In an effort to move around information in a slightly more branded and interesting way, I am in the process of building a new website for myself that will feature the same types of information featured here (items on books, libraries and bicycling mostly), but with a cleaner ideal, better interactions with social Madia (aka: Twitter) and it should generally be more fun to navigate and easier to follow.
The new site will be a website with a blog as a featured element in its design. But it will not JUST be a blog. Also, the site may not remain static as a design. I am quite interested with varied layouts over the course of the next few months as i configure one that exactly matches the way I plan to disseminate thoughts and information.There should be more nested structure in the new design if it comes together as I plan.
So be on the lookout for the new site soon (very soon)...
Thank you.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Collecting for Libary Use - A Wonder
When a library lines of items for use by patrons, what factors determine how many of one item a library will acquire? I know much of this has to do with money, but there are other elements in the decision mix which must be taken into account when a library or library system decides to purchase resources (print, image or digital). A side question to this may be whether there is a format that best fits each type pf item collected or if all formats are equally useful in every situation (all other things being equal).
In terms of topic oriented collecting, where doses topic stop and another begin? Can we define this line? Is a library, public of academic, supposed to collect all publications by a well-red fiction author? Or must we think of this as excessive? If we collect all of an author's published works, do we also decide to collect monographs on said author? And what about books that might be defined as relevant to understanding context to that author's works or writing space?
I mean to have no answers here. And my link to Wikipedia is for dialogue purposes only. I just mean to invite conversation. Please weigh in. I welcome comments here (moderated) or @ Twitter.
Thank you much.
There will be more in the future.
In terms of topic oriented collecting, where doses topic stop and another begin? Can we define this line? Is a library, public of academic, supposed to collect all publications by a well-red fiction author? Or must we think of this as excessive? If we collect all of an author's published works, do we also decide to collect monographs on said author? And what about books that might be defined as relevant to understanding context to that author's works or writing space?
I mean to have no answers here. And my link to Wikipedia is for dialogue purposes only. I just mean to invite conversation. Please weigh in. I welcome comments here (moderated) or @ Twitter.
Thank you much.
There will be more in the future.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Public Library Work - Thoughts?
I am curious what people really think about their respective public library jobs? This question is not meant to cover ALL the experiences nor thoughts people have, nor every task that is part of daily needs at each person's respective branch.
One dire facet of contemporary life in public libraries has been the way budget cuts and the economy in the late 2000s has affected services, hours of operation and libraries' ability to acquire new materials across formats. My job in part has come about, I believe, because of the library system's ability to expand hours and thus increase the number of staff possible - an event for which I am rather grateful. So, I am interested in answers to my query that reflect the changing state of your respective public libraries and what you think about your jobs relative to the affects of the economic struggles of late. These changes I know alter who is in charge, what can be offered and other factors. And sometimes these changes can be positive.
Anyway, please do say what you think. You can reply here or @ Twitter.
Thank you.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Aboutness and Data-about-Data
In another post, the idea was brought up that there is a disconnect between information that humans make, produce or understand (think) and information (data) that computers are structured to use as they communicate with other parts of the machine (or between machines). This might have as much to do with tagging posts in a blog, adding labels to items posted publication platforms such as Google's Blogger or writing descriptions while cataloging items in Millennium or Ex Libris Voyager. These last two software options are interacted with via a library's search catalog in their OPAC or publicly available URL. The previous interfaces are different.
There are some similarities between each of these. But basically, the similarities revolve around code built into the systems because these are assumed to be how knowledge is categorized. The above article highlighted as "tagging" suggests platforms such as Wordpress have categories and tags. The blend of these features create a general "box" for the knowledge in said post while the tags allow for a little nuance added that supposedly helps "aboutness" to be more clear for readers. The fact of this knowledge organization structure is assumed with the use of the technology and there is no more available to the user of the technology at any give time except for what the designers have assumed as more correct (or justified) at the time. Every piece of machinery has this arrangement, but the ubiquitous quality of these technologies' use currently means that these set modes of knowledge organization are hoisted upon more and more people.
