Collections digital searchable specific

Search terminology is a complicated topic; because different people use language differently, search engines are forced to predict the interactions of search criteria and the vernacular. IN William J. Turkel's article "Digital History Hacks," he examines  It's a complicated process, let's just say that the average person complicates a search parameter with their expectations. One such issue facing search engine developers is year parameters within documents.
"you also find that many people are trying to use dates to limit their searches in a way that most search engines don't allow.

england history 1350 to 1850
french history 1400's
world history 1500 through 1850"

Google's search parameters would seek documents containing, for instance, England, history, 1350, and 1850. It would not define the search in terms of year range.


Search engines are further complicated by the vast amount of information and the range of mediums which one might be seeking. In his article, "From Babel to Knowledge," Daniel Cohen expresses some of the ways in which these problems are being addressed  The seemingly limitless amount of information floating around on the Internet makes search engines necessary. Brute force searching, as applied by Google searches  websites for specific words; while it can be beneficial when you're looking for something specific presented in a web page format, it can be more daunting when searching for information contained in specific mediums such as course syllabus. Cohen expresses how an inclusive list of words can help refine a search to a syllabus:

"there were certain words that appeared very frequently on syllabi, far more so than on a typical web page. This list included, of course, 'syllabus' (appearing on over 90% of syllabi), 'readings' (and its singular, 'reading'), 'assignment' (and its plural 'assignments'), 'exam' and its variants and synonyms, and the word "week." When I ran the same analyses for word couplets, I found the most common pairings were 'fall' and 'spring' followed by a four-digit number (the 'Spring 2006' that is found on so many syllabi this term) followed by the all-important 'office hours...' A web page that contains many of these words – basic ingredients in the pedagogical cocktail – is extremely likely to be a syllabus"

Simple solutions, including education about search criteria as well as a utilization of parameter based search engines could really be to our benefit in the future. While search engines can not replace indexing systems like library ISBNs, people are making strides towards simplifying search results and increasing their functionality. 

Tweet Tweet - Who Cares?

Social media has been around for years now. After Myspace popularized self marketing on the web it was only a matter of time before thousands of other websites took up the call; the question is, who cares? I think one of the most common problems with the Internet is that people see only the negatives. Twitter is generally viewed as an unsupervised platform upon which the youth can waste away with their time following celebrities and Tweeting about what they had for lunch. I still remember learning about twitter jail, the term describing when twitter blocks a user due to overactive posting (over 1000 tweets in one day,) and thinking "Man, these kids need a hobby."

Then it hit me, the kids have a hobby: Tweeting. Twitter has become a common place on the Internet for young people to interact. Kids feel comfortable in the, oh so familiar, Twittersphere. Let me just put it out there, it's the perfect time to exploit Twitter, it offers a lot of advantages over traditional means of communication with students.

Andrew Mercer, a music teacher who teaches music over the Internet to students in isolated communities, agrees. He's well associated with the inter net's resources as his livelihood depends on it. He claims that one of the best advantages of twitter is its small word limit. "Twitter is a blogging tool, but with a twist -Twitter is a micro-blog. Unlike traditional blogs, which permit authors to write lengthy entries on the topic of their choice. Twitter limits each posting to 140 characters. No pictures of your cat, no videos of you and your friends doing The Chicken Dance - just 140 characters per posting, or 'tweet' as it is called. This cap has had an interesting (and refreshing) effect on what people post to the Internet - authors are forced to 'make it brief.'"

Twitter also helps to get students involved in the conversation. It's much less intimidating to post a couple of words than it is to think "Hey, I have to write two pages to make a blogger post worth it." Mercer finds that his students are more often asking for help, and helping each other, because Twitter's feed is never flooded with pages and pages of blocked paragraphs. The students are on it anyway, why not go to where they already are?

https://librarylink.uncc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=69588306&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Don't Be a Fool, It's a Tool!

The changing landscape of technology has opened opportunity for change in academia. The stale world that has long revolved around books and academic journals is now proliferated with Internet resources. Anything from webpages to blogs to digital maps can be used as a historical resource or as a source of inspiration.

But Ian! What's the real advantage here? Motivated people have managed successful educational endeavors for thousands of years without the aid of the World Wide Web; why fix something that ain't broke?

To respond, Embodiment of Doubt, it is "broke."

Knowledge is expanding at a geometric rate, while people around the world have used traditional mediums to transmit knowledge for centuries, new technologies lead to accessibility. While literacy rates have increased many people lack the drive to head to the local library. Furthermore, many are too intimidated by the prospect of a great body of information, seemingly endless and locked in moldy tomes, to start the a quest towards knowledge. The Internet disguises the vastness of information in a simple window. Because of its wide application, the Internet has become common to today's youth. You can socialize, make purchases, learn, and grow from the comfort of your own browser window. Honestly, kids these days feel way more comfortable with a keyboard under their fingers than a ratty old book in their hands.

But Ian! I like books, why should I have to change?

You don't have to change, if you're too intimidated by computer interfaces to adapt then you're a technophobe. Utilize it! Don't be a fool, it's a tool!

