The Developing Librarian Project began in the spring of 2012 with the notion of “re-skilling” or training librarians in the Columbia University Libraries Humanities & History team, most of whom have spent their careers as subject liaisons, with the specific knowledge and skills necessary to support digital scholarship. Two recent...
The Developing Librarian Project began in the spring of 2012 with the notion of “re-skilling” or training librarians in the Columbia University Libraries Humanities & History team, most of whom have spent their careers as subject liaisons, with the specific knowledge and skills necessary to support digital scholarship. Two recent...
My hope for this project is that it will present us a hands-on, practical survey of many of the tools and techniques that might be involved in working on digital projects with our users. This could be anyone from an undergraduate seeking to incorporate media elements into their paper, to...
As we move forward with our process in developing new skills, I am thinking about how best to evaluate new technologies. Advice suggests we shouldn’t get overly enamored without first thinking about how that new technology applies to what we hope to achieve. Advice also suggests we need to test...
My relationship with this technology is complicated. Sometimes we feel so close, and other times so far away. Right now it feels a little rocky. We get along so well when we’re together so why do I forget so much about you when we’re apart?
I envision the goals of our project in the following way: Computers and the internet are rapidly changing the face of scholarship, a process perhaps most dramatically illustrated in the humanities, which has been historically less reliant than other fields on technology, but is equally present in all fields of...
I’m so excited about this project. Librarians are accustomed to learning technology on the fly. We’re efficient: copying another page’s source code and substituting our own content was one way to get things done quickly when there wasn’t time to build something from the ground up. It’s wonderful to have...
Our Sidebar subgroup, me, Mary and Nick, have completed our task of designing the blog sidebar. We included a link to the syllabus (under Resources) as Alex requested, and focused on simplicity.
It's fairly easy to create and add an RSS feed to a WordPress blog. 1. Go to Appearance > widgets and drag and position the RSS widget on the sidebar. 2. Construct your feed. Nearly every database offers the option to create a feed from a search. If you would like your results...
It's fairly easy to create and add an RSS feed to a WordPress blog. 1. Go to Appearance > widgets and drag and position the RSS widget on the sidebar. 2. Construct your feed. Nearly every database offers the option to create a feed from a search. If you would like your results...
I found this tool in Bamboo DiRT under the category Communicate with Colleagues. Piazza is an open-source web-based discussion tool that works like a chat room. Here’s the link: https://piazza.com/ It’s promoted as a more efficient way to engage in classroom Q&A but I can also see its value in...
I found this tool in Bamboo DiRT under the category Communicate with Colleagues. Piazza is an open-source web-based discussion tool that works like a chat room. Here’s the link: https://piazza.com/ It’s promoted as a more efficient way to engage in classroom Q&A but I can also see its value in...
I found this tool in Bamboo DiRT under the category Communicate with Colleagues. Piazza is an open-source web-based discussion tool that works like a chat room. Here’s the link: https://piazza.com/ It’s promoted as a more efficient way to engage in classroom Q&A but I can also see its value in...
A tool that I did not just discover on Bamboo Dirt but that I find very useful and frequently recommend to our researchers is Ant Conc. It is a traditional concordancing program that is easy to use and allows one to quickly start exploring the contents of a large file...
I decided to look at free web based image editors and think Pixlr is one of the better ones out there. It is not as robust as Photoshop but provides most essentials for photo-editing. It also provides function for image design. The interface seems to be modeled on Photoshop with...
I decided to look at free web based image editors and think Pixlr is one of the better ones out there. It is not as robust as Photoshop but provides most essentials for photo-editing. It also provides function for image design. The interface seems to be modeled on Photoshop with...
When thinking about our Morningside project, I find this Omeka site from the Champaign-Urbana community inspiring, eBlackCU. The eBlackCU is a collaborative portal on African-American history and culture in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois where the University of Illinois is located. The site has been built collaboratively with the community to create a local archive...
When thinking about our Morningside project, I find this Omeka site from the Champaign-Urbana community inspiring, eBlackCU. The eBlackCU is a collaborative portal on African-American history and culture in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois where the University of Illinois is located. The site has been built collaboratively with the community to create a local archive...
I enjoyed the variety of interesting tools that are gathered on Bamboo Dirt, but as I browsed around I noticed that many of the tools dealt with audio from the angle of text transcription, oral histories, etc. There are some music-specific tools, but I noticed that there is currently no...
I enjoyed the variety of interesting tools that are gathered on Bamboo Dirt, but as I browsed around I noticed that many of the tools dealt with audio from the angle of text transcription, oral histories, etc. There are some music-specific tools, but I noticed that there is currently no...
I enjoyed the variety of interesting tools that are gathered on Bamboo Dirt, but as I browsed around I noticed that many of the tools dealt with audio from the angle of text transcription, oral histories, etc. There are some music-specific tools, but I noticed that there is currently no...
It is fascinating to look at the variety of documents connected with the early history of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. The guidebooks and historical accounts are, of course, interesting; but sermons preached there can also be highly revealing of how the meaning of the cathedral was...
While poking around Project Bamboo, I followed a lot of trails that led me to tools that sounded interesting, but which didn’t seem to have a practical application that I could entirely understand. But there were two sites I stumbled across that intrigued me. One is All Our Ideas (allourideas.org),...
While poking around Project Bamboo, I followed a lot of trails that led me to tools that sounded interesting, but which didn’t seem to have a practical application that I could entirely understand. But there were two sites I stumbled across that intrigued me. One is All Our Ideas (allourideas.org),...
We were talking yesterday about the purpose of our Morningside Heights historical Web site. What is the overarching vision or the story we are trying to tell? How do we impart any kind of vision to users? One suggestion was that we include narrative elements–for example each compiler of a...
