Reaction to My Upcoming Last Semester

St Gemma Galgani, ora pro me

I have reached the final semester for graduate school and I approach it with mixed emotions. Relief that it is almost done, wonder at what will happen next, excited, to name a few. But I am struck with a strange sense of . . . quite honestly I don't know. It's a weird sensation in the pit of my gut that gnawing at my subconscious pushing me towards melancholy.

Tonight was the first night for one of my classes. Something was said that left me hollow and uneasy. I know in my line of occupation that there are not many who have similar beliefs or opinions as me. (Life in general feels like that) But I knew that before I hit 'submit' on my application to school. I am not saying I regret going and getting my Masters in this field - I am very glad I have. But I was face tonight with an unexpected reminder to be mortuum mundo and alive to what is good and just.

Maybe this all means that I will need a lot of prayers this up coming semester.

Article Summary #5: Digital Preservation Metadata Standards, a LS 566 Post

Image from Educopia Institute

Angela Dappert and Markus Enders in Digital Preservation Metadata Standards discuss metadata within digital repositories. Digital repositories do not just act as a preservation tool for digital objects. They do everything from ingest information to providing access to that information with everything in-between. Repositories also actively work to prevent loss of the data in their care. Metadata is key to the preservation functions. There are several types of metadata that Dappaert and Enders split into four categories.

Description which describes the intellectual entity through properties. Structural which deals with the physical and logical structural relationships. Administrative which is about who handles the care of the digital object(s); it is also referred to as Preservation Metadata. Each of these categories are expanded or combined with another category to create the different standards used in Digital Repositories, i.e. LMER, PREMIS, METS, MPEG-21, and Z39.87. Dappert and Enders explain that there are so many options and the field is still relatively young to set any metadata standard in stone.

Reading this article just made the final piece click in my head how mind boggling complex metadata can be. It's a 3D puzzle with hundreds of possible solutions. I feel like I should sit down with each standard method and spend a week studying each of them. Maybe a week and a half. I do like the fact that they point out that this is still a developing and relatively new field, a fact that I think slips peoples minds because we are so accustom to technology. There are many points in different standards that have to connect to other standards to be able to be shared and, given how many standards there are available, is a massive undertaking.

Protecting My Tweets and My Six, a LS 566 Post

Well, I did something that I thought I would never do - I got a twitter account. Please cue the dramatic music. The only reason I got one was for school as part of a way to aid in building a learning network with my peers. Yes, it's as cool as it sounds.

Image from Twitter.com

But something weird happened when I went to sign up for an account. Everything was fine until I put in my email address. Apparently there was a twitter account already attached to my email. After a brief moment of feeling my stomach dropping to my feet, I was able to get the account attached to my email suspended by asking for a password reset and in the email Twitter sent there was an option at the bottom "not my account".

I try to be careful of what I put out on the internet, so this did not make me feel better. So I went under 'Settings' to the section 'Security and Privacy' and selected the option of 'Protect my Tweets'.

This means (direct from Twitter's help page):

• You’ll receive a request when new people want to follow you, which you can approve or deny. Learn more.
• Your Tweets, including permanent links to your Tweets, will only be visible to your followers.
• Your followers will not be able to use the Retweet button to Retweet or quote your Tweets. Learn more.
• Protected Tweets will not appear in third-party search engines (like Google search or Bing).
• Your protected Tweets will only be searchable on Twitter by you and your followers.
• Replies you send to an account that isn’t following you will not be seen by that account (because only your followers will see your Tweets).

I'm going to start off protecting my tweets for the time being until I am more comfortable using the site.

Next step, learning how to use 'Feedly'!!

Whittling, a LS 502 Post

My dad is always telling me to stop writing my papers like a novel. I just hate it when very interesting things sound dry, boring, and dull. My challenge now is to whittle away at everything to fit into the 2,000 word maximum for my conference proposal.

With that 2,000 word ceiling I will be going into this with this question in mind: What is the highlight and what is explanation? I think that this is the best course of action for this assignment.

Now excuse me while I find a machete to hack and slash at my papers.

Proposal Examples, a LS 502 Post

His desk is cleaner than mine.

Leaving these here for review and pondering.

• Sample from Claremont
•  AERA example
• GradHacker (why not)

Prep for Methodology, a LS 502 post

Now that the lit review is done it is now time for the development of the methodology report.

