 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] coverage of google book viewability API > Most of our users will start out in an electronic environment whether we like it or not > (most of us on THIS list like it)---and will decide, based on what they > find there, on their own, without us making the decision for > them---whether to obtain (or attempt to obtain) a copy of the physical > book or not. Whether we like it or not. >But if you think the options are between US deciding whether the user should consult a physical book or not---then we're not even playing the same game. What I dislike here is your abnegation of the responsibility to care about the choices students make. If you're not considering the value of all resources-including the book-you're not playing the library game, the educator game or the Google game. You're just throwing stuff on screens because you can. "Whether you like it or not" you're pointing students in some directions and not others. You're giving these resources different amounts of emphasis in your UI. You're including some and not others-the others includes all other web pages and all other offline resources. You aren't making choices for the user, but you're not stepping back and washing your hands of the responsibility to help the student. In a physical-book context, the book is one of the resources. It deserves to weighted and evaluated within this larger set of choices. It's your responsibility to consider it within the mix of options. If the book is excellent and the online resources poor, helping the user means communicating this. So, sometimes the OPAC should basically say "there's nothing good online about this book; but it's on the shelf right over there." *Certainly in Classics that's still true-the online world is a very impoverished window into the discipline.
Re: [CODE4LIB] coverage of google book viewability API
For the most part, I completely agree. That said, it's a very tangled web out there, and on occasion those "no preview" views can still lead a user to a "full view" that's offered elsewhere. Here's just one example: http://books.google.com/books?id=kdiYGQAACAAJ (from there, a user can click on the first link to be taken to another metadata page that has access to a "full view") Unfortunately, there's no indication that either of these links will get you to a full-text digitized copy of the book in question (the links always, of course, appear under the header of "References from web pages", which Google has nicely added), and there's also no way to know that a "no preview" book has any such "references from web pages" until you access the item, but it's something, at least, however unintended. It'd be nice, perhaps, if you could put some sort of standard in the metadata header of the webpage (DC or otherwise) to indicate to a harvester (in this case, a crawler) the specific format of the retrieval. Then these links could be labeled as "digitized copies available elsewhere", rather than simply "references from web pages" (which, of course, is all that they are right now), and could also be added to the API callback. That is, of course, if Google doesn't eventually put up these and other localized resources as well (and I'm sure they'll cover most of these, with the collections that they do have)... but until or if they do, it would go a longer way to fulfilling their mission. Mark Custer -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tim Spalding Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 6:52 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] coverage of google book viewability API So, I took a long slow look at ten of the examples from Godmar's file. Nothing I saw disabused me of my opinion: "No preview" pages on Google Book Search are very weak tea. Are they worthless? Not always. But they usually are. And, unfortunately, you generally need to read the various references pages carefully before you know you were wasting your time. Some examples: Risks in Chemical Units (http://books.google.com/books?id=7ctpCAAJ) has one glancing, un-annotated reference in the footnotes of another, apparently different book. How Trouble Made the Monkey Eat Pepper (http://books.google.com/books?id=wLnGCAAJ) sports three references from other books, two in snippet view and one with no view. Two are bare-bones bibliographic mentions in an index of Canadian children's books and an index of Canadian chidren's illustrators. The third is another bare-bones mention in a book in Sinhalese. > If the patron is sitting on a computer (which, given this discussion, they obviously are), the > path of least resistance dictates that a journal article will be used before a book. An excellent example. Let's imagine you were doing reference-desk work and a student were to come up to you with a question about a topic. You have two sources you can send them to-the book itself in all its glory, and another source. The other source is the Croatian-language MySpace page of someone whose boyfriend read a chapter of the book once, five years ago. You're not sure if the blog mentions the book, but it might. That something provides the path of least resistance isn't an argument for something. It depends on where the path goes.
