Re: [CODE4LIB] Wireless barcode scanners
in lieu of an ipadwould one consider using a chromebook which at least has USB connectivity (and would be less expensive than a replacement ipad if it got dropped while staff were juggling the scanner and book)? Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Editor: Library Archival Security Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Edward M. Corrado Sent: Monday, November 03, 2014 3:59 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Wireless barcode scanners This is slightly off-topic but I can't think of a better place to ask. I have been asked to investigate wireless barcode scanners, and preferably ones that can work with an iPad (or be connected to an iPad), for inventory purposes. I have found a few used in the retail environment but I was wondering of anyone has bought any recently that they like. Even if you have a wireless barcode scanner that isn't designed to work with an iPad that you recommend, I'd like to hear about it. I know this is vaugue, but that is intentional, I am trying to cast a wide net in hopes to hear what others have done that might be of interest since we are just starting to look into this. Thanks, Edward
Re: [CODE4LIB] No really, this part is about RFID stuffs
Christina, I'd be very interested if you could turn me onto the academic libraries that had RFID and have backed away or are backing away from it and returning to EM for security. perhaps you could send me institutions names directly, off list, and turn me onto that listserv... I am aware that earlier generations of RFID tags were prone to breakage, and had a relatively short lifespan that rendered them suitable for the supposedly short span of a book's life at a public library, but not suited to the longer life on the average academic, much less the eternal life on a research library's shelves. Yet current generations of RFID tags are physically much smaller and less prone to cracking (I am told) and prices have come way down. We are now seeing some research libraries moving in the RFID direction such as NC State in the Hunt Library and Delaware. - Jonathan Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Editor: Library Archival Security Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Salazar, Christina Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 2:04 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] No really, this part is about RFID stuffs I'm not an RFID expert by a long shot, but we do use it here at CSU Channel Islands and I had to learn a lot about it quickly because all our stuff broke and I had to fix it. In that process, I had heard that while RFID's great for public libraries (where they're circulating enough that staff time is problematic as is material theft), academic libraries don't love it, particularly for security (which RFID is pretty bad at actually). I've heard of a few academic libraries that have abandoned RFID for security because it's just not worth maintaining (i.e., cost of stuff stolen versus costs of time, materials etc. to maintain the tags in the collection). However, hopefully this audience knows that there's more to RFID than security and self-check (like automated materials handling, collection inventory and this other stuff, I wouldn't call it augmented reality - probably because I have the same reaction that Chris had to that phrase - but maybe something like automated finding). I mean with your RFID tag in there, your book or thing or whatever can send a signal to a receiver and now the receiver possibly could be your smart phone, right? So while RFID has in fact made MY life hellish, I feel like there's more to it than what it's currently doing for us here in academic libraries in the US. But at the same time, I get the idea that people that I talk to in academic libraries in the US basically don't care about RFID and I kind of wonder why. They'd apparently rather talk about c4l illuminati. On a related note, there IS an RFID in Libraries list (which is where I'm getting a lot of this information from) but I'm not sure that it's quite the venue to start talking about standards and innovation, while I thought this list was. It makes me happy that one other person is interested in RFID in libraries... or were you just toying with my emotions? Christina Salazar -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Chris Fitzpatrick Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2014 4:53 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Forwarding blog post: Apple, Android and NFC – how should libraries prepare? (RFID stuffs) So this thread started from talking about RFID ( i'm interested! ) to talking about augmented reality ( uh, ok, now less interested...) to talking about standards ( oh no, not again.. ) to talking about c4l ( yep. ) So, are people using RFID? A lot? Is it working, or did it make life hellish? b,chris.
Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav
I might mention here that we (Temple University) found LibGuides 2.0 to offer some noteworthy improvements in section 508 accessibility when compared with version 1.0. Accessibility is a particular point of concern for the whole institution as we look across the city, state, and country at other institutions that have been called out and settled with various disability advocacy groups. So we moved to v. 2.0 during the summer in order to have those improvements in place for the fall semester, as well as to get the value from some other developments in v. 2.0 that benefit all customers. When I see email on list about making modifications to templates and such, it gives me a bit of concern on this score that by doing so, one might easily begin to make the CMS framework for content less accessible.I thought I should voice that.This is not to say that one shouldn't customize and explore enhancements etc., but one should do so with some care if you are operating with similar mandates or concerns.Unless I am mistaken, several of the examples noted are now throwing 508 errors that are not in the out-of-the box LibGuide templates and which are not the result of an individual content contributor/author inserting bad stuff like images without alt tags. Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Editor: Library Archival Security Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Cindi Blyberg Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2014 12:03 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] LibGuides v2 - Templates and Nav Hey everyone! Not to turn C4L into Support4LibGuides, but... :) The infrastructure for all the APIs is in place; currently, the Guides API and the Subjects API are functioning. Go to Tools API Get Guides to see the general structure of the URL. Replace guides with subjects to retrieve your subjects. You will need your LibGuides site ID, which you can get from the LibApps Dashboard screen. Word is that it will not take long to add other API calls on the back end; if you need these now, please do email supp...@springshare.com and reference this conversation. As for v1, we are planning on supporting it for 2 more years--that said, we would never leave anyone hanging, so if it takes longer than that to get everyone moved over, we're ready for that. Best, -Cindi On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 10:46 AM, Nadaleen F Tempelman-Kluit n...@nyu.edu wrote: Hi all- While we're on the topic of LibGuides V2, when will the GET subjects API (and other API details) be in place? We're in a holding pattern until we get those details and we've not been able to get any timeline as to when those assets will be in place. So we're deciding between building out LibGuides CMS Global landing pages using the V1 platform, or waiting until some future date which, very soon, will mean abandoning this project till next summer. If we go the former route, it would also be great to know how long V1 will be supported. Thanks On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 10:29 AM, Cindi Blyberg cindi...@gmail.com wrote: On Tue, Sep 16, 2014 at 7:15 PM, Michael Schofield mschofi...@nova.edu wrote: Q1. How complicated is it to change all 3 column guides to a single-column left/right-nav layout? A little. You can force the entire group [or all groups] to use a single template, which is a huge time saver, except your guides' middle and right columns will be in hidden columns rather than forced to collapse into a single column. This was pretty confusing at first. We were afraid we actually lost content during the migration. You will need to manually hit every guide and change the layout to single-column, but that's just a click of the button. If you have 400+ guides, though, that's 400+ clicks. Alas, yes. Once we realized this was happening, our devs hashed it out and will be rolling out a fix to the migration script so that this won't happen again. Q2. Three-columns or single column? Single column. Users scan, and they scan the top and left-most portions of the screen. Anything in the middle and to the right is lost. Also, three columns on a responsive site is a little weird, because content is pretty squishy; on tablets you might have pretty narrow left and right columns. Actually, when you view a 3-column layout on a smaller screen, it scales down to a single column. If you're seeing otherwise, can you send us some examples in case this is a bug we need to fix? Thanks. :) The key here, of course, is to have the most important information in the left-hand column
Re: [CODE4LIB] Dewey code
I would second the prudence of taking advantage of wheels already invented if you can. One thing I missed, though, in the earlier parts of this thread was why you wanted to use Dewey, Tom? Depending on the nature of the items in the collection, you may be better off going with LC classification. There could be more readily available complete copy bearing LC numbers and no Dewey numbers. Going LC would avoid any potential need to later manually tweak the Dewey numbers you get from LC (a possibility you mentioned) - or the complete disruption should a new edition of Dewey revise substantially your area... Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Editor: Library Archival Security Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Joe Hourcle Sent: Monday, August 11, 2014 10:27 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Dewey code On Aug 8, 2014, at 10:13 PM, Riley Childs wrote: Ok, so you want to access LC data to get Dewey decimal numbers? You need to use a z39.50 client to pull the record, you can do it with marc edit but it is labor intensive. You would need to roll your own solution for this or use classify.oclc.org to get book info (this doesn't give you API access). Your best bet is classify.oclc.org. That aside: Honestly you might be better off running with something like Koha, writing a home brew library system is no cake walk, trust me I know from 2 years of experience trying to code one and ultimately moving to koha. Koha can be run on a VPS (Digital Ocean is what i would use) or on an old PC in the corner. I am in a situation similar to yours if you want to contact me off list I can give you some advice. I 100% agree -- you'd be better off going with something intended for personal libraries (eg Delicious Library) and give it a dedicated machine before trying to roll your own. oss4lib hasn't been updated in a while, but Lyrasis is maintaining foss4lib.org as a catalog of free open source library software, and has a 'ILS feature comparison tool' which lists feature differences between Koha and Evergreen: http://ils.foss4lib.org/ -Joe
Re: [CODE4LIB] Transcription services
At Temple University we have been using Automatic Synch for a couple years. They are a little pricy per minute, but the transcription system integrated very well with the University's centrally managed Ensemble video serving set up. The convenience simply cannot be beat when you have clips of varying lengths arising at different times during the year... We also can use 3Play (we are large enough that central purchasing has set up blanket orders with various services in order to get standardized low bulk rates...) On the other hand, if the video is of something scripted by library staff, say an instructional module that was worked out in advance of recording, then You Tube as folks suggest is potentially very convenient. At most publicly supported institutions, one would not be putting up uncaptioned video or untranscribed audio at this point due to section 508 concerns. Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Editor: Library Archival Security Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Wilhelmina Randtke Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2014 6:02 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Transcription services Has anyone used a transcription service to do captioning for a video, or anything similar? There are many transcription services that charge a per minute fee. I'd like to get a recommendation on one that worked well for someone. -Wilhelmina Randtke
Re: [CODE4LIB] online book price comparison websites?
