All Questions
8
votes
1answer
77 views
Identifying if something might have fallen out of copyright
Our (newly formed) town historical society had someone bring by a yearbook from 1946, so there's a good possibility that it fell out of copyright in that period when authors had to register to extend ...
7
votes
2answers
74 views
Features to consider for archival scanners?
My town has just started up a historic committee to collect and preserve historical documents and information.
We're starting to collect papers, books, maps, pictures, etc, but we're trying to ...
2
votes
0answers
29 views
Auto-logging into Aquabrowser catalog system
I'm looking to auto-login to Aquabrowser's catalog system using their own form.
By using Javascript I pulled the barcode and pin information in and populated the forms, but triggering the login ...
12
votes
1answer
229 views
How to view MARC files in a human readable way?
How does one view MARC files in a human readable way?
What characteristics should I look for in a tool that would facilitate the interpretation of MARC records?
Having to look up every field in ...
3
votes
1answer
96 views
What characteristics of the Qidenius Book Scanner would benefit a library with a collection of our size?
We want to scan a library with about 30,000 Books.
For that purpose we think about purchasing the Qidenius book scanner. What characteristics of the Qidenius Book Scanner would benefit a library ...
3
votes
3answers
119 views
What is the smallest average percentage of errors that you can achieve with today's OCRs (after book scanning) processes and software?
I have heard that an error rate of 5-10% in OCR is still a good average. Any experiences or facts regarding this?
I am writing "average" as of course the quality of the source makes a big difference.
...
8
votes
2answers
188 views
Converting BagIt files to WARC
In Italy, for an ongoing experiment of digital legal deposit, national libraries are receiving bagit files from publishers (usually harvested from their own FTP or HTTP sites).
The idea is to ...
8
votes
2answers
113 views
Protect library from morning sunlight
In the morning (more often in summer), from 7AM to 9AM my books get almost direct sunlight.
Is there any solution to this problem other than just:
Enhance the bookshelf with some sort of polarized ...
3
votes
1answer
71 views
Information literacy instruction classes without course credit - are badges the answer?
I'm looking for examples of successful library instruction programs that are not offering course credit. Have any institutions created a multi-session program that students attend without earning ...
12
votes
4answers
256 views
What are the most important aspects of an organisational digital preservation strategy?
What are the most important elements to consider in writing an organisational or corporate digital preservation strategy?
By organisational or corporate, I mean a strategy that goes beyond the ...
21
votes
6answers
901 views
Is JPEG2000 really a good preservation format?
I've been wondering of late about JPEG2000. I appreciate there are some good reasons to use it as a preservation format, but I'm becoming increasingly alarmed by lack of tool support. This format has ...
4
votes
4answers
202 views
Characterization of WARC files contents?
I am looking a tool that given a WARC file produces and presents a characterization of the contents included in this archive.
The goal is to have a quick broad characterization of a collection of web ...
3
votes
1answer
111 views
Excel-only toolkit for creating XML data?
I'd like to use Excel to programmatically create XML data files to several known XSD schemas; or more specifically, a small profile of each schema.
Are there any sets of macros/procedural ways of ...
4
votes
4answers
72 views
From where can you best source digital copies of artworks? (images, drawings, photos of things)
Currently I am required to take one "General Education" course which also happens to be something related to "Art". Sadly, the course is more about quantity of stuff, not about quality, i.e., we learn ...
10
votes
1answer
105 views
How to easily publish archived files as torrent
I'd like to provide an easy way to download archived files as torrents. Right now we just put the archived files on an Apache web server where they can be browsed and downloaded via HTTP.
I stumbled ...
1
vote
0answers
67 views
Software for indexing digital books and documents and make their texts searchable [closed]
I'm looking for preferably free software that will allow one to search a private collection of PDF's and other document and e-book formats for words or sentences in the book.
My purpose is to ...
4
votes
1answer
39 views
How to run a report in Koha to find out which call numbers grow at higher rates
I have inherited a Koha 3.05 installation, and now need to figure out how to run a report within Koha to find out which call numbers grow at higher rates... I know it's going to be like a SQL query, ...
3
votes
1answer
41 views
Standard Policy on Social Media
What is a solid across-the-social-media policy for a library to have for use on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and whatever else may be used in the future?
Important considerations:
...
4
votes
1answer
32 views
Bridging paper and digital periodicals
As more periodicals & resources move to a digital only format (e.g. Newsweek, Morningstar), how are libraries bridging the paper-digital transition especially with in library use?
For a library ...
8
votes
2answers
63 views
Short stories by single author: shelve with fiction or with short story anthologies?
I work at a mid-size public library. Currently, short story collections by a single author are shelved with the rest of that author's work in the regular Fiction section. I am thinking of moving them ...
5
votes
1answer
86 views
How to build a Dewey number for a Hanukkah/Christmas interfaith item?
I am cataloguing an item called "A Christmas Hanukkah Program" by Leon Paul (WorldCat record here) and am planning to assign: 296.435 with all of our Hanukkah materials.
I have searched for similar ...
4
votes
2answers
58 views
Maintaining a separation between the Library and the Friends Group
Our library has a Friends group. Currently they have a webpage on our website that gives information about the group and a link to an email address if someone is interested in joining. They would like ...
5
votes
1answer
99 views
How have personas been used in successful library web design?
"Personas" are detailed research-based profiles of typical or target users of a web site, created so that people building the site build it for those people, with their particular needs and goals, ...
6
votes
2answers
114 views
Is there a hardware controller/option for acquiring data/images off floppy disks which could directly replace the Catweasel?
The Catweasel used to be the obvious way to put together a more-or-less universal floppy-disk rescue machine, but as far as I know it's no longer being manufactured. Assuming one doesn't have old ...
