The Code4Lib Journal

Editorial Introduction - Code4Lib: Long May You Run

Tom Keays — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:59 +0000

The Code4Lib Journal mirrors the diversity and depth of interests and expertise of its readership. Our successes, indeed, are yours.

How Hard Can It Be? : Developing in Open Source

Joann Ransom with Chris Cormack and Rosalie Blake — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:58 +0000

In 2000 a small public library system in New Zealand developed and released Koha, the world’s first open source library management system. This is the story of how that came to pass and why, and of the lessons learnt in their first foray into developing in open source.

Extracting User Interaction Information from the Transaction Logs of a Faceted Navigation OPAC

Cory Lown and Brad Hemminger — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:57 +0000

This paper discusses the analysis of Apache web server logs from a faceted catalog interface (OPAC) at North Carolina State University. By grouping individual HTTP requests into user sessions and analyzing in that context, requests can be understood as particular user actions, with more specificity as to purpose and effect of an action. Client IP address and time are used as a sufficient proxy for determining user sessions from logs. Some initial exploratory findings of user behavior in the NCSU OPAC are provided, including that users make use of facets less than of text searching, and that some facet groups are used significantly more than others. Links are provided to the scripts used to make this session-based analysis, which could be modified for use with other facetted OPACs which use an Apache front-end.

Using a Web Services Architecture with Me, Myself and I

Stephen Meyer — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:56 +0000

The UW-Madison Libraries Library Course Page system is used to deliver electronic reserves materials and course-focused library instruction webpages to students. As part of a rewrite of our system we broke the application into three component pieces: a file repository, a course timetable data service, and an interface application for building and viewing individual course pages. The new three-piece system was written with an inward facing service-oriented architecture that allowed us to choose the best technologies to solve each of the tasks the entire system needs to accomplish.

Deciphering Journal Abbreviations with JAbbr

Keith Jenkins — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:55 +0000

JAbbr is an online tool developed at Cornell University to help users decipher journal title abbreviations. This article discusses why these abbreviations are so problematic, and how traditional tools are often insufficient, and then describes the novel approach used by JAbbr. Given an abbreviation, JAbbr creates a regular expression for fuzzy matching, tests it against a list of serial titles extracted from the library catalog, and returns a list of possible matches to the user. JAbbr is available as a web site and as a web service.

Repurposing ProQuest Metadata for Batch Ingesting ETDs into an Institutional Repository

Shawn Averkamp and Joanna Lee — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:54 +0000

This article describes the workflow used by the University of Iowa Libraries to populate their institutional repository and their catalog with the data collected by ProQuest UMI Dissertation Publishing during the submission of students' theses and dissertations. Re-purposing the metadata from ProQuest allowed the University of Iowa Libraries to streamline the process for ingesting theses and dissertations into their institutional repository The article includes a discussion of the benefits and limitations of the workflow described.

Bibliographic Metadata Extraction from Theses

Götz Hatop — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:22:53 +0000

This article presents the application of part-of-speech (POS) based statistical text analysis to the task of bibliographic metadata extraction from electronic dissertations. By using the approach described here it is possible to detect the title of a Ph.D. paper with an accuracy of about 80%. The accuracy measurements are done using a conceptually simple approach and implementation.

Editorial Introduction - Issue 6

Christine Schwartz — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:59 +0000

The intelligent use of technology in libraries continues to be one of our most crucial challenges. For those of us who became librarians because we loved to explore the book stacks, we are now finding new ways to explore both old and new content in digital form. With issue 6 of the Code4Lib Journal we hope you will find new ways to explore, experiment, and bring to your library users what they want and need.

Using OAI-ORE to Transform Digital Repositories into Interoperable Storage and Services Applications

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:58 +0000

In the digital age libraries are required to manage large numbers of diverse objects. One advantage of digital objects over fixed physical objects is the flexibility of 'binding' them into publications or other useful aggregated intellectual entities while retaining the ability to reuse them independently in other contexts. An emerging framework for managing flexible aggregations of digital objects is provided by the Open Archives Initiative (OAI) with its work on Object Reuse and Exchange (ORE). This paper will show how OAI-ORE is being used to manage content in digital repositories, in particular institutional repositories, and has the potential ultimately to transform the conception of digital repositories.

Semi-automatic Citation Correction with Lemon8-XML

MJ Suhonos — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:57 +0000

The Lemon8-XML software application, developed by the Public Knowledge Project (PKP), provides an open-source, computer-assisted interface for reliable citation structuring and validation. Lemon8-XML combines citation parsing algorithms with freely-available online indexes such as PubMed, WorldCat, and OAIster. Fully-automated markup of entire bibliographies may be a genuine possibility using this approach. Automated markup of citations would increase bibliographic accuracy while reducing copyediting demands.