Millennium and Ex Libris Voyager have their own set of built-in assumptions about knowledge organization and own ways of applying metadata to items - in this case surrogate records for items that are not the record itself. The distinction between the post and the surrogate record means that even though there are still many machine-specific assumptions in every technology mentioned thus far, the surrogate is STILL a very different interaction because it is not necessarily read for its own sake in most cases. Both of these technologies have certain set fields within their interfaces that cannot be changed - even if they can be fine-tuned to a much far greater degree than any of the web-publishing technologies mentioned above.
Today, however, I was in a conversation with a polyglot cataloger of serials in many languages (currently working with a collection of items from Harry Houdini's library donated to special collections) with the Library of Congress. The conversation was specifically on data-about-data (metadata) and the ways in which technologies do and do not accomplish certain jobs which they could accomplish if certain arrangements were different. She told us that even with the code-style used with cataloging (MARC - Machine-Readable Cataloging), all the detailed set of rules for each field and sub-field (including the formatting of those sub-fields) and all the facets of information able to be added to the surrogate record made in the cataloging module, the technology is still quite limited. By this she meant at least one important point - that even though there are so many methods within this technology to describe artifacts, the human mind understands and is frustrated by the singular method offered to accomplish the cataloger's goals.
The same conversation included a man, also from the Library of Congress, but from the Preservation Directorate - Re-formatting Division, who has written on the modes of expression possible in describing any given work that are not used due to who has already decided what kinds of information counts as data. There are a great number of factors in these decisions, but much of them have to do with socio-economics. These decisions do not revolve around issues about people or writing. Rather, they are also tied to "truths" about physical and mathematical sciences from positions of power. For a good read on this topic, I heartily recommend "Cataloging Theory in Search of Graph Theory and Other Ivory Towers," a paper that has this post's topic as one facet. The paper is available in a pre-print format from American Library Association here. And again, both of these library minded people recognize that even though computers and IT-minded groups/companies have done a lot in the world, they may not have set the world up for a multitude of knowledge organization structures even though most technologies in use today are capable of so much more than what is being taken advantage of at the present time. Machines do certain things really well. But they only do what they do. Humans do the rest (and built those machines).
Thank you.
As always, dialogue is welcome here or @ Twitter.
There are some similarities between each of these. But basically, the similarities revolve around code built into the systems because these are assumed to be how knowledge is categorized. The above article highlighted as "tagging" suggests platforms such as Wordpress have categories and tags. The blend of these features create a general "box" for the knowledge in said post while the tags allow for a little nuance added that supposedly helps "aboutness" to be more clear for readers. The fact of this knowledge organization structure is assumed with the use of the technology and there is no more available to the user of the technology at any give time except for what the designers have assumed as more correct (or justified) at the time. Every piece of machinery has this arrangement, but the ubiquitous quality of these technologies' use currently means that these set modes of knowledge organization are hoisted upon more and more people.
Millennium and Ex Libris Voyager have their own set of built-in assumptions about knowledge organization and own ways of applying metadata to items - in this case surrogate records for items that are not the record itself. The distinction between the post and the surrogate record means that even though there are still many machine-specific assumptions in every technology mentioned thus far, the surrogate is STILL a very different interaction because it is not necessarily read for its own sake in most cases. Both of these technologies have certain set fields within their interfaces that cannot be changed - even if they can be fine-tuned to a much far greater degree than any of the web-publishing technologies mentioned above.
Today, however, I was in a conversation with a polyglot cataloger of serials in many languages (currently working with a collection of items from Harry Houdini's library donated to special collections) with the Library of Congress. The conversation was specifically on data-about-data (metadata) and the ways in which technologies do and do not accomplish certain jobs which they could accomplish if certain arrangements were different. She told us that even with the code-style used with cataloging (MARC - Machine-Readable Cataloging), all the detailed set of rules for each field and sub-field (including the formatting of those sub-fields) and all the facets of information able to be added to the surrogate record made in the cataloging module, the technology is still quite limited. By this she meant at least one important point - that even though there are so many methods within this technology to describe artifacts, the human mind understands and is frustrated by the singular method offered to accomplish the cataloger's goals.