1
vote
0answers
46 views
Help locating a library [closed]
This question may be deemed off-topic, but I am looking for the location of a particular library.
I have tried reverse image searches and following the picture back through various websites/tumblrs. ...
1
vote
1answer
84 views
What is the difference between digital-media and e-resources?
I was about to suggest to merge the tags digital-media and e-resources but I am not fully sure. Is there a commonly agreed upon difference between both terms? I think the term e-resources is only used ...
4
votes
1answer
40 views
How to replace damaged or lost media cover artwork?
Our local library has a problem with damaged or missing cover artwork on media such as audio books, audio CDs, and DVD movies.
They typically look for replacement artwork online and print new copies ...
7
votes
1answer
137 views
In what cases should a library or archive plan on emulation as part of a digital preservation strategy?
At what point, or under what conditions should a library or archive plan on emulation as a strategy for viewing and or making accessible particular kinds of content?
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Effective presentation of information in classes for library patrons
Which approach has proven to be more effective in a situation involving, e.g., teaching patrons to use a genealogy database?
Stand-and-Deliver with slides/PowerPoint, which incorporate screen shots ...
9
votes
4answers
211 views
What's the current state of the art for OCR for handwriting, especially for historical documents?
Just a few years ago, it seemed handwriting recognition for historic documents was way out of reach. I've seen various news and informal reports recently that suggest to me that great strides have ...
1
vote
2answers
156 views
What classification system would be a optimal choice for a school library?
What would be the most effective classification to shelf books in a small library of a school? I think LCC and Dewey Decimal would be "overkill" for just textbooks for grades.
4
votes
5answers
81 views
Relation between different edtions of a book
I am a software developer and trying to make a small software for library management. Here is a particular requirement that my client wants to add to it. When user(client) is viewing a book, the ...
6
votes
1answer
40 views
What types of publication dates exist?
I want to generate a statistic of number of publications by year from a set of bibliographic records (internal PICA+ format, but I could convert for instance to MARC2 or MODS). Surprisingly several ...
6
votes
2answers
198 views
What aspects of the process for a “complete” digital preservation system are missing from current software packages?
I know a little about Ex Libris' digital preservation system Rosetta, but never saw it live. Yesterday I noticed that there seems to be an open source alternative in development: Archivematica.
Am I ...
8
votes
1answer
83 views
What types of data compression tactics have a place in digital preservation practice?
Various tactics for data compression can decrease the cost of long-term preservation by reducing the amount of storage space required. At the same time, different compression approaches bring with ...
9
votes
2answers
150 views
What's the most useful definition of technological obsolescence for digital preservation purposes?
Technological obsolescence is commonly seen as a big issue in digital preservation yet some people seem to have different interpretations of what it means, leading to heated discussions about the ...
6
votes
2answers
120 views
What controlled vocabularies do exist for the topic “Digital Preservation / Digital Curation / Long Term Access”?
I maintain a Zotero bibliography about digital preservation for personal use and started thinking about sharing it with peers. For this reason it would be necessary to get some structure into it. ...
5
votes
2answers
101 views
Reading for fun and not research
What are some proven methods that librarians can use to encourage students to read not just for their coursework, but for fun?
1
vote
1answer
81 views
Standard policy for hiring substitute librarians
What's a good policy for hiring substitute librarians and should such a policy include feedback to those substitutes after they are hired?
10
votes
4answers
169 views
Best practice for digitally redacting information from born-digital documents?
In the case of spreadsheets, databases, and other lengthy content printouts may not be practical - or the organization may be working with a remote patron online. Other born-digital formats just ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
What is a good policy for dealing with children not behaving but whose parents are with them?
This is similar to What is a good policy for dealing with parents who leave their children at the library as free daycare / babysitting?, but I did not see an answer to this question in any of the ...
2
votes
1answer
44 views
What types of information found through a library “primary” and what is “secondary”
What is the difference between "primary information" and "secondary information", specifically as it applies to genealogy research using a library's resources?
5
votes
4answers
68 views
Acknowledging Friends groups
Most public libraries rely on their Friends groups for fundraising, program facilitation, hospitality, and volunteerism. It is important to acknowledge their contributions both in the moment and then ...
2
votes
0answers
29 views
Online magazine delivery
Our public library is considering moving to Zinio for online delivery of some of our magazines. Apparently we would pay money for the platform, then a flat fee for each subscription, which can be then ...
6
votes
2answers
195 views
How to preserve old newspapers?
If someone has found old newspapers (used as insulation in their wall), of some historical significance, what is the best way to preserve not only the papers themselves, but the information they ...
6
votes
1answer
60 views
How to preserve writing in books, magazines, &c.? (Ink, graphite)
Sometimes a rare item is notable not for the work itself but because it has been read and/or written in by someone famous. In these cases, what issues might arise and what can be done to improve the ...
5
votes
1answer
99 views
How to preserve a glossy magazine?
We have received a glossy magazine. We'd like to preserve it long-term. What are the preservation issues with glossy magazines? For example, are they usually acidic, and if so, does the glossy paper ...
7
votes
1answer
71 views
Are there preservation issues with plastic book jacket covers?
We have received a hardcover book, the dust jacket of which is wrapped in plastic cover. (We are not sure of the precise composition of the plastic, if that matters.) Do such plastic covers usually ...
4
votes
1answer
66 views
What role can Forward error correction techniques like Erasure Coding play in designing digital preservation storage system architectures?
There is a lot of general discussion about keeping multiple copies of digital content. With that said, I've heard a lot less about a range of techniques for Forward error correction, like erasure ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
How do I combine a folder of .MRC files into one .MRC using the command line or MARCEDIT?
I need to deliver a set of MARC files to a librarian and know that the librarian would rather receive one .MRC file with all records included rather than a zipped folder of .mrc files.
I know there ...
