Cataloging my Digital Collection

It has been decades(!) since I took cataloging courses for my Master's in Library Science. (I graduated in 1979.) My career has been spent on the "public service" / reference side of things. Even so, in recent years with the various digital projects I've been involved with (Rangelands West, etc.) I've begun to become more aware of and involved in issues of metadata - but not really at the nitty-gritty design & input level. All of this is leading up to my observations regarding the challenges I've faced in cataloging my IRLS 675 digital collection. I've found it to be very time-consuming and somewhat tedious in spite of the interest I have in the subject area of the items I am working with. I am using the LOC subject terms in the Eprints collection but they are not particularly useful since they are at such a high/broad level. I think for my collection I prefer the key words and tagging approach since it allows a much more "granular" level of description.

On the question of consistency, since I'm working with such a small collection and it's only one person (me) doing the cataloging, it's fairly easy to create consistent metadata records. Even so, I feel like an amateur. I would benefit from more recent education from cataloging and/or archivist course work. I can see how it becomes much more difficult when you have many people entering metadata for a collection, especially when they have little or no background in the theory and practice of cataloging.

Select and Install a Drupal Module of My Choice

[IRLS 675 Unit 5 - Assignment 2/5]
After adding and configuring the selected Drupal modules as instructed in Unit 5 – Assignment 1, I spent quite a bit of time browsing through the available modules with distributions for Drupal 6 (Assignment 2). I thought I might want to use the Tagadelic module but decided that it wouldn’t really fit with the style/atmosphere of the UA Historic Photos collection – too “messy”. I considered some image-related modules. The PicLens module is really cool but I suspect that it’s too complex for me to download and install at least given the time (or lack thereof) that I have for this. Finally I decided to download Google Analytics. The download process went smoothly but when I got to the Site Configuration page in Admin for Google Analytics, I ran into a dead-end with the Google Analytics account number. Since my Pfander Drupal site is apparently not accessible to the WWW (at least with the IP address), I couldn’t get a valid URL response from Google. I’ve probably forgotten the URL or whatever that would be acceptable for the Google Analytics registration page. At this point, it's late, I"m tired and so far behind in everything...I’m going to put this on hold and keep moving on the assignments, etc. and maybe come back to this assignment later.

Experimenting with Social Bookmarking & Tagging

Up to now, I have had fairly cursory introductory experiences with social bookmarking and tagging. The readings this week inspired me to revisit Del.icio.us and Flickr. I added the Del.icio.us tool to both IE and Firefox on my home workstation.

Most of the Web 2.0 things seem like one more place on the web to have to go and check (log in & out, etc. etc.). I have enough trouble keeping up with email (SO old-fashioned!). I'm willing to try it out though. We'll see...

Setting the Pace on the Tech Track

When I first saw that there were going to be two instructors teaching two different tracks for IRLS 675, I was quite concerned. I figured it was going to be like taking two courses in one and double the workload. So far it hasn't been too bad. I still struggle with keeping up with the readings but, as Bruce suggests, compared to the intensive Intro (IRLS 672) course, the tech track for 675 so far hasn't been as stressful. I haven't run into any serious glitches. Things are working as they should.

This is not to say that I think the pace should be sped up. I may not be taking two DigIn classes this semester - but my "day job" and other commitments of family, etc. on top of IRLS 675 are more than enough to keep me busy late into the evening and through the weekends!

CMS: Content Management Systems and Change Management

For this week's Blog assignment (Unit 2, Assignment 5), I read the article by Susan Goodwin et al, titled "CMS/CMS: content management system/change management strategies" (Library Hi Tech, 24(1): 54-60, 2006). The authors describe the web redesign initiative at Texas A&M University Libraries with a focus on the management issues that they faced. Eight "reflections and recommendations" are given based on their experience. These recommendations are consistent with the the concepts covered in the Technology Planning unit of IRLS 672.

The authors emphasize the importance of creating a project team that has broad-based representation from across the organization (not just technical staff) as well as upper level management involvement and support. The initiative gave the TAMU Libraries the opportunity to examine and refine or update their organizational model and culture, encouraging a shift from an internal focus to a user focus. These kinds of significant changes must be acknowledged and reflected in revised job descriptions, performance expectations and support for training for new competencies & skills. Not surprisingly, communication - both internal and external - sharing information but also inviting feedback and input - is seen as central to the success of implementing a content management system and developing the Libraries web presence. The process is a continous, ongoing effort and requires willingness to take risks and learn from mistakes.

Their commitment to continuous improvement and development of their website was evident when I visited the site (http://library.tamu.edu/) and found at the top right corner of the TAMU Libraries website the question "Notice our new website?". This links to an opportunity for users to comment on their most recent website redesign which was launched on August 15, 2008.

I was curious to learn what CMS the Texas A&M Libraries use but was unable to find any mention of a specific software either in the article, on the TAMU Libraries website or in a search of the scholarly literature. I found a clue however through a Google search that leads me to think they are using Plone (at least for their interactive "Library Talk" forum for commenting on the website redesign). However when I went to Plone.net and searched for libraries using Plone, TAMU did not show up on the list.

My Digital Collection - Arizona Ranch Life in the Early 20th Century

The collection I plan to create for the Drupal project in IRLS 675 will be focused on the human experience of life on Arizona ranches in the early to mid-twentieth century. I am interested in this because of my involvement with the Rangelands West web portal and other Arizona agriculture and natural resources projects (Million Books, Sonoran Desert Knowledge Exchange, Arizona Electronic Atlas). I also have a personal interest in local (Tucson and Arizona) history.

My plan is to gather fifteen to twenty digital images, text files and potentially sound and/or video files from several digital collections or projects in the UA Libraries such as the Million Books project, the USAIN-NEH Arizona Rural History Project, the Empire Ranch exhibit / collection, and The Little Cowpuncher online exhibit. I do not have these objects "in hand" or on disk yet. I am in the process of contacting the appropriate people in the Libraries and requesting permission to use the files for educational purposes in my IRLS 675 project.

I'm assuming that this collection will not be open to the world to access. However, if it was, I believe that researchers, educators, students, and other individuals with an interest in rural Arizona history and the ranching lifestyle and experience would be the audience.

Some of the terms that I would use to describe ("tag") this collection include variations on the word "ranch" (ranching, ranchers, ranches), variations on the word "land" (rangeland, wildland, public land, grassland, etc.), agriculture, rural, family, cowboy, livestock, cattle, horses, grazing, wildlife, etc.

The Shirky essay reminds me that given the conflict that has sometimes occurred between ranchers and environmentalists, other terms of a more negative nature might also show up in a tag cloud for the collection: environmental degradation, drought, development, endangered species, etc.

IRLS 675

My blog post title isn't too inspired. Nevertheless, it is significant that I have moved from IRLS 672 (Intro to Applied Technology) onward to IRLS 675 (Advanced Digital Collections). I wanted to maintain momentum in the hands-on use of the technology used for digital information management. I was a little bit afraid that if I took a break (as tempting as it was) after 672 and went on to other DigIn courses before taking IRLS 675, I might have lost some of the gains I've made in learning and applying the technology.