Did you know that every time you sign up for some type of account online, that you may be helping to digitize books? That word that is all distorted that you much type out in order to sign up for an online service is called a CAPTCHA. It was developed to make sure that only people were signing up for email accounts or buying tickets online. Computers are unable to pass a CAPTCHA test, so when one is passed, it is safe to assume that a real person is signing up for something and not a computer program. This is all very interesting and useful, but the real story is how CAPTCHA is now being used to digitize the large back log of newspapers and other printed materials. This program is called reCAPTCHA and was developed as a way to put the CAPTCHA test to "good use." When a person signs up for an online they are given a CAPTCHA challenge to read as well as another word from a book or newspaper that was being digitized. The reCAPTCHA word could not be read by optical character recognition software and it needed the human eye to read it. When the word is entered as part of the CAPTCHA challenge, the reCAPTCHA word is then sent back to the service that is digitizing the material and the unrecognizable word is now recognizable by the computer. According to Wikipedia, the reCAPTCHA program provides the equivalent to 12,000 hours per day of free man hours to digitization projects.
I learned about this great idea on Nova Science Now. The problem of computers not being able to read and digitize a piece of printed materials was one of the topics that was covered in my metadata class. Its so interesting that someone was able to come up with a way to use a simple computer test to help in quest to digitize as much printed materials as possible. Think how much has already been digitized by using this program and all without anyone having to do any real "work."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Just Keep Blogging , Just Keep Blogging
Over the course of this past month, I believe that I have developed a slight addiction to blogging. I've fought this whole blogging thing for a long time, but now that I have been given a chance to really play around with it, I know see why so many people do it on a regular basis. Not only is blogging fun and easy, it can also give you a great advantage in the library world.
First benefit a blog can provide, self-promotion. When applying for a job, the employer will be looking for someway to distinguish between all the applicants. A blog is a great way to do this. Blogging not only shows off your interest in a certain field, but it can also highlight your ability to use Web 2.0, which is always a nice thing for any employer to know. By writing a blog, you get yourself out there on the web and a potential employer need only Google you to find more information. As we move away from paper to more digital forms of representation, a blog can become this century's calling card.
Another benefit that blogging can provide is the chance to improve upon one's writing. The ability to write and to write well is always important for a librarian because you never know when you might be called upon to write a grant proposal or some type or report. Its best to just keep those skills up to par.
One other benefit, perhaps the most important one, is the chance to become part of a community. Blogs provide people with similar interests to keep in touch and to see what others in the field are up to in terms of research and writing. Being part of a community also provides self-promotion as you are able to develop a network of contacts outside your library.
First benefit a blog can provide, self-promotion. When applying for a job, the employer will be looking for someway to distinguish between all the applicants. A blog is a great way to do this. Blogging not only shows off your interest in a certain field, but it can also highlight your ability to use Web 2.0, which is always a nice thing for any employer to know. By writing a blog, you get yourself out there on the web and a potential employer need only Google you to find more information. As we move away from paper to more digital forms of representation, a blog can become this century's calling card.
Another benefit that blogging can provide is the chance to improve upon one's writing. The ability to write and to write well is always important for a librarian because you never know when you might be called upon to write a grant proposal or some type or report. Its best to just keep those skills up to par.
One other benefit, perhaps the most important one, is the chance to become part of a community. Blogs provide people with similar interests to keep in touch and to see what others in the field are up to in terms of research and writing. Being part of a community also provides self-promotion as you are able to develop a network of contacts outside your library.
Web 3.0, where are you? I'm waiting....
I am so ready for Web 3.0. Think how nice it will be to have an internet that works with you, that can think in a more "human" way. Instead of having to think of different terms for what you want, the internet of Web 3.0 will already have a good idea of what kind of information you are looking for and will be able to find exactly what you want with little effort on the part of the user.
With the ease of searching the Web 3. o will likely bring the world of information, what will people need librarians for anymore?
Although searching will be easy, the most important aspect of Web 3.0 is the interpenetration of information. I believe this will be the future of the librarian. Instead of being an expert on finding and organizing information, the librarian will have to help patrons evaluate what they find. Web 2.o connected people and Web 3.0 will connect information and how knows more about information than a librarian? No one, thats who. Even though Web 3.0 promises to make searching easy as pie, I still believe that librarians will be needed as much as ever to help patrons deal with all the information that is provided to them. The librarian will move from finder to evaluator. Since Web 3.0 is still in the works, it will be interesting what fields within the library community will find it useful.
With the ease of searching the Web 3. o will likely bring the world of information, what will people need librarians for anymore?
