A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Digital Commons

1. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Digital Commons http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

2. Some Background • The Wesley McNair Papers • Teaching the making of poetry • “Poem cluster” concept • “New & Selected” http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections Colby College Special Collections

3. Challenge • Capturing audio • Wes read the poems • Digital Marantz recorded them • Pat edited the wav files and converted them to mp3 Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

4. Challenge • Choosing poem notebook pages • Evolution of poem creation • Three pages for each cluster • Transcription of content Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

5. Challenge • Making the notebook pages legible • Wes deciphered notebook pages • Jack (student assistant) deciphered the transcription • Outcome: “scripts” in Word Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

6. Challenge • Scanning Notebook Pages • NARA guidelines • Legibility • File naming • McNair_ShortyTowers_D12-4_001_m • Collection Name • Abbreviated poem title • Notebook identifier • Sequence of notebook page (001, 002, 003) • m (for master file; c for cropped file) Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

7. Challenge • Describing and Finding • Dublin Core • Complex objects • Digital Commons • Simple objects only • Relationship links too far down on the page • What to do? http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

8. Change the Paradigm But – How? Existing Search Outcomes • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object You might really want… • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object But would you give up before youfound it? • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object • Keyword  1 object Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

9. Solution Logic…IF • IF HOLDINGS are GENERIC • Not changeable (…a rose is a rose is a rose…) • AND IF COLLECTIONS are UNIQUE • Changeable (audio, video, McNair, poetry) • THEN • HOLDINGS are OBJECTS • COLLECTIONS are UNIQUE CODE • And can be interpreted as an OO situation

10. Solution Logic…THEN • GIVEN that • Special Collections are OBJECT-ORIENTED • We should then be able to USE OO logic in describing, identifying and displaying them • YES!

11. Digital Commons Presentation

12. Digital Commons Presentation to Digital Commons • Requesting • Change in their application • Virtual display before object display Outcome • Agreement! But…it would beat least 2 years beforewe would see it. Sooooo….

13. The Interim Tool Search • Web-based • Able to mimic: • Complex object display • Collection identity • Dublin Core metadata storage • Digital Commons keyword search • Google content search • Easy to use and maintain Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

14. Why WordPress • Free on Web • WPMU being installed • Complex object display • HTML capability • Categories • Dublin Core metadata • Content Management • Google and keyword search • Tags •  WYSIWYG intuitive                        Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

15. Target Digital Commons Architecture Object Build real-timeRelationship Display ~~~Select Object Single ObjectMD Search “The Mute”by Wes McNair Display simple object or complex relations? C S Finds “The Mute” and related objects Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

16. Target WordPress Architecture Poem Title Audio NBP1 To object…to metadata TRN1 SBS1 SBS2 SBS3 Published Poem NBP2 TRN2 NPB3 TRN3

17. Too Much of a Good Thing A “virtual” plague of Tags and Categories

18. 1st “OMG” Moment • Proliferation of posts… • 12 thumbnail objects per virtual Poem cluster PLUS • 3 objects per virtual Side-by-Side (opacity vs. duplication)PLUS • 12 matching metadata objects PLUS • 12 enlarged simple objects PER POEM! Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

19. 2nd “OMG” Moment • Plague of tags and categories • 5 system admin tagsWITH • Up to 5 categoriesWITH • Up to 10 search tags PER POEM! Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

20. Rethinking the Mimicry Thing • Do ONLY 5 poems for Digital Commons(-192 objects)(-3,840 tags and categories) • Use WP search for Google capabilities(-8240 tags and categories) • Ditch the displays that we didn’t need(-6 objects)(-120 tags and categories) Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

21. Follow the Rules • Strict file naming convention    • Strict image sizing and resolution guidelines • Extensive use of templates • 50% opacity for overlays • Font size and color • Source image size                    Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

22. After-the-Fact Epiphany • Original author requirement: • Ability of users to read while listening • Ooops! • Realization that the almost-final site design did not include this • Mel was…dismayed…to hear this news Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

23. Design by Iteration • Prototype 1 • We love it! • Prototype 2 • We hate it! • Prototype 3 • Ditch it – go back • Prototype 4 • Let’s start over… Is inherently stressful… But it can lead to really insightful solutions…

24. 2 Different but Equal Clusters • 5 Digital Commons Cluster • Virtual displayLEADING TO… • Image objectsleading to… • metadata • Audio objectsleading to… • metadata • 42 Teaching Clusters • Virtual DisplayLEADING TO… • Reading/Listening pages • Commentary from Poet • Teaching aids Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

25. Digital Commons Cluster Private • Mimics virtual display • Links to objects • Audio • Published Poem • Notebook Pages • Transcript Overlays • Links to metadata 1. 2a. 2c. 2d. 2b. 2c. 2d. 2d. 2c.

26. Teaching Cluster Public • Click to enlarge(any image) • Links to audio • “Reading while Listening” • Embedded audio on page • Notebook Pages • Transcript Overlays • Audio 2b. 2a. 1. 3. 4. 1. 3. 4. 1. 3. 4.

27. Status • Design phase concluded (or else!) • Clusters still being added • Non-cluster audio being added • Teaching Clusters ready for promotion • Digital Commons demo ready for presentation Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

28. Observations • “It’s a good thing we didn’t know what we were in for.” • “Stay organized.” • “Keep your sense of humor!” Colby College Special Collections http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

29. You’ve experienced THE ADVENTURE, Now view THE DEMO! (continue) http://web.colby.edu/specialcollections

30. Home Page

31. Commentary

32. Lovers of the Lost

33. Notebooks

34. 10 Teaching Questions

35. Teaching Tools

36. Reading Poetry Aloud

37. Scored Poem

38. Content Search

39. Content Search Result

40. Teaching Cluster Components Audio NotebookPages PublishedPoem Overlays

41. Notebook Pages

42. Overlays

43. Reading and Listening

44. Listening

45. Metadata Object

46. Metadata Editing View

47. Dashboard - Posts

48. Dashboard - Pages

49. Dashboard - Templates

50. Tags and Categories