Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby
Whoohoo, late to the party! I like Python because I learned it first, and I haven't had a need to explore Ruby yet. I did briefly foray into learning Ruby in order to try to learn Rails, and I actually found that my background in Python sort of gave me brain-jam for learning Ruby, because the languages were so close together, but just different in some ways. So my mind would be 'oh, so it's just insert Python idiom here but then, it's not. If I tackle Ruby again, I will definitely try to 'empty my cup' first. -K On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 8:55 AM, Marc Chantreux m...@unistra.fr wrote: hello, Sorry comming late with it but: On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 10:43:33AM -0500, Joshua Welker wrote: Not intending to start a language flame war/holy war here, but in the library coding community, is there a particular reason to use Ruby over Python or vice-versa? Is it the only choices you have? Because I'd personnally advice none of them I tested both of them before stucking to Perl just because * it is very pleasant when it come to explore and modify datastructures and strings (which library things are). * the ecosystem is briliant: perl comes with lot of libraries and tools with a quality i haven't found in other languages. Of course, perl is not perfect and i really would like to use a modern emerging compiled language like go, rust, haskell or even something on the jvm (like clojure or the emerging perl6) but all of them miss libraries. HTH regards -- Marc Chantreux Université de Strasbourg, Direction Informatique 14 Rue René Descartes, 67084 STRASBOURG CEDEX ☎: 03.68.85.57.40 http://unistra.fr Don't believe everything you read on the Internet -- Abraham Lincoln -- http://www.blar.net/kurt/blog/
Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby
I'm not sure about boutique, but I bet I can define brotique for you. ;) On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 11:14 AM, Ross Singer rossfsin...@gmail.com wrote: What would you consider a boutique language? What isn't? -Ross. On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 10:21 AM, Rich Wenger rwen...@mit.edu wrote: The proliferation of boutique languages is a cancer on our community. Each one is a YAP (Yet Another Priesthood), and little else. The world does not need five slightly varying syntaxes for a substring function. If I had switched languages every time the web community recommended it, I would have rewritten a mountain of apps at least twice in the past five years. What's next, a separate language to put periods at the end of sentences? Just my $.02. That is all. Rich Wenger E-Resource Systems Manager, MIT Libraries rwen...@mit.edu 617-253-0035 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Joshua Welker Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 9:56 AM To: CODE4LIB@listserv.nd.edu Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby I am already a big user of PHP for web apps, but PHP does not make a fantastic scripting language in my experience. Josh Welker Information Technology Librarian James C. Kirkpatrick Library University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO 64093 JCKL 2260 660.543.8022 -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Riley Childs Sent: Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:18 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby No mention of PHP? Sent from my iPhone On Jul 30, 2013, at 9:14 AM, Kurt Nordstrom doseofvitam...@gmail.com wrote: Whoohoo, late to the party! I like Python because I learned it first, and I haven't had a need to explore Ruby yet. I did briefly foray into learning Ruby in order to try to learn Rails, and I actually found that my background in Python sort of gave me brain-jam for learning Ruby, because the languages were so close together, but just different in some ways. So my mind would be 'oh, so it's just insert Python idiom here but then, it's not. If I tackle Ruby again, I will definitely try to 'empty my cup' first. -K On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 8:55 AM, Marc Chantreux m...@unistra.fr wrote: hello, Sorry comming late with it but: On Mon, Jul 29, 2013 at 10:43:33AM -0500, Joshua Welker wrote: Not intending to start a language flame war/holy war here, but in the library coding community, is there a particular reason to use Ruby over Python or vice-versa? Is it the only choices you have? Because I'd personnally advice none of them I tested both of them before stucking to Perl just because * it is very pleasant when it come to explore and modify datastructures and strings (which library things are). * the ecosystem is briliant: perl comes with lot of libraries and tools with a quality i haven't found in other languages. Of course, perl is not perfect and i really would like to use a modern emerging compiled language like go, rust, haskell or even something on the jvm (like clojure or the emerging perl6) but all of them miss libraries. HTH regards -- Marc Chantreux Université de Strasbourg, Direction Informatique 14 Rue René Descartes, 67084 STRASBOURG CEDEX ☎: 03.68.85.57.40 http://unistra.fr Don't believe everything you read on the Internet -- Abraham Lincoln -- http://www.blar.net/kurt/blog/ -- http://www.blar.net/kurt/blog/
Re: [CODE4LIB] Python and Ruby
Well, this is probably some obvious bait, but I will take it. :) *writing python code is very boring when you come from featured. langages like ruby or perl. nothing can be expressed a simple way* I'd call this an intentional feature, as opposed to a detriment. The idea behind Python is you should never have to stare at a line of code for a long time and wonder just what the programmer was trying to do. Cleverness can kill. On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 12:24 PM, Marc Chantreux m...@unistra.fr wrote: On Tue, Jul 30, 2013 at 10:25:14AM -0500, Matthew Sherman wrote: Ok folks, we have veered into nonconstructive territory. How about we come back to the original question and help this person figure out what they need to about Ruby and Python so they can do well with what they want to work on. comparing languages on objective criterias (especially when they are as close as ruby and python) isn't constructive. but ok, let's try * both claim to be very easy to learn (ruby by having a very nice syntax, python by limitating the features from the syntax) * writing python code is very boring when you come from featured. langages like ruby or perl. nothing can be expressed a simple way. * ruby is slow ... i mean: even for a dynamic language. * both langages have libs for libraries for libraries but lack something as robust and usefull as CPAN (and related tools) * python has an equivalent of the perl PDL (scipy) * python has Natural Language Toolkit (equivalent in other langages ?) your basic goal | your langage - write/maintain faster | perl reuse existing faster | python learn faster | ruby executefaster | you're probably screwed. experiment lua, go, haskell, rust regards -- Marc Chantreux Université de Strasbourg, Direction Informatique 14 Rue René Descartes, 67084 STRASBOURG CEDEX ☎: 03.68.85.57.40 http://unistra.fr Don't believe everything you read on the Internet -- Abraham Lincoln -- http://www.blar.net/kurt/blog/