Although searching will be easy, the most important aspect of Web 3.0 is the interpenetration of information. I believe this will be the future of the librarian. Instead of being an expert on finding and organizing information, the librarian will have to help patrons evaluate what they find. Web 2.o connected people and Web 3.0 will connect information and how knows more about information than a librarian? No one, thats who. Even though Web 3.0 promises to make searching easy as pie, I still believe that librarians will be needed as much as ever to help patrons deal with all the information that is provided to them. The librarian will move from finder to evaluator. Since Web 3.0 is still in the works, it will be interesting what fields within the library community will find it useful.
Personal Archiving
Trying to find something useful to do at work while I waited for some images to load, I decided it would be a good idea to clean out my Inbox. In doing so, I can across a great website that Dr. MacCall sent out about doing a little personal archiving. Still waiting for my images to load, I looked over the sight for a few minutes and decided that its contents totally deserved their own blog! The site combines two information topics I love, metadata and archives!
The site explains that so much of our lives are saved in digital format that everyone should take the time to make sure they do not lose this valuable information. Think about it for a minute. In the past, people were able to save their physical letters and photos to tell the story of their lives. What will be saved from our own lives if we delete our emails or our computer crashes.
The website offers great tips on how to protect your digital memories. For photos, it suggests making a CD of the pictures, uploading them to a site like Flickr, and printing out the ones that are very special. For emails, the site suggests saving important emails to your computer's hard drive and putting a copy on a CD. The biggest issue facing most digital materials is their hardware or software becoming obsolete, so its very important that with each new system upgrade, that your digital files are upgrade too.
After reading this article, I decided that I needed to make a little personal archive for myself. You never know who will become famous. I had already made metadata for my photo collection, but now I am going to start saving emails and other digital records of my life for the future.
I really think this website brings to life the importance of both archives and metadata for the average person because everyone has a history worth saving and sharing. I hope that everyone in the future will catch the archiving bug and make their own memories last forever. (Like mine will!)
The site explains that so much of our lives are saved in digital format that everyone should take the time to make sure they do not lose this valuable information. Think about it for a minute. In the past, people were able to save their physical letters and photos to tell the story of their lives. What will be saved from our own lives if we delete our emails or our computer crashes.
The website offers great tips on how to protect your digital memories. For photos, it suggests making a CD of the pictures, uploading them to a site like Flickr, and printing out the ones that are very special. For emails, the site suggests saving important emails to your computer's hard drive and putting a copy on a CD. The biggest issue facing most digital materials is their hardware or software becoming obsolete, so its very important that with each new system upgrade, that your digital files are upgrade too.
After reading this article, I decided that I needed to make a little personal archive for myself. You never know who will become famous. I had already made metadata for my photo collection, but now I am going to start saving emails and other digital records of my life for the future.
I really think this website brings to life the importance of both archives and metadata for the average person because everyone has a history worth saving and sharing. I hope that everyone in the future will catch the archiving bug and make their own memories last forever. (Like mine will!)
A New Librarian
I was reading a very interesting article about the future of librarians. In this age of knowledge saturation, a new librarian has emerged, the "knowledge librarian." This new librarian will have to be a "content czar." While anyone can preform a search on their topic of choice, this knowledge librarian will bring organization to the vast amount of knowledge that is available. Through the organization of information, the knowledge librarian can also make new connections between pieces of information that will enhance the follow of knowledge across different areas. Information is the new "raw material" of this new knowledge-based economy. The growth of information and its quick and efficient retrieval proves what a necessity having well trained librarians on staff.
In the past, many companies did away with their librarian, but now, as the pool of information grows faster than the average person can manage it, more and more people are beginning to see what benefits a library can and will bring to their organization. Even though librarians and their services are becoming crucial to the growth of a business or industry, the librarian can not simply stay behind a desk and wait for the opportunity to come along. Those that will benefit from this new knowledge-based world are the ones that get out into the companies and communities and find their own opportunities. Librarians must be willing to engage others and find ways to connect the information dots.
I believe the librarian of the future will be positioned to be a key player in this information and knowledge driven economy because the librarian will have the unique ability to handle any type of information that comes their way.
In the past, many companies did away with their librarian, but now, as the pool of information grows faster than the average person can manage it, more and more people are beginning to see what benefits a library can and will bring to their organization. Even though librarians and their services are becoming crucial to the growth of a business or industry, the librarian can not simply stay behind a desk and wait for the opportunity to come along. Those that will benefit from this new knowledge-based world are the ones that get out into the companies and communities and find their own opportunities. Librarians must be willing to engage others and find ways to connect the information dots.
