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In: context, LinkedData, standards

Europeana just released their first white page, “Knowledge = Information in Context.” The paper covers the importance of data standards, clean data, linked data, and tools and ways to link data (more standards and APIs). The paper is an excellent paper on the importance of making digitized materials useful by creating context.* The article as a whole discusses different standards and principles (RDF triples, Linked Data, FOAF, SKOS, semantic connections), all of which are integral parts of the web but which are not necessarily part of many cultural heritage collections. Open Library has been intensively working on issues related to linked data, as has the Library ofRead More →

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In: InternationalDigitalLibrary, open access

Europeana has released their Public Domain Charter. The document seeks not be be prescriptive, but to foster discussion and innovation to aid cultural heritage institutions in meeting their core missions with costly digitization as a new and growing part of that mission. This is one of the best documents I’ve seen in terms of explaining the necessity and difficulty of balancing support for open and free public access with the costs of creating and maintaining digitized content. See the excerpt from the Public Domain Charter below, with my bolding of significant portions for emphasis: This Charter is a policy statement […] [T]he transformation from guardians ofRead More →

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In: statistics, UFDC

The  University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) now have over 5 million pages! The more than 5 million pages – maps, aerials, audio, video, books, historic documents, museum objects, herbarium specimens, photographs, newspapers, oral histories, and more – are all openly and freely online for the world! Check out the collections: www.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdcRead More →

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In: SobekCM, UFDC

The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) are always improving. Most of our current improvements at the moment are from moving servers to newer, more stable equipment (and making updates required from the server move). Despite the time that the server move requires, listed below are some of our recent and particularly great new enhancements to share! Facets The University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC) now has facets to help refine searches and browses by language, subject terms, and more. See this page for an example http://ufdcweb1.uflib.ufl.edu/ufdc/?a=fdnl1&m=lbball Citation Links Key components of the citations for each item are now also linked for easy searching, as in this example. User ContributedRead More →

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In: job

This is for a position in the University of Florida Libraries, which is where I work and it’s a great place to be. I highly encourage anyone who might be interested to apply – UF is incredible for so many reasons, including the amazing library collections, awesome faculty, being in the great city of Gainesville, Gator sports, and so much more! POSITION VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT POSITION: Scholarly Communications Librarian RANK: Associate University Librarian REPORTS TO: Director of Academic and Scholarly Outreach SALARY: Minimum Salary $52,000; Actual salary will reflect selected professional’s experience and credentials DEADLINE DATE: July 15, 2010 – review of applications begins May 15,Read More →

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The Brown University Library invites applications for a dynamic and innovative Director of Digital Technologies to provide leadership, vision, and strategic direction for the Brown University Library in the development, delivery and integration of new and existing systems and technology services and digital initiatives across the libraries. S/he will oversee the management of the department’s three units: Integrated Technology Services, Systems and Technical Support, and the Center for Digital Scholarship. As a member of the Library’s senior management team, the Director of Digital Technologies will serve as the Library’s chief liaison with the University’s Office of Computing and Information Services and related technology units onRead More →

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In: aerials, innovation, interface, mapping, UFDC

Not only does the new interface for the Florida Aerial Photography Digital Collection support searching using the Google Map interface (complete with drag and drop pins for search refinement), it also supports searching by address. If that weren’t enough, Mark Sullivan (UF Digital Collections and Digital Library Center Programmer) now has the location circled on the images. Drawing something on the images may seem easy, but it isn’t. Drawing on a normal image is easy – image size, where to draw, calculate, etc.  The images in the Florida Aerial Photography Digital Collection are being delivered by a JPEG2000 server. The server allows people to selectRead More →

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In: conference

Normally, I try not to editorialize much on news releases, but ELO folks are doing great research in a great scholarly community. Not only is the research cutting edge, theoretically exciting, and critically needed, the ELO community is vibrant and friendly.  Sadly, I always seem to have conflicts with ELO Conferences. I wish I could make this one, and I heartily encourage others to attend so that I can read about the conference (living vicariously this year, and hopefully being able to attend the next one). News release: Brown University, Literary Arts Program hosts the 4th International Conference and Festival of the Electronic Literature OrganizationRead More →

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In: digitization, tools

“Ramping It Up: 10 Lessons Learned in Mass Digitisation” is an excellent report by Rose Holley on  the National Library of Australia’s (NLA) large-scale digitisation program. The program aimed to start at one million newspaper pages to ensure all supports were in place for ramping up digitization  to an even higher level for newspapers, books, and journals. The report summarizes 10 key lessons learned, and the full report is online here. It’s great to see these key lessons highlighted so succinctly. The lessons from the report are: Storage: purchase upfront or as soon as needed Quality assurance: differs greatly when done for access instead ofRead More →

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In: job

From Temple University Libraries: Head of Digital Library Initiatives Temple University Libraries The Temple University Libraries seek a Head of Digital Library Initiatives, an opportunity to lead a new service department in a library in the midst of dynamic growth, located in Philadelphia on the main campus of a vibrant, urban research university that is among the most diverse in the nation. For more information about Temple and Philadelphia, visit www.temple.edu/about/. Description: The Head of Digital Library Initiatives will aggressively expand the digital library program at Temple, providing vision and leadership in the creation and delivery of digital content. The incumbent will work closely andRead More →