Re: [CODE4LIB] Question abt the code4libwomen idea
Robin ++. MJ - I can't barely respond to you. This is rather upsetting because the very group of people that want and need and are willing to gather to create such an initiative are being told no. I don't think a group that offers support and learning focused toward a marginalized membership base is discrimination. There are many women in tech groups and they exist for a reason and work well. People can't learn if they don't feel comfortable and safe. If people wonder why women feel intimidated and not part of things- it's this attitude right here. How sad. On 12/13/12 2:09 PM, Robin Schaaf robin.schaa...@nd.edu wrote: MJ, when you put everything under Equality, it dilutes each individual purpose. I find this type of response aggravating, actually (and enough that I'm actually sending an email (which I never do) about this!) Women have different issues than other groups - even stuff like when you have a kid and take a year off, how do you keep up on your mad programming skillz? Or program with pregnancy-brain? We often have different ways to look at things - obviously not less, but different. But in a predominantly male field it's easy to get lost or feel like an outsider (or heck, to be assumed in marketing!) If you want to be inclusive, you need to have a supportive environment. It's probably hard for anyone to imagine themselves a part of community when being outnumbered 20 to 1, especially with responses that dismiss something that multiple women are interested in. -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of MJ Ray Sent: Wednesday, December 12, 2012 7:26 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Question abt the code4libwomen idea On Mon, Dec 10, 2012 at 6:38 PM, Bess Sadler bess.sad...@gmail.com wrote: There have been some contradictory statements made about #libtechwomen because it was an emerging idea, and like code4lib, there is no formal power structure or authority. There is no requirement that one be female to participate, [...] That is good to know and a big improvement. The suggestion has been made that the name libtechwomen might not be welcoming to someone who wants to participate but does not identify as a woman. We have already discussed changing it and welcome suggestions. I suggest libtechEquality - any progress with other suggestions? Cary Gordon listu...@chillco.com Are there folks out there who think that you can only be in one IRC room at a time? If I want to be in the #190cmtall room, nobody in #code4lib would know, nor would it be any of their business. Are there people here who really feel threatened by this? That's not really a similar thing, but might indicate other problems. Would we not be troubled by code4libanything, just because it could be kept hidden and you could use code4lib anyway? Regards, -- MJ Ray Setchey, Norfolk, England
Re: [CODE4LIB] #libtechwomen (was Re: Question abt the code4libwomen idea)
Great idea- thank you Lisa, Becky, Bohyun, and others for working to create a tech group for women. Long overdue. Count me in! -Lisa Kurt On Dec 7, 2012, at 11:07 AM, Lisa Rabey lra...@grcc.edu wrote: Good afternoon, Myself, Becky Yoose, and feelers out to a couple other people, are currently in the very early stages of thinking we should do something (tm) that is outside of Code4Lib. The idea is a group (for a lack of a better word) that is independent / inclusive that won't be segregated from the rest of library land. This should be encompassing for anyone who identifies themselves as female, and works in technology and in libraries. We're thinking: *Activism *Visibility *Mentorships *Inclusive *Independent of any existing organization, but should work with those organizations (ALA, LITA, ASIST, EDUCause, etc) (And that's what we came up with this morning.) If you're interested, please feel free to join us on #libtechwomen on IRC or email me privately or find me on twitter as @pnkrcklibrarian. Best, Lisa -- Lisa M. Rabey, MA, MLIS Systems Web Librarian Grand Rapids Community College p: 616.234.3786 | e: lra...@grcc.edu http://grcc.edu/library | http://grcc.edu/library/socialmedia
[CODE4LIB] ACRL 2013 Conference Call for Proposals
This may be of interest... Are you using new and emerging technologies in innovative ways to help your students and faculty? Adapting existing technologies to reach user needs? Here is an opportunity to share your innovations with your colleagues, library administrators, and others at ACRL 2013 in Indianapolis. The Cyber Zed Shed Committee is looking for proposals that document technology-related innovations in every area of the library. Cyber Zed Shed presentations provide an opportunity to share ideas that can inspire your colleagues to incorporate a new technology in their library or find a new application for an existing technology to address new and old problems in various library environments: • teaching in a classroom • providing answers to questions from patrons • acquiring, cataloging, processing or preserving materials • providing other library services Cyber Zed Shed presentations are 20 minutes, with 15 minutes to present a demonstration, and five additional minutes for audience questions. Presentations should document technology-related innovations in academic and research libraries. A computer, data projector, screen, microphone, and stage will be provided. You will be responsible for bringing all other equipment required for your demonstration, except as agreed to in advance. We invite you to submit your most innovative proposals. Submissions are due by November 9, 2013 and may be submitted via the online form available in the Call for Participationhttp://conference.acrl.org/program-pages-166.php. Questions should be directed to Margot Conahan at mcona...@ala.orgmailto:mcona...@ala.org or call (312) 280-2522tel:%28312%29%20280-2522. 2013 ACRL CyberZed Shed Committee: Lynn Sutton, Wake Forest University, (Co-Chair) Arlene Salazar, Texas State University, (Co-Chair) Meg Atwater-Singer, University of Evansville Roy Degler, Oklahoma State University Courtney Hoffner, UCLA Sue McFadden, Indiana University East Kathy Ray, University of Nevada Reno Jacqueline Sipes, George Mason University Danielle Skaggs, Danielle, CSU Northridge Tedford, Rosalind, Wake Forest University Rhianna Williams, Michigan Technological University Thank you. --- Arlene V. Salazar Instruction Reference Librarian Albert B. Alkek Library Texas State University - San Marcos Ph: 512.245.3844tel:512.245.3844 Instant Message - http://libguides.txstate.edu/profile/arleneattachment: image001.jpg
