Archive for the ‘Preservation’ Category

There have been quite a few library technology stories since my last roundup in late February. Here are 30 stories/articles/blog posts that you won’t want to miss!! And please list any other recent library tech stories in the comments.

Social Media

1. 3 Ways College Libraries Are Exploring Pinterest
2. 5 Educational YouTube Channels for Librarians
3. 10 Resources for Using Pinterest in Your Library
4. NYPL’s Movie Trailer-Style Library Video
5. 20 Great Ways Libraries Are Using Pinterest

Mobile

6. 10 Kindle Cases That Look Like Books
7. Libraries Loaning iPads
8. Reinvent the Book Club: How To Host Your Own Audiobook Gathering

e-Books

9. Evaluating e-Books in Law Libraries
10. Ebooks 101: DRM (Digital Rights Management)
11. Should Libraries Get Out of the eBook Business?

QR Codes

12. QR Codes Extend Library Programming
13. What are some uses for QR codes in public and academic libraries?
14. QR Code Quest Scavenger Hunt- Part Deux!

Library Marketing

15. 21 Resources for Library Marketing with Social Media
16. Stop Branding Your Library!!
17. How to Use Webinars to Create Great Relationships with Library Patrons
18. Create Your Own Library Social Media Monitoring Dashboard

Preservation

19. Archiving Cell Phone Text Messages
20. Pinterest and the New Meaning of Curation

ERM

21. Implementing an ERM System in Your Library
22. Managing Electronic Resources

Misc

23. Ten Things I Didn’t Learn in Library School
24. 20 Everyday Ways To Escape The Library Echo Chamber
25. Alternative Uses for the Pesky eBook Budget
26. Poll Results: What Technologies will impact libraries in 2-5 years?
27. Card Sorting from A–Z iLibrarian Series
28. 7 Stellar Library Conference Presentations
29. 7 Things You Should Know About™ the Evolution of the Textbook
30. Vintage Photos of Librarians

Mike Ashenfelder writes for the Library Of Congress’ The Signal: Digital Preservation blog about Archiving Cell Phone Text Messages. If you’ve wondered how you can backup and preserve your SMS messages from your cell phone, you’ll want to check out this helpful article.

“Saving text messages is more difficult for basic phones. You have to open the phone, remove its SIM card and display the card’s contents through a SIM card reader. A reader is an inexpensive device into which you pop the SIM card, plug the reader into the USB port on your computer, display the SIM card contents and copy the text messages over. The “Text” format of the text messages is one of the least complex of all the computer file formats, so you can display the contents of a text message file with a basic text editor. You can even display it with a browser; text files get along well with several different programs.”

The start of 2012 has been great for library technology stories. Here are 16 of them that you won’t want to miss. Please list any other recent library tech stories in the comments!!

Social Media

1. 5 Ways to Use Pinterest in Your Library
2. 5 More Ways to Use Pinterest in Your Library
3. How Facebook Can Help Market Your Library
4. 10 Tips for Creating a Social Media Policy for Your Library
5. NYPL: Making Collections Possible Through Collaboration

Mobile

6. 8 Essential Apps for Library Conferences

e-Books

7. So you want to start a Kindle lending program
8. E-Books and Libraries: 25 Resources
9. 61 Non-Librarian Jobs for LIS Grads
10. e-Books and School Libraries
11. Threats to Digital Lending
12. e-Book Formats and Devices Infographic
13. Publishers Put the Squeeze on Library eBook Lending
14. How to Talk to Your Patrons About Penguin & Other Publishers Not Loaning eBooks to Libraries
15. Ebooks on Fire: Controversies Surrounding Ebooks in Libraries

Archiving

16. Personal Digital Archiving iLibrarian Series

The iLibrarian Personal Digital Archiving series of posts was based on a 3-hour hands-on workshop I give on the topic. Here’s a wrap up of all 8 articles as well as some recommended resources that I found exceptionally helpful in putting together the session.

Series Articles

1. Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview
2. Personal Digital Archiving: Part One – Strategy
3. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Two – Storage Options
4. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Three – File Formats
5. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Four – Policy
6. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Five – Implementation
7. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Six – Cataloging
8. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Seven – Stewardship

For More on Personal Digital Archiving

• Personal Archiving: Preserving Your Digital Memories, Library of Congress
• Creating a Personal Digital Archive ABC News
• Digital Preservation Management Tutorial. Cornell University Library.
• Decoding the digital: a common language for preservation: British Library Conference Proceedings.