Re: [CODE4LIB] google books and OCLC numbers
Godmar, Thank you for answering some of my questions (and I apologize for asking anything that was more pertinent to an off-list discussion). I didn't realize that the addison.vt.edu:2082 demo site was only showing "partial view" links. I had assumed, wrongly, that it was perhaps only excluding "metadata view" and "no view" instances. That said, I do think it's a very elegant implementation of the GBS Viewability API into a locked-down OPAC, and I'd like to see it implemented at my library as well (or at least any implementation of a Google, LibraryThing, or OpenLibrary API). Also, I apparently haven't looked at the Viewability API enough, but you did teach me something else by providing those examples. I should've explicitly said, too, that I was *not* doing a GBS search for "oclc01052228" (and I just tried that to see what would happen, and it does return the book, but the lone result is for page 52, an illustrated page...?). I was, instead, using one of the basic viewability API examples provided by Google, simply adding "oclc" to any of my requests (I don't have a background in computer science, so I was just playing around in order to test the rate of inclusion/recall in GBS for a local set of books). According to the API callback, it seems then that the reason that I am finding the full view for this book is because it has 3 bib numbers (or bib keys) attached to its oclc number. So, in addition to the two links that you included, this link also works (but not because [I don't think] that string appears in the hidden metadata) http://books.google.com/books?jscmd=viewapi&bibkeys=OCLC01052228&callbac k=X So, "bib_key":"OCLC01052228" "bib_key":"OCLC:01052228" "bib_key":"OCLC:1052228" But not: "bib_key":"OCLC1052228" Is that right, or am I still missing something? Mark Custer -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Godmar Back Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 11:06 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] google books and OCLC numbers Mark, I'll answer this one on list, but let's take discussion that is specifically related to GBS classes off-list since you're asking questions about this particular software --- I had sent the first email to Code4Lib because I felt that our method of integrating the Google Book viewability API into III Millennium in a clean way was worth sharing with the community. On Thu, May 8, 2008 at 10:07 AM, Custer, Mark <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Slide 4 in that PowerPoint mentions something about a "small set of > Google Book Search information", but is also says that the items are > indexed by ISBN, OCLC#, and LCCN. And yet, during the admittedly brief > time that I tried out this really nice demo, I was unable to find any > links to books that were available in "full view", which made me wonder > if any of the search results were searching GBS with their respective > OCLC #s (and not just ISBNs, if available). GBS searches by whatever you tell it: ISBN, OCLC, *OR* LCCN. Not all of them. > > For example, if I use the demo site that's provided and search for "mark > twain" and limit my results to publication dates of, say, 1860-1910, I > don't receive a single GBS link. So I checked to see if "Eve's Diary" > was in GBS and, of course, it was... and then I made sure that the copy > I found in the demo had the same OCLC# as the one in GBS; and it was. > So, is this a feature that will be added later, or is it just that the > entire set of bib records available at the demo site are not included in > the GBS aspect of the demo? By "demo site" provided, do you mean addison.vt.edu:2082? Remember that in this demo, the link is only displayed if Google has a partial view, and *not* if Google has full text or no view. It's my understanding that Twain's books are past copyright, so Google has fully scanned them and they are available as full text. If you take that into account, Eve's Diary (OCLC# 01052228) works fine. I added it at the bottom of http://libx.org/gbs/tests.html To search for this book by OCLC, you'd use this span: Eve's Diary which links to the full text version. Note that --- interestingly --- Google does not appear to have a thumbnail for this book's cover. > > Secondly, I have another question which I hope that someone can clear up > for me. Again, I'll use this copy of "Eve's Diary" as an example, which > has an OCLC number of 01052228. Now, if you search worldcat.org (using > the advance search, basic search, of even adding things like "oclc:" > before the number), t
Re: [CODE4LIB] google books and OCLC numbers
Slide 4 in that PowerPoint mentions something about a "small set of Google Book Search information", but is also says that the items are indexed by ISBN, OCLC#, and LCCN. And yet, during the admittedly brief time that I tried out this really nice demo, I was unable to find any links to books that were available in "full view", which made me wonder if any of the search results were searching GBS with their respective OCLC #s (and not just ISBNs, if available). For example, if I use the demo site that's provided and search for "mark twain" and limit my results to publication dates of, say, 1860-1910, I don't receive a single GBS link. So I checked to see if "Eve's Diary" was in GBS and, of course, it was... and then I made sure that the copy I found in the demo had the same OCLC# as the one in GBS; and it was. So, is this a feature that will be added later, or is it just that the entire set of bib records available at the demo site are not included in the GBS aspect of the demo? Secondly, I have another question which I hope that someone can clear up for me. Again, I'll use this copy of "Eve's Diary" as an example, which has an OCLC number of 01052228. Now, if you search worldcat.org (using the advance search, basic search, of even adding things like "oclc:" before the number), the only way that I can access this item is to search for "1052228" (removing the leading zero). And this is exactly how the OCLC number displays in the metadata record, directly below the field that states that there are 18 editions of this work. All of that said, I can still access the book with either of these URLs: http://worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/1052228 http://worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/01052228 Now, I could've sworn that GBS followed a similar route, and so, I previously searched it for OCLC numbers by removing any leading zeroes. As of at least today, though, the only way for me to access this book via GBS is to use the OCLC number as it appears in the MARC record... that is, by searching for "oclc01052228". Has anyone else noticed this change in GBS (though it's quite possible that I'm simply mistaken)? And could anyone inform me about the technical details of any of these issues? I mean, I get that worldcat has to also deal with ISSNs, but is there a way to use the search box to explicitly declare what type of number the query is... and why would the value need to have the any leading 0's removed in the metadata display (especially since the URL method can access either)? Mark Custer -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Godmar Back Sent: Tuesday, May 06, 2008 5:40 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] google books for III millennium Hi, here's a pointer to follow up on the earlier discussion on how to integrate Google books viewability API into closed legacy systems that allow only limited control regarding what is being output, such as III's Millennium system. Compared to other solutions, no JavaScript programming is required, and the integration into the vendor-provided templates (such as briefcit.html etc.) is reasonably clean, provides targeted placement, and allows for multiple uses per page. Slides (excerpted from Annette Bailey's presentation at IUG 2008): http://libx.org/gbs/GBSExcerptFromIUGTalk2008.ppt A demo is currently available here: http://addison.vt.edu:2082/ - Godmar