I was curious to see how Omeka sites have illustrated population growth and other changes over time. I was hoping to find something similar to the Pastmapper site about Greenwich Village, which takes a street in Greenwich village and incorporates census and building data. It is not an Omeka site,...
A follow-up comment on our group discussion of the interesting article suggested by Bob, by Tanya Clement, ‘Half-Baked: The State of Evaluation in the Digital Humanities’ (American Literary History, Volume 24, Number 4, Winter 2012, pp. 876-890; here’s a link via Project Muse) - one point that was raised a...
A follow-up comment on our group discussion of the interesting article suggested by Bob, by Tanya Clement, ‘Half-Baked: The State of Evaluation in the Digital Humanities’ (American Literary History, Volume 24, Number 4, Winter 2012, pp. 876-890; here’s a link via Project Muse) - one point that was raised a...
A follow-up comment on our group discussion of the interesting article suggested by Bob, by Tanya Clement, ‘Half-Baked: The State of Evaluation in the Digital Humanities’ (American Literary History, Volume 24, Number 4, Winter 2012, pp. 876-890; here’s a link via Project Muse) - one point that was raised a...
In his Introduction to The Cathedral Church of St John the Divine (1916), the Very Rev. William Mercer Grosvenor, then Dean of the Cathedral, wrote: “It is evident that we are at the very beginning of what we believe to be a great future for this Cathedral. We are trying...
In his Introduction to The Cathedral Church of St John the Divine (1916), the Very Rev. William Mercer Grosvenor, then Dean of the Cathedral, wrote: “It is evident that we are at the very beginning of what we believe to be a great future for this Cathedral. We are trying...
I will be investigating the Leake and Watts Orphan House from 1843-1890, when it was located at 112th St. and Amsterdam, the current location of St. John the Divine. It was founded by John Watts in 1831 with money left by his brother-in-law John Leake, who had died in 1827...
I am investigating the development of Riverside Park and its landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted. I’ll be looking at Riverside Park in the vicinity of Morningside Heights, so from approximately 110th St. to 125th St. This area includes Grant’s Tomb and the Amiable Child Monument, both of which are possible...
Several years ago, when I was a new librarian, the Humanities and History Division went on a field trip to the 42nd Street branch of the New York Public Library. We were shown around and given in-depth tours of the Milstein Division of US History, Local History and Genealogy, as...
For our history of Morningside Heights, I have chosen to concentrate on the Bloomingdale Asylum, which is interesting for a number of reasons. From its establishment in the Heights until well into the 19th century, it was the single most prominent landmark in the area, occupying the high ground that...
Subway Tile, detail, 116th St. (image: Paul Lowry) My plan is to look at the development of the subway in Morningside Heights. The date ranges for our overall project have shifted several times, as we move the project forward. Currently, I believe we've defined the date range as ca. 1820-1950,...
I am interested in using the archives at Barnard to learn more about the early relationship between Barnard and Columbia, especially as the Morningside Heights neighborhood was changing in the late 19th Century. As an object of study, I have chosen Milbank Hall because it is the oldest building on...
Rat Rock. June 2013. Image by Jennifer Ferretti. When I first visited Manhattan, I couldn’t help but crane my neck upward in order to get a better view of its soaring buildings. Except for contemplating the vast and seemingly complicated subway system, I never considered what was below my feet...
On the southwest corner of 113th and Amsterdam stand two of the older buildings in Morningside Heights: the Croton Aqueduct 113th Street gatehouse (1876) and the Engine Company No. 47 firehouse (1890). I am researching the role that the aqueduct and the fire department played in the early development...
Following each of our training sessions we have individually submitted a list of four things we learned during the session. The reason we do this is because each training session has a list of learning objectives that we hope will be achieved. By compiling a list things we learned and...
Robbie Blitz, Digital Projects Librarian and Melanie Wacker, Metadata Coordinator, joined us today to discuss Columbia’s Omeka workflow and metadata procedures. As we move into the nuts and bolts of building our Omeka site, we wanted a lesson in how the organization builds exhibitions for the public. CUL has 29...
Robbie Blitz, Digital Projects Librarian and Melanie Wacker, Metadata Coordinator, joined us today to discuss Columbia’s Omeka workflow and metadata procedures. As we move into the nuts and bolts of building our Omeka site, we wanted a lesson in how the organization builds exhibitions for the public. CUL has 29...
At one of our last Morningside training sessions Kenny Crews discussed his recent presentations on copyright and DH. We explained our Developing Librarian Project and together we came up with a series of helpful recommendations concerning copyright and DH projects. Any discussion of copyright will be filled with nuances and “what ifs,”...
For the past few weeks, I’ve been viewing archival materials at Columbia’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Two collections have played a significant role in my research: the Buildings & Grounds Collection (1755-2012) and the Historical Photographs Collection (1855-2012). I found maps, letters, and photographs that all pertain to...
For the past few weeks, I’ve been viewing archival materials at Columbia’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library (RBML). Two collections have played a significant role in my research: the Buildings & Grounds Collection (1755-2012) and the Historical Photographs Collection (1855-2012). I found maps, letters, and photographs that all pertain to...
Known today as St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, the hospital was founded by William Augustus Muhlenberg in 1846 and started admitting patients in 1858. It was located at 5th Avenue and 54th Street before moving to its location on Amsterdam Avenue and 114th Street in 1896. Initially, the hospital occupied five...
Today we reviewed our Requirements Gathering session from last fall. It is easy to have scope-creep on a project that spans several years. We were reminded that we agreed to do the following: Each member of the team will choose a site, organization, or monument in Morningside Heights to help...