The Wise Use of Statistics in a Library-Oriented Environment

Mathias Weyland — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:56 +0000

As with most businesses, libraries use statistics to justify expenses, to monitor the library’s expansion and to predict prospective developments. This article describes SQL and shell techniques for data retrieval as well as further processing of the data using the open source statistical environment R. The article emphasizes some of the pitfalls and reasoning errors librarians could easily slip into. Having an academic background on statistics, the author is appointed to projects and tasks which need mathematical and statistical methods to be successfully accomplished.

Tree Representations: Graphics Libraries for Displaying Hierarchical Data

Mark Wilhelm — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:55 +0000

Tree representations can be useful for presenting hierarchical data on the screen. In this article I’ll briefly describe building trees using the Dojo, Yahoo User Interface, Java Server Faces, and Google Web Toolkit libraries.

Visualizing Media Archives: A Case Study

Chris Beer, Courtney Michael, and Mayo Todorovic — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:54 +0000

The WGBH Media Library and Archives is piloting an online media archive for scholarly research. In conversation with users, we have discovered they want to quickly pinpoint items relevant to their work and get an overview of collections and their relationships to other materials. To demonstrate the size and complexity of our collection to users in a meaningful way, WGBH is employing data visualization techniques to provide an interactive, graphical representation of the various relationships between items. This article discusses the techniques employed in implementing our relationship map, emphasizes the cataloging techniques required for this effort, and offers code and examples to spark discussion about ways to improve or extend this effort.

Course Views: A Scalable Approach to Providing Course-Based Access to Library Resources

Jason Casden, Kim Duckett, Tito Sierra and Joseph Ryan — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:53 +0000

The NCSU Libraries’ Course Views project, along with a locally developed widget web service, improves course-based access to library collections and services by dynamically generating library course pages for all 6000+ courses at NCSU. By automatically generating custom content when possible and showcasing authored content when available, Course Views is able to achieve full course coverage without significantly increasing staff time to create and manage content. This paper will describe the system and the use of web services to achieve scalable and sustainable delivery of course-related library content.

Integrating Process Management with Archival Management Systems: Lessons Learned

J. Gordon Daines, III and Cory L. Nimer — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:52 +0000

The Integrated Digital Special Collections (INDI) system is a prototype of a database-driven, Web application designed to automate and manage archival workflow for large institutions and consortia. This article discusses the how the INDI project enabled the successful implementation of a process to manage large technology projects in the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University. It highlights how the scope of these technology projects is set and how the major deliverables for each project are defined. The article also talks about how the INDI system followed the process and still failed to be completed. It examines why the process itself is successful and why the INDI project failed. It further underscores the importance of process management in archival management systems.

How to Build an XML Web Client for the Gold Rush Link Resolver’s XML Gateway Web Services Layer

Brian Kysela — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:51 +0000

The Gold Rush link resolver (GRLR) is part of a suite of programs developed by the Colorado Alliance of Research Libraries (CARL) which help manage a library's electronic resources. It contains the essential features required to perform link resolution, and comes at a substantial discount compared to other commercial Link Resolvers. After a comprehensive review of the available options, the library at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) chose to implement Gold Rush over the summer of 2008. The UTC library also decided to take advantage of the release of the Gold Rush XML Gateway Web Services Layer by the Colorado Alliance in the spring of 2008. This article is a case study of how the UTC XML Web client was built and the steps necessary to successfully deploy such a client.

Using Book Data Providers to Improve Services to Patrons

Mike Beccaria — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:50 +0000

At Paul Smith's College, I recently implemented a "New Books" display using open APIs and an image scroller. In this article I'll give a brief overview of Google Book Search, OpenLibrary and Worldcat, explain how I created this New Books Widget using book cover data, and provide readers with some practical and simple code to show how to collect this data. This article will be of interest to anyone who wants to read about a brief overview of current state of free book data service providers. Additionally, beginner programmers will likely find the examples at the end of the article helpful when getting started with projects of their own.

CONFERENCE REPORT: Code4Lib 2009

Jie Chen, Joanna DiPasquale, Lauren Ko, and Andreas Orphanides. — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:49 +0000

Conference reports from the 4th Code4Lib conference, held in Providence, RI from February 23 to 26, 2009. The Code4Lib conference is a collective volunteer effort of the informal Code4Lib community of library technologists. Included are four brief reports on the conference from the recipients of conference scholarships.

BOOK REVIEW: Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist

Tom Keays — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:30:48 +0000

Written by two of the leading authorities on the semantic web, the "Semantic Web for the Working Ontologist" is a timely and thorough introduction to the topic. Covering RDF, RDFS, and OWL, the book takes a logical, trainerly approach, with practical and illuminating examples. Well worth a read.

Editorial Introduction - Issue 5

Emily Lynema — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:20 +0000

Welcome to the 5th issue of the Code4Lib Journal. We've come a long way in just over a year! We hope you take a few minutes to celebrate those accomplishments with us as you explore issue 5 and read about the innovations, ideas, and experiences shared there. Let's learn from each other.

