Re: [CODE4LIB] Choosing development platforms and/or tools, how'd you do it?
I'm glad someone mentioned maintainability. I used to work in embedded systems, where design, testing, and maintainability were of utmost importance, and coding is just the brief stage in between design and test. I lived by the adage, Code as if the person who will maintain your code is a homicidal maniac who knows where you live. Sharon M. Foster, JD, MLS Technology Librarian http://firstgentrekkie.blogspot.com/ Have you tried switching it off and on again? On Wed, Jan 6, 2010 at 3:24 PM, Naomi Dushay ndus...@stanford.edu wrote: Marijane, It also makes sense to examine the available software for what you wish to accomplish. Available software goes beyond current features to - maintainability (one reason Stanford switched to Blacklight) I'll talk a little bit about this in our Code4Lib 2010 presentation about testing. - community - active development - potential applicability to additional projects. (we like Blacklight for its ability to run on any solr index, regardless of what's in there) probably some other stuff I've left out. Our experience at Stanford Libraries is that the common conventions of Rails give us a lot more ease in reading each others' code. - Naomi On Jan 5, 2010, at 3:04 PM, marijane white wrote: Greetings Code4Lib, Long time lurker, first time poster here. I've been turning over this question in my mind for a few weeks now, and Joe Hourcle's postscript in the Online PHP Course thread has prompted me to finally try to ask it. =) I'm interested in hearing how the members of this list have gone about choosing development platforms for their library coding projects and/or existing open source projects (ie like VuFind vs Blacklight). For example, did you choose a language you already were familiar with? One you wanted to learn more about? Does your workplace have a standard enterprise architecture/platform that you are required to use? If you have chosen to implement an existing open source project, did you choose based on the development platform or project maturity and features or something else? Some background -- thanks to my undergraduate computer engineering studies, I have a pretty solid understanding of programming fundamentals, but most of my pre-LIS work experience was in software testing and did not require me to employ much of what I learned programming-wise, so I've mostly dabbled over the last decade or so. I've got a bit of experience with a bunch of languages and I'm not married to any of them. I also kind of like having excuses to learn new ones. My situation is this: I would like to eventually implement a discovery tool at MPOW, but I am having a hell of a time choosing one. I'm a solo librarian on a content team at a software and information services company, so I'm not really tied to the platforms used by the software engineering teams here. I know a bit of Ruby, so I've played with Blacklight some, got it to install on Windows and managed to import a really rough Solr index. I'm more attracted to the features in VuFind, but I don't know much PHP yet and I haven't gotten it installed successfully yet. My collection's metadata is not in an ILS (yet) and not in MARC, so I've also considered trying out more generic approaches like ajax-solr (though I don't know a lot of javascript yet, either). I've also given a cursory look at SOPAC and Scriblio. My options are wide open, and I'm having a rough time deciding what direction to go in. I guess it's kind of similar to someone who is new to programming and attempting to choose their first language to learn. I will attempt to head off a programming language religious war =) by stating that I'm not really interested in the virtues of one platform over another, moreso the abstract reasons one might have for selecting one. Have any of you ever been in a similar situation? How'd you get yourself unstuck? If you haven't, what do you think you might do in a situation like mine? -marijane
Re: [CODE4LIB] Online PHP course?
http://www.ed2go.com/nvcc/online_course/iph/detail/Introduction_to_PHP_and_MySQL.html?CategoryId=41 Sharon M. Foster, JD, MLS Technology Librarian http://firstgentrekkie.blogspot.com/ Have you tried switching it off and on again? On Tue, Jan 5, 2010 at 4:36 PM, Tod Olson t...@uchicago.edu wrote: One of our staff needs to learn PHP, and an online course is preferred. Is there an online PHP course that any of you would recommend? -Tod Tod Olson t...@uchicago.edu Systems Librarian University of Chicago Library
Re: [CODE4LIB] c4l2010 T-Shirt Design Contest Extended to Jan. 6th
I don't think I have a vote--I'm just a lurker and unlikely to be going to the get-together--but I'd say the contest is over. This is excellent! Sharon M. Foster, JD, MLS Technology Librarian http://firstgentrekkie.blogspot.com/ Have you tried switching it off and on again? On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 11:47 AM, Michael Vandenburg michael.vandenb...@queensu.ca wrote: Here's my entry: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44207...@n00/4209105274/ 2d barcode linking to conference website generated with Google Chart API: http://chart.apis.google.com/chart?cht=qrchs=300x300chl=http://code4lib.or g/conference/2010/ text in 04b-03 pixel font from: http://www.dafont.com/04b-03.font proprietary high-end graphics software used to put it together: MS Paint -Michael _ Michael Vandenburg | Systems Librarian | Queen's University Libraries Kingston ON, K7L 5C4 | 613-533-6000 x 74536 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Rosalyn Metz Sent: December 21, 2009 3:40 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] c4l2010 T-Shirt Design Contest Extended to Jan. 6th Hello All, Since we have yet to receive any submissions for T-Shirt designs, we are extending the contest until January 6th. This will give those of us with time off due to the holidays a chance to ignore family by creating an awesome design for the t-shirts. And those of you without time off can ignore work by creating an awesome design for the t-shirts. Either way something can be ignored. Remember that like in years past, the design should be one color. Please send any submissions to Rosalyn Metz at rosalynm...@gmail.com. Rosalyn
Re: [CODE4LIB] Book recommendation
