week 12 muddiest point

My muddiest point is in regards to social software. According to Dr. He's powerpoint, libraries will have to become 2.0 as software makes this shift. However, it seems to me that software is behind libraries, not ahead of them. We are already pushing social based activities and communication, so where will this shift to web 2.0 really make a difference?

My Muddiest Point--Week 11

My muddiest point for week 11 is in regards to Dr. He's lecture.
It's mentioned that vocabulary control via thesaurus can either be used in an equivalence relationship or a hierarchical relationship. Which one of these methods is more effective and why? My assumption would be that the hierarchical relationship would be more beneficial, but I'd like to know the right answer. :)

comments for week 11 readings :)

Here are the links to my comments for Week 11:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5162573700267662965&postID=6747130404438335672&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2367464305070960355&postID=7998496854095718979

Institutional Repositories: Essential Infrastructure for Scholarship in the Digital Age

--2002 development of institutional repositories
--broader range of abilities with this new function (especially in academic settings)
--a stewardship of digital materials
--'collaboration among librarians, information technologists, and records managers, faculty, and university administrators and policymakers'
I thought this article was extremely informative and really spoke to the worth of collaboration. I was pleasantly surprised that with the number of groups working together, institutional repositories have been so successful (may seem somewhat pessimistic, but it's true!)
Either way, I feel that this is definitely something that can be effective, not just now but in the future as well.

Dewey Meets Turing

digital +library= librarians, computer scientists, and publishers
--DLI: Digital Libraries Initiative
--considered a "matchmaking" of computer scientists and librarians
--was it successful?
--In 1994 the WWW threw crazy stuff into the picture, which really blurred the lines between pc scientists and librarians (really undermined the common ground that brought the two groups together in the first place)
--bigger web equalled more heuristic approaches to organizing info
--librarians wanted a clear connection to traditional librarian functions
--no matter what the technology, the CORE function of librarians is still relevant
--collections are re-emerging
--more opportunities for connections between scholarly authors/works and librarians
--simply need to come together and find what they need while still working together

digital libraries:challenges and influential work

--greatly distributed scholarly info landscape, makes search and discovery of ideas difficult and taxing
--federated search diagram
--seamless federation of resources = "the holy grail" as author states
--several federally supported projects, incl. UC Berkeley, Stanford, Michigan, etc.
--computer and netowkring technology changed over last decade
--digital world rapidly evolving, this affects 1. publishers, 2. publisher consortiums, 3. bibliographic utilities, 4. academic consortia, and so on.
--several university studies focused on the issues of 'search inoperability' and 'federated searching'

--the goal is to extend services in the next few years to provide better quality access--quality of searching efficient access to information

link to website

Here's the link to my website!

www.pitt.edu/~rdr22/

my comments :)

Here are my comments on Week 10 readings:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7533952523781723717&postID=8280044869916472597&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5162573700267662965&postID=7208911322336128681&page=1

Current developments and future trends for the OAI protocol for metadata harvesting.

open archives initiative (OAI)--
so far has been fairly successful
--widely adopted since 2001
--its purpose is defined as : "to develop and promote interoperability standards that aim to facilitate the efficient dissemination of content"
--NSDL provides access to science based learning objects
--problems with the registries are completeness and sparse records
--ongoing challenges:
--metadata variation
--metadata formats
--OAI Data Provider Implementation Practices
--Communication Issues

--this article was great for informing me concerning the OAI. I wasn't deeply familiar with it, but it brought up many good challenges a lot of key points about what the OAI has and will be doing for archives.

