Re: [CODE4LIB] Creating/maintaining metadata for intangible concepts

[Laura Krier]

I don't know what system these collections are in, but isn't this what
tagging is for? The idea has died out in libraries, but this seems like a
perfect use case for a folksonomy. :-)

Laura
On Fri, Jan 8, 2016 at 5:21 AM Brian Kennison  wrote:

> > Has anyone come up with a good way to provide this sort of access?
> Thanks,
>
> Isn't this what topic-maps are for?
>
> Topics exist independently of any resources but allow you to link
> resources to topics (it's kind of like classification in traditional
> library setting). The problem I'm having is that it is hard to find an
> engine. No one is working on it any more but the problem still exist. I've
> been looking at a python engine (mappa) and a python base wiki
> (meduse-wiki) but I'm still not there. There are lots of unanswered
> questions but I haven't seen any better solutions.
>
> --Brian
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Alexander Street Press and Google Analytics

[Laura Krier]

Hi Paige,
If you have time next week that would be great. I'm actually out of the
library until October 12. I will try to google it too. :-)

Laura
On Thu, Oct 1, 2015 at 7:38 PM Paige Mann  wrote:

> Hi Laura,
>
> We encountered this earlier in the year with Web of Science databases. As
> Ranti pointed out, if you've configured Google Analytics to do cross-domain
> tracking between library domains, Google Analytics will attach some code at
> the end of cross-domain tracked URLs. We fixed the problem so that Google
> Analytics no longer adds code to the end of a URL, but I can't remember
> quite what we did. I won't have time this week but might be able to dig
> around next week if you'd like. Let me know. Also, do you use Google
> Analytics by itself or do you use Google Tag Manager?
>
> Thanks,
> Paige
>
>
> Paige Mann
> Physical Sciences Librarian/Web Experiences Librarian
> Armacost Library
> University of Redlands
>
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Alexander Street Press and Google Analytics

[Laura Krier]

So, I've determined that this is related to cross-browser tracking, but I
still can't figure out why it continues to append the linker parameter to
external sites. Anyone else using cross-browser tracking? The mystery
deepens...

Laura

On Wed, Sep 30, 2015 at 11:42 AM Eric Hellman  wrote:

> GA doesn't do that AFAIK. might be your proxy server.
>
>
> Eric Hellman
> President, Free Ebook Foundation
> Founder, Unglue.it https://unglue.it/
> http://go-to-hellman.blogspot.com/
> twitter: @gluejar
>
> > On Sep 30, 2015, at 1:47 PM, Laura Krier  wrote:
> >
> > Hey folks,
> > I'm hoping someone else on this list has experienced this and might have
> > some ideas for me. We use Google Analytics on our website, catalog, and
> our
> > discovery system. GA appends a string of characters to the end of URLs
> when
> > you leave a site, and while this plays fine with most of our e-resources,
> > it breaks Alexander Street Press's link resolver system.
> >
> > Has anyone else noticed this? Any ideas how to resolve this? I'm talking
> > with the folks at ASP but they have never heard of this.
> >
> > Laura
>

[CODE4LIB] Alexander Street Press and Google Analytics

[Laura Krier]

Hey folks,
I'm hoping someone else on this list has experienced this and might have
some ideas for me. We use Google Analytics on our website, catalog, and our
discovery system. GA appends a string of characters to the end of URLs when
you leave a site, and while this plays fine with most of our e-resources,
it breaks Alexander Street Press's link resolver system.

Has anyone else noticed this? Any ideas how to resolve this? I'm talking
with the folks at ASP but they have never heard of this.

Laura

[CODE4LIB] software to limit computer login time

[Laura Krier]

Hey folks,
I'm starting to investigate software that we could install on a few of our
public workstations that would limit the length of time a user could be
logged in. This would be done to establish a few computers as "print only"
or "brief use only" computers. I've seen this in other libraries, but I'm
having a hard time searching: all I'm finding are tools for parental
control of home computers.

Does anyone have any software recommendations for me?

Laura

Re: [CODE4LIB] talking about "digital collections" vs "electronic resources"

[Laura Krier]

I agree that "articles" is incomplete, but I also think sometimes we shoot
ourselves in the feet trying to be totally comprehensive in how we describe
things, and end up confusing people. What students think they want are
"articles" so we should use that term as a pointer to our databases. Good
instruction can help them understand all the different kinds of resources
available to them.

As far as digital collections go (and whatever print special collections we
have) the key is helping students understand what primary source materials
are and why they might use them. The format isn't as relevant, in my
opinion. I personally prefer to call all our primary source collections
Special Collections or primary source collections without immediately
differentiating between digital and print.

I think too often we present our collections to students through the
framework of our own workflows and functional handling of materials and
less in terms of what they might be used for by students. It would be
interesting to wipe out our current categorizations and really re-think how
we present resources in terms of their functions for research and teaching.