Re: [CODE4LIB] Maker Spaces and Academic Libraries
in a casual way. Our staff may not be 3D experts but we are a learning organization and everyone jumps in when help is needed- we do our best and work through the problems- then share with each other when we learn something new. Most seem to learn best by doing and we do a lot. :) --Lisa Lisa Kurt Engineering + Emerging Technologies Librarian DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library University of Nevada, Reno phone: 775.682.5706 On 8/27/12 10:48 AM, Nate Hill nathanielh...@gmail.com wrote: Joe, and really everyone, I think this is all a question of scope, scale and community needs/demands. I absolutely think creative/generative/participatory spaces belong in public libraries. I firmly believe that the public library of the future is as much about access to tools as it about access to media, especially as we read about the creative economy and watch art, music, and shop programs get dropped in public schools. That said, I have no intention of bringing welders into the library for the liability reasons you cite. I seek to partner with other community organizations that can provide these services this is why I was asking if academic libraries might have similar partnerships with academic departments. And that said, There are many, many 'maker' activities public libraries already support and more we can expand to support. (think craft time in the kids room) Whether it is soldering, graphic design software, or making sock puppets, the public library is as much about these informal learning experiences as it is about access to Grisham, Shakespeare and JK Rowling. On Mon, Aug 27, 2012 at 1:03 PM, Joe Hourcle onei...@grace.nascom.nasa.govwrote: On Aug 27, 2012, at 9:44 AM, BWS Johnson wrote: Salvete! Can't. Resist. Bait. Batman. Can anyone on the list help clarify for me why, in an academic setting, this kind of equipment and facility isn't part of a laboratory in an academic department? I'd say that I hate to play devil's advocate, but that would be a patent misrepresentation of material fact. Conversely, could you please tell us why you think it *shouldn't* be at the Library? I can think of one reason they shouldn't be *anywhere*: liability. When I was working on my undergrad, in civil engineering, the university's science and engineering school had their own machine shop. Officially, you were only supposed to use it if you were a grad student, or supervised by a grad student. Yet, there were a number of us (the undergrad population) who had more experience than the grad students. (I had done a couple years of shop class during high school, one of the other students had learned from his father who worked in the trade, another was going back to school after having been a professional machinist for years, etc.). So well, I know at least two of us would go down and use the shop without supervision. (and in a few cases, all alone, which is another violation when you're working at 1am and there's no one to call for medical assistance should something go really, really wrong). And in some cases, we'd teach the grad students who were doing stuff wrong (trying to take off too much material in a pass, using the incorrect tools, etc. But I made just as many mistakes. (when you're in a true machine shop, and there's two different blades for the bandsaw with different TPI, it's not that one's for metal and one's for wood ... as they don't do wood cutting there ... but I must've broken and re-welded the blade a half dozen times and gone through a quart of cutting fluid to make only a few cuts, as I didn't realize that I should've been using the lower TPI blade for cutting aluminum) I admit I don't know enough about these 'maker spaces' ... I assume there'd have to be some training / certification before using the equipment. The other option would be to treat it more like a print shop, where someone drops off their item to be printed, and then comes back to pick it up after the job's been run. And it's possible that you're using less dangerous equipment. (eg, when in high school, my senior year we got a new principal who required that all teachers wear ties ... including the shop teachers. Have you ever seen what happens when a tie gets caught in a lathe or a printing press? He's lucky the teachers were experienced, as a simple mistake could've killed them) But even something as simple as a polishing/grinding wheel could be a hazard to both the person using it and anyone around them. (I remember one of my high school shop teachers not happy that I was so aggressive when grinding down some steel, as I was spraying sparks near his desk ... which could've started a fire) ... so the whole issue of making sure that no one gets injured / killed / damages others is one of the liability issues, but I also remember when I worked for the university computer lab, we had a scanner that you
Re: [CODE4LIB] Maker Spaces and Academic Libraries
Hi Edward, Throughout the past year we have been working toward transforming the DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library into a library makerspace at the University of Nevada, Reno. It started with the purchase of a button maker and holding mini maker breaks and has grown with bigger events, workshops, the purchase or repurpose of numerous tools and equipment. We've also made changes to the space to create the kind of environment where our community wants to create. Though we are in name a science and engineering library- we work across many departments and colleges with several faculty and students to bring together computer scientists, designers, engineers, artists, and others to promote a really creative, exploratory learning space. Today, in the DeLaMare Library we have 2 3D printers, a 3D scanner, 2 button makers, about a dozen arduino kits, soldering kits, AR Drones, and more. We've converted a lot of the space that once held books to make room for collaborative space and entire walls painted in whiteboard paint. We've held a lockpicking workshop in partnership with Reno's local makerspace, Bridgewire: http://www.renobridgewire.org/, here in the library where over 80 people attended. We worked with them to offer a student membership as well. Bill Nye is coming to our campus and we're heavily involved in the science fair planned for that day, showcasing all of the great resources we have available and student projects done in the library. We collaborate regularly with both Bridgewire and the local co-working space, The Reno Collective: http://renocollective.com/. We also have been involved with Reno's WordPress group and have hosted WordCamp the past couple of years. We wrote up a post talking more specifically about the 3D printer and the setup here: http://acrl.ala.org/techconnect/?p=1403 You can also see some of the photos of stuff we've done here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/dstl_unr We're working on collaborating more with various departments and showcasing all kinds of things here: http://www.kclabs.org There is a lot to say about what we've been busy doing but I hope this glimpse helps- let me know if you have questions or need more information- thanks! Lisa Lisa Kurt Engineering and Emerging Technologies Librarian DeLaMare Science and Engineering Library University of Nevada, Reno phone: 775.682.5706 On 8/24/12 5:03 AM, Edward Iglesias edwardigles...