the deep web: surfacing hidden value

--traditional search engines are not effective for content located within the deep web
--interesting stat:
fully 95% of the deep web is available to the public without cost/subscription requirements!
--search engines give "indiscriminate crawls" that do not enable access to the full breadth of pages/information out there
--surface web likened to boats on top of water, the deeper you go into the body of water, the more that's down there (the deep web)
--original deep content EXCEEDS all printed global content! whoa!
--serious information searchers must acknowledge the amount and quality of information available through the "deep web" and learn to access it

web search engines, parts 1 and 2

Part 1:
--went from the belief that webpages couldn't be indexed (1995) to very reliable search engines, such as google, yahoo, etc.
--generic search engine infrastructure--multiple, geographically centered data structures
--crawling algorithms process requests and continue until the queue is empty
--real crawlers must address: speed, politeness, excluded content, continuous crawling, spam rejection, and duplicate content

Part 2:
Indexing Algorithms:
--uses and inverted file: two step process including 1) scanning and 2) inversion
Issues with real indexers:
--scaling up: simply too many entries
--term lookup: search terms extend beyond the basic english dictionary to include numbers, characters, email addresses, etc.
--compression
--phrases
--anchor text
--link popularity score
-- query independent score

query processing algorithms:
most common= type that don't include operator words
Speeding up queries:
skipping items
early termination--sort the information as you search
caching

Historic Preservation and Libraries--Assignment 5

Here is the link to my virtual bookshelf :)

http://pitt5.kohawc.liblime.com/cgi-bin/koha/bookshelves/shelves.pl?viewshelf=49

muddiest point week 9

My muddiest point for week 9:

How is XML going to tangibly affect library services for the future? From what I understand, XML makes it much easier to annotate information than HTML does. Will this affect libraries at all?

link to comments!

Here are the links to my comments for Week 9:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2367464305070960355&postID=4341170650280538329&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9155069229192657859&postID=3024024959596195101&page=1

XML Schema Tutorial

xml schema= alternative to DTDS
called XSD
--easy b/c it uses xml language
uses root elements, and smaller elements within that to create elements
--covers string data, miscellaneous data, date and time data types, and numeric data types
--I found this tutorial much more helpful than a couple of the other articles. At least this article lays everything out, step by step, as did the similar HTML article. It also helps me to see visual examples that are then explained.

Extending your Markup: An XML Tutorial

--More meaningful markup than HTML, can annotate text much more easily
--starts with a prolog and contains exactly 1 element
DTD elements can be terminal or nonterminal
--can have 0 or more attributes
introduces a "family" of languages that can be relevant for the future
My thoughts

I found this article extremely informative and full of information, but unfortunately most of it went completely over my head. I'm still pretty clueless about XML. :(

Survey of XML Standards

valuable technology
technologies presented in this article are considered "standards"
goes over recommended versions, tutorials, and catalogs
--basically just a resource guide for XML

An Introduction to XML

XML--makes it easier to interchange docs
is NOT:
predefined set of tags (unlike HTML)
Components of HTML:
documents composed of entities, which contain logical elements, and the elements have attributes.
How is it used?
provides users w/ various elements
This article explains how to define your own tag sets, define the attributes of elements, and incorporate standard and non-standard text elements
shows how to use illustrations, tables, and other special elements
3 types of markup:
processing instruction
document type declaration
document instance

muddiest point

My muddiest point for the week concerns the difference between a "semantic" web and the two organizations mentioned that define protocols for the web (W3C and I2). I think it's really important that the two don't get confused. Having protocols for usage of the web are important, but I thought the semantic web referred to how we attach meaning to information?

Beyond HTML

This article focused on GSU's adaptation of a non-HTML Content Management System. The CMS used templates and ASP to allow users to edit and create pages easily. The authors noted that the CMS has not been adapted universally by libraries. I think this presents an important issue to libraries--taking into consideration costs, ease of use of CMS and whether or not the CMS will benefit the library in the long run.

week 8 comments!

Here are the links to my comments for this week! :)

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=986394955087168146&postID=6749389533435062647&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6429290265389116562&postID=6278602269311838593

CSS

CSS=Cascading Style Sheets
-saves a lot of work for the creator
-tip: do NOT start class name w/ a #--doesn't work for Firefox!
-several examples, ie background images, display them, position them, etc.