I have to figure out the exact method that I would wish to employ for this study; basically how will I gather data, what is my sample size, and so forth.  I am looking back over my problem statement, and while I think it is a very good one I will tweak it just a bit as a result of my review of the literature out there. Instead of solely focusing on oral history I am going to expand it to digital history in general, but with a slight focus on archives that deal with oral histories.

Writing, Right?, a LS 502 Post

Ok, so all of my notes are written up and I have a fairly certain idea of what exactly I'm going to write. That's the good news, the bad news is I'm coming down with something that is making everything sluggish in thought and movement. In that light I am very thankful for the four day extension given by my professor. So the lit review is now due on Saturday as appose to tomorrow.

In other news, I found an interesting article that gives a fantastic overview about what exactly should be involved in a digital preservation program. While it's not a research article, I'm using it in my review to say 'here's an idea, what can we do with it'. I do have the five required research articles so I think I am doing alright.

I usually write everything out by hand before typing it out. Yes it does take a little bit longer, but it helps the flow of thoughts and what I'm writing makes more sense to me.

Almost there - I hope!

More Readings and Thoughts, a LS 502 post

Deals with videos, but has the similar concepts Digital Video Preservation and Oral History, could be used for lit review.

Very useful: Collection Management Systems: Tools for Managing Oral History Collections, also could be used for lit review.

I feel like the information is out there, but I don't know where to look. But right now - focus on find tuning and organizing what I have so my thoughts are clearer.

Short and to the point.

More Reading, A LS 502 post

More reading to examine:
ALA Oral History Resources

From JSTOR:
Charlton, Thomas L. "Videotaped Oral Histories: Problems and Prospects." The American Archivist 47, no. 3 (1984): 228-36. http://www.jstor.org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/stable/40292673.

 Committee on Oral History of the Society of American Archivists. "Oral History and Archivists: Some Questions to Ask." The American Archivist 36, no. 3 (1973): 361-65. http://www.jstor.org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/stable/40291513.

Morrissey, Charles T. "Beyond Oral Evidence: Speaking (Con)Strictly about Oral History." Archival Issues 17, no. 2 (1992): 89-94. http://www.jstor.org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/stable/41101827.

 Conrad, Suzanna. "Analog, The Sequel: An Analysis of Current Film Archiving Practice and Hesitance to Embrace Digital Preservation." Archival Issues 34, no. 1 (2012): 27-43. http://www.jstor.org.libdata.lib.ua.edu/stable/41756160.

Other Fields, a LS 502 Post

As per suggestion of my professor, I am looking at other fields (a.k.a. not Library Science) to see they handle keeping up with technological changes. I will most likely take a glance at other research heavy fields, maybe medical science (since that's an area that really cannot avoid tech. changes), or history (since they benefit from tech. advances). I don't know, really - I'm getting really deep into the unknown here and I think I need something more than little yellow floaties to stay above water.

Other reflection - there is something about the storyteller that cannot be replaced by anything else. In their stories they give us a peek from within their world and we gain a better understanding of their point of view. Story Corps is a wonderful modern day example of storytellers. Check them out!

Irksome Problem, a LS 502 post

In my pursuing of the wondrous realm of JSTOR I am finding interesting articles in regards to oral history in archives. I've enjoyed reading them, but I have one small issue:

Not many deal with changing technology or the procedure to deal with it. Just mostly suggestions of updating every two to five years.

OK, so maybe not a small issue. But let us not view this as a issue but a challenge to make me think. Yeah - I'll go with that. So I will have to look at procedures that some archives have published dealing with adapting the archive collection to technology and the technology most likely used by the users, and see if that will not lead itself to an update procedure. I'm also going to see if anyone has published any books on the subject.

Ready, set, . . .  RESEARCH!!!

Ponders and Wonders, a LS 502 post

The mind ponders and wonders

A few brainstorming ideas I have in regards to preserving oral history (or any archive object in general):
Is there a procedure on what to do when the technology the data is stored on changes?
Is there a standard to follow with changing technology?

This area is where my mind is keeps wondering towards, so I think this will be my research focus for this class.

Most of the stuff I'm finding deals with updating archives in dealing with technology like scanners and cameras. But nothing really on what to do when that computer you have in the back archives is not compatible with the scanner or printer right next to it.