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks Jason! Ab Fab indeed! Edward Iglesias On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 2:10 PM, Jason Griffey grif...@gmail.com wrote: In my last Library tech report, I included a chapter on 3D printing (chapter 4, please excuse the title, I had to) that spoke a bit to why libraries needed to be in the space, which certainly overlaps with the Makerspace convo: http://alatechsource.metapress.com/content/rpl5883j3620/?p=5b1da8d73bec46 918808d4fb69a73abepi=2 Full text is available there...the whole work is CC licensed, so feel free to grab a copy. :-) Jason On Thu, Aug 23, 2012 at 1:55 PM, David Brightbill dbrightb...@cclaflorida.org wrote: I'm leading the effort to build a makerspace in my local community and have some thoughts around the role of established institutions (libraries, EDC's, government, etc.) in making this happen. I'd be happy to have a telephone or G+ chat with you about this if you wish. Cheers, Dave Brightbill Manager of Research and Development Florida Virtual Campus -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Edward Iglesias Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2012 12:11 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Maker Spaces and Academic Libraries Hello All, A colleague and I are going to be presenting at code4lib NE on the subject of makerspaces in academic libraries. Are any of you doing this? If so I would love to pick your brains a little. Edward Iglesias
[CODE4LIB] Millions of Harvard Library Catalog Records Publicly Available
Apologies if this is old news, but I was very excited to see Harvard making all this data public: http://isites.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k77982pageid=icb.page498373 Tons of cool data analysis / machine learning work to be done here! Warm up your SVMs ;) --Will
Re: [CODE4LIB] Job: Web Developer Ninja at Springshare
Cary, It looks like this is a telecommuting job- location would be anywhere: * Working from home (yes, you heard it right, though slackers need not apply - see the point above about needing to be a self-starter and self-motivator) On 3/21/12 6:49 AM, Cary Gordon listu...@chillco.com wrote: It would be great if job listings could include location, particularly where the work is to be performed onsite. Thanks, Cary On Tue, Mar 20, 2012 at 2:02 PM, j...@code4lib.org wrote: Howdy, code4lib-ers! Springshare ([http://springshare.com](http://springshare.com)) is looking for web developers with mad skills and thirst for innovation. We create web tools that libraries love, and we need your help to carry out our mission of creating awesome web software and providing even awesome-r service to our libraries. This is what we'd need from you: * LAMP skills of the ninja caliber, including: * 3+ years PHP / MySQL experience * Unix / Apache skills * Experience in scaling web infrastructure * Front-end JS programming experience (e.g. jQuery or dojo) * Bonus: worked with Nginx, Mobile tech, or Solr? Experience with any of these is a plus. Worked with all three? Where have you been all our lives?? * You need to be a self-starter and self-motivating type. We work in a typical startup fashion so you'll be wearing many hats and doing a lot of things - at once - hence having great organizational and multitasking skills is essential In a typical week, you'll: * Create front- and back-end interfaces for new or existing products, letting your creative juices run free * Work with our partners (other library-centric companies) to integrate their tools with Springshare and vice versa * Dream up new ideas that will rock the library (software) world * Every one us (including our CEO himself) also helps with support and making sure our customers' needs are taken care of, so you'll be talking with our customers regularly, troubleshooting bug fixes and such We offer: * Great pay and benefits (health, dental, 401K, etc.) * Very flexible vacations/time off policy * Working from home (yes, you heard it right, though slackers need not apply - see the point above about needing to be a self-starter and self-motivator) * A very supportive, library-centric environment (half of our team is librarians). If this sounds like your dream gig, please send your resume to sa...@springshare.com and let us know what makes you awesome. Brought to you by code4lib jobs: http://jobs.code4lib.org/job/864/ -- Cary Gordon The Cherry Hill Company http://chillco.com
Re: [CODE4LIB] Metadata
I got such dirty looks when I used the term metametadata to describe something. ;) -Kurt On 02/13/2012 02:39 PM, Becky Yoose wrote: Could this conversation be described as metametadata? *runs, hides* Thanks, Becky
Re: [CODE4LIB] Obvious answer to registration limitations
I suggested that all registration for C4L should go through zoia. If you don't know who zoia is, maybe you should learn more about the C4L community before queuing for a conference spot. ;) -Kurt From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] on behalf of Fleming, Declan [dflem...@ucsd.edu] Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 11:34 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Obvious answer to registration limitations Hiya - ya know what the cheapest, most inclusive part of code4lib is? The IRC channel. I know it's old school, and one more thing to learn, but drop in and toss an idea around. I've found it very rewarding. D
Re: [CODE4LIB] Web archiving and WARC