‡biblios: An Open Source Cataloging Editor

Chris Catalfo — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:44 +0000

‡biblios is an open source cataloging editor designed to allow libraries to perform copy and original cataloging in a web based environment. ‡biblios allows users to search for, edit, and save bibliographic records in the MARC21/MARCXML formats. It also allows users to send records directly to integrated library systems such as the Koha ILS. Where most MARC editors are part of an integrated library system (and therefore require logging in), ‡biblios allows users to catalog with an open source standalone system available anywhere via a web browser. Unlike other cataloging editors, it offers an attractive user interface for searching, saving and editing cataloging records. This article describes the system architecture and design of ‡biblios.

User-Centred Design and Agile Development: Rebuilding the Swedish National Union Catalogue

Henrik Lindström and Martin Malmsten — Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000

With a new generation of OPACs emerging that attempt to address longstanding shortcomings, how do we make sure that we do not lose ground again in the future? This article suggests a combination of iterative development and user-centred design as a way to develop systems that will meet the constantly changing expectations of users by providing both functionality and usability. It gives a short introduction to iterative software development and user-centred design. A case study of the development of the new version of LIBRIS (http://libris.kb.se), the Swedish National Union Catalogue, is used as an example of how these methodologies can benefit from each other in practice.

Reaching Users Through Facebook: A Guide to Implementing Facebook Athenaeum

Wayne Graham — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:12:04 +0000

Facebook Athenaeum is an open source application that integrates library resources directly into the Facebook website. Facebook is one of the single most-visited websites in the world, and its popularity among college-aged students provides a unique opportunity for libraries to redefine how they interact with students. This article walks you through the deployment of Facebook Athenaeum, and discusses some of the usage trends and pitfalls of deploying applications using the Facebook API.

Affinity Strings: Enterprise Data for Resource Recommendations

Cody Hanson, Shane Nackerud, and Kristi Jensen — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:14 +0000

The University of Minnesota Libraries have created a MyLibrary portal, with databases and e-journals targeted to users, based on their affiliations. The University's enterprise authentication system provides an "affinity string", now used to personalize the MyLibrary portal. This affinity string automates discovery of a user's relationship to the University--describing a user’s academic department and degree program or position at the University. Affinity strings also provide the Libraries with an anonymized view of resource usage, allowing data collection that respects users' privacy and lays the groundwork for automated recommendation of relevant resources based on the practices and habits of their peers.

Identifying FRBR Work-Level Data in MARC Bibliographic Records for Manifestations of Moving Images

Kelley McGrath and Lynne Bisko — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:16:33 +0000

The library metadata community is dealing with the challenge of implementing the conceptual model, Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR). In response, the Online Audiovisual Catalogers (OLAC) created a task force to study the issues related to creating and using FRBR-based work-level records for moving images. This article presents one part of the task force's work: it looks at the feasibility of creating provisional FRBR work-level records for moving images by extracting data from existing manifestation-level bibliographic records. Using a sample of 941 MARC records, a subgroup of the task force conducted a pilot project to look at five characteristics of moving image works. Here they discuss their methodology; analysis; selected results for two elements, original date (year) and director name; and conclude with some suggested changes to MARC coding and current cataloging policy.

Rasmuson Library DVD Browser: Fun with Screen Scraping and Drupal

Ilana Kingsley and Mark Morlino — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:31 +0000

The DVD Browser is a simple application that lets library patrons browse movie covers, titles, and reviews. It works by screen scraping the the Rasmuson Library catalog for DVD movies and dumps the data into a Drupal MySQL database. This paper describes the process of setting up the DVD Browser.

Reviving Digital Projects

Dianne Dietrich, Jennifer Doty, Jen Green and Nicole Scholtz — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 22:22:15 +0000

What do you do when you are in charge of assessing and reviving an abandoned digital project you had no part in creating or implementing? This article will talk about the unique challenges and issues involved in such a project, drawing from a specific example at the University of Michigan Library. We contended with unfamiliar software, limited technical documentation, proprietary file formats and platform migration, and will discuss how we approached each of these specific technical issues. After reviving our project and reflecting on our process, we put together a list of guidelines that we feel will help assist others who may find themselves in similar situations.

Generating Metadata on a Shoestring sans Programmer, with Our Good Friend, Excel (or Any Spreadsheet)

Jill Strass — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:02 +0000

How to use Excel to generate metadata for any encoded filename or identifier for any digital object whose attributes can be expressed in an abbreviated form.

SPECIAL REPORT: Creating Conference Video

Noel F. Peden — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 02:20:35 +0000

Capturing video at a conference is easy. Doing it so the product is useful is another matter. Many subtle problems come into play so that video and audio obtained can be used to create a final product. This article discusses what the author learned in the two years of shooting and editing video for Code4Lib conference.

COLUMN: We Love Open Source Software. No, You Can’t Have Our Code

Dale Askey — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:11:56 +0000

Librarians are among the strongest proponents of open source software. Paradoxically, libraries are also among the least likely to actively contribute their code to open source projects. This article identifies and discusses six main reasons this dichotomy exists and offers ways to get around them.