I believe the librarian of the future will be positioned to be a key player in this information and knowledge driven economy because the librarian will have the unique ability to handle any type of information that comes their way.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Sweet, Sweet Metadata
Since I am the Metadata Maven, I thought that I should address this subject in some way. I recently took a metadata class at the University of Alabama with Dr. MacCall (great teacher). I really enjoyed the class in which I learned more about Web 2.0 than I could have ever hoped to learn on my own. Although the class was taught in a more "this is the future of metadata and not the creation of metadata itself" I still became fascinated with the topic. I work in a archive at the University and I spend all day looking at metadata as I scan documents into their database. I really would like to explore this topic in some type of job where I would be able to interact with both people and metadata.
The field of metadata is developing before our eyes. Its not like cataloging, where the rules have been set down and everybody follows them. When dealing with metadata, everyone has their own way of doing things. Standards are developing, but they are by no means suitable for every user. Its going to take several years before we even begin to really get into figuring out how to deal with metadata and how to make its creation efficient for more people.
The field of metadata is developing before our eyes. Its not like cataloging, where the rules have been set down and everybody follows them. When dealing with metadata, everyone has their own way of doing things. Standards are developing, but they are by no means suitable for every user. Its going to take several years before we even begin to really get into figuring out how to deal with metadata and how to make its creation efficient for more people.
The News Hour with Jim Lehrer
I was enjoying one of my favorite news broadcasts, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer tonight and I found one of their stories extremely interesting. They were reporting on how many in Iran are using various social networking sites, like Twitter and Facebook, to report what was happening in their country after the elections last week. Apparently, the internet in Iran has slowed to a crawl and many of these social networking sites have been blocked by the government. The News Hour had two guests on the program to talk about what is happening in Iran and both of them talked about the importance of these sites in organizing rallies for the opposition leader and for getting information about what was happening in the nation out to the world.
I really found all of this every interesting because most people, myself included, only see social networking sites as fun and a way to waste some time, but they really can be used for the greater good. I was shocked at how even the hard liners in Iran were using these sites to help promote their agenda. They even went so far as to dress up like the opposition to create videos that they then were posting on Facebook and Youtube.
These sites are really becoming the future for all of us and everyone should know at least something about them. I think that in the future, these sites will play a very large role in library outreach. I hope that I am able to keep up with the times so that I will be able to use what I know one day in a job.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Libraries... My Future
I am too indecisive about my future and what should occupy my time. What is my life's calling? I often wonder if any job will make me truly happy. I believe this is because I am normally happy with whatever I happen to be doing at the time. When I worked in a pharmacy during high school, I thought that I would be happy as a pharmacist, when I worked in a HR department during college, I thought that would be my life's work. I hold neither of these jobs, but now I am working towards becoming a librarian. I enjoy library school and I am having fun with my classes and I enjoy what is being taught to me, but I can't help but wonder, do I enjoy this because I really like it, or is it just because this happens to be what I am doing right now?
When I began my MLIS, I thought that I would like to become an archivist and bury myself in some climate control room for the rest of my life. As I have moved through the program, I am beginning to think that may not be the best path for my life. I always told people that I don't much care for having to work with others every day, but I am beginning to think that I might just be a people person, so the climate control room is out for me. I have recently taken a class on metadata and I am now finding that topic to be very interesting. But I wonder if thats only because I just finished a class about the subject. One area that I am beginning to find more and more appealing is library usage and user outreach. I think that I might really enjoy getting people excited about using the library and finding ways to get more people to utilize the resources that libraries offer. Perhaps this career path will make me happy.
Its both a blessing and a curse to be happy in every job. I might not ever find that "perfect" job that fits me like a glove, but its a nice thing to know that no matter what, chances are that I will be happy with whatever job comes my way.
When I began my MLIS, I thought that I would like to become an archivist and bury myself in some climate control room for the rest of my life. As I have moved through the program, I am beginning to think that may not be the best path for my life. I always told people that I don't much care for having to work with others every day, but I am beginning to think that I might just be a people person, so the climate control room is out for me. I have recently taken a class on metadata and I am now finding that topic to be very interesting. But I wonder if thats only because I just finished a class about the subject. One area that I am beginning to find more and more appealing is library usage and user outreach. I think that I might really enjoy getting people excited about using the library and finding ways to get more people to utilize the resources that libraries offer. Perhaps this career path will make me happy.
Its both a blessing and a curse to be happy in every job. I might not ever find that "perfect" job that fits me like a glove, but its a nice thing to know that no matter what, chances are that I will be happy with whatever job comes my way.
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