Hi Edward, We're currently using the warc-tools library for WARC creation. It's written in Python, but there are a few pre-built utilities that come with the package that might suit your needs? http://code.hanzoarchives.com/warc-tools -Kurt From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] on behalf of Edward M. Corrado [ecorr...@ecorrado.us] Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 5:30 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Web archiving and WARC Hello All, I need to harvest a few Web sites in order to preserve them. I'd really like to preserve them using the WARC file format [1] since it is a standard for digital preservation. I looked at I looked at Web Curator Tool (WCT) and Heritrix and they seem to be good at what they do but are built to work on a much larger scale then what I'd like to do -- and that comes with a cost of increased complexity. Tools like wget are simple to use and can easily be scripted to accomplish my limited task, except the standard wget and similar tools I am familiar with do not support WARC. Also, I haven't been able to find a tool that can convert zipped files created with wget to WARC. I did find a version of wget with warc support built in [1] from the Archive Team so that may be my solution, but compile software with dirty written into the name of the zip file is maybe not the best longterm solution. Does anyone know of any other simples tool to create a WARC file (either from harvesting or converting a wget or similar mirror/archive)? Edward [1] http://archiveteam.org/index.php?title=Wget_with_WARC_output
Re: [CODE4LIB] C4L2012 Hackfest
That would be great- I'm interested! _ Lisa Kurt Emerging Technologies Librarian Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center/0322 University of Nevada, Reno phone: 775.682.5706 email: lk...@unr.edu From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Fowler, Jason [jason.fow...@ubc.ca] Sent: Monday, November 07, 2011 12:43 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] C4L2012 Hackfest Anyone interested in having a hackfest on the pre-conference day? Something like last year's CURATEcamp or the Access hackfests? There's a proposal on the wiki: http://wiki.code4lib.org/index.php/2012_preconference_proposals And a link to topics from there. Hopefully a coffee house will sponsor the event. .. Jason
Re: [CODE4LIB] Examples of Web Service APIs in Academic Public Libraries
Hey Jason! I always think that Brown's FreeCite api is under utilized. http://freecite.library.brown.edu/ It's far from perfect, but I'm sure more use could be made of it. A few months back I threw together a copy/paste citation look-up with it: CiteBox http://willkurt.github.com/CiteBox/ Of course I don't think anyone is really making use of it, but I've also done nothing to really promote it either ;) Good luck with the book! --Will On Sat, Oct 8, 2011 at 10:33 AM, Michel, Jason Paul miche...@muohio.edu wrote: Hello all, I'm a lurker on this listserv and am interested in gaining some insight into your experiences of utilizing web service APIs in either an academic library or public library setting. I'm writing a book for ALA Editions on the use of Web Service APIs in libraries. Each chapter covers a specific API by delineating the technicalities of the API, discussing potential uses of the API in library settings, and step-by-step tutorials. I'm already including examples of how my library (Miami University in Oxford, Ohio) are utilizing these APIs but would like to give the reader more examples from a variety of settings. APIs covered in the book: Flickr, Vimeo, Google Charts, Twitter, Open Library, LibraryThing, Goodreads, OCLC. So, what are you folks doing with APIs? Thanks for any insight! Kind regards, Jason -- Jason Paul Michel User Experience Librarian Miami University Libraries Oxford, Ohio 45044 twitter:jpmichel
Re: [CODE4LIB] Life and Literature Code Challenge
Hahahaha, for life, even! From: Code for Libraries [CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] on behalf of Suzanne Pilsk [suzanne.pi...@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2011 11:31 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Life and Literature Code Challenge Free Admission to Smithsonian Institution Museums! :-) On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 12:24 PM, John Mignault j...@mignault.net wrote: Egoboo. No, there is not a prize per se. :) --j On Thu, Sep 1, 2011 at 8:39 AM, Eric Lease Morgan emor...@nd.edu wrote: On Aug 31, 2011, at 3:38 PM, John Mignault wrote: The Biodiversity Heritage Library is sponsoring a Code Challenge as part of the Life and Literature conference being held in Chicago November 14-15... More details are available on our website at http://www.lifeandliterature.org/p/code-challenge.html Interesting, and I see a growing number of these sorts of challenges. Fun! Is there a prize? -- Eric Lease Morgan University of Notre Dame -- John Mignault Systems Librarian The LuEsther T Mertz Library The New York Botanical Garden
[CODE4LIB] Any Experiences with In-House Training and Development?
Hey folks, had a topic come up here that seemed relevant to the tenor of this group. Would be interested in hearing if anybody else has approached the same situation, and how they went about it. Technology, especially in regards to software development, is a pretty constantly moving target, and there are always new methodologies, tools, practices and models that need to be evaluated and possibly adopted. Or, put another way, developers need to be learning constantly if they're going to stay relevant. Unfortunately, in today's economic climate, the prospect of being able to ship your developer team across the country to attend week-long seminars or conferences or what-have-you is not quite as realistic as it once might have been, especially in the academic and library world. The obvious solution would seem to be implementing some sort of in-house skills training program to keep developers sharp. Possibly something like a mutual book study with followup reports or presentations, or maybe bringing in an outside presenter. I wonder if any of the groups here have implemented anything along these lines, and how have they gone about it? Things that we'd be interesting in knowing, if you've done any sort of in-house training program would be: - Topics: What sort of things did you cover? New languages? New technologies? Programming practices? - Method: What did you use? Books? On-line courses? Videos? Hired speakers? - Budget: Did you have one? What were the costs involved? - Time: How much time did you allocate to training? Were you able to provide study time for those involved in the training? - Evaluation methods: How did you evaluate the effectiveness of the training? Did those involved give reports? Did you do any sort of coding reviews? - Results: Was it worth it? Would you do it again? We'd love to hear from any and all of those out there who have implemented (or attempted to implement) something along these lines. Thanks! -Kurt
Re: [CODE4LIB] Let's go somewhere [was PHP vs. Python...]