Just my $0.02. :-)

Laura



On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 9:42 AM McCanna, Terran <
tmcca...@georgialibraries.org> wrote:

> Agreed - most patrons are usually confused by all of those terms
> (including "databases") and aren't going to care about the differences
> between them, they just want the content. "Articles" is understandable, but
> incomplete - "Articles and Other Online Resources" is inclusive and easier
> to understand, but too long. I usually go with something like "Online
> Resources" to try to balance the understandability with the intent.
>
>
> Terran McCanna
> PINES Program Manager
> Georgia Public Library Service
> 1800 Century Place, Suite 150
> Atlanta, GA 30345
> 404-235-7138
> tmcca...@georgialibraries.org
> - Original Message -
> From: "Erik Sandall" 
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2015 12:34:03 PM
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] talking about "digital collections" vs "electronic
> resources"
>
> Most patrons won't understand the meanings of "digital collections" and
> "electronic resources". We should use terminology that they would use.
> My brain is a fog this morning so I don't have any brilliant suggestions
> at the moment. There is likely to be UX-type research about this in the
> current literature. "Databases" is probably better, for example.
> "Articles" is probably even better than "databases".
>
> For what it's worth...
>
> /Erik
>
> --
> Erik Sandall, MLIS
> Electronic Services Librarian & Webmaster
> Mechanics' Institute
> 57 Post Street
> San Francisco, CA 94104
> 415-393-0111
> esand...@milibrary.org
>
>
> On 3/18/2015 9:25 AM, Matt Sherman wrote:
> > I haven't done any testing on that, but your understanding it the
> > conventional on in the field.
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 12:22 PM, Derek Merleaux <
> derek.merle...@gmail.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I've always been inclined to use "digital collections" to talk about a
> >> collection of things that have been digitized or perhaps including born
> >> digital things that are part of a "collection" in an archival sort of
> way.
> >> I prefer the term "electronic resources" for the databases and other
> >> things...
> >> -Derek
> >>
> >> On Wed, Mar 18, 2015 at 12:04 PM, Jenn C  wrote:
> >>
> >>> Hi-
> >>>
> >>> We're having a discussion about some web site labeling and navigation.
> We
> >>> have a list of "digital collections" which are collections that contain
> >>> items we've digitized. There was concern expressed that we have
> something
> >>> labeled "digital collections" patrons might think that includes
> databases
> >>> and other items.
> >>>
> >>> Has anyone done user testing around this or have any experience/ideas
> >> about
> >>> how to handle the difference between these?
> >>>
> >>> Thanks!
> >>> jenn
> >>>
> >>
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Technology for Librarians / Libraries for Technologians

[Laura Krier]

I think Craig's comment about technologists in libraries needing to
understand how patrons gather and consume information points to something a
little bit bigger: most libraries differ from traditional IT companies in
that there are far fewer people to work on large tech projects. So
technologists need to have a better understanding of things that, in a tech
company, would probably be handled by project managers, content
strategists, or user experience designers. They are wearing way more hats,
and need to be involved in more of the conceptualizing and design parts of
IT projects, not just the programming.

Laura


[image: Laura Krier on about.me]

Laura Krier
about.me/laurakrier
  <http://about.me/laurakrier>


On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 12:50 PM, Craig Boman  wrote:

> Hi Micheal,
>
> You present some interesting questions. I think the answers you get might
> depend entirely on what you define as the role of librarians in IT. For
> instance, yes library IT professionals do have a role in PC support in
> libraries, and sadly printing still takes up a lot of our time. These types
> of skills are translatable across the IT industry. However, when you are
> considering the role of IT librarians in the support and distribution of
> online resources, the skills are much different. If I may explain, to
> assist reference librarians in designing information delivery mechanisms
> (ie- library catalogs, patron APIs, proxied databases, etc) we IT
> librarians must have a thorough knowledge of how patrons gather and consume
> information, and often we are required to anticipate information needs,
> skills which an MLIS is great at developing but skills which traditional IT
> professionals may lack.
>
> Based on the assumption that most Directors of library IT more than likely
> delegate PC support, I presume a good library IT director would do best to
> know more about the about "Library IT" rather than "Traditional IT."
> However I am always open to changing my opinion.
>
>  All the best,
>
> Craig Boman, MLIS (Ph.D student)
> Applications Support Specialist
> University of Dayton Libraries
> 937-229-3674
> cbom...@udayton.edu
>
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 3, 2014 at 3:18 PM, Michael B. Klein 
> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I was talking this afternoon with a friend of mine about what makes a
> good
> > Director of Library IT. Does the job lie more within librarianship or IT?
> > (Depends on the library.) Is there a natural separation between the
> > "Library IT" of ILS/MARC/e-resource/circ. technology maintenance and the
> > "Traditional IT" of network management, staff and public workstation
> > provisioning, telecom, etc? (Also depends on the library.)
> >
> > I know a lot gets said (here and elsewhere) about Technology for
> Librarians
> > - important skills and standards, what's
> > important/useful/trending/ignorable, and the like. But I'd love to start
> a
> > discussion (or join one, if it already exists elsewhere) about the other
> > side of things - the library-specific stuff that experienced IT folks
> might
> > need to learn or get used to to be successful in a library environment.
> Not
> > just technical stuff like MARC, but also ethical issues like fair use,
> > information privacy, freedom of access, and the like.
> >
> > Of course there are plenty of snarky answers, and I welcome them all, but
> > some constructive input would be nice, too. :-) I hope to compile a "So
> > You're an Experienced IT Worker/Administrator Who Wants to Work in a
> > Library?" wiki page with pointers to resources.
> >
> > So there's my vague intro. Have at it, code4lib.
> >
> > Michael
> >
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Creating a Linked Data Service

[Laura Krier]

And a further thought: I thought part of the point of linked data is that
we don't really know what people might want to do with our data. Who
knows--maybe there is some enterprising CS student on your campus who will
make an awesome app using your real-time availability data. Maybe once
you've figured out how it works you can apply it to other things (ahem,
circulation availability, anyone?).

