Week 5 Reading Notes

Data Compression--Wikipedia

Data compression saves data using fewer bits.
ZIP files store many source files in a single destination output file.
Compression helps to reduce the use of expensive resources.

Lossless compression reduces redundancy in order to reduce file size.
"Lossless compression schemes are reversible so that the original data can be reconstructed, while lossy schemes accept some loss of data in order to achieve higher compression."

Lossy is used on digital cameras, DVDs and audios.

Claude Shannon created information theory and rate distortion theory.
DEFLATE is used w/ GIF image.
Jorma Rissanen created arithmetic coding which "achieves superior compression to the better-known Huffman algorithm."

You Tube and libraries: It could be a beautiful relationship

Steps to getting started
create a youtube account
edit your channel information-to identify the library
record video
upload video

Advantages
you can upload videos in any format
Maximum file size is 100MB or 10 minutes
Remember to get permission to upload television shows, music, videos, music concerts or commercials
You can even send a video to a blog or cell phone
RSS feeds can notify patrons of new content.

How to use it?
Storehouse of instructional videos
use to introduce resources to campus students (Library Mystery Tour-Williams College Library)
Screen Capture software can be used to build tutorials for the library

University of Pittsburgh Grant
Grant from IMLS to "create a shared gateway to visual image collections in the Pittsburgh region
Institutions included
Archives Service Center at Pitt
Library and Archives of the Historical Society of Western PA
Carnegie Museum of Art

Characteristics of the Web gateway
Users will be able to
-Conduct a keyword search
-Browse images
-Read about collections and their contents
-Explore the collections by time, place, and theme
-Order image reproductions

Communications between the 3 organizations is one challenge
-solved partly with e-mail distribution lists
-web postings
-meetings
Each institution has different goals too

Image selection is guided be LOC subject headings.
However, the different institutions have more specific resources for controlled vocabulary, so it was decided to use the DC elements with the LOCSH, and each institution can add their own controlled vocabulary if they wish in addition.

Copyright issues
-generic copyright for all items
-more specific copyright given by the institutions for some items

Outcome tests
-Do the collections meet the research needs of the users?
-How many times do each part of the collection get accessed?