I would second Stephanie's recommendation of http://www.addall.com which functions as as a metasearch in that it includes abebooks, alibris, Amazon, Powells, Strand, half, and a number of others, including various non-US instances of these which can be great for UK materials or other European titles depending on what floats your boat. ... As to your criteria, Jonathan, The ISBN search works well in print books and for used ( insofar as that is helpful in the used/antiquarian marketplace) The design is clean IMO. Prices - no extra bonus there- the prices are just that, exclusive of shipping. But you can sort ascending and descending... Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Editor: Library Archival Security Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Stephanie P Hess Sent: Wednesday, February 26, 2014 3:19 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] online book price comparison websites? Try http://www.addall.com/. I used it all the time in my former incarnation as an Acquisitions Librarian. Cheers, Stephanie On Wed, Feb 26, 2014 at 3:14 PM, Jonathan Rochkind rochk...@jhu.edu wrote: Anyone have any recommendations of online sites that compare online prices for purchasing books? I'm looking for recommendations of sites you've actually used and been happy with. They need to be searchable by ISBN. Bonus is if they have good clean graphic design. Extra bonus is if they manage to include shipping prices in their price comparisons. Thanks! Jonathan -- *Stephanie P. Hess* Electronic Resources Librarian Binghamton University Glenn G. Bartle Library 4400 East Vestal Parkway Vestal, NY 13902 607-777-2474
Re: [CODE4LIB] Electronic device circulation
At Temple University we have been 1) lending Kindles for about two years. A total of nearly a dozen devices I believe. Staff with credit cards buy books in advance to preload the devices and also buy books on demand from patrons. One must then de-register the Kindle from the Amazon account so that the borrower cannot buy more books willy-nilly against the credit card. Admittedly not ideal. Uptake is modest here. We lend them now for two weeks. 2) lending ipads for about 8 months. These are popular so we are ramping up from the initial pilot of 9 to about 2 dozen for this spring semester. These we lend for 7 days. They are preloaded with aps and ebooks We have had one user report an ipad snatching on the subway and with presentation of a police report we forgave the full replacement fee... We also lend GPS devices, flip cameras, etc -- the web page on the program is at: http://guides.temple.edu/content.php?pid=276653sid=2279612 I would caution that at both the Sacramento PL and Philadelphia Free Library, the national Federation for the Blind filed suits that resulted in those libraries backing off from lending only nooks or kindles which are not accessible. We have stopped buying Kindles as a result and will only buy ipads going forward. We will continue to lend the Kindles but are not adding more. You may have improved response rates (and details) by getting someone to post the inquiry to lib-CircPlus if you have not done so already Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215.204.8231 fax: 215.204.5201 mobile: 215.284.5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of Forrest, Stuart Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2013 11:41 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: [CODE4LIB] Electronic device circulation Sorry I just posted this with the wrong subjectHere it is corrected Hi All We are interested on supplying electronic devices for circulation, ie iPads, Nooks, Kindles etc. Are any of your libraries doing similar and what processes are you following to implement this? Stuart Forrest PhD, ACM Member Library Systems Specialist Beaufort County Library Beaufort SC 29902 843 255 6450 sforr...@bcgov.net
Re: [CODE4LIB] U of Baltimore, Final Usability Report, link resolvers -- MIA?