From my software engineering days, I like Steve McConnell's Code Complete and Software Project Survival Guide; The Mythical Man-Month, by Fred P. Brooks; Joel On Software by Joel Spolsky (who also has a blog); and The Elements of Programming Style, by Kernigan and Plauger. KR is directed at the C programming language, but there are enough similarities in syntax with PHP, Java, and a lot of other web developer languages that I think it's still relevant. Sharon M. Foster, JD, MLS Technology Librarian http://firstgentrekkie.blogspot.com/ On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 12:12 PM, Robert Foxrf...@nd.edu wrote: Since this list has librarians, hard core programmers and hybrid librarian programmers on it, this is probably a good place to ask this sort of question. I'm looking for some book recommendations. I've read a lot of technical books on how to work with specific kinds of technology, read a lot of online technical how tos and that has been good as far as it goes. But, technology changes too fast to be wed to one particular programming language, database technology, metadata standard, etc. I'm interested in finding books that speak to the issues of programming methodology, design principles, lessons learned, etc. that transcend any particular programming technology. Are there good books that distill the wisdom and experience of veteran developers and /or communicate best practices for things like design patterns, overall software architecture, learning from mistakes, the developer mindset and such things? Could you recommend perhaps the top three or four books you've read in these areas? Rob Fox Hesburgh Libraries University of Notre Dame
Re: [CODE4LIB] Book recommendation
The best way to learn good code design and architecture is to work with code someone already wrote (open source, libraries, frameworks, etc) that uses good design and architecture. Or having to debug code that someone else wrote that *wasn't* written well. It's one thing to learn the good practices, but it's quite another to understand WHY good code is good and bad code is bad. Sharon M. Foster, JD, MLS Technology Librarian http://firstgentrekkie.blogspot.com/ On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 12:57 PM, Jonathan Rochkindrochk...@jhu.edu wrote: I am a big fan of the original Design Patterns book, myself. http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612 But just reading the book alone won't do as much as reading the book AND working with code that is written using the lessons of the book. The best way to learn good code design and architecture is to work with code someone already wrote (open source, libraries, frameworks, etc) that uses good design and architecture. Jonathan Robert Fox wrote: Since this list has librarians, hard core programmers and hybrid librarian programmers on it, this is probably a good place to ask this sort of question. I'm looking for some book recommendations. I've read a lot of technical books on how to work with specific kinds of technology, read a lot of online technical how tos and that has been good as far as it goes. But, technology changes too fast to be wed to one particular programming language, database technology, metadata standard, etc. I'm interested in finding books that speak to the issues of programming methodology, design principles, lessons learned, etc. that transcend any particular programming technology. Are there good books that distill the wisdom and experience of veteran developers and /or communicate best practices for things like design patterns, overall software architecture, learning from mistakes, the developer mindset and such things? Could you recommend perhaps the top three or four books you've read in these areas? Rob Fox Hesburgh Libraries University of Notre Dame
Re: [CODE4LIB] Wolfram Alpha (was: Another nail in the coffin)
I wanted to find out how much my house would be worth today in a normal situation (if there is such a thing in the housing market). WolframAlpha helped me to formulate the query $96900 (1985 dollars) and then gave me the answer, adjusted for an average inflation of about 2.8% per year. Google gave me a bunch of irrelevant links, which is odd, since Google understand all kinds of conversions and other factual queries. Maybe it just wasn't phrased correctly, but Google didn't help me to find the correct phrasing. Sharon M. Foster, 99% Librarian (waiting for the official okey-dokey to change it to 100%) Speaker-to-Computers http://www.vsa-software.com/mlsportfolio/
Re: [CODE4LIB] Something completely different
+1 Sharon M. Foster, 91.7% Librarian Speaker-to-Computers http://www.vsa-software.com/mlsportfolio/ On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 10:37 PM, Bill Dueber b...@dueber.com wrote: On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 10:26 AM, Mike Taylor m...@indexdata.com wrote: I'm not sure what to make of this except to say that Yet Another XML Bibliographic Format is NOT the answer! I recognize that you're being flippant, and yet think there's an important nugget in here. When you say it that way, it makes it sound as if folks are debating the finer points of OAI-MARC vs MARC-XML -- that it's simply syntactic sugar (although I'm certainly one to argue for the importance of syntactic sugar) over the top of what we already have. What's actually being discussed, of course, is the underlying data model. E-R pairs primarily analyzed by set theory, triples forming directed graphs, whether or not links between data elements can themselves have attributes -- these are all possible characteristics of the fundamental underpinning of a data model to describe the data we're concerned with. The fact that they all have common XML representations is noise, and referencing the currently-most-common xml schema for these things is just convenient shorthand in a community that understands the exemplars. The fact that many in the library community don't understand that syntax is not the same as a data model is how we ended up with RDA. (Mike: I don't know your stuff, but I seriously doubt you're among that group. I'm talkin' in general, here.) Bibliographic data is astoundingly complex, and I believe wholeheartedly that modeling it sufficiently is a very, very hard task. But no matter the underlying model, we should still insist on starting with the basics that computer science folks have been using for decades now: uids (and, these days, guids) for the important attributes, separation of data and display, definition of sufficient data types and reuse of those types whenever possible, separation of identity and value, full normalization of data, zero ambiguity in the relationship diagram as a fundamental tenet, and a rigorous mathematical model to describe how it all fits together. This is hard stuff. But it's worth doing right. -- Bill Dueber Library Systems Programmer University of Michigan Library
