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Joanne S

What is a Database, really? Data Storage for Librarians « The Other Librarian - 0 views

  • A Text File Good old text is still not a bad way to store data. 
  • If you want to retrieve that information, you can use a script to tell the computer to organize the information in a particular way.   This is called parsing
  • Structured Text As you climb the data food chain, complex systems get developed to organize information. 
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  • Mark-up:   Marked information is data that has marks or signals to let a computer distinguish one type of data from the other.  
  • A variable:   A variable happens when you give some data a name. 
  • A string:   A string is a kind of variable that has text.
  • An array:   An array is a type of variable that includes a list used by computer programs for later manipulation.    
  • An object:   Explaining objects in full requires that someone read up on object-oriented programming.  
  • Tree-based  Structures Tree-based structures, or cluster models are a subset of “structured text” data storage models.  
  • XML is probably the best example.
  • data is organized in “parents”, “siblings” and “children”.
  • The Relational Model The relational model is better than a tree-model when your dataset is large and complicated.    The way it works is, instead of thinking in terms of “parents, siblings and children,” you think in term of relationships.
  • the “Primary Key.”   This means that every data object (such as a library) has a way of identifying itself in a unique way
  • a “Foreign Key.”    The Foreign key is a way to associate one dataset (eg. libraries) with another dataset (eg. library branches, hospitals or businesses).
  • This association is called a relationship.
  • In more complicated relationships (called the Many-to-Many relationship), you might have to create a third table to associate two entities.      
  • TEXT/XML Based Text files can be organized in such a way as to accommodate some of the benefits of the relational model.
  • Two examples of XML-based databases include Xindice and Sedna.
  • SQL/Binary-based Databases The more common relational database type is a piece of software running on a server, rather than a set of text files.   They are generally accessed using a standard language called SQL (Structure Query Language), or more specifically SQL as supported by a popular scripting language like PHP, Python or Java.
  • Almost any major web application will have a combination of all these types of data storage methods!  
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    How databases are used in libraries
Joanne S

Database design basics - Access - Office.com - 0 views

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    Designing elements and database design
Joanne S

National Library of Australia IT Architecture Project Report - 0 views

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    Advanced Reading about integrating information in many databases into one access point. National Library of Australia. (2007). National Library of Australia IT Architecture Project Report. Canberra, A.C.T.: National Library of Australia. Retrieved from http://www.nla.gov.au/dsp/documents/itag.pdf
Joanne S

The Code4Lib Journal - How Hard Can It Be? : Developing in Open Source - 0 views

  • We experienced freedom to explore alternate avenues, to innovate, to take risks in ways that would have been difficult under the direct control of a district council.
  • patrons made it clear that while they appreciated that computers were a necessary part of a modern library, they did not consider them the most important part.
  • Our overall objective was to source a library system which: could be installed before Y2K complications immobilised us, was economical, in terms of both initial purchase and future license and maintenance support fees, ran effectively and fast by dial-up modem on an ordinary telephone line, used up-to-the minute technologies, looked good, and was easy for both staff and public to use, took advantage of new technology to permit members to access our catalogue and their own records from home, and let us link easily to other sources of information – other databases and the Internet. If we could achieve all of these objectives, we’d be well on the way to an excellent service.
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  • "How hard can it be" Katipo staff wondered, "to write a library system that uses Internet technology?" Well, not very, as it turned out.
  • Koha would thus be available to anyone who wanted to try it and had the technical expertise to implement it.
  • fairly confident that we already had a high level of IT competence right through the staff, a high level of understanding of what our current system did and did not do.
  • ensure the software writers did not miss any key points in their fundamental understanding of the way libraries work.
  • The programming we commissioned cost us about 40% of the purchase price of an average turn-key solution.
  • no requirement to purchase a maintenance contract, and no annual licence fees.
  • An open source project is never finished.
  • Open source projects only survive if a community builds up around the product to ensure its continual improvement. Koha is stronger than ever now, supported by active developers (programmers) and users (librarians)
  • There are a range of support options available for Koha, both free and paid, and this has contributed to the overall strength of the Koha project.
  • Vendors like Anant, Biblibre, ByWater, Calyx, Catalyst, inLibro, IndServe, Katipo, KohaAloha, LibLime, LibSoul, NCHC, OSSLabs, PakLAG, PTFS, Sabinet, Strategic Data, Tamil and Turo Technology take the code and sell support around the product, develop add-ons and enhancements for their clients and then contribute these back to the project under the terms of the GPL license.
  • FRBR [5] arrangement, although of course it wasn’t called that 10 years ago, it was just a logical way for us to arrange the catalogue. A single bibliographic record essentially described the intellectual content, then a bunch of group records were attached, each one representing a specific imprint or publication.
  • The release of Koha 3.0 in late 2008 brought Koha completely into the web 2.0 age and all that entails. We are reconciled to taking a small step back for now, but the FRBR logic is around and RDA should see us back where want to be in a year or so – but with all the very exciting features and opportunities that Koha 3 has now.
  • In the early days, the Koha list appeared to have been dominated by programmers but I have noticed a lot more librarians participating now
  • "Adopt technology that keeps data open and free, abandon[ing] technology that does not." The time is right for OSS.
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    For more information about Koha and how it was developed, see: Ransom, J., Cormack, C., & Blake, R. (2009). How Hard Can It Be? : Developing in Open Source. Code4Lib Journal, (7). Retrieved from http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/1638
Joanne S