This is one of my favorite passage from SICP: It is no exaggeration to regard this as the most fundamental idea in programming: The evaluator, which determines the meaning of expressions in a programming language, is just another program. To appreciate this point is to change our images of ourselves as programmers. We come to see ourselves as designers of languages, rather than only users of languages designed by others. In general I think there is too much fear of using language as just another means of abstraction. While I certainly agree that creating an entire language from scratch is a bad idea, I don't think it would be insane to create a dsl to solve a common set of problems on top of an existing runtime. I actually think this would be particularly useful in the library world since there is such a range of programming talent, a dsl that simplified some common library related tasks could certainly be useful, especially if there was full language underneath. Of course there is the problem that even DSLs are not simple to create, the number of library programmers with experience in parsers and language design is probably very, very small. But the ease of creating dsl is increasing and I think their use will get more popular over time (hopefully). From: Jonathan Rochkind rochk...@jhu.edumailto:rochk...@jhu.edu Date: November 1, 2010 11:03:13 AM PDT To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDUmailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDUmailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Let's go somewhere [was PHP vs. Python...] Reply-To: Code for Libraries CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDUmailto: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU I would be very unlikely to use someone's homegrown library specific scripting language. However, if you want to make a library for an existing popular scripting language that handles your specific domain well, I'd be quite likely to use that if I had a problem with your domain and I was comfortable with the existing popular scripting language, i'd use it for sure. Odds are your domain is not really libraries (that's not really a software problem domain), but perhaps as Patrick suggests dealing with relationships among semantic objects, and then odds are libraries are not the only people interested in this problem domain. Some people like ruby because of it's support for creating what they call domain specific languages, which I think is a silly phrase, which really just means a libraryAPI at the right level of abstraction for the tasks at hand, so you can accomplish the tasks at hand concisely and without repeated code. Patrick Etienne wrote: Peter - I was bewildered at the notion of needing yet another scripting language, let alone one as library domain-specific (that wording alone throws up red flags everywhere), but I'm not here to bash ideas. Instead I looked up your site and read the small blurb about Nova. It seems that the main objective behind your pursuit is creating a language that provides a specific data type for semantic objects (or relationships). I have to ask, what about semantic maps makes you believe that they require a specific data type rather than just being an object type? Are other scripting languages too slow to suit certain needs such that a new data type is necessitated? I really can't see this being the case. That being said, while it can be an invaluable experience to learn about making scripting languages, if there's to be any community movement toward a particular language (php, ruby, java, scheme or what have you) there has to be some very real and significant benefit. Or more directly, you seem to have specific ideas about a library domain-specific language. What do today's languages not have that you believe is so essential that you'd be willing to write a new scripting language? - Patrick E. On Sat, Oct 30, 2010 at 10:51 AM, Peter Schlumpf pschlu...@earthlink.netmailto:pschlu...@earthlink.net wrote: Bill, you hit a nail pretty squarely on the head. I believe this decades long fetish with MARC has to go. It was designed to efficiently store data on magtapes and doesn't make any sense in today's world. It's a huge millstone around the neck of Libraryland and it keeps them stuck in that tiny little ghetto. Anything can be a mind-prison, even PHP, Python or Django. They are all arbitrary anyway. And you are correct in pointing out that the natural response of librarians to a problem is to seek consensus in a self-absorbed way. Form committees and all that nonsense which never goes anywhere. They are happy enough going around in circles, like the Nowhere Man making all his nowhere plans for nobody. My hope is that some among us would just undertake these problems ourselves. Outside of the realm of the libraries and the limiting mindsets many of us work in. We've all got ideas. Fire up vi and get busy and make something happen, like a library domain-specific language. Start
Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP bashing (was: newbie)
Lisp and Gaffer's tape are superior to all: elegant, clean, powerful, and in practice used by very few -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Simon Spero Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 6:49 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP bashing (was: newbie) There is a best language, and you shall know it by its parentheses. However, since you probably aren't going to be able to use it because your co-workers aren't up to it, you have to pick a second best.