I thought I knew the four things I had learned from today’s session. They are listed below. But then, when I read Barbara’s post, ‘Revisiting Requirements Guidelines,’ I realized that we really were returning in today’s session to crucial principles from some of our earliest meetings. In one of those...
New York Public Library's Map Warper. New York Public Library’s Map Warper tool helps you visualize how the landscape of a particular place has changed over time. I signed up for Map Warper specifically to complete an assignment in Professor Debbie Rabina’s Information Services & Resources spring 2013 course at...
In today’s session I and Bob Scott reported to the group on our experience working with Alex Gil to implement a site enhancement. The site enhancement was the introduction of a distinct page titled ‘Four Things’ to which any posting assigned the ‘four-things’ category (as its sole category) would go...
Tuesday’s session was primarily about how to deal with a specific issue in our developing librarian blog. We decided that we would like to share our “four things” among ourselves (and with anyone else who is interested), but we didn’t want to overwhelm the blog with repetitive content. Bob and...
Each of these meetings was a combination of instruction with hands on workshop. For 8/26 meeting Bob Scott instructed the group on some finer points of Zotero and worked with individuals on questions arising as they contributed bibliographic entries to folders in our Group Library for the Morningside Project. For...
Each of these meetings was a combination of instruction with hands on workshop. For 8/26 meeting Bob Scott instructed the group on some finer points of Zotero and worked with individuals on questions arising as they contributed bibliographic entries to folders in our Group Library for the Morningside Project. For...
Each of these meetings was a combination of instruction with hands on workshop. For 8/26 meeting Bob Scott instructed the group on some finer points of Zotero and worked with individuals on questions arising as they contributed bibliographic entries to folders in our Group Library for the Morningside Project. For...
Each of these meetings was a combination of instruction with hands on workshop. For 8/26 meeting Bob Scott instructed the group on some finer points of Zotero and worked with individuals on questions arising as they contributed bibliographic entries to folders in our Group Library for the Morningside Project. For...
This morning we had an introduction to Git and to source and version control. Git is open source software that will allow us to preserve and work on our code in a distributed environment. This afternoon Stuart Marquis discussed Git and Github in CLIO development. He showed how each JIRA...
Four things learned today 9-17-13 in conversation with guest speaker Breck Witte, Director of Library Information Technology Office. Columbia Libraries wants to extend developer access to people who are not full-time developers. Since we don’t do this type of work all the time, we need to be extra careful to...
From our meeting with Breck on 9/17/13 I took away these four things: Source code control is external to our site. We will use Git to allow collaboration on code and to keep track of changes. This also enables versioning and being able to roll back changes. LITO is more...
Today our project was to create a repository in Git, to store on the GitHub. It was a bit of a bumpy ride. What did I learn today? 1. Mac Git and Windows Git are very, very different. 2. It can be difficult for even the most well-informed and patient instructor...
New things: I learned about using snake (jj_jjj) and camel font (jjJj) for naming. The importance of creating a WWW folder for web project content. Git is useful for tracking changes and creating a history of changes. We will be working in a virtual space on our local computers -...
Four things learned in today’s session: There is a difference between the Mac and Windows versions of Git which made our session slightly frustrating. Right now our git only goes to Alex’s server, not to the cloud. Eventually we’ll have a virtual server on our workstations. Git will keep track...
Git is not easy! I learned the following four things today: 1) the difference between Git and Github 2) the file structure for projects in Github and on our local computers 3) committing often is important for roll back 4) best practices for Git when collaborating with others, i.e. describing...
Four things learned today, Oct 1, 2013 When working in Github: “commit often.” Commit every time you’ve made a substantial change. Each time that you commit, you create a version that can be rolled back to in the future. The description field is Optional when you commit. When you are...
Today we got our hands on Git. We’d already installed the software on our office desktops, but it wasn’t installed on the 306 workstations, so we needed to download and install it on the DHC computers for our group session. Four things: snake_case and CamelCase. We used snake_case to name our...
1. We need to have some way of sharing the work we do. 2. Alex suggests GITHUB 3. We do need some practice. 4. It would be nice to have printed step by step instructions.
Today I learned to: 1. create a GIT repository 2. add a file to the repository 3. Make a commit & roll back the commit 4. Sync with github and publish
Things I learned from today’s session. Alex did a great job defining differences between Git and GitHub. Git is the tool that manages the source code and history of changes. GitHub is the service that hosts repositories – it is the cloud. Notepad++ is a good text editor for Windows...
1. The difference between Git and GitHub is as follows: Git is a tool to manage your source code history. It lives in your computer. GitHub is a hosting service that lives in the cloud. 2. A repository is a set of files and directories; an historical record of changes;...
My 4 things of note from today’s session on Git and GitHub: Git is the desktop app (local) and GitHub is the web site (service; shared repository) using the command-line version of Git (in the shell) allows for functionality which is not offered by the GUI app version “Rollback” does...
Today’s session with Git/GitHub once again underscored how capriciously tools can behave on different workstations. We learned a fair amount, but there were still many frustrations for various members of the group. What did I learn? The difference between Git vs Github Once again, evidence of how difficult it is...
One way to solve problems is to copy and paste the error message and search Google for suggestions. It would still be a good idea to have printed step by step instructions. We could use some practice in Notepad++ The explanations of why we use certain functions should be more...
Today’s session on Git, though still frustrating due to glitches in the Windows program, helped clarify the application. Here are the four things I learned: Github is an application - it’s the tool to manage source code for each project. Github.com is the website which is a hosting service for...