The same conversation included a man, also from the Library of Congress, but from the Preservation Directorate - Re-formatting Division, who has written on the modes of expression possible in describing any given work that are not used due to who has already decided what kinds of information counts as data. There are a great number of factors in these decisions, but much of them have to do with socio-economics. These decisions do not revolve around issues about people or writing. Rather, they are also tied to "truths" about physical and mathematical sciences from positions of power. For a good read on this topic, I heartily recommend "Cataloging Theory in Search of Graph Theory and Other Ivory Towers," a paper that has this post's topic as one facet. The paper is available in a pre-print format from American Library Association here. And again, both of these library minded people recognize that even though computers and IT-minded groups/companies have done a lot in the world, they may not have set the world up for a multitude of knowledge organization structures even though most technologies in use today are capable of so much more than what is being taken advantage of at the present time. Machines do certain things really well. But they only do what they do. Humans do the rest (and built those machines).
Thank you.
As always, dialogue is welcome here or @ Twitter.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Thomas Jefferson's Green Library
Fairfax County Public Library system has built a useful, award-winning Eco-friendly library in the Arlington Blvd. Thomas Jefferson neighborhood branch. It features red bricks on three sides and a wall of open glass on the Rt. 50 side - facing the main road and service street.
I have three pictures snapped and collected @ Twitter - collocated under the hashtag: #jltaglichtjfcpl - of the external. Future potential for internal images. I simply want to quickly describe the building's design features - attributes which are new in ideology and yet traditional in design thinking in library buildings. The first of these is the ease of access to the reference desk. It sits in the very middle of the floor where it acts simultaneously as point-of-service and Panopticon over the stacks and nearby computer terminals.
The green-friendly wall of glass on the northern wall allows so much natural light in. I have written in the letting in of natural light to libraries before. This simple solution saves money on lighting (energy use itself is also theoretically reduced). But it also changes the texture of the light from fluorescent to something altogether different. Of course, it's not as if light has not always played in a part in library design. Traditionally, light has been a part of libraries as representative of the light of knowledge and truth. But in this building's case, much of the used and useful light comes from outside the library. I might suggest the "truth" here is that one form of truth (s) is dependent on other types of truth (s).
This branch is not the biggest in the Fairfax County Public Library system, but it certainly is nearly the newest. It's emphasis on open space, light and green-compatibility marks it as representative of current thinking in architecture and use-design. These features are not, however, the building's only interesting elements. It also features rent-able rooms and shelves for free community-oriented reading outside of the view of the stacks and the reference desk. I find this quite interesting because even though many libraries have rooms for community events set aside in his square footage, this building seems to turn locate the community stuff connected via the entrance of the building (all connected through the foyer) and yet NOT the stacks themselves. There could surely be more written more on this topic of design and the peoples' use.
Hmmm, as a library user of some regularity, I heartily recommend getting or renewing your Fairfax County Library Card and becoming a regular patron of this branch if it's convenient. If not, at least take a visit (maybe via bicycle since it has access by a service road and has racks for many bikes by the front door) and see what you think.
As always, dialogue is welcome.
Thank you.
I have three pictures snapped and collected @ Twitter - collocated under the hashtag: #jltaglichtjfcpl - of the external. Future potential for internal images. I simply want to quickly describe the building's design features - attributes which are new in ideology and yet traditional in design thinking in library buildings. The first of these is the ease of access to the reference desk. It sits in the very middle of the floor where it acts simultaneously as point-of-service and Panopticon over the stacks and nearby computer terminals.
The green-friendly wall of glass on the northern wall allows so much natural light in. I have written in the letting in of natural light to libraries before. This simple solution saves money on lighting (energy use itself is also theoretically reduced). But it also changes the texture of the light from fluorescent to something altogether different. Of course, it's not as if light has not always played in a part in library design. Traditionally, light has been a part of libraries as representative of the light of knowledge and truth. But in this building's case, much of the used and useful light comes from outside the library. I might suggest the "truth" here is that one form of truth (s) is dependent on other types of truth (s).
