Hi all !
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Please also feel free to visit my official website here: http://www.heathinformation.wordpress.com for updates on my latest projects.
Thanks always !
Angela
TECHNOLOGY in LIBRARIES | Online WebCam Recorders
If you are making a brief webcam video for your library patrons and need some quick tools to do so, there are quite a few online recorders. Webcam videos are great for quick explanations, online welcomes, and video Q&A's. The online ones are even better because they produce short videos that you can create without downloading and installing software for your computer.
TECHNOLOGY in LIBRARIES | Python, anyone?
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| Image credit: https://www.python.org/ |
How you ever heard of Python? This past week, I got to dabble a bit in coding a cute little program in Python. The purpose of my little program was to do a few healthcare-related conversions such as temperature, BMI and Mean Arterial Pressure. (This was for a health informatics course I'm taking.)
It was really fun and took me back to my computer science days when I studied a "few" programming languages to get that degree. Yes, I'm very multi-lingual...in computer languages, that is. I've been exposed to Basic, Pascal, Fortran, PL/I, COBOL, Assembler, C, C++ and Java. As a young computer teacher, I actually used to teach Basic, Pascal, COBOL and later on HTML and Javascript. So, Python took me back to my programming days which were really fun.
Upon poking around in some Python resources, I've learned (as I had suspected) that Python is quite helpful to libraries. This is primarily because it is relatively easy to learn and can be accomplish quick data automation tasks such as parsing, search/find and reporting.
Here are some neat resources for Python coding for librarians:
References
Association of College Research Libraries. (n.d.). Do Library stuff Faster with Python. ACRL TechConnect. Retrieved from http://acrl.ala.org/techconnect/post/do-library-stuff-faster-with-python/.
The ACRL TechConnect blog has articles written by librarians and archivists on technology-based projects, tools, codes, and design. This article is a quick look at some examples in libraries that could benefit from a Python solution. The article also has great references on learning Python.
Python for Librarians (2016). Retrieved from https://data-lessons.github.io/library-python/.
This webpage gives a quick getting started guide to coding in Python. There are a handful lessons with interesting sections for using Python to plot and visualize data and automate exercises.
Yelton, A. (2015). Coding for Librarians: Learning by Example. Library Technology Reports. Link: https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/coding-librarians-learning-example
This helpful book is a collection of interviews with 50 libraries. In it, the author not only covers coding but also the non-technical issues such as getting support from your library and collaborating with staff on projects.
Yelton, A. (n.d.) Coding for Librarians: Learning by Example. Retrieved from https://thatandromeda.github.io/ltr/.
This GitHub website was created by the author to offer various examples of various codes in HTML, Javascript, and Python. The code to each example is offered for FREE.
Yelton (2012). Why Should Librarians Learn Python? (A better answer). Retrieved from https://andromedayelton.com/2012/08/28/why-should-librarians-learn-python-a-better-answer/
This article explains reasons why python is useful in library settings. The one reason that I think is most interesting to many is that it can optimize workflows.
ARCHIVING | "Tribute" Archiving
I received this interesting article in one of my listserv feeds. Check out this article in the NY Times about curating artifacts from tributes that follow a traumatic event such as the Dallas police shooting.
With huge events like 911, there is a memorial and a museum where artifacts could be curated and collected. (https://www.911memorial.org/museum) But what about when the event is not as huge as 911 but just as significant? What happens AFTER the flowers die and the candles are extinguished. There also may be artifacts from the event itself, such as shoes, stained t-shirts, cellphones, etc.
As the article points out...
"the archive is not about what happened that night, but about "the outpouring of love from the citizens — from the world — that happened afterward," said Jo Giudice, the director of Dallas's public library system. "That's what's important."
I think archiving love and support of humanity is a noble cause.
ARCHIVING | Vinegar Syndrome on Microfilm
How's your film holding up?
Maybe not great, huh?
It's a scary thought to think that those precious photos, newspapers, magazines, etc. saved on microfilm may not be readable after all those years.
Perhaps it's vinegar syndrome.
Check out the references -
AIC Wiki (n.d.). Vinegar Syndrome. Retrieved from http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Vinegar_syndrome.
>>A good starting definition of vinegar syndrome, what it is and what you can do to prevent this.
>>A good starting definition of vinegar syndrome, what it is and what you can do to prevent this.
Markham, R.(n.d.). Recovery of film. National Archives. Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/preservation/conservation/film-recovery.html.
>>Markham is from Kodak and writes about Kodak's Disaster Recovery Program and the services they offer.
>>Markham is from Kodak and writes about Kodak's Disaster Recovery Program and the services they offer.
Merkel, J. (2013). Vinegar Syndrome… Is your Microfilm Archive in a pickle? NextScan. Retreived from http://www.nextscan.com/vinegar-syndrome-is-your-microfilm-archive-in-a-pickle/.
>>A good historical view of microfilm conservation and the use of acetate film. This article describes what you see in a film suffering from vinegar syndrome.
Image credit
ARCHIVING | Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP)
PSAP or the Preservation Self-Assessment Program is a free online software tool that helps individuals and institutions assess and prioritize the conditions of their collections. PSAP is meant to help those with little or no experience with collections preservation. The tool is stored at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and was created by the University of Illinois Libraries with the help of grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
PSAP can be used to assess single items, archives of items and entire collections. The tool also provides extensive guides on how to preserve different items. This FREE tool contains surveys and assessments that managers and personnel of small libraries can complete. The tool helps you to create a profile of your collection by analyzing information regarding your materials, the environment they exist in and any existing policies for preservation. Once the collection is entered, PSAP presents easy to understand assessment "scores" in a dashboard setup. The software can produce assessment reports which can then be used to plan preservation efforts and budgets.
The website also has an extensive bibliography (https://psap.library.illinois.edu/bibliography) on caring for collections and preserving things like books, drawings, photographs, prints, museum objects, ceramics, glass, etc.
To use the tool, visit: https://psap.library.illinois.edu/. You will need to sign up by entering your name, username/password and a little about yourself and your affiliation. You will then receive an approval and link to the tool.
To use the tool, visit: https://psap.library.illinois.edu/. You will need to sign up by entering your name, username/password and a little about yourself and your affiliation. You will then receive an approval and link to the tool.
ARCHIVING | New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s Archive
Photo credit: Angela Heath
Do you like Jazz? Then make sure you check out The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Archive which is located in the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. Their wonderful website is located at: http://www.jazzandheritage.org/what-we-do/new-orleans-jazz-and-heritage-foundation-archive.
Picture of the Jazz and Heritage Archive location in New Orleans
Photo credit: Jazz and Heritage Archive
This archive curates and seeks to preserve the historical artifacts of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation (http://www.jazzandheritage.org/). The collection is a huge of repository of materials from the annual Jazz Fest (music, artist oral histories, etc.), historical materials, photos, film, audio recordings, signs, business records and event informaiton.
Many of the items are in the Library Congress including early broadcast recordings by the the radio station WWOZ. These recording are now in the National Recording Registry. You can see the registry listing by searching "WWOZ Radio Station". Here is a link: https://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=wwoz+radio+station&new=true&st=
Archive volunteers also curate materials from the foundation's various events year round. There are events such as Jazz Fest, Songwriting workshops and African Drumming Workshops. For a list of programs and materials held by the foundation, click HERE: http://www.jazzandheritage.org/what-we-do.
According to their website, the archive is located at:
The Jazz & Heritage Archive
901 Toulouse St.
New Orleans, LA 70112
Tel: (504) 558-6138
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