Category Archives: Tech

Conference, Tech

Museum Computer Network Gives Scholarship

mcn2017_web_banner_1500x350

“The Museum Computer Network (mcn.edu) was founded in 1967 with the purpose of supporting professionals who seek to transform the way their cultural organizations reach, engage, and educate their audiences using digital technologies. Every year MCN explores topics of relevance to museum practitioners working with, or affected by, digital media and technology. In 2017, MCN is focusing on how museums can use technology to innovate and emphasize transparency, individual action, and institutional bravery. As we celebrate our 50th anniversary in Pittsburgh, we welcome applications for our scholarship program.

MCN is offering scholarships for 15 qualified applicants to attend the annual conference.
Continue reading Museum Computer Network Gives Scholarship →

Tech

Want to enroll your team in the Digital Library Federation?

Note to CMLE members: we will give you $200 in scholarship money toward the institutional cost!

“Enrollment is now open for the DLF eResearch Network (eRN): a facilitated, six-month program through which participating teams advance their research data services and digital scholarship support roles within their libraries. Teams will join a larger cohort for webinars, discussions, and assignments each month, and will come out of the program with a local strategic agenda for future use.

The deadline to enroll is April 21st, but spots are limited. More info can be found on the DLF’s site.

I’m looking forward to working with this year’s participants!
– Becca”

Continue reading Want to enroll your team in the Digital Library Federation? →

Resources, Tech

Raspberry Pi activities

Raspberry Pi 3 Model B
A listserve discussion was asking about different programs or activities people are doing in their libraries using Raspberry Pi devices. We are sharing them with you here:

  • We are using Pi mostly with a camera for Social Media campaigns.  Our IT department uses them to monitor wireless networks.
  • A few weeks ago we deployed Screenly open source. It’s been working great. We were displaying PowerPoint from a laptop and moved to this. PowerPoint can save as MP4, which we then load to the Pi.
    Continue reading Raspberry Pi activities →
Books, Resources, Tech

Let’s learn technology: A Sideways Dictionary!

English-English and English-Persian dictionaries
One of the coolest things about being in the library profession is seeing the big diversity of dictionaries, and other exciting reference sources! (Yes, I’m a big library nerd – it’s a happy thing!)

And now there is a neat new dictionary: a Sideways Dictionary of technology terms. “It’s like a dictionary, but using analogies instead of definitions. Use it as a tool for finding and sharing helpful analogies to explain technology. Because if everyone understands technology better, we can make technology work better for everyone.

Here are a few samples:

Bandwidth —
  • It’s like a water pipe
    that serves the shower, washing machine and dishwasher in your apartment. If you run all three at the same time, you’ll notice a drop in pressure and whoever’s in the shower will get annoyed.
  • It’s like a road.
    A single-lane highway has low bandwidth and things clog up, especially in rush hour. A multi-lane highway is wider and faster, so even if a big file is chugging down the inside lane, there’s plenty of room to overtake.
  • It’s like a stream supplying several paddy fields.
    Sometimes your neighboring rice farmer will try to hog the supply or sneakily divert some of your water into his field. Time to change your WiFi password.
  • It’s like the stairway in an office block.Easily big enough for the normal comings and goings of the hundreds of people who work there. But suddenly pretty narrow when there’s a fire alarm and everyone rushes out at once.
IP Address —
  • It’s like a postal address for the internet.
    This is a numeric address that identifies where a destination computer is attached to the Internet, similar to a postal address for a destination residence or business.
  • It’s like telephone numbers.
    The telephone system works because each number is different. The numbers also contain general information about which country and region you are in. With IP addresses, you can have a static address (the same number all the time – like your landline), or a dynamic address (a temporary number assigned each time you make a call – like using a random payphone).
  • It’s like the number on your team shirt.
    Michael Jordan will always be 23. Wayne Gretsky will always be 99. But most players will take whatever number they’re given.
  • It’s like the postal system of the internet.
    You address a package, drop it into the system, and someone gets a nice web page through their letterbox.

Check it out for yourself, and share it with your patrons!

Research, Tech, Writing

Code4Lib Issue 37 Call for Papers

The Code4Lib Journal

The Code4Lib Journal (C4LJ) exists to foster community and share information among those interested in the intersection of libraries, technology, and the future.

We are now accepting proposals for publication in our 37th issue.  Don’t miss out on this opportunity to share your ideas and experiences. To be included in the 37th issue, which is scheduled for publication in mid July 2017, please submit articles, abstracts, or proposals at http://journal.code4lib.org/submit-proposal or to journal@code4lib.org by Friday,  April 14, 2017. When submitting, please include the title or subject of the proposal in the subject line of the email message and the acceptance of the Journal’s US CC-By 3.0 license in the body of the message. The editorial committee will review all proposals and notify those accepted by Friday, April 21, 2017.  Please note that submissions are subject to rejection or postponement at any point in the publication process as determined by the Code4Lib Journal’s editorial committee.

C4LJ encourages creativity and flexibility, and the editors welcome submissions across a broad variety of topics that support the mission of the journal. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

* Practical applications of library technology (both actual and hypothetical)
* Technology projects (failed, successful, or proposed), including how they were done and challenges faced
* Case studies
* Best practices
* Reviews
* Comparisons of third party software or libraries
* Analyses of library metadata for use with technology
* Project management and communication within the library environment
* Assessment and user studies

C4LJ strives to promote professional communication by minimizing the barriers to publication. While articles should be of a high quality, they need not follow any formal structure. Writers should aim for the middle ground between blog posts and articles in traditional refereed journals. Where appropriate, we encourage authors to submit code samples, algorithms, and pseudo-code. For more information, visit C4LJ’s Article Guidelines or browse articles from the earlier issues published on our website: http://journal.code4lib.org.

Send in a submission. Your peers would like to hear what you are doing.

-Sara Amato, Coordinating Editor for Issue 37

-Code4Lib Journal Editorial Committee