I found this article useful, only I am still pretty much clueless. I really like how both the HTML and the CSS articles had examples and cheat sheets to aid the user. Hopefully with continued practice I will get better. :)

webmonkey cheat sheet

I thought the cheat sheet was fantastic! When I make a page, I'm definitely going to use it. It is very convenient to have such an easy-to-use guide for using HTML.

HTML Tutorial

The HTML tutorial covered everything from what an HTML file actually is to how to create pages and understand the code ( for example, a paragraph is simply

.)
It also went over color codes, and how to effectively use various HTML attributes. Although I'm still fairly unsure of how to use HTML, this tutorial made a huge difference in my understanding. :)

links to my screen captures

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2920256809_705ed49c89_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2920256955_3409cf621e_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2920257009_1ccc5af00f_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2920257157_05641590bd_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2921100568_a092a48d6d_o.png

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2920257347_ed82ce3b61_o.png

jing video

http://www.screencast.com/users/rdr22/folders/Jing/media/34a4642a-3ab2-44d7-a3d5-ff98ed1393dd

links to comments on readings

Here are the links to my comments for this week! :)

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3857064325472293927&postID=3458376004291697501&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7114620464717775258&postID=5155830228157176055&page=1

muddiest point

My muddiest point for the week is concerning the google talk we watched this week. I understand that allowing employees the 20% of time to work on their own special projects is important, but I also think that the push toward a semantic web is something that would benefit google. I just wonder why this isn't being pushed further in the amount of time employees spend...is google just trying to make its employees happy? I think that Orkut was a good idea (social networking is really popular right now) but I don't think it's really a "thinking ahead" kind of project, as working on the semantic web would be.

Dismantling Integrated Library Systems

I really enjoyed this article because it covered all the changes that will need to be made to ILS. Making the choice to switch to ILS that involves greater use of technology is an important question to be addressed. I think an important point was made that "library systems are changing because library assets are changing." Because the systems are changing, we need to address the systems and what we need to do for the future.

google talk

lots of searches going on in the world on google
picture of earth showing all the bits going across the world to get information to people searching
Google foundation--want to make the world a better place
Google Grants
Orkut (social networking) getting more popular, variety of demographics, trying it out to see where it goes
let people who work for google spend 20% of their time doing what they want to do and what they think would be best for google

I thought this was a very interesting video. I think it's great that people who work for google have the opportunity to explore their ideas and be creative. Although I knew how far-reaching google is, it was really overwhelming to hear about the number and the extent to which it affects users.

How Internet Infrastructure Works

Internet not owned by anyone, just a system of networks connected to one another
Computer Network Hierarchy:
personal pc-->LAN--> communication company (POP)-->nap-->Internet
Routers: determine where to send information from one computer to another
NSF created the first "backbone" in 1987
4 digit #s in IP addresses called "octets" b/c of binary representation
URL=uniform resource locator
multiple DNS servers at every level to handle requests
All machines on the internet are either servers or clients
HTTP: Hypertext transfer protocol--determines how servers and clients will "talk" to each other w/ the DNS

Google Scholar/Zotero/CiteULike

Here is the link to my project:

http://www.citeulike.org/user/racheldrich

my comments for week 6 readings

Here are the links to my comments for week 6 readings! :)

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=3857064325472293927&postID=8456396145283653912&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6958200230416907745&postID=1412464081235085323&page=1

Muddiest Point

My muddiest point for this week has to do with
PANS versus LANS. I understand that both are very small access networks, PANS are personal, LANS are just local...but what is the inherent difference between the two, or is that it? I always considered my PAN to be a LAN (we have several computers at home but they are all connected to 1 network) but maybe I am wrong in this assumption...

youtube!

Most popular networks:
smallest is a PAN (personal access network)
Next popular is LAN, used through ethernet
Also have WAN, several different facilities connected, the way the network is designed
CAN--several buildings at an educational institution
MANS-metropolitan networks that span large areas

wikipedia articles

The first wikipedia article mentions LANS and WANS (local area networks versus wide area networks). It also discusses how changes in computers (specifically the rise of the pc) helped catalyze changes in access, such as the creation of the ethernet cable. The ethernet cable is now most popular, but routers are often used in conjunction with a cable or DSL connection.