This is part of a series of posts which is based on a 3-hour hands-on workshop I offer on this topic. Be sure and check out the preceding posts:

• Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview
• Personal Digital Archiving: Part One – Strategy
• Personal Digital Archiving: Part Two – Storage Options
• Personal Digital Archiving: Part Three – File Formats
• Personal Digital Archiving: Part Four – Policy
• Personal Digital Archiving: Part Five – Implementation
• Personal Digital Archiving: Part Six – Cataloging

Maintaining Your Archive

One of the most important points in the digital information process is the maintenance stage, the time when files have gone “cold” and creators become curators of their digital belongings.

Migration Awareness

One of the easiest ways to ensure that your PDA is preserved for the long term is to keep up-to-date on new technology trends and advances, as well as staying informed about possible pending obsolescence of either storage media, (e.g. floppy disks) or file formats. It is important to regularly check on your physical storage media to make sure it’s working properly, and keep abreast of developments with your cloud provider if storing your assets online, (perhaps by subscribing to their blog). To guarantee future access to your digital collection you will need to be aware that you should:

• Periodically change/upgrade physical storage media
• Regularly check on cloud storage providers – subscribe to their blogs!!
• Periodically migrate file formats to updated versions

Rediscovery

A well-maintained archive will let you rediscover items you forgot you ever had and wouldn’t think to search for, an experience like rummaging through an old cardboard box filled with items and memories from your past.

Sources:

• Marshall, Catherine C.. “Rethinking Personal Digital Archiving, Part 2: Implications for Services, Applications, and Institutions.” D-Lib Magazine March/April 2008. 13 Aug. 2010. http://www.dlib.org/dlib/march08/marshall/03marshall-pt2.html
• Williams, Peter, Jeremy Leighton John, and Ian Rowlands. “The personal curation of digital objects: A lifecycle approach.” Aslib Proceedings 61.4 (2009): 340-63. Library Lit & Inf Full Text. Web. 13 Aug. 2010.

This is part of a series of posts which is based on a 3-hour hands-on workshop I offer on this topic. Be sure and check out the preceding posts:

Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview
Personal Digital Archiving: Part One – Strategy
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Two – Storage Options
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Three – File Formats
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Four – Policy
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Five – Implementation

Creating a Catalog

Many people have begun to create personal digital archives to store and preserve their digital assets, while others have implemented routine backup processes, but few have created catalogs of where everything is. Do you know where all of your personal digital assets are stored? Are some files still on CDs? Are some in the cloud while others reside on external hard drives? As time passes, it becomes more difficult to remember where everything went, if there were passwords or encryption placed on files, etc.

The good news is, you can easily create own personal archival catalog which will include:

• A complete list of digital assets in your Personal Digital Archive
• Location-information for assets
• Passwords and Encryption keys for protected files
• Usernames & passwords for cloud accounts
• Optional additional metadata about assets

You can create and store your catalog in the cloud for easy and ubiquitous access, or if you’re concerned about security for passwords, etc. you could choose to store your catalog locally. Here are a couple recommended programs:

GoogleDocs Spreadsheets

You can create a simple spreadsheet using a free Web-based application such as GoogleDocs, or a desktop program such as MS Excel or Open Office Calc. Either way, this catalog will help you keep track of where everything is located, possible passwords, encryption keys, and dates of when they were archived. Some possible fields to include in your spreadsheet would be:

• Digital Asset
• Filename
• Path
• Location 1
• Location 2
• Location 3
• Wildcard Location
• Password
• Notes
• Date Archived

Zoho Creator Databases

The Web-based database creation application, Zoho Creator allows users to easily build and store up to 2 databases free of charge. And it also lets you share what you build by making your databases public. If you would like to grab a copy of this Personal Archival Database for yourself, simply click into this link to access the database, and access ‘Options’ on the upper right and choose ‘Copy Application’, it will create a copy in your own account and you can feel free to customize it with any additional fields you’d like.

Here’s a view of the data:

Hopefully this gets you started creating your own Personal Digital Assets Catalog!!

This is part of a series of posts which is based on a 3-hour hands-on workshop I offer on this topic. Be sure and check out the preceding posts:

Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview
Personal Digital Archiving: Part One – Strategy
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Two – Storage Options
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Three – File Formats
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Four – Policy

Organization and Implementation

To get started with your Personal Digital Archive you’ll need to get organized. Begin building a solid personal digital archive by:

1. Creating an organized directory and folder structure
2. Creating and implementing a uniform naming scheme for files
3. Adding metadata and tags
4. Saving and storing your files

1. Directory/Folder Structure

You will want to create a folder structure within each area of your archive in order to organize your different file formats. This is a very personal decision based on how you think about your digital assets and what is most important for you, e.g. would it be more helpful to organize your photos by date or by subject, etc.