Re: [CODE4LIB] Something completely different
Which is why the interface specifications are at least as important, if not more important, as the specs for each of the modules that you enumerated. If the interfaces are well-defined, then the components can be designed and developed with a minimum of further interactions among developers. In fact, there might eventually be more than one implementation of a particular module, allowing a library to assemble an ILS out of interchangeable components. (I'm assuming open source--it seems unlikely that proprietary vendors will ever come around.) Sharon M. Foster, 91.7% Librarian Speaker-to-Computers http://www.vsa-software.com/mlsportfolio/ On Tue, Apr 7, 2009 at 2:52 PM, Genny Engel gen...@sonoma.lib.ca.us wrote: Also back to the original question, what is an ILS in the first place? [...] Without the ability to support all the back-end processing and accounting, simply replacing the front-end OPAC and the bibliographic database does nothing to eliminate the need for an ILS, unless it also opens the way to feed data in and out of cheap off-the-shelf accounting and purchasing systems that aren't library-specific. A lot of libraries still won't want to put together even that much out of parts, and will prefer an ILS, but if it were me, I think I'd look at reengineering some of the parts to become more interchangeable with stuff like standard accounting software. I must admit I was kind of horrified when I first got here and found that all this functionality was resident in a single system. No wonder these things are so honking expensive. Genny Engel Sonoma County Library gen...@sonoma.lib.ca.us 707 545-0831 x581 www.sonomalibrary.org
Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler
Indeed! I hadn't even thought of multiple libraries in a system, since I haven't yet worked in a system with branch libraries. Is it ever the case that staff may be temporarily assigned to another branch, not their home branch? Are couriers thought of as assigned to a particular library, or are they part of the larger system? Thanks for your input! On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, Kudos to you for taking this on! In looking at your wiki and your requirements list, we could use this in a completely different way. We're an academic consortium with 14 libraries. I can see this type of application working for us in two ways: 1. Manage our courier schedule. 2. Manage library hours. With so many libraries, hours vary greatly. Is this the type of 'unique requirements' you're looking for from other libraries? Thanks, Deb Sharon Foster wrote: I've set up a wiki to collect software requirements for a Library Staff Scheduler. Initially it's intended for use by public libraries, because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I'd also like to incorporate any unique requirements from other kinds of libraries. I know there is at least one implementation of this type of application at http://sourceforge.net/projects/empscheduler/, and I fully expect to use that project as the starting point for the implementation of this one, but the demo page is missing or broken, the project itself hasn't been updated since 12/2004, and it doesn't particularly address the special requirements of library staffing. The wiki is at http://libstaff.pbwiki.com/ and the password is librarygeek. (aside: I started it with WetPaint, but there are so many ads on each page that I thought it was too distracting. Free PBWiki may not have the variety of themes that WetPaint has, but it also doesn't have all those annoying ads.) -- -- Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! -- Deb Bergeron System Administrator User Support CLIC 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A Saint Paul, MN 55104 T: 651.644.3878 C:651-487-7609 F:651.644.6258 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.clic.edu -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.58 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler
Gotcha! My library is in a consortium as well, and there is a courier service, although since we are such a small state, it is actually a state-wide service, not just for our consortium. My initial reaction is that the application I have in mind *could* be used to set up a courier schedule, but instead of one desk and several people staffing it over the course of a day, you have one person moving to different desks (libraries) over the course of a day. I think that's a different enough pattern, along with the is it on time? requirement, to warrant its own application. The question I was asking was directed to public and academic library systems with more than one location or branch. Do you ever move people around among the branches? If so, then I want the scheduler to incorporate that. On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, I think I need to clarify. We are an academic consortium of 14 completely different libraries who share a common ILS, consequently we have no 'branches;' each library is independent. Some of the libraries have their own branches or locations, however, and could use your scheduler application in their own library. So your question about staff being assigned to another branch does not apply in our case. What does apply is knowing the library hours and academic calendar. Our office manages the ILS and all of its components. One of those components is the courier. The courier picks up and delivers items to all of the consortial libraries as well as our state-wide ILL system (MINITEX). The courier schedule changes throughout the year and sometimes daily (i.e. storm, accident, traffic, etc.). It would be great to have an online application indicating: Courier's schedule Is he on time? Issues If a library requests an additional pick-up Our goal is 24 hour turn-around and often-times it's less than that. For both applications, it would be fabulous to have an online tool that provides all the information I've described. I hope this clarifies the lay of our land for you. Thanks, Deb Sharon Foster wrote: Indeed! I hadn't even thought of multiple libraries in a system, since I haven't yet worked in a system with branch libraries. Is it ever the case that staff may be temporarily assigned to another branch, not their home branch? Are couriers thought of as assigned to a particular library, or are they part of the larger system? Thanks for your input! On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, Kudos to you for taking this on! In looking at your wiki and your requirements list, we could use this in a completely different way. We're an academic consortium with 14 libraries. I can see this type of application working for us in two ways: 1. Manage our courier schedule. 