Week 5 Blog Post

Setting the Stage

·         Metadata means data about data.

·          People use and understand this word different.

·          Organizing metadata has become increasingly digital.  This has given the public the ability and opportunity to do what was previously the sole job of the information professional.

·                       Content- what it  contains/about and is intrinsic to an information object.

·                       Context- indicates the who, what, why, where, and how aspects associated with the object's creation and is extrinsic to an information object.

·                       Structure relates to the formal set of associations within or among individual information objects and can be intrinsic or extrinsic or both.

• Museum/heritage/collection information professionals use the term metadata to describe the added-value information they handle.

•  Library metadata includes indexes, abstracts, and bibliographic records, available physically and digitally. 

•  A great deal of this information is generate from computers.

• Archival metadata has become more widely distributed
• Visual cues are provided to the researchers so they can see the structural relationships between manuscript and record series
• Some have argued that hierarchial metadata is beneficial to the scholarly user, but not the non-expert user.
• Upkeep of metadata may be extremely beneficial for communities, but may only be fesiable for legal reasons because it requires so much work
• User created meta data has become increasingly popular through the use of the web (sites like flickr and youtube)
• This is beneficial because it helps store information in ways that make sense to them- language a professional or “outsider” may not understand
• Information objects accumulate layers of metadata
• Highly recommended that information become embedded and stored in the object- NOT somewhere else

Primary Functions of Metadata

Creation, multiversioning, reuse, and recontextualization of information objects, Organization and description, Validation, Utilization and preservation, Disposition. 

Some reasons why metadata is beneficial: Increased accessibility, Retention of context, Expanding use

An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model

The Dublin Core Metadata Initiative= (DCMI) 

DCMI- trying to identify common multi-discipline qualifiers to support richer description requirements

• Identifies common descriptive concepts in different languages
• Attempts to mix semantics because there will never be one that is all inclusive
• Metadata creators need to understand all specific vocab that different organizations may have
• Anything with an identity can be a resource, even a human!!
• Literals = simple text string
•   Must be able to specify a particular encoding scheme for interpretation of some types of metadata. 
• Data typing helps identify a specific encoding theme
• A formalized data model is imperative to ensure practicality and functionality requirements

EndNote X5: Introduction

• Endnote is a bibliography tool.

• Helps organize and reference list and specify them to the users need

• Creates citations

• Can help create a personal library of references

MUDDIEST POINT:

I did not have a muddiest point this week.  

Database Technologies and Applications

Database

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

·         Database refers to information and its supporting data structure- it is NOT the database management system

·         A database data collection with a management system (DBMS) is called a database system- This implies that it is managed to some level of quality

Examples of DBMS- Oracle, IBM DB2, Microsoft Access, MySQL

·         Not generally portable but some can inter-operate to support single app

·         Different classifications are contingent of the content- Bibliographic, document-text, Statistical, Multimedia – Or App Area – Accounting, Music Comp, Movies, Banking

·         Key objectives of first databases was efficiency, to make data independent of logic of application programs

·         Two main data models were the hierarchical model and the Codasyl model- followed by the Relational model

·         Notable research of databases- Relational & Entity relationship models

Database Types

-Active database

- Cloud database

-Data warehouse

-Distributed Database

-Document-oriented database

-Embedded Database

-End-user Database

-Federated Database and Multi

Usage Requirements for Major Databases

-Functional Requirements

-Defining the structure of data

-Manipulating the data

-Protecting the data

-Describing processes

-Operational

-Availability

-Performance

-Isolation

-Recovery

-Backup

-Data independence

-          Languages are tailored to define a database, manipulate its content, query it

-          Database design is done to meet needs of end-users within a given app/info system

-          ERM is commonly used for design

-          Database storage is a container of the physical materialization of a database

-          Data is encoded by assigning a bit pattern to each language

Entity–relationship model

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

-          Peter Chen composed an article proposing techniques for ER in 1876

-          ER = Relationship Model – a database

-          Relational Database stores info in tables, sometimes leads to other tables

-          3 Schema Approach – conceptual data model (highest), Logical model (does not require conceptual ER model), Physical model (contains enough detail to make a database)

-          Entity is capable of an independent existence- computers, employees, songs (examples)

-          Relationships show how entities are related to one another, linking them together

-          Chen uses marriage and the two roles of husband and wife to illustrate relationship and its roles

-          A semantic model is a model of concepts – platform independent model – intensional model

-          Diagramming Conventions- Chen uses rectangles to represent entities and diamonds represent relationships for first class objects –attributes are ovals

-          ER is limited because it is inadequate for systems that information cannot be readily represented in relational form  

PHLONX

3 Normal Forms

1. No repeating elements or groups of elements
2. No partial dependencies on a concatenated key
3. No dependencies on non-key attributes
4.  

• Normalization is the way the relationship between data is perceived
• Normalization allows the user/creator to “ask” the database specific questions
• Initially duplication is increased
• Objective of second normal form is for part one not to depend on the concatenated key
• NF1 addresses atomicity and the need for primary key
• Primary key uniquely identifies a row
• Concatenated primary key is when the value has two or more columns
• The second normal form has been completed when the orders have a single column primary key

Muddiest Point: Entity Relationship Model

Reading Notes 9/17 Week 3

Data compression

Wikipedia 

* Computer Science, information theory, data compression, source coding and bit rate reduction all involve encoding info with less bits.