Laura


[image: Laura Krier on about.me]

Laura Krier
about.me/laurakrier
  <http://about.me/laurakrier>


On Fri, Aug 8, 2014 at 7:07 AM, Mark A. Matienzo 
wrote:

> Per Laura's message, and what I think was the underlying idea behind Mike's
> post, I think there's still a great opportunity to learn something new.
> Perhaps you might want to look at WebSocket [0], and Jason Ronallo's
> presentation from Code4lib 2014 [1] was a great intro. It seems like this
> might be a good candidate for showing real-time availability information.
>
> [0] https://www.websocket.org/
> [1] http://jronallo.github.io/presentations/code4lib-2014-websockets/
>
> Cheers,
> Mark
>
>
> --
> Mark A. Matienzo 
> Director of Technology, Digital Public Library of America
>
>
> On Fri, Aug 8, 2014 at 9:23 AM, Shaun Ellis  wrote:
>
> > I don't understand the "publish it and they will come" mentality when it
> > comes to linked data.  If you can't define a clear use case for your own
> > data infrastructure, then I can't see how you would justify the time
> spent.
> >
> > The "making data available to the world at large" is a nice byproduct,
> but
> > you can't write a "use case" for "unknown users" with unknown goals.  So,
> > if you have no plans to use the data in some productive way, then I'm
> sure
> > you have more pressing things to do with your time.
> >
> > -Shaun
> >
> >
> > On 8/7/14 9:48 AM, Scott Prater wrote:
> >
> >> Echoing others... the use case for linked data appears to be making data
> >> available to the world at large, unknown consumers, who may find a use
> >> for it that you never imagined.
> >>
> >> Name authority services (like VIAF), catalogs of public resources, map
> >> data -- all these are good candidates for a linked data approach.
> >>
> >> Hardware availability at your library?  Not so much.  It's hard to
> >> imagine a case where that information would be useful outside your
> walls.
> >>
> >> -- Scott
> >>
> >> On 08/07/2014 08:09 AM, Ethan Gruber wrote:
> >>
> >>> I agree with others saying linked data is overkill here. If you don't
> >>> have
> >>> an audience in mind or a specific purpose for implementing linked data,
> >>> it's not worth it.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On Thu, Aug 7, 2014 at 9:07 AM, Jason Stirnaman 
> >>> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>  Mike,
> >>>> Check out
> >>>> http://json-ld.org/,
> >>>> http://json-ld.org/primer/latest/, and
> >>>> https://github.com/digitalbazaar/pyld
> >>>>
> >>>> But, if you haven't yet sketched out a model for *your* data, then
> >>>> the LD
> >>>> stuff will just be a distraction. The information on Linked Data seems
> >>>> overly complex because trying to represent data for the Semantic Web
> >>>> gets
> >>>> complex - and verbose.
> >>>>
> >>>> As others have suggested, it's never a bad idea to just "do the
> simplest
> >>>> thing that could possibly work."[1] Mark recommended writing a simple
> >>>> API.
> >>>> That would be a good start to understanding your data model and to
> >>>> eventually serving LD. And, you may find that it's enough for now.
> >>>>
> >>>> 1. http://www.xprogramming.com/Practices/PracSimplest.html
> >>>>
> >>>> Jason
> >>>>
> >>>> Jason Stirnaman
> >>>> Lead, Library Technology Services
> >>>> University of Kansas Medical Center
> >>>> jstirna...@kumc.edu
> >>>> 913-588-7319
> >>>>
> >>>> On Aug 6, 2014, at 1:45 PM, Michael Beccaria <
> mbecca...@paulsmiths.edu>
> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>  I have recently had the opportunity to create a new library web page
> >>>>> and
> >>>>>
> >>>> ho

Re: [CODE4LIB] Creating a Linked Data Service

[Laura Krier]

Well, I am in the same boat as you and my thought was, although it might be 
overkill, it might also be a good, small scale opportunity to experiment with 
something new and learn a new technology. Sometimes we have to take those 
learning opportunities where we can get them. 