2. Manage library hours. With so many libraries, hours vary greatly. Is this the type of 'unique requirements' you're looking for from other libraries? Thanks, Deb Sharon Foster wrote: I've set up a wiki to collect software requirements for a Library Staff Scheduler. Initially it's intended for use by public libraries, because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I'd also like to incorporate any unique requirements from other kinds of libraries. I know there is at least one implementation of this type of application at http://sourceforge.net/projects/empscheduler/, and I fully expect to use that project as the starting point for the implementation of this one, but the demo page is missing or broken, the project itself hasn't been updated since 12/2004, and it doesn't particularly address the special requirements of library staffing. The wiki is at http://libstaff.pbwiki.com/ and the password is librarygeek. (aside: I started it with WetPaint, but there are so many ads on each page that I thought it was too distracting. Free PBWiki may not have the variety of themes that WetPaint has, but it also doesn't have all those annoying ads.) -- -- Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! -- Deb Bergeron System Administrator User Support CLIC 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A Saint Paul, MN 55104 T: 651.644.3878 C:651-487-7609 F:651.644.6258 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.clic.edu -- -- Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! -- Deb Bergeron System Administrator User Support CLIC 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A Saint Paul, MN 55104 T: 651.644.3878 C:651-487-7609 F:651.644.6258 [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.clic.edu -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.58 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http
Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler
I'm a part-timer myself, so scheduling in lunch time had not occurred to me. Thanks! We will include lunch and breaks. Travel time between branches seems to me to be a little out of scope, though. I think I'm going to leave that as a manual schedule tweak for now. On 9/5/07, Walter Lewis [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Bigwood, David wrote: Yes, some do move between branches. ... and a variable to keep in mind depending on the size of the system (and the state of local traffic) ... time between branches. When we move staff between our two branches we have to make sure that coverage is there for the period between one desk and another. For example, for a 12:00 shift start in branch 2, I have to leave branch 1 no later than 11:30 (and did anyone consider my lunch?) Walter Lewis glad not to be doing branch lunch coverages any more -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.58 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler
Haven't thought about a schedule yet. This is a learning exercise for me, to be squeezed in between a part-time job and two on-line classes (Library Mgmt and Legal Bib). But I think the initial requirements could be nailed down by the end of the month. On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, Thank you. While our application may be different, I am interested in what you develop. Are looking at starting development immediately? Please let me know your progress or if I can help in any way. Deb Sharon Foster wrote: Gotcha! My library is in a consortium as well, and there is a courier service, although since we are such a small state, it is actually a state-wide service, not just for our consortium. My initial reaction is that the application I have in mind *could* be used to set up a courier schedule, but instead of one desk and several people staffing it over the course of a day, you have one person moving to different desks (libraries) over the course of a day. I think that's a different enough pattern, along with the is it on time? requirement, to warrant its own application. The question I was asking was directed to public and academic library systems with more than one location or branch. Do you ever move people around among the branches? If so, then I want the scheduler to incorporate that. On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, I think I need to clarify. We are an academic consortium of 14 completely different libraries who share a common ILS, consequently we have no 'branches;' each library is independent. Some of the libraries have their own branches or locations, however, and could use your scheduler application in their own library. So your question about staff being assigned to another branch does not apply in our case. What does apply is knowing the library hours and academic calendar. Our office manages the ILS and all of its components. One of those components is the courier. The courier picks up and delivers items to all of the consortial libraries as well as our state-wide ILL system (MINITEX). The courier schedule changes throughout the year and sometimes daily (i.e. storm, accident, traffic, etc.). It would be great to have an online application indicating: Courier's schedule Is he on time? Issues If a library requests an additional pick-up Our goal is 24 hour turn-around and often-times it's less than that. For both applications, it would be fabulous to have an online tool that provides all the information I've described. I hope this clarifies the lay of our land for you. Thanks, Deb Sharon Foster wrote: Indeed! I hadn't even thought of multiple libraries in a system, since I haven't yet worked in a system with branch libraries. Is it ever the case that staff may be temporarily assigned to another branch, not their home branch? Are couriers thought of as assigned to a particular library, or are they part of the larger system? Thanks for your input! On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, Kudos to you for taking this on! In looking at your wiki and your requirements list, we could use this in a completely different way. We're an academic consortium with 14 libraries. I can see this type of application working for us in two ways: 1. Manage our courier schedule. 