Lucy Holman, Director of the U Baltimore Library, and a former colleague of mine at UMBC, got back to me about this. Her reply puts this particular document into context. It is an interesting reminder that not everything you find on the web is as it seems, and it certainly is not necessarily the final word. We gotta go buy the book! Lucy is off-list, but asked me to post this on her behalf. Her contact information is below, though Very interesting discussion This issue of what is right and feasible in discovery services and how to configure it is important stuff for many of our libraries and we should be able to build on the findings and experiences of others rather than re-inventing the wheel locally (We use Summon) - Jonathan LeBreton begin Lucy's explanation -- The full study and analysis are included in Chapter 14 of a new book, Planning and Implementing Resource Discovery Tools in Academic Libraries, Mary P. Popp and Diane Dallis (Eds). The project was part of a graduate Research Methods course in the University of Baltimore's MS in Interaction Design and Information Architecture program. Originally groups within the course conducted task-based usability tests on EDS, Primo, Summon and Encore. Unfortunately, the test environment of Encore led to many usability issues that we believed were more a result of the test environment than the product itself; therefore we did not report on Encore in the final analysis. The study (and chapter) does offers findings on the other three discovery tools. There were six student groups in the course; each group studied two tools with the same user population (undergrad, graduate and faculty) so that each tool was compared against the other three with each user population overall. The .pdf that you found was the final report of one of those six groups, so it only addresses two of the four tools. The chapter is the only document that pulls the six portions of the study together. I would be happy to discuss this with any of you individually if you need more information. Thanks for your interest in the study. Lucy Holman, DCD Director, Langsdale Library University of Baltimore 1420 Maryland Avenue Baltimore, MD 21201 410-837-4333 - end insert Jonathan LeBreton Sr. Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215-204-8231 fax: 215-204-5201 mobile: 215-284-5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of karim boughida Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2012 5:09 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] U of Baltimore, Final Usability Report, link resolvers -- MIA? Hi Tom, Top players are EDS, Primo and Summonthe only reason I see encore in the mix is if you have other III products which is not the case of Ubalt library. They have now worldcat? Encore vs Summon is an easy win for summon. Let's wait for Jonathan LeBreton (Thanks BTW). Karim Boughida On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 4:26 PM, Tom Pasley tom.pas...@gmail.com wrote: Yes, I'm curious to know too! Due to database/resource matching or coverage perhaps (anyone's guess). Tom On Wed, Sep 5, 2012 at 7:50 AM, karim boughida kbough...@gmail.com wrote: Hi All, Initially EDS, Primo, Summon, and Encore were considered but only Encore and Summon were tested. Do we know why? Thanks Karim Boughida On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 10:44 AM, Jonathan Rochkind rochk...@jhu.edu wrote: Hi helpful code4lib community, at one point there was a report online at: http://student-iat.ubalt.edu/students/kerber_n/idia642/Final_Usabilit y_Report.pdf David Walker tells me the report at that location included findings about SFX and/or other link resolvers. I'm really interested in reading it. But it's gone from that location, and I'm not sure if it's somewhere else (I don't have a title/author to search for other than that URL, which is not in google cache or internet archive). Is anyone reading this familiar with the report? Perhaps one of the authors is reading this, or someone reading it knows one of the authors and can be put me in touch? Or knows someone likely in the relevant dept at ubalt and can be put me in touch? Or has any other information about this report or ways to get it? Thanks! Jonathan -- Karim B Boughida kbough...@gmail.com kbough...@library.gwu.edu -- Karim B Boughida kbough...@gmail.com kbough...@library.gwu.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] U of Baltimore, Final Usability Report, link resolvers -- MIA?