Everything you do in design should have a reason. Basic elements of a web page: header, body, sidebar, footer Dividing horizontal space in thirds is eye pleasing and harmonious We will need to design five types of pages: front page, item page, collection page, exhibit page, and neatline exhibit page...
When this site went live, we all agreed that we would post regularly. A schedule was proposed and circulated, and we all signed up to post once every five weeks. With enthusiasm, I signed up to post in October. The topics were left open, and now that the semester is...
Alex reprised the Design session from 10/29 because so many of us were out that day. Today’s four things: the most important design elements for two-dimensional design are: color, typography, layout The difference between overlapping and non-overlapping design Responsive design instructions, for laptop: 900 px, for tablet: 250 px, for phone: 100...
The three fundamental principles of screen design are layout, typography, and color. The still-valid wisdom of the ancients makes the rule of three or the ruler of four probably the best foundation for a good design. The lack of kerning and a limited number of pixels make sans serif fonts...
Four things learned in the session today December 17, 2013: Responsive design responds to variability in screen size. The designer can encode multiple sets of instructions based on different screen sizes. These instructions determine how the design will configure itself for each screen size. Overlapping elements are a common feature...
From our session today, 12/17/13, on web design principles: The 3 elements of web design are: Layout; Typography; Color. Non-overlapping vs. overlapping design refers to the imaginary boxes either not touching or bleeding into each other. Responsive design - site adjusts to screen size. CSS rules give instructions on print...
1. For learning more about PHP, we should codecademy.com or Lynda.com. 2. PHP is a widely used open source scripting language. 3. PHP commands are typically incorporated into pages that begin and end as HTML documents. 4. The value and power of PHP is that it can execute instructions based...
We had a great PHP intro from Alex. I really liked the way Alex taught the class. He had about 7 slides and with each slide, he showed us some code and then asked us what we thought it would do. Then we pasted the code in a scripting site to...
We’ve reached the point in our project where the group is beginning to get into basics of coding. I find this phase of the project very engaging. I think all of us have at some point thought “I could make that (application/database/widget/user experience) better,” and digging into code opens the...
We’ve reached the point in our project where the group is beginning to get into basics of coding. I find this phase of the project very engaging. I think all of us have at some point thought “I could make that (application/database/widget/user experience) better,” and digging into code opens the...
We’ve reached the point in our project where the group is beginning to get into basics of coding. I find this phase of the project very engaging. I think all of us have at some point thought “I could make that (application/database/widget/user experience) better,” and digging into code opens the...
The PHP intro was great. It’s exciting to begin to dig into the code! Four things I took away from this session: PHP runs on the server, and can generate HTML/CSS/JS to feed back to the page in the browser calculations and conditional operations are possible PHP code is embedded...
Four things from today’s session on PHP: PHP runs on the server to generate webpages; Javascript runs on the browser to animate your webpage. Functions are the most common way to organize code; can be built-in or user-defined. Functions can be named and then executed when called. Syntax: echo means...
Four things learned: In the phrase ‘object-oriented programming,’ the word ‘object’ should be construed to mean the data plus the methods information that tell you how the data would like to be used. PHP is an example of object-oriented programming. We can teach ourselves more about using PHP on Lynda.com....
Today’s session was a more general session, focused on forming teams to move ahead with the work on the site. Four things that I took away from this session: 1. as we move into the "doing" phase of the project, we may perhaps focus the "Four Things" routine on "four...
During our Developing Librarian session today we formed teams to move the project forward. We have been preparing for this since the project started. After 18 months of training sessions we are all ready to choose the team we are best suited for. We have four teams: Design - typography,...
During our Developing Librarian session today we formed teams to move the project forward. We have been preparing for this since the project started. After 18 months of training sessions we are all ready to choose the team we are best suited for. We have four teams: Design - typography,...
During our Developing Librarian session today we formed teams to move the project forward. We have been preparing for this since the project started. After 18 months of training sessions we are all ready to choose the team we are best suited for. We have four teams: Design - typography,...
1. One key question in all projects should be: Why? That is, what is my motivation? Whom am I affecting and how? 2. Definition of scope is crucial. Which elements need to be functional online for the initial launch? Which elements could be considered desirable but regarded as optional add-ons...
Now that our Developing Librarian group has been formed into teams (see message immediately below), we have turned our attention to the areas of project planning and management. On March 4, our meeting was devoted to a project management workshop with Mitch Brodsky from the New York Philharmonic. Two important...
Now that our Developing Librarian group has been formed into teams (see message immediately below), we have turned our attention to the areas of project planning and management. On March 4, our meeting was devoted to a project management workshop with Mitch Brodsky from the New York Philharmonic. Two important...
Things have been a little quiet on the Developing Librarian front in the past few weeks, as we plunged into our heavy research skills instruction season. But activity is beginning to stir once more… We have split into teams and devised a timeline–not for THIS site but for the site...
Things have been a little quiet on the Developing Librarian front in the past few weeks, as we plunged into our heavy research skills instruction season. But activity is beginning to stir once more… We have split into teams and devised a timeline–not for THIS site but for the site...
I have never felt at home in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. To me it has always seemed needlessly massive, incoherent, uninspired, and, perhaps worst of all, uninspiring. The questions I am inclined to contemplate when there are not eternal but rather historical ones, such as: How...
I have never felt at home in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. To me it has always seemed needlessly massive, incoherent, uninspired, and, perhaps worst of all, uninspiring. The questions I am inclined to contemplate when there are not eternal but rather historical ones, such as: How...
We on the Development Team (Meredith, Sarah, Bob, and Nick) have been learning how to use the command line to connect to GitHub, install Omeka, and become developers-in-training. It has been a challenging and exciting time as we are all entering a world that is pretty foreign to us. We...