2. Manage library hours. With so many libraries, hours vary greatly. Is this the type of 'unique requirements' you're looking for from other libraries? Thanks, Deb Sharon Foster wrote: I've set up a wiki to collect software requirements for a Library Staff Scheduler. Initially it's intended for use by public libraries, because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I'd also like to incorporate any unique requirements from other kinds of libraries. I know there is at least one implementation of this type of application at http://sourceforge.net/projects/empscheduler/, and I fully expect to use that project as the starting point for the implementation of this one, but the demo page is missing or broken, the project itself hasn't been updated since 12/2004, and it doesn't particularly address the special requirements of library staffing. The wiki is at http://libstaff.pbwiki.com/ and the password is librarygeek. (aside: I started it with WetPaint, but there are so many ads on each page that I thought it was too distracting. Free PBWiki may not have the variety of themes that WetPaint has, but it also doesn't have all those annoying ads.) -- -- Remember: Choose nutritious edible weeds for snacks! -- Deb Bergeron System Administrator User Support CLIC 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 204A Saint Paul, MN 55104 T: 651.644.3878 C:651-487-7609 F:651.644.6258 [EMAIL PROTECTED
Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler
Of course! Notify me when the schedule changes. That's a must-have. Publishing to a public website is a little problematic. Some of my co-workers are a little squeamish about patrons having their full names. The reasons are lost in the mists of time. If and when we have a staff intranet, that would definitely be the place for the scheduler. On 9/5/07, Joe Atzberger [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: You might consider RSS syndication as a third possible means of publishing a schedule, or rather, as an alternative to directly dumping HTML. Clearly it would take more work than just generating a printout, but the interoperability is sweet. --Joe On 9/5/07, Helen Chu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: By publish I would like to be able to do one or more of the following: 1. publish a public version to a public web site so we can see who (which person with which specific skills) will staff the desk 2. print out on paper The shift swapping would be great so that our schedule coordinator doesn't have to spend his/her time juggling students' midterms schedules. We've got more complex work for our staff! Helen -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Sharon Foster Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 2:18 PM To: CODE4LIB@listserv.nd.edu Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler By publish, do you mean print to hard-copy, or something more? A swap board is an excellent feature. It beats leaving a note on the staff bulletin board: Can anyone swap with me for the week of November 7th? On 9/5/07, Helen Chu [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hi All, Been looking for a staff scheduling program too. I need additional functionality: - students should be able to trade shifts with each other - we can easily publish the schedule of who's working Anyone had any success with this? BTW, Deb, do you know Barron Koralesky? Good friend of mine. Thanks, Helen Helen Chu Director, Library Information Technology California Polytechnic University San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Deb Bergeron Sent: Wednesday, September 05, 2007 9:19 AM To: CODE4LIB@listserv.nd.edu Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] [Web4lib] Library Staff Scheduler Sharon, Thank you. While our application may be different, I am interested in what you develop. Are looking at starting development immediately? Please let me know your progress or if I can help in any way. Deb Sharon Foster wrote: Gotcha! My library is in a consortium as well, and there is a courier service, although since we are such a small state, it is actually a state-wide service, not just for our consortium. My initial reaction is that the application I have in mind *could* be used to set up a courier schedule, but instead of one desk and several people staffing it over the course of a day, you have one person moving to different desks (libraries) over the course of a day. I think that's a different enough pattern, along with the is it on time? requirement, to warrant its own application. The question I was asking was directed to public and academic library systems with more than one location or branch. Do you ever move people around among the branches? If so, then I want the scheduler to incorporate that. On 9/5/07, Deb Bergeron [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, I think I need to clarify. We are an academic consortium of 14 completely different libraries who share a common ILS, consequently we have no 'branches;' each library is independent. Some of the libraries have their own branches or locations, however, and could use your scheduler application in their own library. So your question about staff being assigned to another branch does not apply in our case. What does apply is knowing the library hours and academic calendar. Our office manages the ILS and all of its components. One of those components is the courier. The courier picks up and delivers items to all of the consortial libraries as well as our state-wide ILL system (MINITEX). The courier schedule changes throughout the year and sometimes daily (i.e. storm, accident, traffic, etc.). It would be great to have an online application indicating: Courier's schedule Is he on time? Issues If a library requests an additional pick-up Our goal is 24 hour turn-around and often-times it's less than that. For both applications, it would be fabulous to have an online tool that provides all the information I've described. I hope this clarifies the lay of our land for you. Thanks, Deb
[CODE4LIB] Library Staff Scheduler