* Lossless compression reduces bits by eliminating redundancy

* Lossy reduces by identifying info and removing it

* Compression is useful because it cuts back on resources used

* Lossless data exploits statistical redundancy

* Prediction by partial matching is an example of probolistic models

* In contrast, Lossy data compression loses what info can afford to be lost

* --As an example- JPEG rounds off less important visual information (colors)

* Data compression can be viewed as a type of data differencing

* For audio, acceptable loss of quality, transmission and storage size depend upon the application

* Lossy compression is used in mp3’s, computers, radio and many other things.

* Speech encoding is a part of audio data compression

* Videos use compression as well

Imaging Pittsburgh

Edward A. Galloway

• Purpose of project would be to allow public to have access to the different visual collections held by 3 different institutions
• Content partners are responsible for choosing what to represent & then delivering it
• Will hold over 20 collections from 3 different places
• New partners are being contacted
• Will allow people to view and gain a better understanding of the changes in Pittsburgh land use, infrastructure and localities- among other things
• Users can: search, browse, read & explore, order reprints!
• Complications include lack of dialogue outside of designated time period
• Another challenge was metadata needs vs. public needs
• Institutions shared ideas which allowed others to re-think their current systems
• Creation and use of separate databases was a challenge in workflow

Paula L. Webb

YouTube and Libraries: It Could Be a Beautiful Relationship 

• Libraries can set up their own “channels”
• Through YouTube a library could add a video to a blog, or send to cell phones
• Can upload and edit material whenever you want
• Could be used for archive purposes because a library can use it to store many different videos
• Can use to give instructions to students and help answer their questions (sounds like embedded librarian!)

Muddiest Point:

I cannot pinpoint just one! I understand some of it, but for the most part I feel very overwhelmed with all of the information given. Also not sure if it will really be my job to know all of the inner workings of the computer.  Sounds more like IS than MLIS so far.

Week 2 Required Reading Notes

European libraries face problems in digitalizing

By Doreen Carvajal

Published: Sunday, October 28, 2007

-          Companies are attempting to digitize their resources, searching for public funding which is not available to the extent they need.

-          This is causing them to search for funding from private sources, such as Google.

-          Bibliothèque Nationale de France has partnered with French book publishers to offer copyrighted books via the European Digital Library

-          European is a prototype of a collection of digitized documents from Hungry and Portugal

-          Racine (leader of Bibliotheque) is concerned that a Google version of Universal Library would allow Americans to interpret French and European literature, history and politics.

-          Several countries involved with the European Digital Library Project are speaking with Google – Jessica Powell (Google London) says they are always interested in talking with libraries about book search and digitization

-          The German Film Institute has confirmed they are speaking with Google about offering different digital services at a variety of prices.  – Some low quality films may be viewed for free while higher quality films require a fee.

-          Other counties involved, such as the British National Library, are more concerned about protecting themselves and public access

A Few Thoughts on the Google Books Library Project

by Charles Edward Smith

-          Smith recounts his story of doing internet research in 1999.  He was able to find and print out all of the information he needed without stepping foot into the library.  He describes it as feeling like near “magic”. 

-          Smith does not believe that the Google initiative to digitize books will not make them obsolete but make them more widely accessible.

-          In fact he proposes the idea that if books are NOT made digitally accessible they will become obsolete because people expect all information to be only a few keystrokes away

-          Google is leveling the educational playfield by making books, which were previously only accessible through the finest research libraries available to everyone, everywhere.

-          When an information consumer is seeking something that cannot be accessed online, it might as well not exist.  Smith believes that an authors lifework should not be irrelevant because it is not digital

Lied Library @ four years:

technology never stands still

Jason Vaughan

Library Systems Department, University of Nevada, 2005

-          Lied Library has strived to keep up with the evolution of changing techonology

-          Has installed more new systems in four years than it had when it originally opened

-          Installed popular laptop checkout system

-          Docutek’s ERES reserve system was installed for the law library

-          Installed Internet 2 access

-          Existing programs have grown, such as safari

-          Consistent costs for printing- this however does not supply them with enough money to replace the printers when the time comes.

-          After a marketplace assessment Lied purchased a new Java driven GUI library system

-          Replaced over 600 desktop computers in 2003

-          Lied Library had to map out a way to manage installing new computers during library hours – While waiting new software was installed in computers

-          Extensive documentation is needed for the library to keep the computers with the latest licensing requirements and additional software and updates

-          Vendor support and maintence helps the library save on reparing costs

-          Lied Library has encountered the issue that community users may stay on the computers for hours just browsing the internet, keeping the computer from people using them for academic purposes

-          This prompted the laptop checkout program

-          Plenty of hotjacks for library users to bring their laptops and plug them into the internet

-          Community users are restricted from  the research and information PC’s

-          Deepfreeze is installed in all computers so that when the user is logged off anything they may have downloaded, installed or otherwise added to the computer is deleted

-          Library staff have space management issues

-          Issues such as broken air conditioning have arisen

-          Lied has experienced left of computer equipment in patron areas

-          LASR has helped to allieviate problems that arise from glitches within the computers

-          Operating the library and keeping it up to date has been just as great of a task as opening it was

* No muddiest Point