I have written Lucy Holman, friend of mine who is the Director of Libraries at UB to apprise her of the interest in this report. It was conducted by students in her research methods class in information architecture design Will see if she responds with info... Jonathan LeBreton Sr. Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215-204-8231 fax: 215-204-5201 mobile: 215-284-5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU] On Behalf Of karim boughida Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2012 3:51 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] U of Baltimore, Final Usability Report, link resolvers -- MIA? Hi All, Initially EDS, Primo, Summon, and Encore were considered but only Encore and Summon were tested. Do we know why? Thanks Karim Boughida On Tue, Sep 4, 2012 at 10:44 AM, Jonathan Rochkind rochk...@jhu.edu wrote: Hi helpful code4lib community, at one point there was a report online at: http://student-iat.ubalt.edu/students/kerber_n/idia642/Final_Usability _Report.pdf David Walker tells me the report at that location included findings about SFX and/or other link resolvers. I'm really interested in reading it. But it's gone from that location, and I'm not sure if it's somewhere else (I don't have a title/author to search for other than that URL, which is not in google cache or internet archive). Is anyone reading this familiar with the report? Perhaps one of the authors is reading this, or someone reading it knows one of the authors and can be put me in touch? Or knows someone likely in the relevant dept at ubalt and can be put me in touch? Or has any other information about this report or ways to get it? Thanks! Jonathan -- Karim B Boughida kbough...@gmail.com kbough...@library.gwu.edu
[CODE4LIB] Emerging Technologies librarian opening, Temple University
The Temple University Libraries seek a creative, experienced, and user-centered individual to serve as Emerging Technologies Librarian. Temple's federated library system serves an urban research university with over 1,800 full-time faculty and a student body of 36,000 that is among the most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, visit http://www.temple.edu. Responsibilities Under the general supervision of the Head of Reference and Instructional Services, the incumbent will . Identify, evaluate and implement current and emerging technologies and applications for delivery of library services, in collaboration with the Library Technology Services and Digital Library Initiatives Departments. The primary focus on reference and instruction (e.g., virtual reference, discovery, social networking, app development, mobile, instructional technology). . Track trends, investigate new developments and applications, and incorporate appropriate technologies into the library environment to improve the library's public services. . Collaborate with Senior Manager in Library Technology Services to generate staff development opportunities for building technology awareness and encourage the adoption of technologies that improve the library's physical and virtual presence. . Build widgets and apps designed to embed library resources and services into learning spaces. . Collect and report statistics and assess impact of technology-based services on library users. . Participate in the design and development of the library's website and instructional and promotional materials. . Participate fully in reference and instructional services. . Serve as the liaison to the School of Education and provide collection development for education. . May supervise student assistants. . Perform other duties as assigned. Qualifications Required education: ALA accredited MLS Required skills and abilities: . Demonstrated experience developing widgets, apps, tutorials or other research/instructional tools . Demonstrated ability to provide reference and instructional services . Current awareness of issues and trends in information technology and public services . Familiarity with standard practices in web development and usability . Experience using course management systems, online collaborative productivity tools, and content management systems . Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills . Commitment to providing responsive and innovative services to a culturally and racially diverse campus PREFERRED: proficiency with one or more programming languages, and a content management system like Drupal; reference and instruction experience in an academic library; experience providing instructional technology support; experience participating in collaborative web application development, familiarity with XHTML, XML, PHP, and relational databases. Compensation Competitive salary and benefits package, including relocation allowance. Rank and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Application To apply for this position, please visit www.temple.edu, click on Jobs@Temple, and reference TU-15035. For full consideration, please submit your completed electronic application, along with a cover letter and resume, by February 29, 2012. Temple University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to cultural diversity. Jonathan LeBreton Sr. Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215-204-8231 fax: 215-204-5201 mobile: 215-284-5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] Can a library automate without a computer yet?
