Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
The museum (and rare-book-archive) world probably already has solutions for this, given that displaying artifacts in the museum requires constant monitoring of temperature and humidity. Of course, I expect those solutions to be expensive due to the critical nature of the components contained therein. To summarize, it's probably been done before, so building your own might not necessarily be the way to go. But really, this is just a thought experiment, isn't it? :) --Joel Joel Richard Lead Web Developer, Web Services Department Smithsonian Institution Libraries | http://www.sil.si.edu/ (202) 633-1706 | richar...@si.edu On May 1, 2012, at 3:39 PM, Ellen K. Wilson wrote: This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
These are all very good ideas. I'm partial to the Arduino solution myself but it got me thinking, does facilities already collect this information? A lot of systems have built in monitors that report to a central location. It might be possible there is a built in API you could just hijack and display on a webpage. Now facilities probably wont help you prove they are not doing their job but it is possible. Edward Iglesias On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 12:55 AM, Maryann Kempthorne marya...@gmail.com wrote: Why not a cardigan checkout? Maryann On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Kyle Banerjee baner...@uoregon.edu wrote: [stuff on where to get sensors deleted] Depending on how many you need, wireless sensors for weather stations could make more sense (you can run them on different channels to prevent interference). Plus you can use the weather software to generate graphs, upload data, etc. kyle -- -- Kyle Banerjee Digital Services Program Manager Orbis Cascade Alliance baner...@uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
You might want to contact Dr. Ray Russell here at Appstate. Ray is in the Computer Science department here and has done work for NASA also. He has this obsession, oops I mean hobby, for collecting weather data. He has weather stations throughout the High Country ( western North Carolina ) and a WEB site http://raysweather.com that several people have relied on. I know at one time he had code you could embed in your WEB page, I don't know now. He has been working on this project for several years and probably still expanding his coverage a little at a time. You can tell him I suggested you contact him but I don't think that will get you anywhere ;-) . I had experience with some data that he accessed when taking databases, and advance databases courses under him and in a Java course taught by another instructor. He might be able to give you a quick and easy solution. Thomas Thomas McMillan Grant Bennett Appalachian State University Operations Systems AnalystP O Box 32026 University LibraryBoone, North Carolina 28608 (828) 262 6587 Library Systems http://www.library.appstate.edu On May 1, 2012, at 3:39 PM, Ellen K. Wilson wrote: This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 11:55 PM, Maryann Kempthorne marya...@gmail.comwrote: Why not a cardigan checkout? Maryann We have had semi-serious conversations here about having lap blanket checkouts. Our fourth floor is prime quiet study space, but when it's below freezing outside--which is the case pretty much 24-7 in the run-up to finals in December--it's frigid up there. On the one hand, I love the idea of displaying the temperatures to students on the Web site (Too cold on the 60 degree 4th floor? Take a break in the 80 degree computer lab in the basement!), but on the other hand, I don't want to discourage them from studying in the library Julia * Julia Bauder Data Services Librarian Interim Director of the Data Analysis and Social Inquiry Lab (DASIL) Grinnell College Libraries Sixth Ave. Grinnell, IA 50112
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Thanks to all of you for great suggestions! I'm definitely going to check out some of the tools you mentioned - I think it would be a fun side project to implement. On 5/1/2012 3:00 PM, Peter Murray wrote: Sounds like a neat idea. I wonder if you could get electrical engineering students to build DIY sensors from kits and make a real educational project out of it. Kevin J. Collins wrote: I just wonder whether you could find one of the programming students to actually work on something like for a project. The student would be doing it for some type of class credit - but the library might get something usable albeit frivolous (until you use it for an evidence based effort to get the AC fixed) I love this idea! I'm going to look into it. Stephen McDonald wrote: Hm. And if you collected and recorded the data for some period of time, you might be able to use it to convince Building Services (or whoever) to try to fix the problem. Hope springs eternal... Ralph LeVan wrote: If this doesn't meet the definition of Geek the Library, I don't know what else would. +1 OCLC Approval Yay! Also, bacon. Paul Cummins wrote: You could nail digital thermometers up and point webcams at them then run that through OCR. ( sorry, I was thinking about what might actually get approved in the budget...) :) Michael Friscia wrote: I like the idea. I'd also like to experiment with microphones that can detect the noise level in reading rooms so when a student is looking for a quiet one, they look at the heat map of the reading rooms and avoid the ones that are red and go to the quieter light blue ones... Ooooh, I like that. Ben Otter Fan Florin wrote: How about a just javascript that randomly spits out temperatures around 70° Fahrenheit? That would cost less and have the knock-on effect of stifling student dissent. We've been tossing around the idea of just redirecting the library homepage to cuteotters.com since that really might meet student desires better, thus avoiding dissent. However, some think the Cheezburger network is a better choice, and there's a small but vocal contingent advocating for calmingmanatee.com Kyle Banerjee wrote: Technically, I don't think it would be difficult or