Random articles to ponder over:
Taking a Byte Out of the Archives: Making Technology Work for You
Preserving Oral History Recordings (from down under)

I think I'm still breathing calmly . . . I think.

The Idea Emerges, a LS 502 post

"Madness does not come by breaking out, but by giving in; by settling down in some dirty, little, self-repeating circle of ideas; by being tamed."
--G.K. Chesterton, Manalive

I have mentioned I'm a little freak out over my Research Methods class? I've done research before for my undergraduate degree, but I can't help but feel that I'm a little out of my depth.

But the Muse has struck!

As I was weeding a collection in the branch library I worked before my transfer, I found a book on Windows 3.1, complete with floppy disks. Now, when I say floppy disks, I mean floppy disks.

For your viewing pleasure:

Note: Advance claim no longer valid.

It struck me that there are people who probably never seen an actual floppy disk in there life. I remember explaining a floppy disk to a friend of mine who is only a few years younger than me and she gave me a confused look. So the thought in my mind is if there are no machines that can read these storage device how can we recover the information that is on there. The door is now locked, never to be open because we have lost the key.

So, with this class I want to look into how do archives make sure that the information, like recordings of oral history, that is saved on computers is not lost because of changes in technology.

I refused to be tamed!!

Useful Articles, a LS 502 Post

I forgot to mention that the journaling for my research class is going to be a bi-weekly posting. Thus another post this week! (Much better than I usually do with this blog.) Just to let you know, these may appear to be random - but, there is a madness to my method.

Over the past few days I have mostly been looking at online articles to get an idea of which direction I want to take my research.

Articles/Posts (that tickled my fancy):
Smithsonian Oral History Collection (What they have in their collection)
Assistive Technology Oral History Project
How Digital Technology Has Changed Oral History
Digital Omnium
List of All Oral Histories (ETHW)
Oral History in the Digital Age

Down into the Depths of Research, A LS 502 Post

Breath in, breath out.

I survived summer classes, but I now start the class that ellicits cringes from all that I have told I'm talking - Research Methods. All those cringes did not help my confidence in regards to this class. But I like to learn new things and explore the unknown.

As part of the class we must do journalling to aid in our research, so now will begin the random entries of research ideas, posts, and articles that peak my interest in areas I would like to research.

Today I was transferred to the Genealogical and Historical Room of my library's system; it houses a lot of local history objects and a wide variety of genealogical research (so if you're interested in joining groups like Daughters of the American Revolution or Sons of the Confederacy, drop in for a visit and find that family member). I am very interested in archives and the role they play in the community in terms of identity. I also love the role of the storyteller in society, how they weave tells of heroes, journeys, and life into ways that touch us personally. There have been many times I have found myself listening to the tales of others; things that their grandparents did in World War II, what happen when they were caught in a flood ending up rowing up the Ocmulgee River, or the story of how they met the love of their life.

There are stories that cannot just be written down and read; some stories have to be told and listen to. But how to we collect and preserve the oral stories of our community? What are the methods available? How to we brace for the changes in technology so things are lost in conversions?

Breath in, breath out.

Here I go.

Here at the end of all things -- mostly the Semester

So within the week I will finish the last week of my second semester of grad school, and it has been a journey.

I now know how to better conduct reference interviews and look for resources, and I also have expanded my IT capacity, which I never thought would happen. Information Technology is still not my forte, but now I am able to better understand something relating to it.

I saw this once posted somewhere: "Google can provide a thousand answers, a Librarian can provide the right answer." How true that is! Looking for the right information is more than just typing in keywords into a search engine and hoping for the best. There is a method to the madness of the librarian as the scour through the massive amount of information provide both on and off line.  Two sources may cover the same topic but will approached it in a different manner thus one may be more suited to the need of the patron than the other. The librarian may also have to be a code-breaker to understand what the patron is seeking because sometimes the patron himself does not really know what he is looking for. So when the librarian is asking you a bunch of of questions, please bear with him, he is just trying to find the right information for you.

The last two projects I had to do for my IT class dealt with a Usability Study and Database building; for these project I had to work with a group of three other persons. Shout out to the lovey ladies I worked with, you are amazing and I would not hesitate to work with you again!