Laura

Sent from my iPad

> On Aug 7, 2014, at 5:55 AM, Michael Beccaria  wrote:
> 
> I'm a one man shop and sometimes go to these conferences where many of you 
> brilliant people are making these brilliant solutions making these ubiquitous 
> black box data services that talk to one another using a standardized query 
> language and I felt inspired and thought maybe I have been doing patch work 
> on a job that really ought to be done a better way. I'm all about the bubble 
> gum and duct tape stuff but I was at a point where it would have been a good 
> time to migrate to something a little more robust. I'm getting the impression 
> that for the size of the projects I'm working on linked data and other 
> similar solutions are very much overkill. I'll have a PHP script output some 
> custom xml that can be ingested on the other end and call it a day. Done :-)
> 
> This is also, at least for me, a challenge I have with being a 
> wear-a-lot-of-hats-and-sometimes-write-code person at a small institution. 
> Most of the time I'm not sure what I am supposed to be doing so I just make a 
> solution that works without having others to bounce ideas off of. Thanks for 
> the support.
> 
> Mike Beccaria
> Systems Librarian
> Head of Digital Initiative
> Paul Smith's College
> 518.327.6376
> mbecca...@paulsmiths.edu
> Become a friend of Paul Smith's Library on Facebook today!
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of 
> Riley-Huff, Debra
> Sent: Wednesday, August 06, 2014 11:52 PM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Creating a Linked Data Service
> 
> I agree with Roy. Seems like something that could be easily handled with PHP 
> or Python scripts. Someone on the list may even have a homegrown solution 
> (improved duct tape) they would be happy to share. I fail to see what the 
> project has to do with linked data or why you would go that route.
> 
> Debra Riley-Huff
> Head of Web Services & Associate Professor JD Williams Library University of 
> Mississippi University, MS 38677
> 662-915-7353
> riley...@olemiss.edu
> 
> 
>> On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 9:33 PM, Roy Tennant  wrote:
>> 
>> I'm puzzled about why you want to use linked data for this. At first 
>> glance the requirement simply seems to be to fetch data from your ILS 
>> server, which likely could be sent in any number of simple packages 
>> that don't require an RDF wrapper. If you are the only one consuming 
>> this data then you can use whatever (simplistic, proprietary) format 
>> you want. I just don't see what benefits you would get by creating 
>> "linked data" in this case that you wouldn't get by doing something 
>> much more straightforward and simple. And don't be harshing on duct 
>> tape. Duct tape is a perfectly fine solution for many problems.
>> Roy
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, Aug 6, 2014 at 2:45 PM, Michael Beccaria 
>> > wrote:
>> 
>>> I have recently had the opportunity to create a new library web page 
>>> and host it on my own servers. One of the elements of the new page 
>>> that I
>> want
>>> to improve upon is providing live or near live information on 
>>> technology availability (10 of 12 laptops available, etc.). That 
>>> data resides on my ILS server and I thought it might be a good time 
>>> to upgrade the bubble
>> gum
>>> and duct tape solution I now have to creating a real linked data 
>>> service that would provide that availability information to the web server.
>>> 
>>> The problem is there is a lot of overly complex and complicated 
>>> information out there onlinked data and RDF and the semantic web 
>>> etc. and I'm looking for a simple guide to creating a very simple 
>>> linked data service with php or python or whatever. Does such a 
>>> resource exist? Any advice on where to start?
>>> Thanks,
>>> 
>>> Mike Beccaria
>>> Systems Librarian
>>> Head of Digital Initiative
>>> Paul Smith's College
>>> 518.327.6376
>>> mbecca...@paulsmiths.edu
>>> Become a friend of Paul Smith's Library on Facebook today!
>> 

Re: [CODE4LIB] sharing google analytics data

[Laura Krier]

This request brings to mind something I've been thinking about for a long
time: There is a serious dearth of web analytics benchmarking data in the
library community. I know our web stats but I have no idea if they are good
or bad or average. Trying to compare with other general sites is not very
meaningful, because library websites have such specific goals that are very
different from the goals of commercial websites.

I've been pondering for awhile how we could collectively build a dataset
for benchmarking, but my pondering hasn't gotten very far. I would love to
hear what other people think.

Laura


[image: Laura Krier on about.me]

Laura Krier
about.me/laurakrier
  <http://about.me/laurakrier>


On Thu, Jun 19, 2014 at 6:24 AM, Hicks, William 
wrote:

> Morning All,
>
> Would anyone of you be able to share some of your Google Analytics Data
> with me?  I’m looking at updating some IA and design on our main library
> site and want to see what other people’s data look like since we all share
> many of the same types of problems and many of us have variant approaches
> to shuffling our users around.  I’d love a “Read & Analyze” permissions if
> you’d be willing to give it out, but a PDF export of the top several
> hundred rows of your top content “all pages” report (over the last 12
> months) would work too. Please email me off list if you are interested.
>
> Thanks in advance.
>
> William Hicks
>
> Digital Libraries: User Interfaces
> University of North Texas
> 1155 Union Circle #305190
> Denton, TX 76203-5017
>
> email: william.hi...@unt.edu  | phone: 940.891.6703 | fax: 940.369.8882 |
> web: http://www.library.unt.edu
>

Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!

[Laura Krier]

I wouldn't knock a liberal arts education, especially based only on high
school experience. It's sort of the point of college: to be able to learn
and understand about a wide range of fields and subjects. Otherwise you
might as well go to trade school. College isn't just about getting a job
when you graduate, but about learning how to think and understand different
perspectives.

And liberal arts includes the sciences, which I think people tend to
forget. We think "oh, liberal arts are the arts and humanities" but they
really encompass every school and department in a university.

