Greenstone for a Digital Map Library

For my software evaluation assignment I chose to study the Greenstone digital library software for creating an online collection of maps. I hypothesized that the University of Toronto Map Library would want to make its 230,000 maps available for public access into a digital map library. Here are my executive summary and conclusions.

Purpose – This report evaluates Greenstone, an open source digital library software, and its potential for creating a digital collection at a map library.

Approach – An introduction to open source software and digital libraries, as well as the unique requirements for a map collection are presented. The Greenstone project is evaluated based on the total cost of ownership and the risks of implementation.

Recommendations – Greenstone is found to be a stable and inexpensive option for a digital map library. Evaluation of other open source software projects is necessary to confirm that Greenstone is the most useful. A trial study through installation of the software will have to be completed to provide more information about the practicality and usability.

This report finds the Greenstone software worthy of further investigation for a digital map library project. Future evaluation should include a trial period of software use by both librarians and end-users. This test should focus on the usefulness of the software for maps specifically, as well as a study of the usability. It is highly recommended that an open source project is used for this project. To be sure that Greenstone is the best option, other open source software for digital libraries must be evaluated, such as DSpace or Fedora. There are also applications specific to geographic information, which facilitate interactions with the maps by the end user. This may be a functionality that can be built into any software. A digital map library will increase the use of the University of Toronto’s public map collection by reaching a wider audience online. This study proposes that Greenstone software offers the support necessary for this project.

Library Arcade

Thanks Graeme for bringing these educational procrastination methods to my attention. Especially useful if you are in FIS 1310 resources & services class, as the "I'll Get It" game provides some experience working in reference at the library. From an IT perspective, this game might provide some examples of a cool graphic user interface for virtual reference!

http://www.library.cmu.edu/Libraries/etc/index.html

Critical Review of Talis' White Paper

The paper is most useful as a basic introduction to the principles of Library 2.0, and the changing needs of its users. Most valuable are the principles of collaboration amongst libraries and users, and the opening up of information on library collections. A definition of the library is absent, and this must be an essential component of the discussion. M. Crawford argues that “public libraries have never been most people’s primary source of current information” (2006, 2). Chad and Miller may intend to rework the role through these technological changes, but it is not clear as little explanation of the function of the library is given. The perspective of these authors is inherently biased due to their employment with Talis. It is necessary to view this white paper as a commercial marketing tool, with a specific aim of establishing Talis as the leader on thoughts of Library 2.0. Changes in technology will continue to evolve the library’s delivery of service, and important suggestions about the future have been put forward by Chad and Miller.

Chad, K. & P. Miller. (2005). Do libraries matter?: The rise of Library 2.0. Talis White

Paper. Retrieved October 16, 2007, from, http://www.talis.com/applications/

downloads/white_papers/DoLibrariesMatter.pdf

Crawford, W. (2006). Library 2.0 and “Library 2.0”. Cites and Insights: Crawford at

Large, 6, 2. YPB Library Services. Retrieved October 17, 2007, from

http://citesandinsights.info/oldvol.htm

Information Geography

My undergrad degree is in Geography, and my research focused on geovisualization in geographic information science. Geovisualization is an approach to spatial data, that builds upon the rich history of cartography by using new technology. New tools allow for increased interaction with the data. The methods of geovisualization have been used not only to map spatial data, but to map information. The latest text on Geovisualization comes with an interactive 3D map of the book! Compete with mountains and valleys representing certain themes and chapters.

A fascinating example of mapping the information highway has been developed for fun by a strategic design agency in Tokyo, Japan called Information Architects Japan. Using a Tokyo subway map as the base, they have geo-coded a trend map of web sites. This is now in its second edition, and while "unscientific" it is really fun to look at!

Check out the map!

The Beginning

Welcome to my first blog space on the information highway.

Tonight, I noticed my fifteen year old brother is writing HTML and making his own web page. He is two weeks into his high school Computer Science class and his coding abilities have already surpassed my limited knowledge. This really made me think about the pace of this new net generation. I consider myself fairly proficient with information technology, but my high school computer class was keyboarding. We spent three months learning to type. I already knew how to type - thanks to icq I think - so the course was not very useful for me. I wish I learned HTML in high school. Then my blog would really look awesome. Learning how to make web pages is so basic that it is now a part of high school curriculum. What a great starting point. This blog is my first venture into posting online. I am excited to expand my IT skills in graduate school (catch up with the high-schoolers!), while applying my new abilities to the management of information.