The second wikipedia article covers computer networks, which are a series of computers which are interconnected. It covers PANS, LANS, CANS, MANS, WANS, and GANS.
Internetwork: 2or more networks interconnected
Intranet: set of networks under a single administrative identity
extranet: limited in scope to a single organization
Internet: specific internetwork that connects all sorts of areas
hardware: all networks are connected w/ something, (nodes) such as routers, NICs, etc
Remote bridges can be used to create a WAN link between several LANS
Switches: switch!
Routers: connect signal between like and unlike media

Week 5 Comments

Here are the links to my comments for Week 5 Readings:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5418895447708724556&postID=266605975054160271&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6958200230416907745&postID=5962116896905418133&page=1

muddiest point

The muddiest point from lecture 4 is the Primary Key versus the Foreign Key. If a foreign key matches a primary key in value, is that what connects the 2 tables? (or is that what would connect 2 information sources?) I just don't understand what the relevance of the foreign key to the primary key is.

You Tube and Libraries: It could be a beautiful relationship

This article examines the benefits of using YOUtube to involve patrons in library communication. The author suggests using YOUtube to promote the library.
--could be great for instructional videos
--film various library services then post on YOUtube.
--tutorials to teach students

Although I thought this article presented some good ideas, I think libraries will get to this point when they are ready. We are currently dealing with other technology issues at the moment and attempting to adapt to these changes; throwing YOUtube into the mix might just be a little too much.

Imaging Pittsburgh: Creating a shared gateway to digital images collections of the pittsburgh region

I think this digitization project well illustrates how beneficial technology can be. Over 7,000 images being available to users is well worth the efforts and money. The preservation of historical images through this channel is really beneficial for anyone interested in maintaining the history of this area.

Challenges faced within the project:
1. Communication between the various institutions. Despite monthly meetings, communication and lack of dialogue was still an issue.
2. Attached meaning to subjects within the catalog. (example, museum archivists versus academic archivists discussing what the photographs "mean")
3. Image selection (based on size, format, quality, etc.)
4. Metadata
5. Workflow
6. Web site development

Although work continues on the project, the outcomes will be determined based on audience receipt of the image collection. All the participating institutions want the collection to make a meaningful impact on the user.

I thought this article was fantastic! We've been talking so much about digitization, it was great to see an actual project in the process of completion. Some of the challenges faced in this project are some of the questions raised in earlier articles as to whether or not digitization is worth the effort and cost. I still think that ultimately, it is worth the cost. The value of the image as a large collection available to users in this digital format is something that cannot be overlooked.

DVD-HQ:Data Compression Basic: Lossless data compression

Awesome point about info vs. data:
friend sends you 2 emails, so you have 2 emails worth of data, but only 1 email worth of information. Info and data are not the same thing.
Run length encoding:
-using numbers instead of repetition of same characters to save space
-uses markers for specific characters
Lempel-Ziv compressor family:
--> uses markers for "patterns" of characters to encode with a smaller number of bits
Entropy coding:
-assigns codes to BLOCKS of data, works well for codes w/ variable lengths
-uses probability
Predictive compression is better for more "natural" images (i.e. photographs that have gradual shifts in color/value)
compression might not contain ANY of the original data
lossy preserves meaning, not exact data. how does a computer decide what is meaningful? it can't.
quantisation: division of a continuous signal into discrete steps
video compression:
each frame is compressed independently
vector graphics describe images as a set of geometric shapes, textures, and forms

This article opened my eyes to the various types of encoding currently in use. Seeing the difference visually between lossless and lossy encoding really helped me to grasp the concept much better than after just reading the wikipedia article.