You may be able to do something with OCLCs so-called Web Management System whereby your OPAC (in the form of WorldCat local.) and circ functions are in the cloud.. Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries Philadelphia PA 19122 Voice: 215-204-3184 Fax: 215-204-5201 Mobile: 215-284-5070 lebre...@temple.edu jonat...@temple.edu - Original Message - From: rowan eisner [mailto:rowaneis...@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011 11:51 PM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] Can a library automate without a computer yet? Hi Dave It's an honesty system, card based, the way most community libraries used to work before computers. Because it's unstaffed about 15% of books aren't returned but we get a similar amount of donations. So we have that constant churn to take in and out of a card catalog manually. We need borrowers to be able to check out books. I was thinking maybe with a scanner attached to an iphone running an app. I didn't think librarything could do circulation. I thought it was just a catalog. What do you reckon? Cheers Rowan On 23 September 2011 21:34, David Mayo pobo...@gmail.com wrote: I think it's going to be difficult to find a solution that's entirely cloud based. What functionality do you need? If you have a very limited subset of ILS/OPAC functions in mind, theoretically a LibraryThing paid account or similar quasi-library service might suffice. I'm having trouble understanding how circulation works/is expected to work when librarians aren't present. Is there a sign-out sheet? How do you monitor for lossage? - Dave Mayo On Fri, Sep 23, 2011 at 10:42 PM, rowan eisner rowaneis...@gmail.com wrote: Thanks Esme No, the library is open all hours but volunteers just come in 2 hrs a week. I'm not sure how it could work but if we leave anything plugged in it will get stolen or struck by lightning. We're in cloud forest. With koha and open-ils do we have to run the software on a server or do we just get an account on an existing system? Running a system ourselves might take a lot for us to figure out. Cheers Rowan On 23 September 2011 16:38, Cowles, Esme escow...@ucsd.edu wrote: Rowan- Having a hosted catalog and circ system seems very easy to do. There are several open source library systems such as Koha and Evergreen that might suit your needs: http://www.koha.org/ http://open-ils.org/ Are there volunteers present the entire time the library is open to borrowers? Or are you counting on borrowers having smartphones to complete self-checkout? -Esme -- Esme Cowles escow...@ucsd.edu I don't need to be forgiven. -- The Who, Baba O'Reilly On Sep 23, 2011, at 3:27 PM, rowan eisner wrote: Apologies if this is the wrong forum, but if anyone can point me in the right direction... We have an unstaffed library and can't leave a computer in it. Is there a way to automate 1) with no computer - do circulation and catalog in the cloud. Volunteers bring in laptops to do circulation and clients access catalog with iphones 2) that doesn't cost a fortune Thanks so much Rowan
[CODE4LIB] Position avail - Temple University
With apologies for duplicative postings. Head of Digital Library Initiatives Temple University Libraries The Temple University Libraries seek a Head of Digital Library Initiatives, an opportunity to lead a new service department in a library in the midst of dynamic growth, located in Philadelphia on the main campus of a vibrant, urban research university that is among the most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, visit www.temple.edu/about/ Description: The Head of Digital Library Initiatives will aggressively expand the digital library program at Temple, providing vision and leadership in the creation and delivery of digital content. The incumbent will work closely and collaboratively with senior administrators, special collections, technical services, computing staff, and others to ensure fast-paced development of digital library initiatives which respond to the needs of Temple's community and align with collections and preservation priorities. These include digitization of special collections and other library materials in text, image, and video formats, the development of digital repository systems to preserve and make accessible the intellectual output of Temple University, and the implementation of discovery tools related to these initiatives. In particular, the individual will . hire additional information technologist staff; . supervise full-time staff, as well as student assistants; . plan, prioritize, and coordinate or manage digitization production; . investigate and establish appropriate standards (technical, metadata, etc.) and quality control procedures; . coordinate the library's web services; . maintain awareness and develop in-depth knowledge of new technology, relevant national standards and best practices, assessing and integrating these into library practices for best results as appropriate. Compensation: Competitive salary and benefits package, including a relocation allowance. Compensation will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Required: Master's degree in Library Science, Information Science, Computer Science/Systems Management, Public History, or other allied discipline. At least four years progressively responsible experience with the concepts and software/hardware applications used in organizing and presenting digital information. Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and implement effective programs, complex projects, and services. Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle complex analytical and detailed work. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a complex and rapidly changing environment. Preferred: The ideal candidate will present a strong combination of demonstrated experience and knowledge in the following areas: Metadata and associated functional standards, including XML/XSLT. Experience with developing interfaces for Web resources including knowledge of database management principles and software. Familiarity with one or more major digital content management systems appropriate for institutional repositories. Knowledge of current digital library technologies, standards, and best practices. Experience with obtaining grant funding and managing grant-funded projects. Application: To apply for this position, please visit www.temple.edu click on j...@temple, and then search by job number TU-13131 (including the prefix TU-. For full consideration, please submit your completed electronic application, along with a cover letter and resume, by May 15, 2010. Temple University is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to cultural diversity. Jonathan LeBreton Sr. Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries Paley M138, 1210 Polett Walk, Philadelphia PA 19122 voice: 215-204-8231 fax: 215-204-5201 mobile: 215-284-5070 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu
Re: [CODE4LIB] FW: PURL Server Update 2