What I learned beyond the subject matter of the projects was that IT is not a lone wolf field, not in the slightest. My group worked very well together because we played on each other's strengths. I know that if I had to the last two projects by myself I would have been completely lost and in full panic mode. So I employ you dear readers to dispel the image of IT people living deep down in the depths of the basement with zero people skills. They simply have a different way of viewing the world, mostly within ones and zeroes, and a different way of communicating.

So, my dear Elevensies, I am glad to have finished our second semester together. We have had many trials and tribulations, but I'm glad to be with you:

Here at the end of all things.
(Not quite, but if feels like it!)

"It's an Unix system!"

I can now save Jurassic Park before the dinosaurs eat me!!!

To explain, I've just completed the section of my IT class that deals with Unix command lines. All I could think about when I was Unix on the syllabus was Lex, the hacker girl, from Jurassic Park.

Having that movie reference to encourage me onward I buckled down and went through the modules and looked up more coding for Unix. So at this point of the semester I have a better grasp of HTML tagging and Unix line commands, or at least have a good grasp of the basic concept. I almost feel like in those heist movies where the hacker is looking for a backdoor in the computer program to unlock the doors. I would not call myself a hacker in the original sense of the term (a computer programmer enthusiast), but I am now someone who has gain a better appreciation for computer programming.

Do I feel like my IT fluency has improved? Well I can comfortably say that I could hold a conversation about the basics with a computer geek and not be completely lost or have that glazed look in my eyes. Am I just a little overwhelmed? Just a tad. Fortunately I feel like I have a good support from my cohort.

Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to make sure that all the doors have door knobs so the raptors cannot open them.

Do We Think Anymore?

Several weeks I took part of a conversation with several co-workers that I do not normally work with; well it was mostly me just standing there and the other three talked. The topic of this conversation was the holds list - to explain if there is a book, let's say a particular book about fishing, if the local library does not have it the librarian (or the patron through their account) can place a request for that fishing book and whichever library has it will send it off. It's a neat system and I have used it on multiple occasions. On the library end of this system the holds list is the list of requested items are we have to go through the stacks to find and send off to the requesting library.When it's printed off it is in order by the call number.

Seems simple enough, right? Well, the difficulty (and a minor one at that) is that each library has set up their collection in their own way. One library might have collected the Christian Inspirational, African American, Large Print, or Short Stories each into one area that is not denoted by the call number. This results, especially when still learning a particular library's setup, in the librarian zigzagging across the library if they are going in strict order of the call number.

The zigzagging was main component of the conversation (it was more like a mini-rant). I listen as one person wondered if there was a way to program the holds list so that the zigzagging could be eliminated. The other two agreed and I was a bit dumbfounded.

I think what bothered me so much about that conversation was how depended some of my co-workers were upon the computer system to arrange everything for them. One of the first things I do when I arrive for work is pull the holds from the shelve. But before I disappear into the stacks I go over the list and make note of which items can be found where, then I go to each section of the collection to find the items. I may change up the order from day to day, like finding the audio-books first before going to non-fiction or looking through the Mysteries before the Large Print.

As I was growing up I was always taught that computer programs and the like were a great supplement, but not a replacement to my thinking. It was a time saver, not my brain. This is how I view the holds list; to quote Pirates of the Caribbean, the list "is more what you'd call 'guidelines'" than a strict order of things. It makes pulling the holds easier, but it is not going to completely dictate how I go about pulling the holds. If somehow the computer program for the library  is set up so that it takes into consideration the format of each collection, fine by me, but I am not going to hold my breath for it.

MLIS, ITF, and Other Fun Things

To some I am known as Livie, others 'what's her face', and to those most dear a friend. The purpose of this posting for for my LS 560 class, Information Technology, in which I will introduce myself to my fellow classmates who are also in pursuit of a MLIS, and a brief rundown of my ITF (information technology fluency).

Fellow classmates - Hello!

A few notes about my person, I currently work as a full time library assistant at a branch library who graduated from Christendom College in Virginia with a strong Liberal Arts education resulting in a B.A. in Scared Theology. It was often stated during my time at Christendom that a Liberal Arts education would give me strong skills in critical thinking, research, and writing; overall, I find that to be true but it also
strengthen my out-of-box thinking.  I have no shame declaring myself a geek in both fantasy and sci-fi - it's how I met some of my closest friends and how I get to have amazing interactions with new people. I am all about learning new things - it turns into a new adventure of discovery and more often than not those new things I learn come back to help in the library because eventually a patron will ask a question about it.

