Catching Up Part I

Today begins a series I' like to call "Catching Up," where I'll post some homework that didn't make the first cut (or I forgot to post in a timely fashion). This oldie but goodie comes from Fall 2011, where I had to evaluate 3 websites and discuss a particular quality they have that reflects a good electronic publication. 

I want to point out the second paragraph, where I wrote about keeping the "site's intention" in mind while judging an electronic publication.  I've done a lot of research about accessibility, usability, and 508 compliance - it is not hard to be 508 compliant!  The Etsy website might not make the cut in accessibility (does it?  I should find out), but most other websites do not have a reason to break the basic rules of website design.  It is quite the topic to research.

Please read the rules about posted assignments before reading onward. 

For this assignment, I will be looking at three websites: the World Wide Web Consortium , the CSS Zen Garden, and Etsy. I picked these websites because I thought they exemplified at least one important aspect of good electronic publishing. The first two are sites that I frequented in my days of web design, while the third is a fun shopping site.

It is hard for publishers to create an electronic publication that holds to all of the qualities of a “good” publication. An e-zine on art might not be accessible for disabled people, but it could have excellent search capabilities and a well known authority on art. A library’s website might not have such a pleasing interface, but it should strive to be understood by all people, regardless of age or disability. It is unfair to say that one is bad because of poor color judgements, or not 508 compliant. We should judge each electronic publication by the site’s intention, and whether it successfully fulfills it. With that written, these are my sites.

World Wide Web Consortium/W3C (http://www.w3.org/)
Authenticity: Since W3C sets the international standards for the World Wide Web, they are the most reliable source about good electronic publishing. Many different web developers could have their own ideas about how to work around particular bugs caused by web browsers and applications, but W3C gives the official word on markup languages and accessibility issues. It also hosts the “Markup Validator,” which checks for valid coding. Its authenticity is further proved by the website itself, which serves as a great example in electronic publishing.

CSS Zen Garden (http://www.csszengarden.com)
Production/Pages and Interfaces: In 2003, a web designer created the CSS Zen Garden in order to show the power of a stylesheet to display the same data in multiple ways. This is important because good electronic publications should have all potential users in mind while creating its data interface. For example, there can be a stylesheet for browsing via computer, a stylesheet for mobile phone browsing, and a stylesheet for people with disabilities -- all to display the same data. The CSS Zen Garden is a flashy way to show this important principle.

Etsy (http://www.etsy.com)
Queryability: Etsy is known as the “ebay of handmade items,” but a closer look shows Esty as a pioneer in search technology. Etsy lists 16 different ways to shop, not including the basic search option. Some seem irrelevant (shop by shopkeeper’s birthday), but many of the ways rely on data not usually seen by end users, such as log times for posted items. Etsy is currently working on a 17th way of searching, using both photographs and a controlled vocabulary in order to narrow down search results.

It'll All Be Over Soon

I have several deadlines coming up in my life:

April 24th: Data Curation Research Paper Presentation
May 2nd: Data Curation Research Paper due, Digital Library Project Presentation
May 9th: Digital Library needs to be finished
May 10th: Python Final Due
May 15th: I walk!

Yup- I thought I was going to do an extra semester to finish the Data Curation Specialization, but I simply cannot do it anymore.  I do not think I can go through another fall semester.  I will blame this on the fact that I went to graduate school right after my undergraduate career ended.  I have been completing homework for the past 20 years, and I want a break.  I think I would go back to school at some point, but not within the next five years.

To finish my degree, I still need to go to summer school, but I'll be able to walk before completing it.  Funny how that works, huh?  Summer school will involve taking two courses at the same time- Descriptive Bibliography and Reference Sources for Rare Books.  With those, I'll be able to say that I finished the Certificate in Special Collections.  Here are the course descriptions:

590DB-Descriptive Bibliography:

The main purpose of this course is to teach students to understand and to prepare detailed bibliographical descriptions of printed books. In order to prepare an accurate bibliographical description, it is necessary to have some knowledge of the physical components of the printed book (paper, ink, binding materials), as well as an understanding of the processes used to produce the book (typesetting, imposition, presswork, etc.). Will cover the methods of producing books (especially during the hand-press period), as well as the organization and preparation of bibliographical descriptions.

590SR-Reference Sources for Rare Books:

Reference Sources for Rare Books is an introduction to the vast body of reference literature used in cataloguing and reference work in special collections libraries and the antiquarian book trade. Emphasis will be given to major bibliographies, catalogues, and other reference works in the fields of early printed books, British and American literature, historical Americana, voyages and travels, science and medicine, maps and atlases, the book arts, and the antiquarian book trade and auction market. The course is intended for those who have not yet had a systematic introduction to the reference literature of rare books, as well as others who would like to refresh or update their knowledge of the reference works in these fields. The course will cover approximately three to four hundred printed and electronic sources. The instructor will discuss the background of each source, as well as its strengths and weaknesses.

I am hoping that one of these classes will take a field trip to the Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  That place almost makes me wish I lived in the cornfields.

That brings me to another topic.  For personal reasons, it looks like I'll be moving within the next year or two.  The thought is very daunting, and I do not even know where to start on how to look for a good place to live.  It makes me feel like I'm getting older (surprise surprise!).  Jobs for starting librarians are pretty hard to find in general, which is yet another source of pressure in my life.  In short- man, it's hard growing up.

Coming soon- some homework from the fall semester.