Andrew Houghton wrote: In the case of GPO, they mentioned or implied, that they were having contention issues with user agents hitting the server while trying to restore the data. This contention could be mitigated by imposing lower throttling limits in the router on user agents until the data is restored and then raising the limits back to the whatever their prescribed SLA (service level agreement) was. The GPO tech I spoke with mentioned this contention issue explicitly. He had just emerged from a meeting on the PURL problem (which meeting sounded like an all-hands on deck affair). He mentioned that there had been discussion of the contention issue in the meeting but that they had decided not to block the offending IPs (whether because they could not do so effectively in time or because of a philosophical issue I did not inquire). Throttling the user agents was not mentioned to me as a possiblity. In fact, unless I'm mistaken, the PURL server does appear to be completely inaccessible now, in advance of advertised downtime this afternoon 5-7 EST Jonathan LeBreton Sr. Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries voice: 215-204-8231 fax: 215-204-5201 email: lebre...@temple.edu email: jonat...@temple.edu -Original Message- From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Houghton,Andrew Sent: Wednesday, September 02, 2009 11:27 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] FW: PURL Server Update 2 From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Thomas Dowling Sent: Wednesday, September 02, 2009 10:25 AM To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] FW: PURL Server Update 2 The III crawler has been a pain for years and Innovative has shown no interest in cleaning it up. It not only ignores robots.txt, but it hits target servers just as fast and hard as it can. If you have a lot of links that a lot of III catalogs check, its behavior is indistinguishable from a DOS attack. (I know because our journals server often used to crash about 2:00am on the first of the month...) I see that I didn't fully make the connection to the point I was making... which is that there are hardware solutions to these issues rather than using robots.txt or sitemap.xml. If a user agent is a problem, then network folks should change the router to ignore the user agent or reduce the number of requests it is allowed to make to the server. In the case you point to with III hitting the server as fast as it can and it looking like a DOS attack to the network which caused the server to crash, then 1) the router hasn't been setup to impose throttling limits on user agents, and 2) the server probably isn't part of a server farm that is being load balanced. In the case of GPO, they mentioned or implied, that they were having contention issues with user agents hitting the server while trying to restore the data. This contention could be mitigated by imposing lower throttling limits in the router on user agents until the data is restored and then raising the limits back to the whatever their prescribed SLA (service level agreement) was. You really don't need to have a document on the server to tell user agents what to do. You can and should impose a network policy on user agents which is far better solution in my opinion. Andy.
Re: [CODE4LIB] GPO PURLs
This is indeed an interesting problem - we are all dependent on a
centralized service node.
Just got off the phone with GPO 9 am 9/1/09.
I was told they are now up to 50% or PURLs restored but the script is
running very slowly line-by-line since the server (they're updating the
production server while it is up) is experiencing unusually heavy load
from the user community and bots scheduled to troll at beginning of the
month.
Jonathan LeBreton
Sr. Associate University Librarian
Temple University Libraries
voice: 215-204-8231
fax: 215-204-5201
email: lebre...@temple.edu
email: jonat...@temple.edu
-Original Message-
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:code4...@listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf
Of
James Jacobs
Sent: Monday, August 31, 2009 6:06 PM
To: CODE4LIB@LISTSERV.ND.EDU
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] GPO PURLs
Hi all, (cross-posted to purl-dev)
I'm a documents librarian (and member of the Depository Library
Council)
and usually just a lurker over here. Thanks Keith and Patricia for the
easy workaround. I shared this with govdoc-l and on my blog:
http://freegovinfo.info/node/2704
See especially the comment that as of today, only 3,677 PURLs out of
116,237 have been restored (3.1%). I would love to hear your
thoughts/ideas for how this kind of critical system failure can be
averted in the future from a technological standpoint. Is it possible
to
mirror a purl server? Will the same issue occur when GPO moves to
handles in FDsys (http://www.handle.net/)? Will a distributed
infrastructure as I've briefly mapped out be able to handle these
types
of critical system crashes better?
Please let me know and I'd be happy to share your ideas with GPO and
the
documents community.
Best,
James Jacobs
Keith Jenkins wrote:
Thanks to everyone who helped me confirm that the GPO PURL server is
down. An official announcement on the GPO Listserv said:
The PURL Server is currently inaccessible. GPO is working with
IT
staff to restore service as soon as possible. We regret any
inconvenience caused by the server problems. An updated listserv
will
be sent once service is restored.
While the server is down, here is one workaround (thanks to Patricia
Duplantis):
1. Go to http://catalog.gpo.gov/
2. Click Advanced Search
3. Search for word in URL/PURL, enter the PURL
4. Click Go
5. The original URL at the time of cataloging should appear in a
53x note.
This incident, however, illuminates a weakness in PURL systems:
access
is broken when the PURL server breaks, even though the documents are
still online at their original URLs.
Maybe someone more familiar with PURL systems can tell me... is
there
any way to harvest data from a PURL server, so that a backup/mirror
can be available?
Keith
--
James R. Jacobs
International Documents Librarian
Green Library, Stanford University
P: (650) 725-1030 E: jrjac...@stanford.edu
AIM: LibrarianJames T: @freegovinfo
The more beautiful questions demand the more beautiful answers,
and if we can learn to ask them, we stand a chance of steering
clear of shipwreck on our jury-rigged and not so distant star.