Reprogramming The Museum | museumsandtheweb.com - 0 views

  • Powerhouse experie
  • her APIs
  • Flickr AP
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  • Thomson Reuters OpenCalais
  • OCLC's WorldCat
  • Before we began our work on the Commons on Flickr, some museum colleagues were concerned that engaging with the Flickr community would increase workloads greatly. While the monitoring of the site does take some work, the value gained via the users has far outweighed any extra effort. In some cases, users have dated images for us.
  • In subsequent use of the Flickr API, we appropriated tags users had added to our images, and now include them in our own collection database website (OPAC). We also retrieved geo-location data added to our images for use in third party apps like Sepiatown and Layar.
  • In our case the purpose of creating an API was to allow others to use our content.
  • So consider the questions above not in the context of should we or shouldn't we put our data online (via an API or otherwise) but rather in the context of managing expectations of the data's uptake.
  • Steps to an API
  • several important things which had to happen before we could provide a public web API. The first was the need to determine the licence status of our content.
  • The drive to open up the licensing of our content came when, on a tour we conducted of the Museum's collection storage facilities for some Wikipedian
  • This prompted Seb Chan to make the changes required to make our online collection documentation available under a mix of Creative Commons licences. (Chan, April 2009)
  • Opening up the licensing had another benefit: it meant that we had already cleared one hurdle in the path to creating an API.
  • The Government 2.0 Taskforce (http://gov2.net.au/about/) was the driver leading us to take the next step.
  • "increasing the openness of government through making public sector information more widely available to promote transparency, innovation and value adding to government information"
  • the first cultural institution in Australia to provided a bulk data dump of any sort.
  • The great thing about this use is that it exposes the Museum and its collection to the academic sector, enlightening them regarding potential career options in the cultural sector.
  • I will briefly mention some of the technical aspects of the API now for those interested. In line with industry best practice the Powerhouse Museum is moving more and more to open-source based hosting and so we chose a Linux platform for serving the API
  • Images are served from the cloud as we had already moved them there for our OPAC, to reduce outgoing bandwidth from the Museum's network.
  • Once we had the API up and running, we realised it would not be too much work to make a WordPress plug-in which allowed bloggers to add objects from our collection to their blogs or blog posts. Once built, this was tested internally on our own blogs. Then in early 2011 we added it to the WordPress plugin directory: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/powerhouse-museum-collection-image-grid/
  • One of the main advantages the API has over the data dump is the ability to track use.
  • It is also worth noting that since the API requests usually do not generate pages that are rendered in a browser it is not possible to embed Google Analytics tracking scripts in the API's output.
  • y requiring people to sign up using a valid email address before requesting an API key we are able to track API use back to individuals or organisations.
  • Concerns that people would use the API inappropriately were dealt with by adding a limit to the number of requests per hour each key can generate
  • An Application Programming Interface (API) is a particular set of rules and specifications that a software program can follow to access and make use of the services and resources provided by another particular software program
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    Dearnley, L. (2011). Repreogramming the museum. In Museums and the Web 2011 : Proceedings. Presented at the Museums and the Web 2011, Toronto: Archives & Museum Informatics. Retrieved from http://conference.archimuse.com/mw2011/papers/reprogramming_the_museum
Joanne S

Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and Its Implications for Libraries - 0 views

  • Already libraries are creating RSS feeds for users to subscribe to, including updates on new items in a collection, new services, and new content in subscription databases.
  • hybrid applications, where two or more technologies or services are conflated into a completely new, novel service.
  • personalized OPAC that includes access to IM, RSS feeds, blogs, wikis, tags, and public and private profiles within the library's network.
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    Maness, J. (2006). Library 2.0 Theory: Web 2.0 and its Implications for Libraries. Webology, 3(2). Retrieved from http://webology.ir/2006/v3n2/a25.html
Joanne S

Archives & Museum Informatics: Museums and the Web 2009: Paper: Gow, V. et al., Making ... - 0 views