Re: [CODE4LIB] Book recommendation
I know I'm a couple of days late, but no mention of SICP? http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/ I think if I only had one programming related book I was allowed to own it would be this one. It's scheme of course, but it's definitely not tied to a specific technology or language, and if you don't already know a lisp it's definitely worth learning one on the way. It is one of those books of seemingly infinite depth where you can always pick it up and have a incredible amount to learn from it. -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Nick Ruest Sent: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 3:12 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Book recommendation If you are into the history of how it all came about, The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the revolution that made computing personal is a good read. It is a little dense at times, but well worth the read. ISBN: 014200135X -nruest On Sep 9, 2009, at 4:15 PM, Jon Gorman wrote: For those who enjoyed The Mythical Man-Month I'd also recommend Peopleware (not the software, the book ;) ). Jon On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 2:58 PM, stuart yeatesstuart.yea...@vuw.ac.nz wrote: I can't speak highly enough about The Mythical Man-Month, by Fred P. Brooks (1975). Let's just say that when they issued the 20th anniversary edition, they didn't need to update the examples in the text. cheers stuart Sharon Foster wrote: From my software engineering days, I like Steve McConnell's Code Complete and Software Project Survival Guide; The Mythical Man-Month, by Fred P. Brooks; Joel On Software by Joel Spolsky (who also has a blog); and The Elements of Programming Style, by Kernigan and Plauger. KR is directed at the C programming language, but there are enough similarities in syntax with PHP, Java, and a lot of other web developer languages that I think it's still relevant. Sharon M. Foster, JD, MLS Technology Librarian http://firstgentrekkie.blogspot.com/ On Wed, Sep 9, 2009 at 12:12 PM, Robert Foxrf...@nd.edu wrote: Since this list has librarians, hard core programmers and hybrid librarian programmers on it, this is probably a good place to ask this sort of question. I'm looking for some book recommendations. I've read a lot of technical books on how to work with specific kinds of technology, read a lot of online technical how tos and that has been good as far as it goes. But, technology changes too fast to be wed to one particular programming language, database technology, metadata standard, etc. I'm interested in finding books that speak to the issues of programming methodology, design principles, lessons learned, etc. that transcend any particular programming technology. Are there good books that distill the wisdom and experience of veteran developers and /or communicate best practices for things like design patterns, overall software architecture, learning from mistakes, the developer mindset and such things? Could you recommend perhaps the top three or four books you've read in these areas? Rob Fox Hesburgh Libraries University of Notre Dame -- Stuart Yeates http://www.nzetc.org/ New Zealand Electronic Text Centre http://researcharchive.vuw.ac.nz/ Institutional Repository Nick Ruest Digital Strategies Librarian McMaster University Mills Memorial Library 1280 Main Street West Hamilton, ON L8S 4L6 Phone: 905.525.9140 ext. 21276 Email: rue...@mcmaster.ca http://library.mcmaster.ca/contact/ruest-nicholas http://nruest.blog.lib.mcmaster.ca/ Revolution is not something fixed in ideology, nor is it something fashioned to a particular decade. It is a personal process embedded in the human spirit. - Abbie Hoffman
[CODE4LIB] MS Surface in libraries update
A few months back I posted asking if any libraries were doing any work on the Surface (still eager to hear from any that are!) and talked a little bit about what we had in mind for projects. Well I finally have something to show! I've created a youtube account that has videos that describes the work we've been doing http://www.youtube.com/KCSurfaceAtUNR 2 applications featured that we built-in house are An application for antaomy students: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXadRHV757A Conway's Game of Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKp6ljvfBmI If you have any questions feel free to ask! --Will
Re: [CODE4LIB] MS Surface in libraries
Jason (and anyone else interested), Here's a more detailed run down of our current projects: The first app we released was a very simple 'comment box' application. Which has been very insightful ;) We also quickly customized the 'concierge' app to display info about the campus (it's actually used rather frequently now). This week we released a version of Conway's Game of Life on the public machine. This actually works really well on the surface, and allows for some things that can't be easily done in online versions. We're currently working with Anatomy Physiology faculty to develop an application which allows you to place anatomical models on the surface and then brings up context sensitive images and information (lab notes etc.) for the corresponding model. We have a working prototype right now, and hope to have this useable in classes by summer session. We also have a group of 6 CS students developing games and other applications for the surface, so far the stuff I've seen has been really great. Sometime in the relatively near future we also hope to build something to make it easier to browse our media collection. And of course we have a pretty much constant stream of ideas from faculty and students, which has been great for building relationships with other departments. If anyone has any questions you always can feel free to send me a message! --Will -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Jason Griffey Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 9:59 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] MS Surface in libraries I would be interested in any ongoing development as well, even though we don't have a Surface now. We're looking at them as potentials for our new library. Jason On Mon, Feb 9, 2009 at 12:42 PM, William C Kurt wk...@unr.edu wrote: I was just curious what libraries out there were currently doing any development for the MS Surface (or even those out there that have a Surface unit but aren't doing any in-house development). Here at the University of Nevada, Reno we got 3 units back in late Dec. and have had a pretty productive time getting some development started. I know that the Darien public library has one, and I've read a little bit about what they plan to do with it. But I'm pretty sure that there are other libraries out there with the Surface, and I think it would be very useful if we at least kept in touch as to what we are working on, since currently there really are no pre-existing education related applications available for the surface. Thanks! Will Kurt Applications Development Librarian University of Nevada, Reno Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center phone: 775 682-5679 email: wk...@unr.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] creating call number browse
