Comments for Robot Librarian

Comment on Normalizing LoC Call Numbers for sorting by Bill

Bill — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 04:11:48 +0000

Emily — fixed. Thanks.

David — I need normalized call numbers to check for inclusion in High Level Browse categories, which have call numbers as start- and end-points. Virtual browsing is another possible application, though — I’ll have to stick normalized call numbers into our VUfind installation.

Comment on Normalizing LoC Call Numbers for sorting by David Fulmer

David Fulmer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 02:58:57 +0000

What are you working on? Is this a part of the “foundation for building an effective means to virtually browse the library’s collection“?

I adapted it for JavaScript: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~dfulmer/api/lc.html

Comment on Normalizing LoC Call Numbers for sorting by Emily Lynema

Emily Lynema — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 22:10:23 +0000

The first alphabetical characters can be 3 letters, not just 2. For example, KJA147 .M685 2007 (see http://www2.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/record/NCSU2041714).

Comment on How to rig an election by Ross

Ross — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:44:35 +0000

Interestingly, the very first time I tried to vote ('92), I was subject to your first example (Voter non-registration). My dorm senator never got around to sending in the registration forms and eventually lost them. By no means do I think this was an intentional attempt at suppression (the guy was a friend of mine, after all), jut the carelessness of college kids.

Perhaps the bitterness of that experience sowed the seed that eventually grew into the Code4lib Diebold-o-tron: influential, hastily written and possibly bug ridden.

Comment on Wanted: a better proxy server by L&LR staff blog - Transatlantic Authentication Culture Gap (TACG)

L&LR staff blog - Transatlantic Authentication Culture Gap (TACG) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:22:36 +0000

[...] and I pick up the occasional blog post which opens a window onto this parallel universe (like this one about identifying users by role when authenticating via a proxy server [originally spotted on Planet Code4Lib], which echos debates ‘over here’ about [...]

Comment on Wanted: a better proxy server by Bill

Bill — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:55:28 +0000

Doug — good information, but my point is that I want to choose what group to identify with a user in realtime. When I’m trying to get to specific database XXX it should treat me as Ann Arbor faculty, but when trying to get to YYY I should be identified as a Flint student because (a) it knows I have both roles, and (b) it knows which role will give me greater access to each individual database.

Comment on Wanted: a better proxy server by Doug Eriksen

Doug Eriksen — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:21:23 +0000

I’m not the final word in EZproxy experts, but I don’t think anything on your list is outside the capabilities of EZproxy. Allowing different groups of users different levels of access is definitely possible, and routing users to their databases through your own EZproxy even when they are on another campus is simply a matter of instructing them to use your proxied links instead of going straight to the database or following a link from the other institution. I don’t deny there are still improvements that could be made to EZproxy, but I think it might be both the best proxy solution out there, and the best-at-its-own-job of any piece of software that I have to work with at my library.

Comment on Intuition-based librarianship? by Jane Blumenthal

Jane Blumenthal — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:29:17 +0000

I can’t argue with a thing you’ve said. I do find it frustrating, however, when the data shows patrons what/need/use one thing and the response is that we still have to keep collecting things they don’t use because someone may want or use it someday, and that we have to keep providing services that they don’t use because they SHOULD be using them. I.e., despite what you, our educated users think, we know better than you what you actually need.

Comment on Intuition-based librarianship? by Andrew Booth

Andrew Booth — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:11:49 +0000

I really appreciated your comment that “We’re assuming that the 99.999% of users who never talk to a librarian (many of whom, in fact, never enter the library building) have the exact same needs and perspective as those who engage in reference interviews” as it struck a resonant chord with me.

I have just submitted a regular feature to the Health Information & Libraries Journal forthcoming issue which seeks to dispel the myth of the “typical library user”. It follows very similar lines to your own comments. I would be interested in your thoughts once it appears or will happily send you the proof version which I have just received.

Comment on Psst. We’re not printing cards anymore by JSON, JSON everywhere » Robot Librarian

JSON, JSON everywhere » Robot Librarian — Tue, 13 May 2008 17:54:32 +0000

[...] Robot Librarian Disclaimer: I’m not actually a robot. Skip to content « Psst. We’re not printing cards anymore [...]