I've set up a wiki to collect software requirements for a Library Staff Scheduler. Initially it's intended for use by public libraries, because that's what I'm most familiar with, but I'd also like to incorporate any unique requirements from other kinds of libraries. I know there is at least one implementation of this type of application at http://sourceforge.net/projects/empscheduler/, and I fully expect to use that project as the starting point for the implementation of this one, but the demo page is missing or broken, the project itself hasn't been updated since 12/2004, and it doesn't particularly address the special requirements of library staffing. The wiki is at http://libstaff.pbwiki.com/ and the password is librarygeek. (aside: I started it with WetPaint, but there are so many ads on each page that I thought it was too distracting. Free PBWiki may not have the variety of themes that WetPaint has, but it also doesn't have all those annoying ads.) -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.58 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] code.code4lib.org
I'm one of those former software engineers, and I think there is a need for a repository of library-specific applications. For example, I've been thinking I'd like to develop a web-based personnel scheduling program. Library scheduling has some unique problems, as I'm sure you all know. There are some applications available, but they all cost money.(If I can earn some extra credit in Library Management class next semester, so much the better. ;-)) An customizable events calendar suitable for insertion into a library website is another task that interests me. Harvesting metadata and writing our own ILSs is the sexy stuff, but I'm sure there are a lot of little tasks that could be made easier with a judicious application of software. On 8/14/07, Will Kurt [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Andrew, the pear.php.net repository site really seems to be essentially what I was envisioning (especially with the proposals section). Erik, there are several good reasons to build our own rather than use space available in other domains. The first and foremost is that the library community is big enough and specific enough to warrant its own centralized location for these things. Another issue is that there are a large range of skills that are useful to library application development that simply aren't touched on in other areas. There are plenty of people who understand AACR2, FRBR, LCSH etc that wouldn't go near a place like sourceforge thinking there is no room for them there. Simple branding is another very important reason. Google the phrase 'library open source' and tell me if the results give you any sense that the library community is actively developing open source tools/libraries/applications/etc. to meet its needs. I've known a fair amount of library-staff who work on little code projects in isolation, who if they knew there was a larger project they could work on and get involved with they would (this is also true for the relatively large number of ex-software developers I've met in libraries). Snippets of code and various packages/libraries need to be organized and collected, but the larger aim would be to create a community of people interested in creating open source software applications for libraries. --Will -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.58 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] code.code4lib.org
Thanks, Tom! The BYU app sounds like a great starting point! We do have A, B, and C weeks, as do many libraries, I'm sure, and I would want to add that feature, along with a swap board. I think I may have looked at the VT calendar a couple of weeks ago. I'll take another look. We'd also need to have a print view that could go directly to a handout, and later it would be expanded to allow patrons to sign up for events that needed pre-registration. On 8/14/07, Tom Keays [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: OT: I know Sharon was saying she'd like to develop her own code for these but... On 8/14/07, Sharon Foster [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've been thinking I'd like to develop a web-based personnel scheduling program. Library scheduling has some unique problems, as I'm sure you all know. ... Brigham Young University Library released open source scheduling software for their reference desks. It's web-based (php mysql). http://empscheduler.sourceforge.net/ The first step is to describe all the service points and coverage needs -- number of staff needed and hours of operation. The second step is to have all employees indicate when they are available -- since itis designed with student scheduling in mind, this allows the scheduler to have all the student's classes blocked in up front. Each employee is also designated with a maximum numbers of hours to be scheduled. The drawbacks are that - it lacks any sort of automated scheduling module -- a human has to fit all the schedules by hand. - there's no built-in schedule swap board -- we use a wiki to accomplish that, but it would be better if built in - you can't note week-to-week changes in the software -- a schedule is for the whole semester (or whatever). There's nothing to stop you from establishing weekly scheduling with the software, but that would seem to go against the intended goal of avoiding this. - there is no native way to embed schedules in external web pages -- but being mysql-based, you could easily write something - it was last updated in 2004 and there are a few needless browser dependencies in the scheduling interface Drawbacks aside, it beats the heck out of doing it in a speadsheet; especially if you have employees staffing multiple service points. I don't know what the licence is exactly, but it would make a good starting point for further development. An customizable events calendar suitable for insertion into a library website is another task that interests me. For calendars, a lot of universities use VT Calendar from Virginia Tech. MPOW piggybacks on the campus calendar so we don't have to maintain it in two places. It can be pretty easily skinned to fit your website's design schema. Also, this month's calendar can be inserted into a page and events in specific categories can be filtered in or out. http://vtcalendar.sourceforge.net/ If that one doesn't suit you, there are many other OS calendars out there. Tom
[CODE4LIB] The path to becoming a Web guru?