And as other people have mentioned, there are key skills you can learn from
courses in English, anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology, etc. This
is where you learn to write, to communicate effectively, to understand how
people think (user experience, anyone?). These are all crucial skills that
separate leaders and those who are more successful in their fields from
those who are not. I'm not saying you can ONLY learn these skills in
college, from a liberal arts education, but it sure helps.

I also don't think there's anything wrong at all with going to a "trade
school" or whatever we call them these days, and learning a skill set
outside of the realm of a liberal arts education. It really depends on what
you want to do and how fast you want to get to doing it.

Laura


[image: Laura Krier on about.me]

Laura Krier
about.me/laurakrier
  <http://about.me/laurakrier>


On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 11:11 PM, Riley Childs 
wrote:

> 
> From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Laura
> Krier [laura.kr...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2014 1:22 AM
> To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!
>
> >>Hi Riley,
> >>Congrats on starting college in the fall! If you like to learn, college
> is pretty much the best place ever.
>
> College next fall, but almost there, pretty scary  :)
>
> >>I second others in not necessarily recommending a bachelors in library/
> information science. I would actually suggest computer science if you're at
> all skilled with math and logic. You'll probably have the best
> post-graduate opportunities even if you change your mind about >>libraries.
> >>
> >>But make sure you get a well-rounded liberal arts education. Take
> advantage of gen ed courses to study things outside of your major whenever
> you can. All people are served well by having a broad base of knowledge, in
> my opinion. And you'll need solid writing skills no matter >>what you do in
> life so make sure you practice those every chance you get. :-)
>
> I am meh on liberal arts, my high school is Liberal Arts and I really
> don't like it
>
> >>Basically, as long as you learn to be a lifelong learner, it doesn't
> really matter what you major in I think. You'll always have to learn new
> things anyway.
>
> >>Congratulations again!
>
> >>Laura
> >>PS- To more directly answer your question, I majored in literature and
> women's studies in college. Now I'm a web services librarian. I kind of
> wish I had a more solid computer science background but I'm still able to
> learn what I need to.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On May 28, 2014, at 9:49 PM, Amy Drayer  wrote:
> >
> > Dear Riley et al:
> >
> > I was thinking the same thing as Coral.  I have a humanities undergrad
> > degree; a computer science oriented degree would certainly have been
> > beneficial, especially with an emphasis on network and server
> > administration, or even web development depending on your interest (as a
> > systems librarian I also managed the website and catalog).  The
> > library-oriented education can wait until grad school.
> >
> > Honestly, I think we come from a variety of backgrounds.  My liberal arts
> > foundation works for me (I feel my education was well rounded in a way a
> > science or IT degree may not have been), but I would definitely have
> wanted
> > some more technical classes such as I mentioned above if I had known I
> > would be in this field.
> >
> > In peace,
> >
> > Amy
> >
> > In peace,
> >
> > Amy M. Drayer, MLIS
> > Senior IT Specialist, Web Developer
> > amost...@gmail.com
> > http://www.puzumaki.com
> >
> >
> > On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 11:24 PM, Coral Sheldon-Hess <
> co...@sheldon-hess.org
> >> wrote:
> >
> >> Riley,
> >>
> >> Whatever you do, don't major in library science as an undergrad. Maybe
> >> minor in it,

Re: [CODE4LIB] College Question!

[Laura Krier]

Hi Riley,
Congrats on starting college in the fall! If you like to learn, college is 
pretty much the best place ever. 

I second others in not necessarily recommending a bachelors in library/ 
information science. I would actually suggest computer science if you're at all 
skilled with math and logic. You'll probably have the best post-graduate 
opportunities even if you change your mind about libraries. 

But make sure you get a well-rounded liberal arts education. Take advantage of 
gen ed courses to study things outside of your major whenever you can. All 
people are served well by having a broad base of knowledge, in my opinion. And 
you'll need solid writing skills no matter what you do in life so make sure you 
practice those every chance you get. :-)

Basically, as long as you learn to be a lifelong learner, it doesn't really 
matter what you major in I think. You'll always have to learn new things 
anyway. 

Congratulations again! 