Wikipedia, "Data Compression"

data compression--encoding ino using fewer bits, to save space on hard drive or bandwith space.
example: ZIP file, which is a smaller file and also archives information as well
Lossless vs. Lossy
Lossless --represents data more concisely, but without error. Example 25.888888888 encoded as 25. (9) 8
Lossy-- would be 26, which is a smaller size but not the correct data (25.888888888 doesn't equal 26, but this saves much more space)
Lossy image compression is used in digital cameras, DVDs use some forms of lossy
3-way tradeoff with quality loss, compressed data size, and compression speed

I found this to be quite an interesting article. I was not previously acquainted with the theory behind the use of compressed files, but it definitely makes sense.

links to comments on week 4

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2401688410692832555&postID=4332635910721172580&page=1

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5762270205496001556&postID=2948494116332853399&page=1

muddiest point

I'm still confused as to how you can end up with "fragmented disk space" that requires software to make the hard drive work optimally. I am surprised that an operating system would have that kind of control over the effective operation of your pc.

An Overview of the Dublin Core Data Model

DCES intended for cross-discipline resource discovery.
Issue: cannot be that detailed for individual needs, so attempting to create a modular/extensible metadata architecture to handle these singular/specific needs.
DCMI focuses on creating DCES based on these requirements:
Internalization
Modularization/Extensability
Element Identity
Semantic Refinement
ID encoding schemes
specification of controlled vocabularies
ID of structured compound values

At first, I was completely lost after reading this article! But it's starting to make sense to me that there has to be this sort of meta-framework (this is probably not even a word!) to help with how we access resources, or information. The DCMI idea seems to encompass most of what is necessary to build an effective metadata architecture, but again... I am rather new at this sort of thing. Does anyone have any "expertish" opinions as to whether or not this model is effective?

Introduction to Metadata: Pathways to Digital Information

Metadata: data about data.
--Becoming increasingly important for a variety of professional communities.
Information objects have 3 features:
-content
-context
-structure

Structure is becoming increasingly important as cpus grow in power/sophistication
--"metadata" consists of complex constructs to create and maintain (which can get costly), so why is it important?
--makes information more easily accessible
--helps maintain the context
--digitally, information can be expanded with metadata
--multi-versioning: can create multiple and/or variant versions of information objects
--legal issues- easier to track rights, etc
--preservation--metadata helps to preserve information objects so that they can be utilized as the digital world changes
--system improvement: metadata helps to track performance so that cpus can become more efficient both technologically and economically.
the BEST metadata = the BEST information management

"In this sense, metadata provides us with the Rosetta Stone that will make it possible to decode information objects and their transformation into knowledge in the cultural heritage information systems of the twenty-first century. "

I never realized that metadata existed. I knew that information management was vital in protecting and improving information accessibility and performance for the future, but I never realized there was this sort of superstructure in charge of maintaining the data and its context. I do think that metadata (now that I know it exists) will make a big difference in how we provide digital information objects to our patrons.

Wikipedia's Database Article

This article covers the basics of databases.
database: structured collection of records or data that is stored in a computer system. Databases are created/run through software.
The article also covers several types of database models, including:
relational model
hierarchical model
network model.

I felt as though this article was very informative--although I've utilized databases, I've never really considered how they are created or maintained.

links to comments on Week 3 Readings

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2401688410692832555&postID=3655281253186159462

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6958200230416907745&postID=4945616249182311821&page=1

Update on the Windows Road Map

This article covered an email sent by Bill Veghte concerning the Windows Vista release.
He wanted to let customers know that XP will be supported until 2014, that it will still be available (through businesses and downgrade options), and that Vista has introduced many great new changes. He also mentioned that Vista is offering updates that allow games to run effectively. Veghte also mentioned the new version of Vista, Windows 7, which is currently in progress.

An interesting formula commented on at the end of the page was
is cost > value, or is value > cost? The commenter stated that for the most part, the cost > value will keep people from upgrading to Vista. I definitely agree with this--my experiences with Vista have been, for the most part, nothing more than mediocre. XP has been much better suited to my needs and takes up a lot less space. I do have a new pc right now running on Vista, however, and it seems to be doing pretty well, so we'll see...