I'm a former embedded software engineer and a current library student, trying to get up to speed on all this Web stuff. This question is not part of any class project, but just for my own curiosity. How did you all come to be so heavily involved in this aspect of librarianship? I don't think it's being covered in most traditional MLS curricula, at least not in any hands-on way, although there are certainly some LIS programs that are getting into it in more depth than mine is. Were you a librarian first, who learned it via classes and tutorials? Are you a former software developer or web developer who moved into the library world? Or was there another path for you? Sharon -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries, still under construction: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] The path to becoming a Web guru?
I've been lifting bits of PHP code from various tutorial websites and playing with them...learning by osmosis, as it were. Likewise with JavaScript. Perl appears to be the best scripting language for dealing with XML and I plan to make an effort to learn it in a little more structured way, with a combination of on-line tutorials and the O'Reilly book. Does that make sense? On 7/24/07, Nicole Engard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, I was a computer programming major in undergrad and couldn't get a job anywhere but a library :) I worked as the Web Assistant and Web Manager in the library for 5 years before deciding to go to library school. You learn so much more on the job than you ever will in school - that is of course if you make an effort to learn. On the web note, a lot of what I learned I learned by doing, copying and reading! I did take one 4 day hands on class in programming PHP, but other than that it was a lot of learning by doing. I don't know if that was helpful - but that's the short version of my story. Nicole C. Engard http://web2learning.net On 7/24/07, Sharon Foster [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm a former embedded software engineer and a current library student, trying to get up to speed on all this Web stuff. This question is not part of any class project, but just for my own curiosity. How did you all come to be so heavily involved in this aspect of librarianship? I don't think it's being covered in most traditional MLS curricula, at least not in any hands-on way, although there are certainly some LIS programs that are getting into it in more depth than mine is. Were you a librarian first, who learned it via classes and tutorials? Are you a former software developer or web developer who moved into the library world? Or was there another path for you? Sharon -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries, still under construction: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own. -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries, still under construction: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] The path to becoming a Web guru?
Yep, I always liked to have some hands-on experience before I went to a workshop. When I learned assembly language lo these many years ago, my only previous experience was with FORTRAN. It wasn't until the second or third day of the class that the lightbulb came on and I finally understood why I would ever want to use it. Then I spent the next 10 years in assembler until my boss forced us to learn C. ;-) On 7/24/07, Nicole Engard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sure - it all depends on how you like to learn. I like to have someone show me what to do and have some hands on practice before I pick up the book - but that's just me. If you think you can learn that way then that's all that matters. On 7/24/07, Sharon Foster [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I've been lifting bits of PHP code from various tutorial websites and playing with them...learning by osmosis, as it were. Likewise with JavaScript. Perl appears to be the best scripting language for dealing with XML and I plan to make an effort to learn it in a little more structured way, with a combination of on-line tutorials and the O'Reilly book. Does that make sense? On 7/24/07, Nicole Engard [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Sharon, I was a computer programming major in undergrad and couldn't get a job anywhere but a library :) I worked as the Web Assistant and Web Manager in the library for 5 years before deciding to go to library school. You learn so much more on the job than you ever will in school - that is of course if you make an effort to learn. On the web note, a lot of what I learned I learned by doing, copying and reading! I did take one 4 day hands on class in programming PHP, but other than that it was a lot of learning by doing. I don't know if that was helpful - but that's the short version of my story. Nicole C. Engard http://web2learning.net On 7/24/07, Sharon Foster [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm a former embedded software engineer and a current library student, trying to get up to speed on all this Web stuff. This question is not part of any class project, but just for my own curiosity. How did you all come to be so heavily involved in this aspect of librarianship? I don't think it's being covered in most traditional MLS curricula, at least not in any hands-on way, although there are certainly some LIS programs that are getting into it in more depth than mine is. Were you a librarian first, who learned it via classes and tutorials? Are you a former software developer or web developer who moved into the library world? Or was there another path for you? Sharon -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries, still under construction: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own. -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries, still under construction: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own. -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ My final project for ILS655, Digital Libraries, still under construction: http://www.vsa-software.com/ils655 Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
[CODE4LIB] XML schema for describing software applications?