Laura
PS- To more directly answer your question, I majored in literature and women's 
studies in college. Now I'm a web services librarian. I kind of wish I had a 
more solid computer science background but I'm still able to learn what I need 
to. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 28, 2014, at 9:49 PM, Amy Drayer  wrote:
> 
> Dear Riley et al:
> 
> I was thinking the same thing as Coral.  I have a humanities undergrad
> degree; a computer science oriented degree would certainly have been
> beneficial, especially with an emphasis on network and server
> administration, or even web development depending on your interest (as a
> systems librarian I also managed the website and catalog).  The
> library-oriented education can wait until grad school.
> 
> Honestly, I think we come from a variety of backgrounds.  My liberal arts
> foundation works for me (I feel my education was well rounded in a way a
> science or IT degree may not have been), but I would definitely have wanted
> some more technical classes such as I mentioned above if I had known I
> would be in this field.
> 
> In peace,
> 
> Amy
> 
> In peace,
> 
> Amy M. Drayer, MLIS
> Senior IT Specialist, Web Developer
> amost...@gmail.com
> http://www.puzumaki.com
> 
> 
> On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 11:24 PM, Coral Sheldon-Hess > wrote:
> 
>> Riley,
>> 
>> Whatever you do, don't major in library science as an undergrad. Maybe
>> minor in it, along with some other major, if you want, but it's not useful
>> by itself as an undergraduate degree--most libraries want librarians to
>> have the MLIS. And what if you change your mind after a few years and don't
>> want to get the masters? Do something you could get a career in--or work
>> in, part time, to afford the MLIS.
>> 
>> If you want to be a systems librarian, why not get a degree in systems
>> engineering or IT? (Seriously, there are degrees in
>> ITnow, what a world!) Computer
>> science wouldn't hurt, if you don't mind
>> theory, and you can get some good foundational stuff that will help with
>> the information science part of "libraries and information science."
>> 
>> The school where I got my MLIS had an "Information Science" department that
>> was mostly IT, too. So, that's a possibility.
>> 
>> --
>> Coral Sheldon-Hess
>> http://sheldon-hess.org/coral
>> @web_kunoichi
>> 
>> 
>> On Wed, May 28, 2014 at 7:17 PM, Riley Childs >> wrote:
>> 
>>> I was curious about the type of degrees people had. I am heading off to
>>> college next year (class of 2015) and am trying to figure out what to
>> major
>>> in. I want to be a systems librarian, but I can't tell what to major in!
>> I
>>> wanted to hear about what paths people took and how they ended up where
>>> they are now.
>>> 
>>> BTW Y'All at NC State need a better tour bus driver (not the c4l tour,
>> the
>>> admissions tour) ;) the bus ride was like a rickety roller coaster...
>> 🎢
>>> 
>>> Also, if you know of any scholarships please let me know ;) you would be
>>> my BFF :P
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Riley Childs
>>> Student
>>> Asst. Head of IT Services
>>> Charlotte United Christian Academy
>>> (704) 497-2086
>>> RileyChilds.net
>>> Sent from my Windows Phone, please excuse mistakes
>> 

Re: [CODE4LIB] Job Interview : A Libcoder's Helpful Advices

[Laura Krier]

One of the pieces of advice I give to job seekers is to keep in mind that
the interview is a two-way thing. It's not so much that you need to go in
and prove that you deserve to work there, but that you should also be
thinking about whether you WANT to work there. They have to win you over,
too. I think reframing the situation mentally can be very helpful for job
seekers because it puts you in a position where you are more confident, and
on an equal footing.

If you've been asked in for an interview, they've already determined that
you're qualified. Now they want to find out if it'll be a good fit. And you
want to know that, too! It's frustrating to get a new job and then realize
that you don't actually want to work there or feel happy there. So in terms
of thinking about questions for them, think about what you need to know to
determine if you'll be happy working somewhere, if the culture is one you
can thrive in.

Just my 2 cents.

Laura


On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 2:32 PM, Jimmy Ghaphery  wrote:

> In responding I'm not raining on the idea of wiki, etc...
>
> My perspective is from that of a hiring manager for technical positions.
> Some of my current favorite soft questions:
>
> 1. What was the last program you wrote and what did it do?
> 2. What was the last thing you learned about programming?
> 3. Tell us about a programming mistake you made, and how you corrected it.
> 4. Have you ever worked on another person's code that you thought was any
> good?
>
> In general what I try to look for is not any specific "right" answer, but
> an adventurous and open attitude embedded in answers:
>
> Do they have some reason/calling for working in the education sector, some
> enthusiasm to providing information access?
> Will they be able to learn next year's challenge?
> How will they work with both technical and non-technical people?
> Can they listen?
> Do they have enough ego to be disruptive and move us forward?
> Can they keep their ego in check to avoid disruption?
>
> I also love hearing and thinking about candidates' questions. Are they
> reeling off boilerplate stuff or is there some research behind them? Does
> the question arise out of any of the conversation we've already had about
> the position (demonstrated listening)?
>
> So for me...while there is certainly a technical proficiency that needs to
> be there depending on the position, potential for growth and people skills
> are often distinguishing characteristics.
>
> All the best and good luck with the interview,
>
> Jimmy
>
>
>
> On Thu, May 8, 2014 at 3:42 PM, Samantha Winn  >wrote:
>
> > Although it is not specific to code-oriented positions, the Hiring
> > Librarians blog maintains a very extensive spreadsheet of interview
> > questions. You can access the spreadsheet on the Hiring Librarians
> > homepage<http://hiringlibrarians.com/>or at the link below.
> >
> >
> >
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuYsyqpmSJUHdFJOS0toVC1tTmNwTXVBM0xMdW5UR3c#gid=0
> > <
> >
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AuYsyqpmSJUHdFJOS0toVC1tTmNwTXVBM0xMdW5UR3c#gid=0
> > >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> Jimmy Ghaphery
> Head, Digital Technologies
> VCU Libraries
> 804-827-3551
>



-- 
Laura Krier

laurapants.com<http://laurapants.com/?utm_source=email_sig&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email>

Re: [CODE4LIB] barriers to open metadata?