expensive. But given a sufficiently large population, you should expect people with a juvenile sense of humor to tamper with the sensors. Good point. The university had a webcam on the roof of one of the buildings here to track the construction of our new CIS/Engineering building, and I kept moving its view to the dead cockroach on the nearby roof. Maryann Kempthorne wrote: Why not a cardigan checkout? I have proposed that we have jaguar-print (our mascot) Snuggies available for checkout, but thus far my efforts have been for naught. Julia Bauder wrote: On the one hand, I love the idea of displaying the temperatures to students on the Web site (Too cold on the 60 degree 4th floor? Take a break in the 80 degree computer lab in the basement!), but on the other hand, I don't want to discourage them from studying in the library Good point! Thanks, all! Ellen -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Thanks for starting this conversation Ellen! Lots of fun. I learned about wireless Arduino - http://www.glacialwanderer.com/hobbyrobotics/?p=291 (should go well with my NerdKit), And I think I'm 300,003 on the waiting list to get a Raspberry Pi. I love it! Thanks all, -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Ellen K. Wilson Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2012 9:25 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea Thanks to all of you for great suggestions! I'm definitely going to check out some of the tools you mentioned - I think it would be a fun side project to implement. On 5/1/2012 3:00 PM, Peter Murray wrote: Sounds like a neat idea. I wonder if you could get electrical engineering students to build DIY sensors from kits and make a real educational project out of it. Kevin J. Collins wrote: I just wonder whether you could find one of the programming students to actually work on something like for a project. The student would be doing it for some type of class credit - but the library might get something usable albeit frivolous (until you use it for an evidence based effort to get the AC fixed) I love this idea! I'm going to look into it. Stephen McDonald wrote: Hm. And if you collected and recorded the data for some period of time, you might be able to use it to convince Building Services (or whoever) to try to fix the problem. Hope springs eternal... Ralph LeVan wrote: If this doesn't meet the definition of Geek the Library, I don't know what else would. +1 OCLC Approval Yay! Also, bacon. Paul Cummins wrote: You could nail digital thermometers up and point webcams at them then run that through OCR. ( sorry, I was thinking about what might actually get approved in the budget...) :) Michael Friscia wrote: I like the idea. I'd also like to experiment with microphones that can detect the noise level in reading rooms so when a student is looking for a quiet one, they look at the heat map of the reading rooms and avoid the ones that are red and go to the quieter light blue ones... Ooooh, I like that. Ben Otter Fan Florin wrote: How about a just javascript that randomly spits out temperatures around 70° Fahrenheit? That would cost less and have the knock-on effect of stifling student dissent. We've been tossing around the idea of just redirecting the library homepage to cuteotters.com since that really might meet student desires better, thus avoiding dissent. However, some think the Cheezburger network is a better choice, and there's a small but vocal contingent advocating for calmingmanatee.com Kyle Banerjee wrote: Technically, I don't think it would be difficult or expensive. But given a sufficiently large population, you should expect people with a juvenile sense of humor to tamper with the sensors. Good point. The university had a webcam on the roof of one of the buildings here to track the construction of our new CIS/Engineering building, and I kept moving its view to the dead cockroach on the nearby roof. Maryann Kempthorne wrote: Why not a cardigan checkout? I have proposed that we have jaguar-print (our mascot) Snuggies available for checkout, but thus far my efforts have been for naught. Julia Bauder wrote: On the one hand, I love the idea of displaying the temperatures to students on the Web site (Too cold on the 60 degree 4th floor? Take a break in the 80 degree computer lab in the basement!), but on the other hand, I don't want to discourage them from studying in the library Good point! Thanks, all! Ellen -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
On Wed, May 2, 2012 at 5:32 AM, Edward Iglesias edwardigles...@gmail.comwrote: These are all very good ideas. I'm partial to the Arduino solution myself but it got me thinking, does facilities already collect this information? A lot of systems have built in monitors that report to a central location. It might be possible there is a built in API you could just hijack and display on a webpage. Now facilities probably wont help you prove they are not doing their job but it is possible. The HVAC system has to know what's going on in order to function properly so the ideal solution would be to tap into what is there. Even if there's no practical way to intercept the signal, other options include aiming webcams at HVAC displays (or regular digital thermometers for that matter) and OCRing the results. Solutions that involve soldering irons are more fun, but they'll be harder to maintain. Because the tricky part isn't in detecting the temperature, but getting the info to a central place where something useful can be done with it, my gut reaction is that wired or cabled weather stations that are designed to produce internet ready data will be easiest to deploy. kyle -- -- Kyle Banerjee Digital Services Program Manager Orbis Cascade Alliance baner...@uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
I really like your idea, and we have this same problem. I'm wondering if Arduino might be a reasonable solution: http://arduino.cc/playground/Main/InterfacingWithHardware Jason - Reply message - From: Ellen K. Wilson ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea Date: Tue, May 1, 2012 2:39 pm This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