We on the Development Team (Meredith, Sarah, Bob, and Nick) have been learning how to use the command line to connect to GitHub, install Omeka, and become developers-in-training. It has been a challenging and exciting time as we are all entering a world that is pretty foreign to us. We...
We on the Development Team (Meredith, Sarah, Bob, and Nick) have been learning how to use the command line to connect to GitHub, install Omeka, and become developers-in-training. It has been a challenging and exciting time as we are all entering a world that is pretty foreign to us. We...
We on the Development Team (Meredith, Sarah, Bob, and Nick) have been learning how to use the command line to connect to GitHub, install Omeka, and become developers-in-training. It has been a challenging and exciting time as we are all entering a world that is pretty foreign to us. We...
For the initial launch date of our Morningside project site, December 2014, we are all expected to have completed three exhibits, and to have provided access to at least twenty items, of which many should be in direct support of our exhibits. An exhibit, in a project such as ours,...
For the initial launch date of our Morningside project site, December 2014, we are all expected to have completed three exhibits, and to have provided access to at least twenty items, of which many should be in direct support of our exhibits. An exhibit, in a project such as ours,...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
In our Developing Librarian Meeting today we moved forward in various ways. The Project Management team (Nancy and John) presented to the group a new central Google-shared space containing a folder for each team, foundational project documents, and our project timeline. Teams were invited to deposit in their folders any...
Meredith, Bob, and I met this afternoon. Our assignment from Alex: Put an issue on github create an item in our individual omeka installations. Then back up the database. create a branch called playground and break the site I ran into some problems early on. My commits were out of...
In our meeting today we basically focused on two things: the work of our Research and Editorial Team and how to keep this Developing Librarian blog vital and varied–reflective of the vital and varied nature of our own experiences working on this project. Our Research and Editorial Team consists of...
In our meeting today we basically focused on two things: the work of our Research and Editorial Team and how to keep this Developing Librarian blog vital and varied–reflective of the vital and varied nature of our own experiences working on this project. Our Research and Editorial Team consists of...
In our meeting today we basically focused on two things: the work of our Research and Editorial Team and how to keep this Developing Librarian blog vital and varied–reflective of the vital and varied nature of our own experiences working on this project. Our Research and Editorial Team consists of...
In our meeting today we basically focused on two things: the work of our Research and Editorial Team and how to keep this Developing Librarian blog vital and varied–reflective of the vital and varied nature of our own experiences working on this project. Our Research and Editorial Team consists of...
As part of the Design team, I am struggling with learning Illustrator. We have been charged with creating a logo for the Developing Librarian Project and the paper and pencil phase was fun. As a team, we agreed on several designs we would like to realize in Illustrator. Now for...
Our Design Team has been learning Adobe Illustrator and has been working in Illustrator on the creation of two logo options for our Morningside Heights history site. Today both logos were presented. One was relatively complete and the other was complete as a concept but had not yet been fully...
Our Design Team has been learning Adobe Illustrator and has been working in Illustrator on the creation of two logo options for our Morningside Heights history site. Today both logos were presented. One was relatively complete and the other was complete as a concept but had not yet been fully...
This Sunday, I took the first of what will probably be many tours of the Riverside Church. I’ve been trying to think about what my three exhibits will be and it has been difficult to decide what to focus on since so many aspects of the church’s history are rich...
Meredith Levin, Nick Patterson, Bob Scott and Sarah Witte (photographer) in the Studio@Butler The developers had a great meeting this morning. We went through Alex’s assignments, and are all up to speed on the first two, and close on the third. It has been a month since we’ve all met;...
Meredith Levin, Nick Patterson, Bob Scott and Sarah Witte (photographer) in the Studio@Butler The developers had a great meeting this morning. We went through Alex’s assignments, and are all up to speed on the first two, and close on the third. It has been a month since we’ve all met;...
For our project we have a small but highly capable project management team–myself and Nancy Friedland. A number of our team’s meetings have also included Alex Gil, our Digital Scholarship Coordinator, who is something of an ex officio member. Initially, I viewed the role of project manager with some misgivings....
For our project we have a small but highly capable project management team–myself and Nancy Friedland. A number of our team’s meetings have also included Alex Gil, our Digital Scholarship Coordinator, who is something of an ex officio member. Initially, I viewed the role of project manager with some misgivings....
For our project we have a small but highly capable project management team–myself and Nancy Friedland. A number of our team’s meetings have also included Alex Gil, our Digital Scholarship Coordinator, who is something of an ex officio member. Initially, I viewed the role of project manager with some misgivings....
We welcomed Micah Vandergrift from Florida State University to our meeting. Micah was in residence at Columbia for the week meeting with colleagues in the Center for Digital Research and Scholarship (CDRS) and other units. He expressed interest in our project as a model for involving more librarians in digital...
We welcomed Micah Vandergrift from Florida State University to our meeting. Micah was in residence at Columbia for the week meeting with colleagues in the Center for Digital Research and Scholarship (CDRS) and other units. He expressed interest in our project as a model for involving more librarians in digital...
The Design Team had done additional work on proposed logo designs for our Morningside History Project site. Two designs were presented to the group for a vote and one was chosen. Both designs demonstrated considerable ingenuity. One key consideration in logo selection was scalability. Would the key idea of logo...
The Design Team had done additional work on proposed logo designs for our Morningside History Project site. Two designs were presented to the group for a vote and one was chosen. Both designs demonstrated considerable ingenuity. One key consideration in logo selection was scalability. Would the key idea of logo...