[Laura Krier]

t;>>> this is that providers of URIs and users of URIs have to both make an
>>>>> effort to meet half-way, or at a mutally convenient location. It simply
>>>>>
>>>> is
>>
>>> not enough to say: "Hey, look! I've got all of these URIs. Good luck!"
>>>>>
>>>> So
>>
>>> let's talk about how we make that connection.
>>>>>
>>>>> kc
>>>>>
>>>>> On 4/30/14, 1:17 PM, Roy Tennant wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  Also, this:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "OCLC identifiers, and Linked Data URIs, are always in the public
>>>>>>
>>>>> domain.
>>
>>> Independent of the data and/or information content (which may be
>>>>>>
>>>>> subject
>>
>>> to
>>>>>> individual licensing terms open or otherwise) that they identify, or
>>>>>>
>>>>> link
>>
>>> to, OCLC identifiers (e.g. OCLC Numbers, VIAF IDs, or WorldCat Work
>>>>>>
>>>>> URIs)
>>
>>> can be treated as if they are in the public domain and can be included
>>>>>>
>>>>> in
>>
>>> any data exposure mechanism or activity as public domain data."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> http://www.oclc.org/developer/develop/linked-data.en.html
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Roy
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Wed, Apr 30, 2014 at 9:59 AM, Richard Wallis <
>>>>>> richard.wal...@dataliberate.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>To unpack the several questions lurking in Karen’s question.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> As to being able to use the WorldCat Works data/identifiers there is
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> no
>>
>>> difference between a or b - it is ODC-BY licensed data.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Getting a Work URI may be easier for a) as they should be able to
>>>>>>> identify
>>>>>>> the OCLC Number and hence use the linked data from it’s URI <
>>>>>>> http://worldcat.org/oclc/{ocn}> to pick up the link to it’s work.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Tools such as xISBN <http://xisbn.worldcat.org/
>>>>>>> xisbnadmin/doc/api.htm>
>>>>>>> can
>>>>>>> step you towards identifier lookups and are openly available for low
>>>>>>> volume
>>>>>>> usage.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Citation lookup is more a bib lookup feature, that you could get an
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> OCLC
>>
>>> Number from. One of colleagues may be helpful on the particulars of
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> this.
>>
>>> Apologies for being WorldCat specific, but Karen did ask.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> ~Richard.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On 30 April 2014 17:15, Karen Coyle  wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>My question has to do with discoverability. Let's say that I have
>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> bibliographic database and I want to add the OCLC work identifiers
>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>> it.
>>>>>>>> Obviously I don't want to do it by hand. I might have ISBNs, but in
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> some
>>
>>> cases I will have a regular author/title-type citation.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> and let's say that I am asking this for two different institutions:
>>>>>>>> a) is an OCLC member institution
>>>>>>>> b) is not
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thanks,
>>>>>>>> kc
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 4/30/14, 8:47 AM, Dan Scott wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>    On Tue, Apr 29, 2014 at 11:37 PM, Roy Tennant <
>>>>>>>> roytenn...@gmail.com
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>This has now instead become a reasonable recommendation
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> concerning ODC-BY licensing [3] but the confusion and uncertainty
>>>>>>>>>>> about which records an OCLC member may redistribute remains.
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>> [3] http://www.oclc.org/news/releases/2012/201248.en.html
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>Allow me to try to put this confusion and uncertainty to rest
>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> once
>>
>>> and
>>>>>>>>>> for
>>>>>>>>>> all:
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> ALL THE THINGS. ALL.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> At least as far as we are concerned. I think it's well past time
>>>>>>>>>> to
>>>>>>>>>> put
>>>>>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>>>> past in the past.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>That's great, Roy. That's a *lot* simpler than parsing the
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> recommendations, WCRR, community norms, and such at [A, B] :)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Meanwhile, we have just put nearly 200 million works records up
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> as
>>
>>> linked
>>>>>>>> open data. [1], [2], [3]. If that doesn't rock the library open
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> linked
>>
>>> data
>>>>>>>>>> world, then no one is paying attention.
>>>>>>>>>> Roy
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> [1] http://oclc.org/en-US/news/releases/2014/201414dublin.html
>>>>>>>>>> [2]
>>>>>>>>>> http://dataliberate.com/2014/04/worldcat-works-197-million-
>>>>>>>>>> nuggets-of-linked-data/
>>>>>>>>>> [3] http://hangingtogether.org/?p=3811
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>Yes, that is really awesome. But Laura was asking about
>>>>>>>>>> barriers
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> to
>>
>>> open metadata, so damn you for going off-topic with PR around a lack
>>>>>>>>> of barriers to some metadata (which, for those who have not looked
>>>>>>>>> yet, have a nice ODC-BY licensing statement at the bottom of a
>>>>>>>>> given
>>>>>>>>> Works page) :)
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> A. http://oclc.org/worldcat/community/record-use.en.html
>>>>>>>>> B. http://oclc.org/worldcat/community/record-use/data-
>>>>>>>>> licensing/questions.en.html
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>--
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Karen Coyle
>>>>>>>> kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
>>>>>>>> m: 1-510-435-8234
>>>>>>>> skype: kcoylenet
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>  --
>>>>>>> Richard Wallis
>>>>>>> Founder, Data Liberate
>>>>>>> http://dataliberate.com
>>>>>>> Tel: +44 (0)7767 886 005
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/richardwallis
>>>>>>> Skype: richard.wallis1
>>>>>>> Twitter: @rjw
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  --
>>>>> Karen Coyle
>>>>> kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
>>>>> m: 1-510-435-8234
>>>>> skype: kcoylenet
>>>>>
>>>>>  --
>>> Karen Coyle
>>> kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
>>> m: 1-510-435-8234
>>> skype: kcoylenet
>>>
>>
> --
> Karen Coyle
> kco...@kcoyle.net http://kcoyle.net
> m: 1-510-435-8234
> skype: kcoylenet
>