This branch is not the biggest in the Fairfax County Public Library system, but it certainly is nearly the newest. It's emphasis on open space, light and green-compatibility marks it as representative of current thinking in architecture and use-design. These features are not, however, the building's only interesting elements. It also features rent-able rooms and shelves for free community-oriented reading outside of the view of the stacks and the reference desk. I find this quite interesting because even though many libraries have rooms for community events set aside in his square footage, this building seems to turn locate the community stuff connected via the entrance of the building (all connected through the foyer) and yet NOT the stacks themselves. There could surely be more written more on this topic of design and the peoples' use.
Hmmm, as a library user of some regularity, I heartily recommend getting or renewing your Fairfax County Library Card and becoming a regular patron of this branch if it's convenient. If not, at least take a visit (maybe via bicycle since it has access by a service road and has racks for many bikes by the front door) and see what you think.
As always, dialogue is welcome.
Thank you.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Reston Century 2012
27 August 2012, I rode the Reston Bicycling Club's Century for 2012. It rained in torrents, I got lost a few times and had a blast pedalling through the Virginia countryside. Oh, I rode 131 miles total for the day. More than a century for sure.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Metadata and "Aboutness" - JOT and Tagging
Currently, The Neighborhood Writing Alliance is working on a project in which interns are adding sets of non-hierarchical keywords (sort of like a tag cloud in social media) to an internally accessible bibliographic database of the journal it has published for more than 20 years, The Journal of Ordinary Thought - Or JOT as it is called. The database is being created in a log-in controlled environ called CiteuLike. This application works like other reference-maintenance software available. Users, who are given controlled log-in web-based profiles, build collections and can add multiple levels of information to each bibliographic record. One of the types of information users can apply to records is tags.
I am working as Metadata Specialist on this project, overseeing the work of the interns, editing tag-sets for better search potential and presenting examples through assorted instructional techniques best practices/policy for adding tags to the collection. One of the questions anyone who considers subject access in library catalogs is this notion of "aboutness" - that of determining what a piece of writing or other cultural artifact is about. In other words, if we could attach a subject to some cultural artifact, what would it be, how many subjects can one artifact have and how do we decide? To make matters more abstract, "subjects" themselves are also cultural products based on factors such as who might be in charge at the time, who is most likely to be the common users or viewers of said artifacts and whether there are requisite resources (money and other factors) at the time of creation of the bibliographic record to add or attach all possible permutations. For example, here is a link to a search for manuscript papers connected with Abraham Lincoln in Library of Congress' holdings. If one clicks on Andrew Johnson Papers, 1783-1947, it is apparent the record contains a summary of that collection's contents. This summary works to tell what the collection is about. On one level, this bibliographic record contains pure data referring to the collection. But on another level, the writing of the summary is a human-decided process that involves processing (thinking) and writing (also a human experience). It is not obvious what a piece of writing is "about" - even if the writer or bibliographic record creator states so - nor how it will affect the reader or viewer.
These are the fun challenges in front of us on this project. It is underway and progress is being made. The document which holds the tagging Best Practices [which Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines as performances or forms which excel all others]* is being written along with some other helpful guidelines by way of examples with specific explanations. I think we will each learn a little something along the way.
Thank you.
- Jesse.
PS: As always, dialogue is welcome.
* Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Ed. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2001. 108, 912
I am working as Metadata Specialist on this project, overseeing the work of the interns, editing tag-sets for better search potential and presenting examples through assorted instructional techniques best practices/policy for adding tags to the collection. One of the questions anyone who considers subject access in library catalogs is this notion of "aboutness" - that of determining what a piece of writing or other cultural artifact is about. In other words, if we could attach a subject to some cultural artifact, what would it be, how many subjects can one artifact have and how do we decide? To make matters more abstract, "subjects" themselves are also cultural products based on factors such as who might be in charge at the time, who is most likely to be the common users or viewers of said artifacts and whether there are requisite resources (money and other factors) at the time of creation of the bibliographic record to add or attach all possible permutations. For example, here is a link to a search for manuscript papers connected with Abraham Lincoln in Library of Congress' holdings. If one clicks on Andrew Johnson Papers, 1783-1947, it is apparent the record contains a summary of that collection's contents. This summary works to tell what the collection is about. On one level, this bibliographic record contains pure data referring to the collection. But on another level, the writing of the summary is a human-decided process that involves processing (thinking) and writing (also a human experience). It is not obvious what a piece of writing is "about" - even if the writer or bibliographic record creator states so - nor how it will affect the reader or viewer.
These are the fun challenges in front of us on this project. It is underway and progress is being made. The document which holds the tagging Best Practices [which Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines as performances or forms which excel all others]* is being written along with some other helpful guidelines by way of examples with specific explanations. I think we will each learn a little something along the way.
Thank you.
- Jesse.
PS: As always, dialogue is welcome.
* Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 10th Ed. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2001. 108, 912
Monday, August 6, 2012
James B. Hunt Library in Norwegian
James B. Hunt, who held the office of Governor for the state of North Carolina in the spot of 69th and 71st has an institute named after him (the Hunt Institute Tweets) - and now a library. He established his legacy in the state for emphasizing and promoting education. Now, North Carolina State University has named the newest addition to their collection of libraries after him. The building is in-construction currently, but the design plans exhibited thus far have this image as its future.
I am not an architect, obviously, but I just want to draw attention to this new library being built in the United States on the east coast because North Carolina State University is known for being an engineering school made of red bricks as far as one can see. The campus even has a brick-yard in a place used daily by thousands of students year-after-year. Image from here. And this library is something different.
A Norwegian architectural firm named Snøhetta won the contract (or whatever method was used to get the right deal for the University). And a good thing too. The influence of Scandinavian architecture added to the NCSU Centennial Campus is only beneficial because it breaks up the aesthetic of that campus quite well. Plus, it looks from what I could see from outside the construction site and from the officially released images that this library will let in a lot of natural light. The history of libraries has seen a lot of metaphors of light tossed about. Why not? But this does not contradict the stated purpose of this library building. The James B. Hunt Library has plans to be the "best learning and collaborative space in the country." Obviously, this library's impact will be felt most directly by the NCSU community, but maybe I too will get a chance to do some research inside its well designed walls. Just wanted to let the library world know about this one while it's in-progress.
PS: There are a few good food joints in the area of the library as well as coffee (which every library researcher needs).
Thoughts or Comments on the Library are welcome.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Networked and Networking - 2 Questions
Wikipedia defines Business Networking as, "a socioeconomic activity by which groups of like-minded businesspeople recognize, create, or act upon business opportunities." Of course, there are all kinds of other networked human beings who use a similar approach to accomplish goals or tasks that may not on the surface be about business. But Wikipedia seems to have no such entry. The Riley Guide defines Networking in its own way - which has more to do with humans finding ways to interact with other human beings.
My life as a library worker, volunteer and intern with plans for a lifetime of work in libraries is one that will surely require more and more networking in order to learn new techniques and best practices, gather information about potential projects and to increase the odds of finding the perfect next job necessary to accompany each new stage of my professional development and skill set. There are lots of suggestions as to what tools produce the best results in this area. Within library-dom, there are plenty who say that staying abreast of events and discussions within professional associations produces quality results. I am of course referring to associations such as American Library Association, Society of American Archivists, and Special Libraries of America among others.
I am very interested in reactions - which leads me to my first question: Does anyone have real stories (hopefully about library work) to share that show examples of how networking has grown your professional persona and added to potential (past occurrences or planned) for new jobs or projects? Any productive response that encourages dialogue on this topic is appreciated and can be added as a comment in this post.