The Design Team had done additional work on proposed logo designs for our Morningside History Project site. Two designs were presented to the group for a vote and one was chosen. Both designs demonstrated considerable ingenuity. One key consideration in logo selection was scalability. Would the key idea of logo...
Our agenda for the July 1 meeting focused on our individual research projects and an update from the research team. Before we began our discussion, we welcomed a visitor – Anna Kijas from the University of Connecticut. Anna is interested in the Developing Librarian Project as a model for UCONN...
Our agenda for the July 1 meeting focused on our individual research projects and an update from the research team. Before we began our discussion, we welcomed a visitor – Anna Kijas from the University of Connecticut. Anna is interested in the Developing Librarian Project as a model for UCONN...
Our agenda for the July 1 meeting focused on our individual research projects and an update from the research team. Before we began our discussion, we welcomed a visitor – Anna Kijas from the University of Connecticut. Anna is interested in the Developing Librarian Project as a model for UCONN...
The Design Team has been grappling with both design principles and the complexities of Adobe Illustrator. We presented two options for website logos that we created in Adobe Illustrator to the larger group and after a democratic vote, one was chosen. Before we got to this stage though, we first...
Though we haven’t surfaced online in a while, the Design Team has been hard at work. We have been perfecting logos and considering other sites to figure out what we wanted our design elements to resemble. Here’s where we are so far. We designed our logo to evoke a subway...
Though we haven’t surfaced online in a while, the Design Team has been hard at work. We have been perfecting logos and considering other sites to figure out what we wanted our design elements to resemble. Here’s where we are so far. We designed our logo to evoke a subway...
Our project is moving forward along two basic tracks. The first is team accomplishments, and progress here depends heavily on synchronization. For example, the Design Team needed to complete its designs and specifications for logo and home page before the Development Team could begin working on implementing them. The second...
Our project is moving forward along two basic tracks. The first is team accomplishments, and progress here depends heavily on synchronization. For example, the Design Team needed to complete its designs and specifications for logo and home page before the Development Team could begin working on implementing them. The second...
Our project is moving forward along two basic tracks. The first is team accomplishments, and progress here depends heavily on synchronization. For example, the Design Team needed to complete its designs and specifications for logo and home page before the Development Team could begin working on implementing them. The second...
This week we’ve scheduled two “Open Labs” in the Studio@Butler, the library’s collaboratory. Because of the modular furniture in the Studio we’re able to work individually or break into smaller groups to discuss shared research interests and resources. Since we are all struggling to find time to research our individual...
This week we’ve scheduled two “Open Labs” in the Studio@Butler, the library’s collaboratory. Because of the modular furniture in the Studio we’re able to work individually or break into smaller groups to discuss shared research interests and resources. Since we are all struggling to find time to research our individual...
The Development Team met yesterday to reinforce our understanding of how to use GitHub to share our code and to try implementing some of the recommendations we received from the Design team with regard to our site. We established a list of rules for using Git that we are all...
The Development Team met yesterday to reinforce our understanding of how to use GitHub to share our code and to try implementing some of the recommendations we received from the Design team with regard to our site. We established a list of rules for using Git that we are all...
The Development Team met yesterday to reinforce our understanding of how to use GitHub to share our code and to try implementing some of the recommendations we received from the Design team with regard to our site. We established a list of rules for using Git that we are all...
Announcements and updates Bob Scott announced that he, Meredith, Sarah, and Alex have had a proposal approved for the Digital Library Federation Forum in Atlanta this October. They will be doing a presentation on our Developing Librarian project. Design team report Karen Green reported on the latest progress of the...
Announcements and updates Bob Scott announced that he, Meredith, Sarah, and Alex have had a proposal approved for the Digital Library Federation Forum in Atlanta this October. They will be doing a presentation on our Developing Librarian project. Design team report Karen Green reported on the latest progress of the...
Announcements and updates Bob Scott announced that he, Meredith, Sarah, and Alex have had a proposal approved for the Digital Library Federation Forum in Atlanta this October. They will be doing a presentation on our Developing Librarian project. Design team report Karen Green reported on the latest progress of the...
Announcements and updates Bob Scott announced that he, Meredith, Sarah, and Alex have had a proposal approved for the Digital Library Federation Forum in Atlanta this October. They will be doing a presentation on our Developing Librarian project. Design team report Karen Green reported on the latest progress of the...
Announcements and updates Bob Scott announced that he, Meredith, Sarah, and Alex have had a proposal approved for the Digital Library Federation Forum in Atlanta this October. They will be doing a presentation on our Developing Librarian project. Design team report Karen Green reported on the latest progress of the...
As the faded Hollywood star played by Elizabeth Taylor in There Must be a Pony (1986) wryly quips ‘That’s the problem with life–bad lighting and no music.’ We might add to this list of life’s deficiencies: insufficient time and inadequate metadata. In a project such as our digital history of...
As the faded Hollywood star played by Elizabeth Taylor in There Must be a Pony (1986) wryly quips ‘That’s the problem with life–bad lighting and no music.’ We might add to this list of life’s deficiencies: insufficient time and inadequate metadata. In a project such as our digital history of...
As the faded Hollywood star played by Elizabeth Taylor in There Must be a Pony (1986) wryly quips ‘That’s the problem with life–bad lighting and no music.’ We might add to this list of life’s deficiencies: insufficient time and inadequate metadata. In a project such as our digital history of...
As the faded Hollywood star played by Elizabeth Taylor in There Must be a Pony (1986) wryly quips ‘That’s the problem with life–bad lighting and no music.’ We might add to this list of life’s deficiencies: insufficient time and inadequate metadata. In a project such as our digital history of...
