[Web4lib] Code4Lib Journal Issue 10

Tue Jun 22 09:13:43 EDT 2010

[Apologies for cross-posting]

Issue 10 of the Code4Lib Journal is now available:

http://journal.code4lib.org/

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Editorial Introduction: The Code4Lib Journal Experiment, Rejection
Rates, and Peer Review
Edward M. Corrado

Code4Lib Journal has been a successful experiment. With success,
questions have arisen about the scholarly nature and status of the
Journal. In this editorial introduction we take a look at the question
of Code4Lib Journal’s rejections rates and peer review status.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3277

Building a Location-aware Mobile Search Application with Z39.50 and HTML5
MJ Suhonos

This paper presents MyTPL (http://www.mytpl.ca/), a proof-of-concept
web application intended to demonstrate that, with a little
imagination, any library with a Z39.50 catalogue interface and a web
server with some common open-source tools can readily provide their
own location-aware mobile search application. The complete source code
for MyTPL is provided under the GNU GPLv3 license, and is freely
available at: http://github.com/mjsuhonos/mytpl
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/2947

OpenRoom: Making Room Reservation Easy for Students and Faculty
Bradley D. Faust, Arthur W. Hafner, and Robert L. Seaton

Scheduling and booking space is a problem facing many academic and
public libraries. Systems staff at the Ball State University Libraries
addressed this problem by developing a user friendly room management
system, OpenRoom. The new room management application was developed
using an open source model with easy installation and management in
mind and is now publicly available.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/2941

Map it @ WSU: Development of a Library Mapping System for Large
Academic Libraries
Paul Gallagher

The Wayne State Library System launched its library mapping
application in February 2010, designed to help locate materials in the
five WSU libraries. The system works within the catalog to show the
location of materials, as well as provides a web form for use at the
reference desk. Developed using PHP and MySQL, it requires only
minimal effort to update using a unique call number overlay mechanism.
In addition to mapping shelved materials, the system provides
information for any of the over three hundred collections held by the
WSU Libraries. Patrons can do more than just locate a book on a shelf:
they can learn where to locate reserve items, how to access closed
collections, or get driving maps to extension center libraries. The
article includes a discussion of the technology reviewed and chosen
during development, an overview of the system architecture, and
lessons learned during development.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3072

Creating a Library Database Search using Drupal
Danielle M. Rosenthal & Mario Bernardo

When Florida Gulf Coast University Library was faced with having to
replace its database locator, they needed to find a low-cost,
non-staff intensive replacement for their 350 plus databases search
tool. This article details the development of a library database
locator, based on the methods described in Leo Klein’s “Creating a
Library Database Page using Drupal” online presentation. The article
describes how the library used Drupal along with several modules, such
as CCK, Views, and FCKeditor. It also discusses various Drupal search
modules that were evaluated during the process.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/2920

Implementing a Real-Time Suggestion Service in a Library Discovery Layer
Benjamin Pennell and Jill Sexton

As part of an effort to improve user interactions with authority data
in its online catalog, the UNC Chapel Hill Libraries have developed
and implemented a system for providing real-time query suggestions
from records found within its catalog. The system takes user input as
it is typed to predict likely title, author, or subject matches in a
manner functionally similar to the systems found on commercial
websites such as google.com or amazon.com. This paper discusses the
technologies, decisions and methodologies that went into the
implementation of this feature, as well as analysis of its impact on
user search behaviors.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3022

Creating Filtered, Translated Newsfeeds
James E. Powell, Linn Marks Collins, Mark L. B. Martinez

Google Translate’s API creates the possibility to leverage machine
translation to both filter global newsfeeds for content regarding a
specific topic, and to aggregate filtered feed items as a newsfeed.
Filtered items can be translated so that the resulting newsfeed can
provide basic information about topic-specific news articles from
around the globe in the desired language of the consumer. This article
explores a possible solution for inputting alternate words and phrases
in the user’s native language, aggregating and filtering newsfeeds
progammatically, managing filter terms, and using Google Translate’s
API.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3232

Metadata In, Library Out. A Simple, Robust Digital Library System
Tonio Loewald, Jody DeRidder

Tired of being held hostage to expensive systems that did not meet our
needs, the University of Alabama Libraries developed an XML
schema-agnostic, light-weight digital library delivery system based on
the principles of “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” Metadata and derivatives
reside in openly accessible web directories, which support the
development of web agents and new usability software, as well as
modification and complete retrieval at any time. The file name
structure is echoed in the file system structure, enabling the
delivery software to make inferences about relationships, sequencing,
and complex object structure without having to encapsulate files in
complex metadata schemas. The web delivery system, Acumen, is built of
PHP, JSON, JavaScript and HTML5, using MySQL to support fielded
searching. Recognizing that spreadsheets are more user-friendly than
XML, an accompanying widget, Archivists Utility, transforms
spreadsheets into MODS based on rules selected by the user. Acumen,
Archivists Utility, and all supporting software scripts will be made
available as open source.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3107

AudioRegent: Exploiting SimpleADL and SoX for Digital Audio Delivery
Nitin Arora

AudioRegent is a command-line Python script currently being used by
the University of Alabama Libraries’ Digital Services to create
web-deliverable MP3s from regions within archival audio files. In
conjunction with a small-footprint XML file called SimpleADL and SoX,
an open-source command-line audio editor, AudioRegent batch processes
archival audio files, allowing for one or many user-defined regions,
particular to each audio file, to be extracted with additional audio
processing in a transparent manner that leaves the archival audio file
unaltered. Doing so has alleviated many of the tensions of cumbersome
workflows, complicated documentation, preservation concerns, and
reliance on expensive closed-source GUI audio applications.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/2882

Automatic Generation of Printed Catalogs: An Initial Attempt
Jared Camins-Esakov

Printed catalogs are useful in a variety of contexts. In special
collections, they are often used as reference tools and to commemorate
exhibits. They are useful in settings, such as in developing
countries, where reliable access to the Internet—or even
electricity—is not available. In addition, many private collectors
like to have printed catalogs of their collections. All the
information needed for creating printed catalogs is readily available
in the MARC bibliographic records used by most libraries, but there
are no turnkey solutions available for the conversion from MARC to
printed catalog. This article describes the development of a system,
available on github, that uses XSLT, Perl, and LaTeX to produce
press-ready PDFs from MARCXML files. The article particularly focuses
on the two XSLT stylesheets which comprise the core of the system, and
do the “heavy lifting” of sorting and indexing the entries in the
catalog. The author also highlights points where the data stored in
MARC bibliographic records requires particular “massaging,” and
suggests improvements for future attempts at automated printed catalog
generation.
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3154

Easing Gently into OpenSRF, Part 1 and 2
Dan Scott

The Open Service Request Framework (or OpenSRF, pronounced “open
surf”) is an inter-application message passing architecture built on
XMPP (aka “jabber”). The Evergreen open source library system is built
on an OpenSRF architecture to support loosely coupled individual
components communicating over an OpenSRF messaging bus. This article
introduces OpenSRF, demonstrates how to build OpenSRF services through
simple code examples, explains the technical foundations on which
OpenSRF is built, and evaluates OpenSRF’s value in the context of
Evergreen.
Part 1 of a 2 part article in this issue:
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3284
Part 2 of a 2 part article in this issue:
http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/3365