The Internet offers thousands of great features. One of my favorites is blogging; [and stated on a blog, none the less] blogging offers a sort of informal medium by which to transmit knowledge. Note the first person lean on my writing, within an academic setting it would be completely unacceptable, blogging lets me send out my ideas and also allows me to receive feedback. This can be particularly useful in a classroom setting

In "Blogging for Your Students," David Voelker discusses a few of the applications and advantages of blogging over traditional forms of classroom communication. "Blogs are open to the public, which means that students and colleagues can visit the site without worrying about password barriers. Furthermore, when students post comments, as I encourage them to do, they do so with the recognition that they are making public statements. As a result, I have noticed that their comments are more thoughtful and substantial than they usually are in walled-off online discussions."

Voelker goes on to describe the way that students can more directly see the link between their world (the present) and the subject material (generally rooted in the past) because of the simple integration of hyper-linking. When inserted into a blog post, students can engage with the material without shuffling through several sets of source material. Voelker suggests the use of an in the news section (a great idea,) but teachers can also link to excerpts from books as well as Journal articles.

OK, Ian, you're starting to win me over; but how will this help me NOW? I'm just a grad student...

Lucky for you, those brainy folks at the American Historical Association [AHA] have thought up a way to make your life easier. I know you're worried about finding someone to publish your dissertation. If it doesn't work out, how will you get tenured? 

In her article, "Talking Shop With the 'Gutenberg-es,'" Elizabeth Fairhead explains the opportunities presented in Electronic Publishing. AHA started a program to give grants and publish strong dissertations electronically citing "complaints about inadequate publishing opportunities for first-time authors"

Look, I know you're terrified of change, but it's comin' like a freight train. The Internet doesn't have to be scary, in fact, make the Internet scared of you. Use it like an intern on his/her first day - With a little time, it'll work for you.

Vandalism or Ignorance? Malice or Comedy?

Wikipedia has been a point of conversation in academia for many years. I can not remember a single research based class where a teacher did not warn us, the students, of Wikipedia's unreliability.

Wikipedia has its uses, in fact, I would go out on a limb and say it's an excellent source of basic information on given subjects. Wikipedia's open editing policy allows a massive body of contributors from which information may be pooled. Assuming that Wikipedia's contributors are well informed students of the topic upon which they are giving insight, Wikipedia's platform is the pinnacle of human intellectual forums; unfortunately, this is rarely the case. Wikipedia, for all of its potential, often shows that manipulation of information by an ambiguous, unregulated individuals allows not only ignorant, but also self interested contributors to distribute misinformation.

What drives people, then, to modify Wikipedia's entries? Many are motivated out of an interest to better the website, attempting to clarify and inform others on the topic at hand; unfortunately  many of these people are often mis-informed as well incapable of (or too lazy to) conveying valuable ideas. Ignorance manifests at every corner, mis-communications become the norm, and writings on Wikipedia convey incorrect information of little value.

Others are motivated by self interest; executives at Microsoft have hired individuals from around the globe to edit Microsoft's Wikipedia entry to convey a more positive view of the software giant. this blatant attempt at misleading Wikipedia's users is insulting and it diminishes the value of what could be an incredible source of knowledge.

Some people are driven by comedy. Entries on anything from our nations forefathers to popular sports have been edited sheerl for comedic effect. This article from Huffington Post shows some of the comedic interpretations. While some are complete nonsense (see Leonardo DaVinci Wikipedia entry) intended to garner a cheap laugh, others are serious political and social critiques.

Reviewing a few Wikipedia articles, one of the most common themes was the removal of content labeled as vandalism. Wikipedia does have a very quick turnaround, often reverting Wikipedia pages to older formats within minutes of vandalism. The Abraham Lincoln Wikipedia entry has one case of vandalism which was corrected in less than a minute.

Misinformation, however, is harder to spot. The Marie Antoinette page used to feature a section on how revered she was by the general population, Wikipedia even listed "let them eat cake" as a direct quote for a period of time. This article, however, has been well reviewed and now seems a stable source of information. The citation page at the bottom appears to be a reliable source of scholastic materials on Marie Antoinette. In the talk section, Marie Antoinette is argued over by scholars, sources are disputed, and improvements are constantly made on the page.

More modern topics such as famous rapper, Lil' Wayne receive scrutiny not only from scholarly, but also individuals unrelated to the field who are notoriously unprofessional and mis-informed. In one post on the talk page of the Lil Wayne Wikipedia page a fan points out an incorrect fact: "Yeah man, Dwayne only has one daughter and one son, there definately is NOT two daughters, so that REALLY needs a dick , cause it should have been changed by now. That would be great y'all. ^-stephaanie (talk) 23:01, 10 March 2009 (UTC)"

Who knows, rarely is an edit on Wikipedia motivated by malice, however, there have been cases of slander through Wikipedia. I find that the real problems with the information in Wikipedia entries arise in relation to ignorance and comedy.