Following up on recent discussions about the use of metadata in our Morningside Heights Digital History project, we focused more today on implementation and on practice-based rules and agreements. Elizabeth Davis will be our sole continuing member on the Editorial Team. Fortunately, she has prior editorial experience with W W...
Following up on recent discussions about the use of metadata in our Morningside Heights Digital History project, we focused more today on implementation and on practice-based rules and agreements. Elizabeth Davis will be our sole continuing member on the Editorial Team. Fortunately, she has prior editorial experience with W W...
Following up on recent discussions about the use of metadata in our Morningside Heights Digital History project, we focused more today on implementation and on practice-based rules and agreements. Elizabeth Davis will be our sole continuing member on the Editorial Team. Fortunately, she has prior editorial experience with W W...
Following up on recent discussions about the use of metadata in our Morningside Heights Digital History project, we focused more today on implementation and on practice-based rules and agreements. Elizabeth Davis will be our sole continuing member on the Editorial Team. Fortunately, she has prior editorial experience with W W...
A scant six weeks after presenting our design choices to the Developing Library group, the Design and Development Teams at last sat down together to hammer out the details for which each were dependent on the other. The Design Team learned that the Development Team had chosen the Omeka theme...
A scant six weeks after presenting our design choices to the Developing Library group, the Design and Development Teams at last sat down together to hammer out the details for which each were dependent on the other. The Design Team learned that the Development Team had chosen the Omeka theme...
The Project management Team (Nancy Friedland and John Tofanelli) met on Monday to discuss how the Humanities and History team should best move forwards on our Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project in light of our pending deadline for the initial launch of our public site–January 1, 2015. Here are...
The Project management Team (Nancy Friedland and John Tofanelli) met on Monday to discuss how the Humanities and History team should best move forwards on our Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project in light of our pending deadline for the initial launch of our public site–January 1, 2015. Here are...
The Project management Team (Nancy Friedland and John Tofanelli) met on Monday to discuss how the Humanities and History team should best move forwards on our Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project in light of our pending deadline for the initial launch of our public site–January 1, 2015. Here are...
The Project management Team (Nancy Friedland and John Tofanelli) met on Monday to discuss how the Humanities and History team should best move forwards on our Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project in light of our pending deadline for the initial launch of our public site–January 1, 2015. Here are...
The Project management Team (Nancy Friedland and John Tofanelli) met on Monday to discuss how the Humanities and History team should best move forwards on our Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project in light of our pending deadline for the initial launch of our public site–January 1, 2015. Here are...
The main focus of today’s meeting was on exhibits. 1. What is an exhibit? And what do I need to do to create one? An exhibit is an essay or narrative illustrated by online items that support or enrich what is being said. There is no prescribed length. It should...
The main focus of today’s meeting was on exhibits. 1. What is an exhibit? And what do I need to do to create one? An exhibit is an essay or narrative illustrated by online items that support or enrich what is being said. There is no prescribed length. It should...
The main focus of today’s meeting was on exhibits. 1. What is an exhibit? And what do I need to do to create one? An exhibit is an essay or narrative illustrated by online items that support or enrich what is being said. There is no prescribed length. It should...
The main focus of today’s meeting was on exhibits. 1. What is an exhibit? And what do I need to do to create one? An exhibit is an essay or narrative illustrated by online items that support or enrich what is being said. There is no prescribed length. It should...
The main focus of today’s meeting was on exhibits. 1. What is an exhibit? And what do I need to do to create one? An exhibit is an essay or narrative illustrated by online items that support or enrich what is being said. There is no prescribed length. It should...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
1. Team updates The Design team has been working on a front page for our public site. It will be handed over to the Development Team for implementation once the design work is completed. Karen Green, Chair of Design Team, showed the group a Power Point mock-up of the intended...
The Design Team learned about a new concept this month: wireframes. These are detailed layouts of what a webpage (home page and interior pages) will look like. To our dismay, the scribbled pen-and-ink rendition we’d generated just wasn’t enough: Gosh, wasn’t that clear? Apparently not. We met with Alex, from...
The Design Team learned about a new concept this month: wireframes. These are detailed layouts of what a webpage (home page and interior pages) will look like. To our dismay, the scribbled pen-and-ink rendition we’d generated just wasn’t enough: Gosh, wasn’t that clear? Apparently not. We met with Alex, from...
Four things to take away from today’s session, PHP part two: both built-in and user-defined functions are possible in PHP; arrays can contain lists of data; there are built-in functions which can sort and output specified data within an array; the period is used for concatenation in PHP. Bonus takeaway:...
At our last group meeting on December 16, 2014, we agreed to a February 2, 2015 launch for the project. This provided what we thought would be adequate time to develop our exhibits. Before, during, and after the holidays there was a lot of activity in our Omeka site –...
New Appointments John and I met with Alex to discuss new appointments for Design Team members as the work of this group is winding down. Anice will move to the Editorial Team. Sarah will fully focus on Development Team. Karen was away – we will consult with her on new...
New Appointments John and I met with Alex to discuss new appointments for Design Team members as the work of this group is winding down. Anice will move to the Editorial Team. Sarah will fully focus on Development Team. Karen was away – we will consult with her on new...
Here’s a list of some of the resources we’ve learned about over the past several months. This list will grow over time, so come back! Feel free to add additional resources in the comments, too. Harvard Law School’s library created this useful guide to public domain the_content: Finding Public Domain...
Here’s a list of some of the resources we’ve learned about over the past several months. This list will grow over time, so come back! Feel free to add additional resources in the comments, too. Harvard Law School’s library created this useful guide to public domain the_content: Finding Public Domain...