-- 
Laura Krier

laurapants.com<http://laurapants.com/?utm_source=email_sig&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email>

[CODE4LIB] barriers to open metadata?

[Laura Krier]

Hi Code4Libbers,

I'd like to find out from as many people as are interested what barriers
you feel exist right now to you releasing your library's bibliographic
metadata openly. I'm curious about all kinds of barriers: technical,
political, financial, cultural. Even if it seems obvious, I'd like to hear
about it.

Thanks in advance for your feedback! You can send it to me privately if
you'd prefer.

Laura

-- 
Laura Krier

laurapants.com<http://laurapants.com/?utm_source=email_sig&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email>

Re: [CODE4LIB] Libraries and IT Innovation

[Laura Krier]

I agree with Peter, that we have to stop thinking about what we do in terms
of the "technology du jour." That will keep us squarely in the realm of
doing the things that we have always done and are already doing. When I
think about innovation in libraries, I think about going back to our
mission and thinking very large-scale about how we would achieve that
mission without reference to existing systems.

For example, why do we focus so much on user discovery through our
catalogs? Even when we are trying to create innovative catalogs, we are
still focused on the catalog. Users (or "members," if you ascribe to Lankes
philosophy of librarianship) don't find information that way, and they
don't want to. We need to start thinking from a community perspective, not
from a library perspective. What are people who don't use the library doing?

I wonder sometimes how many of us use our own services, as users, not as
librarians. For example, I work in an academic library setting, but I'm an
active user of my public library, and it's very interesting to me to
contrast my use of the different libraries. I think it gives me a good
perspective on what users want to do.

I do think there are roles for big data crunching in libraries, on a
consortial or regional level. The work OCLC Research is doing with
mega-regions is an interesting example. Looking at data in aggregate can
tell us a lot of useful things about resource sharing and collection
development. I'd like to see more aggregated research on users and library
use.

The area where I'm most involved right now is in releasing library holdings
metadata openly on the web, in discoverable and re-usable forms. It's
amazing to me that we still don't do this. Imagine the things that could be
created by users and software developers if they had access to information
about which libraries hold which resources.

Laura Krier


On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 4:01 PM, Peter Schlumpf wrote:

> I have come to believe that to really innovate, one has to stop thinking
> in terms of "clouds" (whatever the hell those things are) tables,
> relational database, MARC records, the technology du jour.   Throw that all
> away.  Don't even think about it.  Even more important, don't worry about
> what other people are doing or thinking.  Don't even get caught up in
> programming languages or operating systems.  That's like being a person
> driven by his tools.
>
> Find ideas in other things beyond the techie stuff.  I have found that Zen
> Buddhism has a lot to say about semantics and how words are only imperfect
> labels to meaning.
>
> Come up with an idea and keep working at it, even if it may take decades.
> Don't worry about anything else. Listen to your critics, but don't let them
> drive you.  That's how innovation happens.
>
>
> -Original Message-
> >From: Matthew Sherman 
> >Sent: Jul 17, 2013 1:01 PM
> >To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
> >Subject: [CODE4LIB] Libraries and IT Innovation
> >
> >Hello Code4Lib folks,
> >
> >I was having a conversation with my father, who is an enterprise
> architect,
> >a while ago when I was working on a presentation.  I thought it was
> >interesting enough that I wanted to toss out some of the ideas and see if
> >anybody was using them in their libraries.  We were discussing innovation,
> >and he was telling me about the areas of innovation his field was looking
> >into.  He was saying how the business IT realm was seeing four main areas
> >for innovation: mobile computing, social computing, business
> >intelligence/analytics, and cloud computing.  While these are four
> >different areas he was noting how they all relate to making content
> active,
> >having all this information do something either for the user or the
> >institution.
> >
> >He provided an example of making content active through the area of big
> >data.  For those not familiar with big data Wikipedia describes it as “a
> >collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to
> >process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data
> >processing applications”.  An example he mentioned of how this was useful
> >was with Amazon.com’s search logs as they have quite a bit of information
> >about their users and their searches.  These logs and the customer
> >information can be analyzed using big data solutions to see who was
> >searching, what they were they searching for, the terms they used, and
> what
> >worked.  This information then can be taken and compared to others who
> have
> >similar backgrounds or have done similar searches and provide them with
> >suggestions for items others have foun