Wikipedia's Mac OS X article

The article was a sort of bare bones version of the one Singh presented, but what was most useful about it was the timeline. The visual timeline and then the list of various release dates gave me the visual needed to understand the changes Mac OS X has undergone over the past 10 years.

What Is Mac OS X?

I must admit, I was definitely a "Mac sucks, except for creative software" person, just as the author mentioned at the outset. The way the author describes Mac OS X--everything from booting it to the layers upon layers, all the way to the top software layers--made it much easier to understand, especially for someone who has never been exposed to extensive programming.
The step by step process of booting Mac OS X was particularly helpful. Going through the process, from turning the machine on and noting where the user becomes involved in the process, has helped me visualize the way the process works.

Other points:
Mac OS X boots up with open firmware installed in ROM
Mac OS X supports MS DOS
excellent at supporting Firewire devices
iphoto/itunes
Available software:
open office
all kinds of graphics/publishing software
im programs
email programs
media players
info management programs
all sorts of web browsers
--author notes that he's heard that Macs are worse than pcs for gaming
Why Mac OS X?
Windows can make you feel claustraphobic/limited
Linux--excellent system but may have TOO MANY options for some users
similar to *nix programs--you get the same feel but it's easier to use

Singh didn't completely win me over to the side of the Mac OS X, but that wasn't his goal, anyway. I think he was just trying to open our eyes to the various operating options computer users have, and to really look until we see what will work best for our needs.

Intro to Linux

I thought this article was great because I have never really been exposed to Linux, even though I know people who use it on a regular basis. What I found to be most interesting is that Linux is becoming more and more user friendly and is beginning to emulate Windows based programs to make it easier for people who don't have a programming background (such as myself) to use it. I have been considering installing it on my laptop, so reading this article has given me enough confidence that this could be a good option for me.

muddiest point

I am still confused about the use of a "system clock." What happens if a system clock stops ticking at the regular intervals (that I'm assuming are required) for adequate and successful processing of information? Does a system clock that ticks faster create a more effective processing speed?

my Comments from week 1

I'm not sure where I'm supposed to post these, so I guess I will post them everywhere. :0)

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5418895447708724556&postID=4680827847227097250

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=1306183455487090817&postID=4323509044503807600&page=1

Computer History Museum

Wow! I had no idea there was a computer history museum...
A quote on the web site: "Like no industry before, technology thrives on a torrent of revolutionary thinking. The incredible improvements in human living and changes in social thought are born from groundbreaking ideas." This really epitomizes the capabilities of technology to influence our lives in a positive way. This really goes hand-in-hand with Kuhn's book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Technology has the ability to affect so many other sciences. As technology advances, our ability to understand every other aspect of science as well.
A museum covering the history of technology really contributes to our appreciation of what it has done for us as a society and what it can, and hopefully will do, in the future.

Moore's Law

Moore's law: the # of transistors that can be placed on an integrated circuit is increasing exponentially.
--More transistors can be placed on a chip, but as the # of them on the chip increases, the chance of defects ALSO increases.
--rate of increase in hard drive is similar to that of transistors
--this trend is expected to continue for the next few years (as of 2001)
--Moore stated that this law cannot be sustained indefinitely
--Wirth's law: "Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster".
--exponential processor transistor growth does NOT equal exponential processing speed growth

I definitely agree with Moore's statement that this kind of growth cannot continue forever. The article mentioned that with this kind of growth, the size of transistors will approach that of atoms. There's only so far we can go at that point. Depending on how fast we get there, in my opinion, will affect how long this pattern occurs.

wikipedia--computer hardware

This was a good review of basic hardware information. I had no idea that firmware existed! Does anyone know of any examples of firmware? I was also unaware of the fact that personal computers are such a small portion of the market-- .2 % (as of 2003).