Please forgive the cross-posting. For my final project in the class Digital Libraries, I am bringing together a bibliography (appliography?) of open source software applications and free web services that would be useful in the construction of digital libraries. (How self-referential can you get? ;-)) I am looking for advice on finding, selecting, and using an existing XML schema that would include syntax for the type of application, target platforms, OSs, licensing, etc. In searching Ask.com and Google, I zeroed in on OSD, the Open Software Description Format, but I'm not finding a lot of new material about it, and I can't recall ever reading about it. Is this in fact the latest and greatest? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Sharon -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] the journal presence in online databases
I absolutely agree that reading articles online from a database is nothing like reading a magazine or a journal. But why must the experience be atomized? For example, I find reading The New York Review of Books online to be very nearly as satisfying as reading it in print was, and plus I don't have to recycle it. Online databases are not currently configured to simulate a journal's website but, as we used to say in the embedded systems world, SMOP. It's just a Simple Matter Of Programming. On 7/16/07, K.G. Schneider [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I'm doing some exploratory poking around an issue that is of dual importance to me as a librarian and writer: the fidelity of the print journal in online databases. I feel as if this is such an obvious issue that there must have been EXTENSIVE discussion about this over the last ten or fifteen years, so bear with me if I am missing the fly on the end of my nose. Here's the issue in narrative form: a library subscribes to a small-press journal. The journal's articles are also indexed in some database or other. The library runs out of space and money to physically house the journal, and drops the print edition. But... The journal issue itself now has no physical representation in the database. It's a series of articles. It is (and we now move into the alternate universe where Michael Gorman and I think alike and even use the same vocabulary) atomized. Even if you can force the database to bring together the related articles, it is a kludge at best. For some journals, maybe that never mattered anyway. But for many journals in the humanities, the issue is the experience. There are some very nice online journals, and increasingly, small presses, which operate just barely above cost-recovery, are reinventing themselves online. But take the recent issues of Missouri Review or The American Scholar... like a book, a journal issue is its own event (though unlike most book-length narratives, one that can be enjoyably experienced incompletely and in the reader's own preferred order, which is part of the fun as well). Even though the individual content of the journal may be preserved piece by piece, the totality of the journal has not. Let's set aside some of the characteristics that can't be dragged to the online medium (the feel and smell of paper, for example) or arguments I find specious (how many people take baths any more, anyway?). That said, to what extent do databases (or do not...) recreate the issue experience-that sense of aboutness and completion for a journal issue? Do we care? I see some work is done in metadata that can express the relationship between articles in a journal. But I'm curious how much we (librarians) care about this business of fidelity or whether it's just another silent victim of change. I worry that without intending to we could hasten the death of an entire area of literature. Though with some intentionality, we could also help save this literature, as well (because mailing and printing costs are the obvious threats to the small presses-a number have moved online, or started online, and thrive there in their small-press manner; if a database could represent, say, The American Scholar in a way that did it justice, that might be a very good thing). Again, maybe I'm just missing something really, really obvious... please do step in to say, Karen, where have you been? ... or perhaps there are some e-humanities initiatives already working in this area... but the more and more I engage with small presses, the more this concerns me. K.G. Schneider Free Range Librarian AIM/Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://freerangelibrarian.com -- Sharon M. Foster, B.S., J.D., 0.5 * (MLS) F/OSS Evangelist Cheshire Public Library 104 Main Street Cheshire, CT 06410 http://www.cheshirelibrary.org My library school portfolio: http://home.southernct.edu/~fosters4/ Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Re: [CODE4LIB] the journal presence in online databases
I agree with you that each format is better some purposes, worse for others. But rising postal rates may make the ultimate decision. And an online journal can simulate the print experience better than a print journal can simulate the online experience (if you just ignore the hyperlinks). I love paper just as much as anyone, as you would know if you could see my abode...maybe even more, as I used to do a lot of drawing and calligraphy. But I saw the Sony eBook for the first time a few months ago, and if the price weren't so high, I might have bought. I'll wait for 2.0. Someday there will be a generation of college students--maybe even high school students--who will be issued a future version of the eBook at the beginning of their school career, and each semester they'll get all their fully searchable textbooks loaded on it wirelessly. Professionals will receive their journals the same way. Meanwhile, all of my recommended Digital Libraries textbooks are hardcopy, every single one of them. On 7/16/07, Joe Hourcle [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I don't think that a website is a fair substitute for a printed journal. Yes, there are journals that online-only, but I view the two publishing styles completely differently. I admit, I don't deal with bibliographic records, so I can only view the issues from a user's point of view. I view print publications as being more 'push' than 'pull'. They show up, and I read them. (well, lately, I've been so busy, that I haven't been reading them, but I have a stack that I go through when things calm down, and I need a chance to clear my head, and stop worrying about current projects). I use online database when I'm trying to research a specific topic, rather than trying to keep up on the general trends in a community. In that case, I find it harder to use the print publication -- but if I have the print copy, I'd rather read from that, once I've identified the articles of interest. The only online 'journal' that I read is on web design (A List Apart) ... as I think it makes sense that a serial on web design doesn't make sense as a print publication. There might be other fields where this is the case, as well. Joe Hourcle -- Sharon M. Foster [affiliations omitted] Any opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