The number of currently available cardigans could then be displayed along with the temperature gauges. Now you also have to interface this whole thing with the item status in the catalog, which will of course have to contain cardigan records. You could use NCIP to grab the status, but I'm not sure what the standard cardigan metadata would include. Genny Engel -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Maryann Kempthorne Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 9:56 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea Why not a cardigan checkout? Maryann On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Kyle Banerjee baner...@uoregon.edu wrote: [stuff on where to get sensors deleted] Depending on how many you need, wireless sensors for weather stations could make more sense (you can run them on different channels to prevent interference). Plus you can use the weather software to generate graphs, upload data, etc. kyle -- -- Kyle Banerjee Digital Services Program Manager Orbis Cascade Alliance baner...@uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
The catalog is also a good reference for how many books there are available fuel. Hopefully the records contain information on which are printed on clean-burning paper. cheers stuart On 03/05/12 10:32, Genny Engel wrote: The number of currently available cardigans could then be displayed along with the temperature gauges. Now you also have to interface this whole thing with the item status in the catalog, which will of course have to contain cardigan records. You could use NCIP to grab the status, but I'm not sure what the standard cardigan metadata would include. Genny Engel -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Maryann Kempthorne Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 9:56 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea Why not a cardigan checkout? Maryann On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Kyle Banerjeebaner...@uoregon.edu wrote: [stuff on where to get sensors deleted] Depending on how many you need, wireless sensors for weather stations could make more sense (you can run them on different channels to prevent interference). Plus you can use the weather software to generate graphs, upload data, etc. kyle -- -- Kyle Banerjee Digital Services Program Manager Orbis Cascade Alliance baner...@uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787 -- Stuart Yeates Library Technology Services http://www.victoria.ac.nz/library/
[CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Hi Ellen, I think this is a great idea. If you could collect temperature readings with a date/timestamp, you could even create graphs of indoor weather over time. Maybe this could be done with a PHP/MySQL script, or even have the temperature tweeted using the Twitter API? I actually had the idea of scraping temperature readings from weather.com and running Javascript on our blog to represent the weather. Things like snow or changing the brightness of the page if there's overcast. Best, Junior Tidal Assistant Professor Web Services and Multimedia Librarian New York City College of Technology, CUNY 300 Jay Street, Rm A434 Brooklyn, NY 11201 718.260.5481 http://library.citytech.cuny.edu Ellen K. Wilson ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu 5/1/2012 3:39 PM This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Sounds like a neat idea. I wonder if you could get electrical engineering students to build DIY sensors from kits and make a real educational project out of it. Peter On May 1, 2012, at 3:51 PM, Ellen K. Wilson ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu wrote: This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Ellen, Sounds fun. I'd start with an Arduino + temperature sensor http://www.ladyada.net/learn/sensors/tmp36.html You'd need other kit to get it to a webserver, which this video covers nicely. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A7coLAUyfQfeature=player_embedded Chad Nelson Web Services Programmer University Library Georgia State University e: cnelso...@gsu.edu t: 404 413 2771 My Calendar From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] on behalf of Ellen K. Wilson [ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu] Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 3:39 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Hm. And if you collected and recorded the data for some period of time, you might be able to use it to convince Building Services (or whoever) to try to fix the problem. -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Junior Tidal Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 4:09 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea Hi Ellen, I think this is a great idea. If you could collect temperature readings with a date/timestamp, you could even create graphs of indoor weather over time. Maybe this could be done with a PHP/MySQL script, or even have the temperature tweeted using the Twitter API? I actually had the idea of scraping temperature readings from weather.com and running Javascript on our blog to represent the weather. Things like snow or changing the brightness of the page if there's overcast. Best, Junior Tidal Assistant Professor Web Services and Multimedia Librarian New York City College of Technology, CUNY 300 Jay Street, Rm A434 Brooklyn, NY 11201 718.260.5481 http://library.citytech.cuny.edu Ellen K. Wilson ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu 5/1/2012 3:39 PM This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
So, if one were to attempt this: -Would it be OCLC-approved? If this doesn't meet the definition of Geek the Library, I don't know what else would. +1 OCLC Approval
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
You could nail digital thermometers up and point webcams at them then run that through OCR. ( sorry, I was thinking about what might actually get approved in the budget...) :) Paul On 5/1/2012 3:39 PM, Ellen K. Wilson wrote: This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain.