--Lewis Lapham, Lapham's Quarterly I(3), Summer, 2008, p.17.
---
This message may have been intercepted and read by U.S. government
agencies including the FBI, CIA, and NSA without notice or warrant or
knowledge of sender or recipient.
(\
{|||8-
(/
[CODE4LIB] position avail, Temple Univ.
Digital Projects Librarian The Temple University Libraries have re-opened their search to fill the new position of Digital Projects Librarian. The librarian will be based in Paley Library, the flagship of Temple's federated library system, which serves a vibrant, urban research university with over 1,700 full-time faculty and a student body of 36,000 that was recently ranked most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, National Geographic Traveler's Next Great City, visit http://www.temple.edu/about/ Under the direction of the Head of Digital Library Initiatives, the Digital Projects Librarian will explore, adapt, recommend, implement, and support existing and emerging applications for the Libraries' digital projects, including those to preserve and improve access to the Libraries and to their archival collections in all formats (text, image, audio, video) and for digital repository projects. For a detailed description and information on how to apply, visit http://library.temple.edu/about/admin/hr/dprojslib-descrip.jsp _ Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries (017-00) Paley Library room M-138 1210 West Berks St. Philadelphia PA 19122-6088 | voice: 215-204-3184 | fax: 215-204-5201 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[CODE4LIB] Position Avail, Temple U.
Head of Digital Library Initiatives The Temple University Libraries have re-opened their search for the newly-created position of Head of Digital Library Initiatives, which offers the opportunity to lead a new service department in a library in the midst of dynamic growth, located in Philadelphia on the main campus of a vibrant, urban research university with over 1,700 full-time faculty and a student body of 36,000 that was recently ranked most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, National Geographic Traveler’s “Next Great City,” visit http://www.temple.edu/about/. The successful candidate will bring to the position a combination of digital projects experience and an understanding and vision for building great digital collections. Reporting to the Senior Associate University Librarian, the Head of Digital Library Initiatives will build a digital library program at Temple, providing vision and leadership in the creation and delivery of digital content. S/he will work closely and collaboratively with senior administrators, special collections, technical services, computing staff, and others to ensure fast-paced development of digital library initiatives which respond to the needs of Temple’s community and align with collections and preservation priorities. These include digitization of special collections and other library materials in text, image, and video formats, the development of digital repository systems to preserve and make accessible the intellectual output of Temple University, and the implementation of discovery tools re! lated to these initiatives. In particular, the individual will • hire at least one additional information technologist; • with the additional position in place, supervise 4 full-time staff, as well as student assistants; • plan, prioritize, and coordinate or manage digitization production; • investigate and establish appropriate standards (technical, metadata, etc.) and quality control procedures; • coordinate the library’s web services; • maintain awareness and develop in-depth knowledge of new technology, relevant national standards and best practices, assessing and integrating these into library practices for best results as appropriate. Compensation: Competitive salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. Generous benefits package, including relocation expenses. Qualifications: Required: Master’s degree in Library Science, Information Science, Computer Science/Systems Management, Public History, or other allied discipline. Progressively responsible experience with the concepts and software/hardware applications used in organizing and presenting digital information. Demonstrated ability to plan, coordinate, and implement effective programs, complex projects, and services. Excellent organizational skills and demonstrated ability to handle complex analytical and detailed work. Excellent oral and written communication skills. Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a complex and rapidly changing environment. Preferred: The ideal candidate will present a strong combination of demonstrated experience and knowledge in many of the following areas: Metadata and associated functional standards, including XML/XSLT. Developing interfaces for Web resources including knowledge of database management principles and software. Knowledge of software systems such as CONTENTdm (which Temple has licensed), DSpace, Fedora. Knowledge of current digital library technologies, standards, and best practices. Obtaining grant funding and managing grant-funded projects. Application: To apply for this position, please visit www.temple.edu, click on [EMAIL PROTECTED], and reference TU-11898. Complete the Online Application Form, and attach you cover letter and resume in a single electronic file. Temple University is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong commitment to cultural diversity. _ Jonathan LeBreton Senior Associate University Librarian Temple University Libraries (017-00) Paley Library room M-138 1210 West Berks St. Philadelphia PA 19122-6088 | voice: 215-204-3184 | fax: 215-204-5201 | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | [EMAIL PROTECTED]