There is, however, a second interesting aspect to Networking - that of connected computers. Two years ago, David Fincher directed the very popular and slightly controversial film, The Social Network. Hard to believe that it has already been two years. Since then, obviously, Facebook has entered a new phase of its business model, that of increasing its levels of advertising within its popular platform and floating itself onto the Stock Market with its IPO. But one of the constant mantras spouted by the character named Mark Zuckerberg in the film is that he really wants to connect people. But what happens as the film progresses? Well, most of the groups of people, even supposedly good friends, fragment as the plot moves toward the ending credits. Slightly ironic, but definitely amusing and worthy of note at least for those interested in film. One can't say this is inevitable. But one can say that the first thing actually connected via Facebook is computers. And in so being connected (networked), Facebook, as only one such platform, has become widely used for promotion, company blogs and updates from all kinds of institutions (including libraries). This shows me there is still a hierarchical aspect to this technology - social media and networking platforms both - which may prove a limitation to internet based networking and knowledge dissemination as a whole.
This brings me to my second question: Does anyone have real examples (hopefully about library work) they can share on how networked computer or internet-based networking tools specifically have grown your professional persona and added to potential (past occurrences or planned) for new jobs or projects? And, again, Any productive response that encourages dialogue on this topic is appreciated and can be added as a comment in this post.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
John Payne Collier and Finding Aids at Folger Library
John Payne Collier (1789-1883)* was a 19th Century English literary scholar, Shakespeare expert and publisher. He was quite respected in his day. But over time, it came to light Collier forged some of the data he used to justify some literary "discoveries." He is still respected, but he's a controversial fellow within the domain of Shakespeare Studies.
The Folger Shakespeare Library has a large collection of writings by and letters to & from John Payne Collier in its collection. The library has gradually been creating online finding aids, coded in EAD metadata standards, for subsets of Collier related items in its holdings. Presently, I have been writing a new finding aid, one that will eventually be found in its finding aid database, for letters written from the early 1830s toward his death 50 + years later. This finding aid creation is accomplished via Archivists Toolkit, a fantastically useful piece of software that works as an interface between content keyed into the finding aid (such as Scope and Content and other archival description data) and the XML file that is processed through style sheets to produce the way the finding aid is structured for the open web - the way it looks. The value of this process is that each finding aid does not need to be coded from scratch in XML. It can, however, be edited later in Oxygen XML Editor to change content or to link items such as objects found in Folger's Luna Insight Digital Image database.
The upshot is that my time interning on this project will result in publication of this latest collection finding aid - an action which will provide even better access to and promotion for Folger's superb collections.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Tighten Up METRO
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has so much potential and so many users daily. The system is fantastic, has an active Twitter profile and really does send out alerts for events such as slow train traffic or construction re-routes. But it needs one major improvement - that of train operators who speak clearly so that travelers (local and tourists) can hear the next train stop. There is a growing number of complaints in "my book" from train users who don't hear the next stop called out. This is either due to inconsistent PA systems from car-to-car (which is possible though not probable) or, more likely, train operators are not trained or do not care to speak clearly and deliberately to enunciate each stop as it happens or is about to happen. This is just a matter of a little more training and a second more patience with words the train operators are theoretically saying anyway. We just need these words to be spoken with the rider in mind.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
85 Miles and an Airport
Does anyone know the Warrenton-Fauquier Airport? It's a tiny local airport being used by single-wing planes and maybe even crop dusters. I assume this fact because it's surrounded by farms that smell of real farm-work. Quite beautiful cut fields, cows in the mud and tractor lawn-mowers. There was some kind of trick-plane taking off behind another single-winged plane. They were taking off at the same time - which looked like they were supposed to be practicing their time in the air together. The highway (Highway 28) I took to get there is not very busy during the early-early afternoon. But these cars do fly fast. There is a minimum shoulder and in some places there is none at all. This did not worry me, but it was noted.On the return trip, a freight-train rolled to my left through the trees. very cool. A day of bikes, cars, planes and trains.