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Salvete! Hm. And if you collected and recorded the data for some period of time, you might be able to use it to convince Building Services (or whoever) to try to fix the problem. I couldn't help but think that meteorologists and archivists should already be doing this. Perhaps tweak summat pre existing ftw? http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/research/dtg/weather/ Overkill for you, but clearly a webthingamajigger through RSS attached to a temperature whosamawhatsit on the roof. Cheers, Brooke
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Hi Ellen! How about a just javascript that randomly spits out temperatures around 70° Fahrenheit? That would cost less and have the knock-on effect of stifling student dissent. Ben On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 6:52 PM, Friscia, Michael michael.fris...@yale.edu wrote: I like the idea. I'd also like to experiment with microphones that can detect the noise level in reading rooms so when a student is looking for a quiet one, they look at the heat map of the reading rooms and avoid the ones that are red and go to the quieter light blue ones... ___ Michael Friscia Manager, Digital Library Programming Services Yale University Library (203) 432-1856 From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] on behalf of Ellen K. Wilson [ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu] Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2012 3:39 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea This is really more of a thought experiment than an actual project, but I thought some people might get a kick out of it - maybe someone has even done it. We are in the process of redesigning our library homepage. During the fall semester we had a team of freshmen CIS students do a basic usability and design service learning project and we are now incorporating as much of their feedback as possible. We'd like to be as student-centric as possible. This got me thinking about the top two suggestions in the library's feedback box - 1) we want a coffee shop and 2) it's too cold/hot in the library. I figure I covered number one by throwing in some Javascript on the page (*groan*) but I see an opportunity with the second one. We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? So, if one were to attempt this: -How would you go about it? (hardware- or software-wise) -Could it be done for cheap? -Would it be OCLC-approved? Best regards, Ellen DISCLAIMER: The a/c is out in the library (again) and I think the high temperatures in my office may be frying my brain. -- Ellen Knowlton Wilson Instructional Services Librarian Room 250, University Library University of South Alabama 5901 USA Drive North Mobile, AL 36688 (251) 460-6045 ewil...@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? Technically, I don't think it would be difficult or expensive. But given a sufficiently large population, you should expect people with a juvenile sense of humor to tamper with the sensors. I should know as I'm one of them. Been there, done that. Just sayin' kyle -- -- Kyle Banerjee Digital Services Program Manager Orbis Cascade Alliance baner...@uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
We do have microclimates within the library, so while it may be hot on 3N, chances are good it's freezing on 4S. Given that actually fixing this is beyond the library's control, what if we put wireless temperature sensors throughout the building and displayed their readings on the library homepage? Very cool idea. Check out air quality egg: http://airqualityegg.wikispaces.com/ I ordered one already, from their kickstarter fundraiser (http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/edborden/air-quality-egg) just for personal exploration. I'd be happy to report on my experience, if anyone's interested. It looks like a vibrant development community, and they have a series of workshops planned in cities around the world. Cheers, Bess
Re: [CODE4LIB] whimsical homepage idea
Why not a cardigan checkout? Maryann On Tue, May 1, 2012 at 6:23 PM, Kyle Banerjee baner...@uoregon.edu wrote: [stuff on where to get sensors deleted] Depending on how many you need, wireless sensors for weather stations could make more sense (you can run them on different channels to prevent interference). Plus you can use the weather software to generate graphs, upload data, etc. kyle -- -- Kyle Banerjee Digital Services Program Manager Orbis Cascade Alliance baner...@uoregon.edu / 503.999.9787