My favorite sight and smell.

A few notes on my ITF; one of my coworkers jokingly refers to me as the IT person of the branch, but I think it is mostly due to the fact that I am the youngest full time employee there. A trait I share with the rest of my generation is that I grew up with the fast growing technology of the world so I have a tendency to figure out things tech-related after messing with it. So when there is a patron  who needs help on a computer, I'm usually the one that gets sent out to assist.

I did not touch a computer until I was in the sixth grade when I remember most distinctly typing in a web address in the URL bar then asking 'Now what?', much to the dismay of my teacher and classmates. But, as evident by this blog, I have since learned to use a computer but I am not what you would call completely tech savvy. I am the person who will take the manual and refer to it often as I'm learning how to use a new device, which is why my parents will simple hand a manual to me with a pleading look saying 'Explain, please!'

I am very thankful for the invention of the mouse with all it's point and click wonderfulness, so please don't ask me how to enter in a command line with all those confusing slashes and dashes. I am hoping by the end of the semester that I will understand those slashes and dashes a little bit better without the need to get the lion tamer's chair and whip for assistance yelling 'Back! Back!'

On to the User Profile Activity (cue dramatic chord): My mother is a very smart woman and is very well liked in our community. But to call her tech savvy would be erroneous. Again she is very smart, but she is the type of person who would be very happy to live without the beepings and dings of technology. But leave her an electric lamp so she can read her books, she loves to read. She knows how to type up a document in Microsoft Word, but would need someone to help her with formatting. Email is something she uses because almost everyone else has an email that she interacts with through her volunteer work and most of the time that how they prefer to communicate; she can attach a file to an email, but needs a few reminders. She does not have a smartphone (she calls the one she currently has a 'dumbphone'), but is willing to learn how to use one if she needs to. I asked her if I gave her my digital camera without the manual would she be lost - there was little to no hesitation when she said that she probably would be lost. But she can use a Kindle Fire!

I am very nervous going into this class, but I am very it as a changllene from which I will not back down.  So bring it on scary technology! Bring it on!

Overworked, Overwhelmed, and School has Only Just Started

Once upon a time I received an message in my work email inviting me to apply for a leadership program with in the library system where I am currently employed. With everything I already have on my plate I did not really want to add another item to my agenda. But I printed off the email with the intention of contemplating it over once I was home.

To make a long story short, at my parents' encouragement I did apply and surprisingly accepted into the program. Part of the application was to included a project that would contribute somehow to the workings of the library system weather behind the scenes or directly with patrons. After racking my brain and bouncing ideas off of a few co-workers I came up with the idea of a basic library instruction for the general public.  Basically it would be something that would explain how to use the library and what to find there. So on top of my regular duties I now have that project to do.

A little stress, yes.

I'm continuing volunteering for the Middle School Youth Group at my Church.  There were too many mothers asking if I would be back this year for me to even say no. However the main reason is that I do enjoy giving talks and the Youth Director, Lauren, is an absolute sweetie. But compiling and writing a fifteen to twenty minute talk does take a bit of time to do. When I started helping with the youth program I did not think that I would enjoy it. But I gave it a chance and surprisingly I did enjoy it, and the kids on a few of the talks were very interested in what I was saying. With such a positive reaction I realized that I was able to do some good with the Youth Group. My hope is that the kids will remember a handful of things I talk about in the years down the line.  If they do then I can mark off my endeavor as a success.

More stress, yep.

The next chapter of my schooling is just about to start for my Master's degree. I am equal parts excited and nervous. The first semester went well with good grades but I went through it with an extreme amount of stressing out and good amount of sleeplessness. I don't want a repeat of that I really don't.  That being said, I did enjoy what I learned and I even signed up for another class with one of the professors I already had. He made everything he taught about sound so epic with plenty of geeky type references.

A lot of stress - you betcha!!

There is another semester of core classes that I have to take before I can go into my electives.  I have a vague idea of what direction I want to go with my degree. But with the way somethings are playing out in my life I think I am being pushed into a direction that I am not certain I want to be pushed towards.  But I am not going to focus on that at the moment. My current mantra has turned into 'Just get through school.' So I'm just going to focus on my schoolwork and slowly figure out what I'm going to do after I graduate.

Onward and upward.