Muddiest Point

Here's the muddiest point I found in the lecture for week 1:

It was mentioned that many people are against IT because it seems to affect whether or not people utilize the resources in the library. I'm not sure whether or not this a valid point. It seems to me that, like most other publicly offered institutions, IT is becoming increasingly important. I see this more as an opportunity for libraries to step up to the challenges associated with retaining patron usage, rather than as a threat.

Lied Library @ four years: technology never stands still

This article follows the technological changes Lied Library has undergone since its opening in 2001. It covers everything from the costs of printing (and how these costs will have to be increased to support new printers) to switching out older computers for updated ones and the complicated processes and extensive costs associated with keeping up to date technologically.

The two major user groups for this facility are faculty/students and community users. What I found interesting is that although there are far less community users associated with Lied Library, they make up 17% of the computer usage time.

Space management is a challenge, including how to utilize the space and how to manage it to create an environment suitable for computers, students, etc.
One major problem at Lied Library was that the air conditioning was inadequate.

Another challenge is security. Cameras, and a central security management system were installed to assist with this.
Beyond physical security is network security--avoiding viruses/spyware, etc. All patron information is erased once logged off the computers to assist with this (deepfreeze software), firewall installed.

Despite best efforts, some small problems have occurred, including hardware failures and software glitches.

Future challenges:
--as # of students increases, offering equal access to electronic resources will become increasingly difficult.
--remote access will need to be convenient, safe, and easy for students/faculty
--normal maintenance, upgrading will have to occur
--biggest change will be in library leadership.

This article was a great example of the future of libraries. How do we adapt to the ever changing needs of our patrons? I think this is relevant for both public and university libraries. The large amount of growth of students and information technology literate patrons will require that we step up to challenge of providing electronic access to as large a patron base as possible, in several formats. The Lied Library is just one of many libraries that are learning to adapt to these changes and planning for the future needs of its patrons.

Information Library and Information Technology Literacy: New Components in the Curriculum for a Digital Culture

This paper is a "response to the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board of the National Research Council" (introduction). The author addresses the issue from a generalist perspective, as someone who has had a wide range of experience in several roles related to the issue.

Information Literacy and Information Technology Literacy:
--To Lynch, information technology literacy is an infrastructure that affects much of our lives, including: legal, social, economic and public policy issues. Technology provides tools that allow us to interact with the infrastructure.
--Information literacy encompasses content/communication, research, authoring, analysis, evaluation, etc. Content=several forms and purposes, exs: text, visuals, computer simulation, multimedia work, used for exs: news, art, entertainment, education/research, ads, commerce, politics, etc.
--Both are essential, interrelated, should be taught closely to one another
--Information technology shapes the way we create and use information; thus information technology literacy and information literacy can be codependent.
Information Technology Literacy:
--2 perspectives:
1) focuses on skills in the use of tools (software, computers, internet browsers, email)
2) focuses on understanding how technologies, systems, and infrastructure work, both superficially and at a deeper level.
--skill-oriented training is only good for short term (these date very quickly and can be useless later on)
--objectives should include fluency w/ tools, design principles, and learning/using software (including trouble shooting, solfing problems, programming)
Ex: Simulation tools: important to understand how to construct, analyze, AND use them
--How does the technological world work? Understanding this is key.
--Not just pcs
--needs to consider technology infrastructures that impact us daily, such as telecomm, broadcasting, publishing, and so on.
--Many learn specializations but not the broad components related to technology (skill-oriented rather than understanding the broader perspective AND the task related skills)
--Lynch asks: "Why is it valuable?" He then states that this knowledge is going to become more and more important (I totally agree with him here...everything we do is becoming more reliant on technology.) Not being able to understand the greater principles that support information technology literacy will limit "one's ability to function intelligently in society."
Information Literacy:
--Authoring and critical/analytical reading need to include the "full range of visual and multimedia communication genres." examples: interactive media, fluidity of digital forms, editing ability/fabrication ability of "facts."
--Computer based searching--important to not only understand how it works but to know searching techniques and how information itself is accessed electronically.
--Need to form a conceptual map of information space and where to look for specific information.
--Ownership/use of intellectual property is an issue in information policy and how we manage all this information