  • New Zealand content difficult to discover, share and use
  • DigitalNZ is testing ways to create digital content, collect and share existing digital content, and build smart, freely available search and discovery tools.
  • Memory Maker blurs the line between consuming and producing content. What’s sometimes called ‘remix culture’ […]. Digital technologies have opened up new possibilities for young people to access and represent the stories of their culture by taking sound and images and recombining them to say something new, something relevant to them. (Sarah Jones, Lunch Box: Software & digital media for learning, November 2008) http://lunchbox.org.nz/2008/11/get-coming-home-on-your-schools-website-wiki-or-blog/)
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  • The Memory Maker provides a taste of what is possible when collecting institutions modernise their practices for keeping and managing copyright information, using Creative Commons licenses or ‘no known copyright’ statements.
  • Learning about ‘hyperlinks’ today, these young New Zealanders will be the developers and creators of tomorrow.
  • The full set of contributions is accessible through a Coming Home search tool, occasionally on a google-like hosted search page (Figure 5), but more often through a search widget embedded on many New Zealand Web sites (Figure 6).
  • Digital New Zealand is developing and testing solutions that showcase what’s possible when we really focus on improving access to and discovery of New Zealand content.
  • Technically, the Digital New Zealand system is in three parts: a backend, a metadata store, and a front end.
  • The coolest thing to be done with your data will be thought of by someone else
  • “an API is basically a way to give developers permission to hack into your database”.
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    Gow, V., Brown, L., Johnston, C., Neale, A., Paynter, G., & Rigby, F. (2009). Making New Zealand Content Easier to Find, Share and Use. In Museums and the Web 2009. Presented at the Museums and the Web 2009, Toronto: Archives & Museum Informatics, Retrieved from http://www.archimuse.com/mw2009/papers/gow/gow.html
Joanne S

Academic Search Engine Spam and Google Scholar's Resilience Against it - 0 views

  • Web-based academic search engines such as CiteSeer(X), Google Scholar, Microsoft Academic Search and SciPlore have introduced a new era of search for academic articles.
  • With classic digital libraries, researchers have no influence on getting their articles indexed. They either have published in a publication indexed by a digital library, and then their article is available in that digital library, or they have not
  • citation counts obtained from Google Scholar are sometimes used to evaluate the impact of articles and their authors.
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  • ‘Academic Search Engine Optimization’ (ASEO)
  • Citation counts are commonly used to evaluate the impact and performance of researchers and their articles.
  • Nowadays, citation counts from Web-based academic search engines are also used for impact evaluations.
  • Most academic search engines offer features such as showing articles cited by an article, or showing related articles to a given article. Citation spam could bring more articles from manipulating researchers onto more of these lists.
  • It is apparent that a citation from a PowerPoint presentation or thesis proposal has less value than a citation in a peer reviewed academic article. However, Google does not distinguish on its website between these different origins of citations[8].
  • Google Scholar indexes Wikipedia articles when the article is available as PDF on a third party website.
  • That means, again, that not all citations on Google Scholar are what we call ‘full-value’ citations.
  • As long as Google Scholar applies only very rudimentary or no mechanisms to detect and prevent spam, citation counts should be used with care to evaluate articles’ and researchers’ impact.
  • However, Google Scholar is a Web-based academic search engine and as with all Web-based search engines, the linked content should not be trusted blindly.
Joanne S

The Deep Web - 0 views

  • defined as the content on the Web not accessible through a search on general search engines.
  • sometimes also referred to as the hidden or invisible web.
  • the part of the Web that is not static, and is served dynamically "on the fly," is far larger than the static documents
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  • When we refer to the deep Web, we are usually talking about the following:
  • The content of databases.
  • Non-text files such as multimedia, images, software, and documents in formats such as Portable Document Format (PDF) and Microsoft Word.
  • Content available on sites protected by passwords or other restrictions.
  • Special content not presented as Web pages, such as full text articles and books
  • Dynamically-changing, updated content,
  • let's consider adding new content to our list of deep Web sources. For example:
  • Blog postings Comments Discussions and other communication activities on social networking sites, for example Facebook and Twitter Bookmarks and citations stored on social bookmarking sites
  • Tips for dealing with deep Web content
  • Vertical search
  • Use a general search engine to locate a vertical search engine.
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    The Web not accessible through a search on general search engines..
Joanne S

Page 2. Long Live the Web: A Call for Continued Open Standards and Neutrality: Scientif... - 0 views

  • Several threats to the Web’s universality have arisen recently. Cable television companies that sell Internet connectivity are considering whether to limit their Internet users to downloading only the company’s mix of entertainment.
  • Social-networking sites present a different kind of problem. Facebook, LinkedIn, Friendster and others typically provide value by capturing information as you enter it
  • The sites assemble these bits of data into brilliant databases and reuse the information to provide value-added service—but only within their sites.
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  • The basic Web technologies that individuals and companies need to develop powerful services must be available for free, with no royalties.
Joanne S

Emerald | Evaluating and comparing discovery tools: how close are we towards next gener... - 0 views

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    (Curtin Login) Yang, S. Q., & Wagner, K. (2010). Evaluating and comparing discovery tools: how close are we towards next generation catalog? Library Hi Tech, 28(4), 690-709. doi:10.1108/07378831011096312 Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/journals.htm?articleid=1896437&show=abstract
Joanne S

Finding a fit: EDRMS and your organisation: Enhancements, consolidation and beyond. (E-... - 0 views

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    Records Management Systems. Whiting, J. (2007). Finding a fit: EDRMS and your organisation: Enhancements, consolidation and beyond. Informaa Quarterly, 23(3), 26-29. Retrieved from http://eres.lis.curtin.edu.au/cgi-bin/gw?url=dc60250138
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