Highway 28 exits south out of Manassas's historic downtown toward proper highways - large bridged interchanges and everything. Then it narrows to 2 lanes with basically a foot of "shoulder" on most of it. The shoulder is inconsistent too. It switches back and forth from a foot to too narrow to use. Bikes needs a little room to play. That is, they need a little room to react to wind and cars. If the bike is already on the edge of the shoulder or in the gutter, there is no space to think and accidents are more likely to occur. Plus, Virginia state law permits bicycles to ride on state highways such as this. The speed limit is only 45 mph. This means then that going south of Manassas and back north again via bicycle presents a situation in which drivers themselves must take on the responsibility alongside the cyclist for the cyclist's safety. On other words, it takes a village of drivers to produce safe bicycle traveling - assuming of course the cyclist has also followed the laws and rides appropriately.
I connected to 28 South through Centreville, Va on the Fairfax County Parkway Trail. The description of the trail at TrailLink says this path is inconsistent but very usable. Their words are true. It is full of cracks, weeds growing through it at regular intervals (I have written on this in another post about the W & OD Trail) and it crosses lots of streets and driveways (which are closed in by bushes and trees which makes it hard to see if any cars are pulling out). The other downside with this trail is that drivers, while seeing if they can take a right out onto the main street (in this case, Braddock Rd), hog the space where the bike needs to go right onto the trail through the intersection. Once today, I had to make sure a huge SUV saw me before I went around it to the front. And twice, I was hoping cars would stop for me as I crossed the intersection to get to the trail. We worked it out. I got home safely - though quite tired fighting long slow climbs and constant gradual winds "against me."
It was a good 85-Mile round trip. I finally got to use the Fairfax County Parkway Trail and had never been through historic Manassas before.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Comment on British Library Printing Guide
I finished reading Michael Twyman's THE BRITISH LIBRARY GUIDE TO PRINTING: HISTORY AND TECHNIQUES, my first book-length read in this area. My intention with this post is to bring attention to this item and the series because M. Twyman's writing is ridiculously easy to read and I assume the others are just as easy. I plan to invest time in the rest of these books over the next several months. Some comment will be made here as the history of printing is part of the history of libraries, book arts and rare books and this writer is committed to mention of rare books, special collections (of which rare books and book arts are sub-fields) and libraries. The University of Toronto Press has published several more books in this series. A few of them are: THE BRITISH LIBRARY GUIDE TO BOOKBINDING: HISTORY AND TECHNIQUES by P.J.M. Marks, THE BRITISH LIBRARY GUIDE TO MANUSCRIPT ILLUMINATION: HISTORY AND TECHNIQUES by Christopher De Hamel and THE BRITISH LIBRARY GUIDE TO WRITING AND SCRIPTS: HISTORY AND TECHNIQUES by Michelle P. Brown.
Looking forward to learning more in this area and blog readers should expect mention of these works in the future.
Looking forward to learning more in this area and blog readers should expect mention of these works in the future.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Noted Today on a 76-Mile Bike Ride
In the area west and southeast of Washington, D.C is a grand trail that starts in the southeast at Mt. Vernon and continues along the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport and connects via Arlington County Trails to Washington & Old Dominion Trail all the way to Purcellvile, Virginia. Round trip, this is a 90-mile route. Please comment if this is not correct. But there is a section between Reston and Herndon in which roots have undermined the smoothness of the trail. In this case, they have created regular trail-wide cracks that cause an annoying bump every 25 feet or something. They look like roots that have caused cracks through which grass has grown anyway. This W & OD Trail is an amazing gift, but these little things slightly erode smoothness and speed. C'est la vie. Not only that, it is amusing to see yet another effort by humanity (even with regular upkeep and attention) get slowly destroyed by nature's relentless crawl against human artificiality.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Bicycle Commuting Coach
I have been riding my bike in all kinds of towns - Chicago, beach towns and in Washington D.C. Each space is different, each place has a slightly varied culture in how it reacts to and "allows" bicycle transportation. DC certainly has its own plan, as well as do Maryland and Virginia - the two states between which is sandwiched The District. I like to ride my bike and put in an average of 150 miles weekly. Have no fear, this summer will see an increase in those mile counts. The point is that I have gained experience riding and very much am an advocate of commuting via bicycle. But sometimes it takes encouragement and just a little advice to work it out. This might mean the rider has questions about clothing for all types of weather or does not feel comfortable with negotiating a certain type of intersection.