Here are some recommended organizational structures:

Music Files

• Organize with Artist Folders containing Album folders:
• Music/Blondie/Parallel Lines/Heart of Glass.mp3

Image Files

• Organize by Date and Event
• Images/2008-08-21 Italy Trip/Rome/coliseum.jpg

Documents

• Organize by Project or Type of Document
• Documents/Budgets/household_budget.xls
• Documents/NextGen Presentation/nextgen.ppt

2. Naming Conventions

Naming files and folders in a consistent manner is of utmost importance in creating an organized archive. Come up with a naming scheme and style for your various types of digital assets. Here are few different styles:

Delimiter-separated:

• 2010_resume.doc
• cookbook-recipes.doc

CamelCase:

• CoverLetter2010.doc
• RomanColiseum.jpg

3. Metadata & Tagging

Start making it a habit to add metadata and/or tags to your digital assets that you will want to archive. Many programs will help you do this easily such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom for images, Microsoft Office programs (in the document’s Properties), etc.

Why add tags and metadata?

• Makes them easily searchable/findable
• Lets you keep track of provenance

4. Save Files and Distribute

This is where you put your policy into place and archive your files in the 3 places you decided on. The next step is keeping track of where all your files are stored in your personal catalog.

This is part of a series of posts which is based on a 3-hour hands-on workshop I offer on this topic. Be sure and check out the preceding posts:

Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview
Personal Digital Archiving: Part One – Strategy
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Two – Storage Options
Personal Digital Archiving: Part Three – File Formats

Creating Policies

Based on what you decided in the Strategy phase, you will want to create personal policies that can be put into practice as new workflows that will help you achieve a robust Personal Digital Archive. These policies should guide how you deal with each type of digital asset that you create or download and will soon become second nature.

An Example Personal Policy

I’m a music lover and have quite a large collection of .mp3 files. It’s very important to me that this collection remains accessible to me over the long-term. I have a personal policy for dealing with these files each time I download, purchase, or acquire new music. First, I now only collect DRM-free music files as I have had the experience of being locked out of music I had paid for. Second, each time I download new music or rip it from a CD I save it to an “All Music” archive organized by Artist and then Album folders on my desktop computer, save it to an “All Music” archive on my external hard drive, and then load it onto my iPhone. I do this all before I even start using or listening to the files.

Creating Personal Policy

You can develop personal archival policies quite simply by using the Selection Strategy worksheets you filled out previously and making decisions as to where and when you will store your assets based on the rest of the Strategy section. You may choose to create these policies based on format, e.g. music files, based on field of study or interest area, e.g. all dance-related assets, or a combination of both. To get started here is a policy worksheet:

Personal Archiving Policies (Note: this policy worksheet is for developing a policy for how you’ll deal with Documents. You’ll want to also do this for your other digital assets as well).

2011 was quite a year here at iLibrarian! As usual, it’s been a great experience. I’ve been taking a look back at what was particularly popular in terms of posts this past year and I’ve rounded up the top 30 which were the most well-received. I’d love to hear suggestions for future content you’d like to see here at iLibrarian, and I also welcome guest posts! So please go ahead and leave some suggestions in the comments section.

QR Codes

1. A Quick Guide to Creating Library QR Codes
2. QR Code Roundup: 10 Resources for Librarians and Educators

Archiving & Preservation

3. Personal Digital Archiving: An Overview
4. Personal Digital Archiving: Part One – Strategy
5. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Two – Storage Options
6. Personal Digital Archiving: Part Three – File Formats

Mobile & Apps

7. 7 Tools to Create a Mobile Library Website (without Technical Knowledge!)
8. Top 30 Library iPhone Apps – Part 1
9. Top 30 Library iPhone Apps – Part 2
10. Top 30 Library iPhone Apps – Part 3
11. 16 Awesome Instagram Apps & Services- Part I
12. 16 Awesome Instagram Apps & Services- Part II
13. 20 iPad Apps Librarians Should Download – Part 1
14. 20 iPad Apps Librarians Should Download – Part 2
15. 12 Mobile Check-in Applications

Personal Branding & Job Seekers

16. 5 Ways to Set Up A Free Personal Landing Page in 5 Minutes
17. 13 Resources & Tips for Library Job Seekers
18. 7 More Strategies for Library Job Seekers
19. A Librarian’s Guide to the Elevator Pitch
20. 17 Tips to Improve Your Online Presence

Open Access

21. 50 Open Access Resources for Librarians – Part 1
22. 50 Open Access Resources for Librarians – Part 2

Data Visualization Tools

23. 5 Free Online Tools to Create Your Own Infographics
24. 5 Amazing Free Data Visualization Tools

All the Rest

25. 25+ Resources to Create Library Videos
26. 5 e-Book Collections with Over 100,000 Free e-Books
27. 21 Useful Cloud Computing Resources for Librarians
28. 18 Usability Resources for Librarians
29. 450+ Tweeting Librarians List
30. A Quick Guide to Getting Started with Quora