My thoughts: What was fascinating about this article was that Lynch drew attention to the fact that information technology really has permeated every aspect of our society. Although I was aware of this fact, it is a fact that is easy to ignore. Unfortunately, I feel as though he acknowledged this idea, he didn't go into enough detail. Though it was from a generalist perspective, I think that addressing more in depth the relationship between information technology literacy and information literacy would have been beneficial to me. The dynamics between the two and how we are going to educate the public (kids, students, etc) is something that needs to be considered.

Five Year Information Format Trends

Intro:
Market Trends:
librarians faced with tons of content and several formats.
new information dissemination technologies
new technologies are shaping the way we access info
tighter budgets, smaller workforces--how to deal?
government/university budgeting

Popular Materials:
--Print on demand seen as the future of popular materials, as worldwide book sales go down (I found this surprising!)
--Ebooks are performing as expected/fell short of 2001 expectations. (This is definitely something I expected. Ebooks are tiring to read--looking at a computer screen is much harsher than reading a book, and there's something about the familiarity of a book that I prefer.)
--More journals are becoming available online; decline in newspapers.
--A/V expected to increase over the next few years/videos doing well, a/v circulation increasing. (In the year I've worked in a library, I have seen the amount of a/v material circulation increase, so I expect that this will continue as we become more reliant on technology to provide us with information.)

Scholarly Materials
--Looked @ books, scholarly journals, articles, eprint archives, theses, etc.
Books:
--Similar trends as for other formats
--Book Spending down
--University Press spending down
--ex: Stanford cutting workforce and # of books published. (Although I expected this to be the case, it's still slightly surprising, especially since Stanford generally publishes well regarded, high quality materials.)
Journals:
--Primary titles moving to an online status
--Researchers prefer electronic format. (I love searching for journals electronically. I think it's very convenient and a definite time saver, so I can understand why this is such a popular trend.)
Scholarly Articles:
--Idea of an "issue" is going out of date
--Move from traditional formats to eprint archives, etc.
Eprint archives:
--expanding! 135 per workday (estimated)
--Open access contributing to the popularity of this format (imo)
Theses and Dissertations
--Shift to electronic formats, # of paper theses/dissertations decreasing moderately.
--digital is increasing.
Electronic Course Management Materials
--Econtent increasing, expected to double by 2007. (does anyone know if it HAS actually doubled, being it's 2008 and all??)
--I am pretty sure at least 50% of college courses are available via course management systems at this point.

Digitization Projects:
--Many agencies are providing the $$ (yeehaw!) to assist with these projects.
Commercial:
Gale Group and ProQuest
National:
gov't funded, ex: Gallica 2000 and the British Library
State/Local:
Colorado Digitization Project/Everett Public Library Everett Massacre Project (go WA!)

Web Resources:
--Library usage down
--Internet= #1 choice, most internet users believe they will find reliable info online
Surface Web:
--readily available web sites/accessible through open search engines
--web site growth slowing (I didn't expect this to be the case at all! I expected it just to keep growing, and growing, and growing...but I guess it has to plateau at some point.)
--Mary Ellen Bates says "The question is whether their online searching skills are linmited to finding MP3 files and pictures of Britney Spears..." I think this quote underestimates the ability of students to utilize the internet.
Deep Web:
--not accessible through open search engines
--includes: library catalogues, other databases, non-textual web pages (interesting!), and document repositories and ejournals

Summary:

Info format is changing and expanding.
--Popular/Scholarly papers aren't just paper only now; they include paper, POD, and electronic versions
--POD "bears watching" (this still doesn't seem like it's growing all that much to me.)
--websites slowing down, # of stuff on them expected to grow exponentially.
--Digitization as the most significant new format by 2007.