Sometimes it only takes one time to ride with an encouraging person to "get" the ways of bicycle commuting. It's such a fun activity and need not be scary. Right now, and through this summer at least, I am making myself available as a Bicycle Commuting Coach on a per-contract basis. This just means that for a small fee, I will advise on clothing, lighting, picking routes and bicycle technique so that each rider can improve their bicycle commuting skills and have more fun as their overall confidence grows.
Thank you.
Jesse.
E-mail me: JL.taglich(at)yahoo(dot)com
PS: I am curious how people find this post. I am asking that whomever comes to this post, even if you don't need my services, that you leave a comment on the page or send an e-mail about the path you took to get here. Thanks so much.
Sometimes it only takes one time to ride with an encouraging person to "get" the ways of bicycle commuting. It's such a fun activity and need not be scary. Right now, and through this summer at least, I am making myself available as a Bicycle Commuting Coach on a per-contract basis. This just means that for a small fee, I will advise on clothing, lighting, picking routes and bicycle technique so that each rider can improve their bicycle commuting skills and have more fun as their overall confidence grows.
Thank you.
Jesse.
E-mail me: JL.taglich(at)yahoo(dot)com
PS: I am curious how people find this post. I am asking that whomever comes to this post, even if you don't need my services, that you leave a comment on the page or send an e-mail about the path you took to get here. Thanks so much.
On the Radio and in the Library
On Thursday, 12 April 2012, I was on the radio (Our Digital Future) at University of California - Irvine talking about librarianship and digital aspects in the field. Very fun. I got to talk about library school and bicycle riding (and the differences in the cycling scene between the DC Metro area and Chicago (where I used to live). But I also was given the opportunity to discuss projects underway at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Some of these projects are standard preservation and patron service projects. Great stuff indeed. But the Folger is also linking data to finding aids from their Luna Insight database, in which they keep their digital objects. Folger has a huge collection of digitized objects - full books, manuscripts, letters and all kinds of other rare materials. And they have the right team of professionals as they have staff who have been on committees deciding standards for a full range of rare materials. Folger is a highly professionalized place. And right now, they have an exhibit titled: Shakespeare's Sisters: Voices of English and European Women Writers, 1500-1700 in the great Hall.
The best resources are here to stay and somehow manage to make their presence known again and again.
The best resources are here to stay and somehow manage to make their presence known again and again.
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Thursday, March 22, 2012
A Thought on Linguistic Diversity and Classification
I have a tendency to believe linguistic diversity is also a sign of knowledge diversity and am very frustrated with attempts to globalize knowledge into one vast pot. I point to the impact of global mass communication content and technologies, the lack of allowing the "other" to truly be and the impact of the World's most widely used library classification system, Library of Congress Subject Headings. I am not taking a stance against The Library of Congress. I live in America and make use of their diverse resources regularly. Also, their main building is a work of architectural art. No, I question standardization of "knowledge" at the expense of diversity and questions. It seems to me that if we classify all the world's knowledge under one system (which is not the mission statement of the Library of Congress), then we have declared globally what everything in the world is "about." This action is accomplished by all kinds of groups around the world who write indexes to be LC compatible. But if those local knowledge resources and populations have to use another "aboutness" structure other than their own, have they not committed a kind of murder of their own knowledge system? Believe me, this is a bit scary. I am not sure that we can separate "knowledge" from "questions." I note this point because it seems to me to state up-front what something is about has already annihilated many potential questions - and thus knowledge types. How can this tendency sit well with ongoing questioning? Somehow, I feel this happens because we are afraid of uncertainty. This is not an overshadowing fear in this context, but a fear nonetheless. Surely it is different for different people. But why should we be afraid of conflicting and disagreeable classifications in information organization?
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
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