Why not just build a decent cover flow UI over the existing call number browse in the catalog with Javascript? Just grab the cover images and display them using something like http://www.deensoft.com/lab/protoflow/ That way you could recreate the 'browsing' experience, not have to have the user learn a new tool and not have to worry about how you're going to implement browsing the call numbers (similar to what the Oakville Public Library is doing on that page). In the past I put together a quick demo of this (not for call numbers, just for regular search listings) in an evening: http://lib-bling.com/unr/unrdemo/unrcoverflowdemo.htm That's a very rough demo but implementing something similar using default call number browse in the catalog would probably be not much more difficult and would provide roughly the experience it seems you're looking for without having to worry about overly complex solutions. --Will Will Kurt Applications Development Librarian University of Nevada, Reno Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center phone: 775 682-5679 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Emily Lynema Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 8:46 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] creating call number browse Hey all, I would love to tackle the issue of creating a really cool call number browse tool that utilizes book covers, etc. However, I'd like to do this outside of my ILS/OPAC. What I don't know is whether there are any indexing / SQL / query techniques that could be used to browse forward and backword in an index like this. Has anyone else worked on developing a tool like this outside of the OPAC? I guess I would be perfectly happy even if it was something I could build directly on top of the ILS database and its indexes (we use SirsiDynix Unicorn). I wanted to throw a feeler out there before trying to dream up some wild scheme on my own. -emily P.S. The version of BiblioCommons released at Oakville Public Library has a sweet call number browse function accessible from the full record page. I would love to know know how that was accomplished. http://opl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1413841_mars -- Emily Lynema Systems Librarian for Digital Projects Information Technology, NCSU Libraries 919-513-8031 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[CODE4LIB] Registration Now Open for March 12, 2008 VALE's Next Generation Academic Library System Symposium
Please excuse the cross-posting. The Virtual Academic Library Environment of New Jersey (VALE-NJ) has a vision of the Next Generation Library System. You are invited to attend a symposium at which you will learn about open source library systems and the potential for improvements in many aspects of library operations and services that such systems can bring. We are excited to present a full day of speakers and discussions. Come learn how this might be a part of VALE and New Jersey's future. WHEN: Wednesday, March 28, 2008 WHERE: The College of New Jersey, Ewing - NJ WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Library administrators, systems librarians, public and technical services librarians. Learn more about the symposium and REGISTER TODAY to attend. Registration deadline is February 25, 2008. More information and the registration form is at http://www.valenj.org/newvale/ols/symposium2008/ -- The symposium is made possible by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, with additional support from VALEnj and The College of New Jersey. Kurt W. Wagner Member of the VALE-OLS Study Team Kurt W. Wagner Head of Library Information Systems David and Lorraine Cheng Library William Paterson University Wayne, NJ - USA (973) 720-2285 http://www.wpunj.edu/library wagnerk at wpunj dot edu IM-AOL: kurtthelibrarian image001.jpgimage002.jpgimage003.jpg
[CODE4LIB] Correction for VALE Open Source ILS Symposium
The earlier message announcing the Next Generation Academic Library System Symposium contained an error in the date of the event. The CORRECT information is WHEN: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2008 WHERE: The College of New Jersey, Ewing-NJ WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Library administrators, systems librarians, public and technical services librarians. Learn more about the symposium and REGISTER TODAY to attend. Registration deadline is February 25, 2008. More information and the registration form is at http://www.valenj.org/newvale/ols/symposium2008/ We hope to see you there! Kurt Kurt W. Wagner Head of Library Information Systems -- David and Lorraine Cheng Library William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ 07470 USATEL: 973-720-2285 EMAIL: wagnerk at wpunj dot edu http://euphrates.wpunj.edu/faculty/wagnerk
Re: [CODE4LIB] code.code4lib.org
Andrew, the pear.php.net repository site really seems to be essentially what I was envisioning (especially with the proposals section). Erik, there are several good reasons to build our own rather than use space available in other domains. The first and foremost is that the library community is big enough and specific enough to warrant its own centralized location for these things. Another issue is that there are a large range of skills that are useful to library application development that simply aren't touched on in other areas. There are plenty of people who understand AACR2, FRBR, LCSH etc that wouldn't go near a place like sourceforge thinking there is no room for them there. Simple branding is another very important reason. Google the phrase 'library open source' and tell me if the results give you any sense that the library community is actively developing open source tools/libraries/applications/etc. to meet its needs. I've known a fair amount of library-staff who work on little code projects in isolation, who if they knew there was a larger project they could work on and get involved with they would (this is also true for the relatively large number of ex-software developers I've met in libraries). Snippets of code and various packages/libraries need to be organized and collected, but the larger aim would be to create a community of people interested in creating open source software applications for libraries. --Will At 05:12 PM 8/13/2007, you wrote: At Mon, 13 Aug 2007 12:25:58 -0400, Gabriel Farrell [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: In #code4lib today we discussed for a bit the possibility of setting up something on code4lib.org for code hosting. The project that spurred the discussion is Ed Summer's pymarc. The following is what I would like to see: * projects live at code.code4lib.org, so pymarc, for example, would be at code.code4lib.org/pymarc * svn for version control * trac interface for each * hosted at OSU with the rest of code4lib.org, for now What will this offer that sf.net, codehaus.org, nongnu.org, savannah.gnu.org, code.google.com, gna.org, belios.de, etc. donât? Why not simply link to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_free_software_hosting_facilities and let people decide which they prefer? Other people mentioned the sharing of code snippets; a wiki works best for sharing code snippets, examples, single file source. See http://emacswiki.org/ for a lively example. best, Erik Hetzner
Re: [CODE4LIB] code.code4lib.org
One of the things that's really lacking in the library community is something like a sourceforge.net to serve as a central repository for all opensource library projects and this certainly sounds like a step in the right direction (maybe there already is such a thing and I don't know about it). I'm sure many people out there have at least snippets of code or various libraries that they might not know where to publish or are already publishing but other people don't know where to find them. It would also be useful to be able to create a well publicized 'wish list' of library applications. This would allow those in the community (with or without programming knowledge) to broadcast their needs and/or ideas for software solutions. I'm sure there are many very simple programs that people need that could be spun out in a weekend, but the people with the need and the people with the talent just aren't being connected to each other. An additional source forge-like feature which would be useful is the ability to keep track of everyone's talents. As a Java/Python guy I always wondered whether anyone out there was actually doing anything other than Perl and PHP (which seem to be pretty dominant in the library world). Wouldn't it be nice to be able to get a list of who out there in library land had some free time AND knew PL/SQL, or to simply find someone that was willing to learn RoR with you while developing an application, how about connecting MARC experts who can't program with application developers who don't understand MARC? Sorry if all of this seems over ambitious, but I do think this would be a good direction to head in. I strongly believe that there is a lot of untapped talent out there in our community and with the proper networks a lot of really amazing things could emerge. --Will At 12:25 PM 8/13/2007, you wrote: In #code4lib today we discussed for a bit the possibility of setting up something on code4lib.org for code hosting. The project that spurred the discussion is Ed Summer's pymarc. The following is what I would like to see: * projects live at code.code4lib.org, so pymarc, for example, would be at code.code4lib.org/pymarc * svn for version control * trac interface for each * hosted at OSU with the rest of code4lib.org, for now Thoughts? Gabe
