Sunday, November 21, 2010

Screen Capture

Here is the screen capture for the digital exhibit at The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery entitled Christopher Pratt: Drawing From Memory:




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November 21, 2010

Link for digital exhibit again

The link does not work in my previous post.  Lets see if I can get it to work now.  I am having some technology troubles today.

http://www.therooms.ca/ic_sites/pratt/splash.htm

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November 21, 2010

Website link for digital exhibit mentioned in previous blog

Here is the link for the digital exhibit entitled Christopher Pratt: Drawing From Memory available through The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery.

http://www.therooms.ca/ic_sites/pratt/splash.htm

I am having difficulty creating a screen capture of this page.  Hopefully I will figure it out and have it posted here soon!

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November 21, 2010

Friday, November 19, 2010

Digitization: A wonderful tool for libraries and archives

Blog Topic #6

The topic for the final blog posting for this course concerns digitization and its benefits to libraries.  Wikipedia contains a listing of digital library projects from accross the globe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_digital_library_projects). 

Digitization refers to the act of making unique and rare collections of information available to patrons on the Internet.  Libraries use vendors to obtain published electronic materials.  Archival materials such as manuscripts, photographs, personal letters, pamphlets, historical documents and maps are generally only accessible by physcially visiting an archive but there has been a signifcant increase in the past few years to digitize this information in turn making it accessible for years to come.  It is a way of preserving rare and uniqure information before the documents reach a stage of disrepair.  Digital collections are great for foreign researchers who cannot visit the location but can browse freely on the World Wide Web.

I am currently working in a contractual position at The Rooms Provincial Archives so I decided to use The Rooms website (http://www.therooms.ca/) for this blog.  The Rooms houses three organizations: The Provicial Archives, The Provincial Art Gallery, and The Provincial Museum.  Each of these divisions have a section on their homepage for digital exhibits.  For example the The Provincial Art Gallery has two searchable exhibits: The Shepherds: Two Lives in Art and Christopher Pratt: Drawing From Memory.  These digital exhibits are exceptionally well put together and organized with textual documents, photographs, timelines, glossaries, links and a contact section. 

Where I work in the Archives we use an electronic database called Web GenCat to compile all of our files.  Patrons can browse our collections online using this great database. 

In conclusion, I truly believe that digitization is a fascinating tool for libraries to use to preserve and maintain original documents in a safe storage space on the Internet.  Original documents can become very worn out after being handled so often that digitizing materials makes them accessible for generations to come.


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November 19, 2010

An addition to my blog on SmartPhones

Here is the link to the episode I mentioned from Doc Zone:

http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/doczone/2010/digitaldummies/index.html

Furthermore, I forgot to state my opinions on whether or not libraries should consider adding SmartPhones into the mix of their already growing list of technology they use on a daily basis.

I can see the potential that SmartPhones could have for a library.  The younger generation of patrons (teenagers, university students, and the young working professional) will be in favor for this addition.  Patrons can search the library catalogue, check library hours and cancellations, and browse the library website all on their phone.  Using this device to broswe for materials prior to visiting the library can alleviate some of the stress involved with finding suitable materials in turn making it far more easier to locate the materials once one is amongst the shelves.

If libraries do in fact decide to incorporate SmartPhones into their duties I think it would be a great idea to hold a workshop on the benefits of using these devices so that older patrons who are less tech savvy can learn of some of the fascinating things these phones can do.

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November 19, 2010

SmartPhones: Should libraries consider using them?

Blog Topic #5

The fifth blog topic concerns SmartPhones; should libraries consider encorporating them into their list of technology used on a daily basis?

SmartPhones represent a combination of cell phone and PDA types of technology.  They operate in a third generation (3G) network.  SmartPhones appear to be everywhere in existence in this day and age.  They have skyrocketed in popular among teenagers who will rarely be seen in public without their favorite gadget.  With the invention of texting, more and more people are flocking to stores to acquire the newest and fastest SmartPhone.  Instead of using a telephone to talk to their friends or actually meeting them in person to talk, teenagers are sending high quantities of text messages on a daily basis.  While texting is a great concept, I believe that it is making our society less socially aware.  Just last night CBC aired a special on Doc Zone entitled "Are we digital dummies?"  I thought what a great idea for an episode of this program.  I agree with the fact that as people continue to purchase the hottest technology gadgets; the more people are losing their intellect and ability to perform in society.  Technology is a fabulous addition to our high paced society but it should not overrun it entirely.  People need to learn to think on their own without relying on a gadget to do it for them because it is easier and less time consuming.

Here are a couple of websites regarding SmartPhones:

Stephen's Lighthouse: What Smartphones Should Libraries Support?
http://stephenslighthouse.com/2010/02/16/what-smartphones-should-libraries-support/

CNET Reviews: Smartphones

http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphone-reviews/

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November 19, 2010

Friday, October 29, 2010

Open Source Software (OSS)

Open Source Software (OSS) provides access to electronic reserves (e-reserves).  Open source software's most significant advantage is that it offers an electronic reserve system that contains no capital outlay as well as no ongoing support payments.  I do not have any experience working with Open Source Software nor do I know much about all of it's advantages, features, and disadvantages.  Electronic reserves are very important for a library to have especially in an academic library setting such as a larger university library.

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October 29, 2010