Dead Ends and New Hopes

Leaving a group meeting last week I had planned to meet with many of the members of NC's music scene to get a view of Charlotte's musical past. My plan was to question many of the members of Greensboro's music scene about any affiliation with Charlotte's music scene. What I found was astounding even if it wasn't exactly what I was looking for. Of the people I questioned non appeared to have any information that particularly related to Charlotte. I heard stories about a dive in Greensboro called "Friday's" and a pizza joint called "New York Pizza" both of which were host to a myriad of bands from the seventies up through the late eighties. I heard about the culture surrounding UNC-Greensboro and how its student body helped to shape Greensboro's music scene. I learned about several Avant-Garde bands many of whom are still on the cutting edge of improvisational art. I even had the pleasure of playing with one, the F-Art Ensemble, who has been active since the early eighties.

While specifics surrounding the Charlotte area were sparse I found some good jumping off points. I was directed towards Bill Hanna who has been hosting an open Jazz Jam at the Double Door Inn (a bar in Charlotte) for almost twenty years. I also found out that the owner of Somewhere Else Tavern in Greensboro has thirty years of experience and contacts that could be to my advantage. 

These developments are also exciting because it gives me an idea of the era in which my research could be the most useful. Because I am currently involved in North Carolina's Music scene, I figured recent history would be more fitting to my experience. The sources that I have begun to pool give me a better target for the information that I might actually be able to find; the experience also introduced me to a great target audience, musicians. Interest was very high among the musicians to whom I spoke. Hopefully I can start building a great base of study. 

Contracting, Conspiring, Completing

Creating a group contract never appeared to be a massive undertaking, however, the due date for the project presented certain challenges. While it makes sense to present a full group contract early in the semester, the relative lack of familiarity with the project left me... concerned.

After a few trips to the Charlotte Public Library, our research led us to a conclusion: this is a huge undertaking. Ideas for organization of the project developed over time. We initially consented to select eras, around a decade a piece, upon which to base our research. We quickly realized that a decade of music not only included an incredibly diverse number of artists to log, but also presented us with too large body of other mediums (such as venues, shows, sheet music, and radio broadcasts) to reasonably manage. Eras were quickly presenting more problems than they solved.

We quickly decided that a better method by which to evaluate the music scene in Charlotte was selecting a medium. We resolved that each person should select from venue, radio, sheet music, magazine, recorded music, or photographs. We once again ran into a problem; creating any sort of narrative with no cross medium integration was nearly impossible.

Eventually, Tina decided that the best way to approach the issue was using Venue as an organizational tool, and so it stood. By focusing on certain venues each (concert halls, bars, hotels, radio stations) we are enabled to focus our research. Many venues in Charlotte have been host to bands large and small, national and local, signed and unsigned, from a variety of different backgrounds.

Drafting a contract, then, became much simpler. The Contract was now a way to decide what areas we needed to focus on and to be realistic about each of our responsibilities to the project and to the group. I decided that I would take overarching control of the website as well as focusing on contemporary music venues; most notably Tremont and the Double Door jazz club in uptown Charlotte. Our group has now decided what it wants to do with the website and how to represent the material in an interesting and valuable manner.

September 11 Digital Archive

The September 11 Digital Archive is an archive of resources related to the tragedies which occurred on September 11th, 2001.

From the website:

The September 11 Digital Archive uses electronic media to collect, preserve, and present the history of September 11, 2001 and its aftermath. The Archive contains more than 150,000 digital items, a tally that includes more than 40,000 emails and other electronic communications, more than 40,000 first-hand stories, and more than 15,000 digital images.

This website is a perfect representation of my aims as a digital historian; that is not to say that the website has no flaws, but it represents a huge database of electronic resources. Most interesting are the 40,000 emails. This is an indispensable collection.

Emails are a great source of first hand accounts, they are personal and contain personal accounts of situations. Personal correspondence can't be faked, these are actual insight into people's thoughts and feelings. it offers a great step towards humanizing and connecting users with the personal aspect of the tragedy.

The September 11 Digital Archive is also nice because its collection is seemingly endless, this archive has been open since 2002 and now includes Emails from regular individuals, relatives and friends of victims, and government officials. The website also contains information like FDNY daily plans at the World Trade Center site. It has a catalog of interviews and a photo archive of information relating to 9/11 which is fully searchable.

Having been created in 2002, the website describes its self not only as an archive of resources related to 9/11, but also as an "opportunity to develop free software tools to help historians do a better job of collecting, preserving, and writing history in the new century." This website benefits largely from the limitless space available on the internet as well as the ease of accessibility afforded by the internet. It was so successful that the library of congress accepted the database into its own catalog. The September 11 Digital Archive is now guaranteed continued accessibility.

The biggest issue I find with this website, however, is also its greatest advantage. The website's "Browse" section contains 31 headings linking users to thousands of resources. This body of information, while very thorough, is intimidating in its scale. Navigation of the website could also be simplified, by more intuitive headings and a home page with some useful information the website could seem more welcoming. At its welcome page, the website looks almost empty.