1. Location for Morningside Workshop meetings The group agreed that these will be held in our Digital Humanities Center on scheduled Tuesdays 10-11. The computers there have big screens conducive to working on exhibits. They also have the full range of software we might want to use. 2. Map color...
1. Location for Morningside Workshop meetings The group agreed that these will be held in our Digital Humanities Center on scheduled Tuesdays 10-11. The computers there have big screens conducive to working on exhibits. They also have the full range of software we might want to use. 2. Map color...
1. Location for Morningside Workshop meetings The group agreed that these will be held in our Digital Humanities Center on scheduled Tuesdays 10-11. The computers there have big screens conducive to working on exhibits. They also have the full range of software we might want to use. 2. Map color...
1. Location for Morningside Workshop meetings The group agreed that these will be held in our Digital Humanities Center on scheduled Tuesdays 10-11. The computers there have big screens conducive to working on exhibits. They also have the full range of software we might want to use. 2. Map color...
1. Location for Morningside Workshop meetings The group agreed that these will be held in our Digital Humanities Center on scheduled Tuesdays 10-11. The computers there have big screens conducive to working on exhibits. They also have the full range of software we might want to use. 2. Map color...
1. Development Team Update The Development Team showed our group the new home page for our Morningside Heights Digital History project site. This new page incorporates an historical map for Morningside Heights with its original colors restored (and slightly heightened for emphasis and clarity). The page surrounding the map was...
1. Development Team Update The Development Team showed our group the new home page for our Morningside Heights Digital History project site. This new page incorporates an historical map for Morningside Heights with its original colors restored (and slightly heightened for emphasis and clarity). The page surrounding the map was...
1. Development Team Update The Development Team showed our group the new home page for our Morningside Heights Digital History project site. This new page incorporates an historical map for Morningside Heights with its original colors restored (and slightly heightened for emphasis and clarity). The page surrounding the map was...
The Editorial Team (Nick Patterson and Anice Mills) led a discussion of Dublin Core requirements for the Morningside Heights Digital History project. We reviewed the metadata fields as defined by Omeka: https://omeka.org/codex/Working_with_Dublin_Core and also looked at a variety of Omeka exhibits to see how they have defined and used the...
The Editorial Team (Nick Patterson and Anice Mills) led a discussion of Dublin Core requirements for the Morningside Heights Digital History project. We reviewed the metadata fields as defined by Omeka: https://omeka.org/codex/Working_with_Dublin_Core and also looked at a variety of Omeka exhibits to see how they have defined and used the...
1. Creative Commons License for our Morningside History project site Near the start of our process, we discussed Creative Commons license options and settled on a CC-BY 3.0 US License. This is featured on the front page of our Developing Librarian process / blog site, which states in the bottom...
1. Creative Commons License for our Morningside History project site Near the start of our process, we discussed Creative Commons license options and settled on a CC-BY 3.0 US License. This is featured on the front page of our Developing Librarian process / blog site, which states in the bottom...
1. Terms of use statement The group discussed and reviewed a terms of use statement that been drafted by Bob and John for the Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project site. One minor emendation was agreed upon. John and Bob will next send the statement to Rina Panatalony, Director of...
1. Terms of use statement The group discussed and reviewed a terms of use statement that been drafted by Bob and John for the Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project site. One minor emendation was agreed upon. John and Bob will next send the statement to Rina Panatalony, Director of...
1. Terms of use statement The group discussed and reviewed a terms of use statement that been drafted by Bob and John for the Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project site. One minor emendation was agreed upon. John and Bob will next send the statement to Rina Panatalony, Director of...
1. Terms of use statement The group discussed and reviewed a terms of use statement that been drafted by Bob and John for the Morningside Heights Digital History (MHDH) project site. One minor emendation was agreed upon. John and Bob will next send the statement to Rina Panatalony, Director of...
French librarian graduating from Enssib (the French National Library School), training and interning at Columbia University Libraries for three months, from February to the beginning of May 2015, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to join the Developing Librarian Project and to become part of the developing...
French librarian graduating from Enssib (the French National Library School), training and interning at Columbia University Libraries for three months, from February to the beginning of May 2015, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to join the Developing Librarian Project and to become part of the developing...
French librarian graduating from Enssib (the French National Library School), training and interning at Columbia University Libraries for three months, from February to the beginning of May 2015, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to join the Developing Librarian Project and to become part of the developing...
French librarian graduating from Enssib (the French National Library School), training and interning at Columbia University Libraries for three months, from February to the beginning of May 2015, I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to join the Developing Librarian Project and to become part of the developing...
1. Review of Map Project about development of Morningside Heights - historic map is more powerful because of historical context. Not all locations are on current map. Cognitive noise on historic map. Leak and Watts is in foreground. Level playing field with newer map. Historical map misleading. Historical map not...
1. Review of Map Project about development of Morningside Heights - historic map is more powerful because of historical context. Not all locations are on current map. Cognitive noise on historic map. Leak and Watts is in foreground. Level playing field with newer map. Historical map misleading. Historical map not...
1. Review of Map Project about development of Morningside Heights - historic map is more powerful because of historical context. Not all locations are on current map. Cognitive noise on historic map. Leak and Watts is in foreground. Level playing field with newer map. Historical map misleading. Historical map not...
Fall is here and the second phase of the Developing Librarian training program has begun. We are scheduled to meet every other week (Tuesdays 9:30-11am) and will focus work and discussion on tools and methods appropriate to the digital humanities at Columbia. Required Reading | Viewing: Digital Humanities in the...
Two years ago we announced a professional development program in the Columbia University Libraries for the Humanities & History Division. In our first iteration of the Developing Librarian project or, as we refer to it on social media, the #devlib project, our goal was to build a common project using...