UCSMLG meeting, 8/27/99 - brief minutes
The meeting was called to order at 9:35am.
After introductions, Mary presented a one-page handout summarizing metadata
and data loaded into ADL Catalog'99. [I fear I forgot the following!! so am
doing a congressional-record bit here] The ADL Catalog is gradually being phased
out; currently all large collections are in ADL Catalog'99. At some point (Mary
hopes fairly soon), ADL Catalog will be killed, and Catalog '99 will be renamed
to ADL Catalog.
Linda Hill gave an overview of the ADL Gazetteer. She noted that:
- a. still grappling with problem of how to update; currently it contains
BGN foreign names and some GNIS names for U.S. (in process of being loaded);
- b. a base map with more features would be helpful, but speed of delivery over
the Web of more detailed maps is a problem; also, the need is for a consistent
level of detail across all countries - DCW is being "cooked" and we hope that
will do the trick;
- c. to get to Gazetteer, either use the URL given on the
draft "help" sheet, or (more easily) go to: http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu
and select Gazetteer.
Please notify Linda about any gazetteer web sites that you find. Her email
is: lhill@alexandria.ucsb.edu Linda (and Larry Carver and Mary!) request that
you try the Gazetteer out at your reference desks and see how it works for
your users and you.
Suggestions for improvement - if you send to calmap, then we can all read
what you come up with, and Mary would be happy to send on to Linda. Larry
Carver gave a brief presentation on the ADL interfaces:
- a. existing JIGI (Java
Interface for Geographic Information) does not work with XML - which is what
the Catalog'99 reports are written in. Estimated time for upgraded JIGI: early
year 2000.
- b. Web interface ("ADL Quick Search" help sheet): to be completed
by early November, 1999, so we can all work with it through the end of the
year before ADL's availability through CDL is announced in January of 2000
(1/7/2000, according to Mary's notes).
Take a look at: http://siolib-155.ucsd.edu/adl/ and send suggestions for improvement
to calmap; Mary can send on to the ADL Implementation Team. Please also send
suggestions for improvement to the draft help handouts to Mary. [note: I've
asked Richard Becker to send you the URLs when he's got them on the Web.]
The main problem that was noted is that users are going to think that the
map reflects Gazetteer searches, and it does not.
Suggestions:
- a. interchange results pane with map pane and make background
colors for "search georeferenced info" same as those for map, so there will
be a visual tie.
- b. instead of "quick placename search", "Placefinder"
- c.
important to correspond to CDL's general "look" and search patterns, to make
life easier for users.
Larry Carver gave a presentation on a proposed security system for ADL, which
would use "Smart Cards" - they look like a credit card with a computer chip
in them. Equipment required would be a card reader (costs about $60); software
is being developed on UCSB so shouldn't be any cost there.
John Ober noted that the certification/ authentication system being worked
on by UC is not done like this, but that this is one of the options. Larry
Carver gave a brief presentation on "BuddyHelp" software, which is being developed
on campus; it would be handy for helping users with reference questions, since
it would allow the librarian to view the user's screen and to make changes
to it/issue commands.
Lunch
John Ober gave a presentation on CDL.
Main points:
- a. CDL will steer reference queries on ADL to us;
- b. comment
from Beverly French - ADL is the beginnings of what a digital geospatial library
would be;
- c. noted importance of collaboration (e.g., collection development;
cataloging); CDL is a partner in INTERLIB, with CDL as the testbed location
(go to:http://www.alexandria.ucsb.edu/adept/10.html for ADEPT proposal; Mary
has asked Larry to make INTERLIB basic document available to calmap)
- d. GeoRef
Web interface is up
- e. content licenses for full-text ejournals (Elsevier,
Kluwer)
- f. Online ARchive of California: finding aids to special and archival
collections; have established digital image standards (at /libstaff/ , under
tech-arch.). OAC concentrates on arts and ethnic communities in California.
John suggested exploring how OAC work can inform or contribute to working
on UCSMLG map-scanning needs. Noted by map librarians that CA historic topos
are very high use, and UCSMLG needs to work with OAC and get them scanned
and online. Another collection priority within CDL is government information;
action plan is being developed by Andrea Sevetson; Jim Jacobs is working on
the California Data Warehouse. Fortunately, CA topos are government-produced
items, so that may be another approach UCSMLG can take.
John noted that Bev French is taking on OAC, which has an advistory board
(mainly special-collection lbirarians).
ACTION ITEM: John will see what he can do about having the OAC advisory
board talk with us. John Creaser gave a brief presentation on the CA-topo
scanning project that UCB is working on.
At 1:45pm, the UC GIS group came by, and Larry and Mary gave brief presentations
on MIL.
We then adjourned to the UCEN's Harbor Room for a co-meeting with UCGIS. Each
of the UCSMLG group introduced self and gave brief overview of collection
concentrations in their map collection.
John Ober gave a brief presentation on CDL.
After some questions and answers, Mike Goodchild and other persons in attendance
mentioned the following points:
- a. is there value to systems built at UC-wide
level? e.g., UC-wide site licenses for software and for data
- b. problems of
access to research data (e.g., archaeological sites are protected data - only
other researchers may view)
- c. distributed data access: data is scattered
all over - can we add value by providing mediated access to e.g. geospatial
data of California
- d. GIS Day is November 19, 1999
- e. field technologies:
systemwide infrastructure t
- o train and coordinate would be useful
- f. GPS infrastructure
for CA (distributed access) g. curricula: degree to which teaching materials
and approaches can be shared
- h. alternatives to ESRI, e.g., open-source software
(e.g., Geographic Mapping Tools)
- i. research collaboration:
- j. museum collections
(distributed access)
- k. name for the group? might at some point want to extend
to CSUs
At 3:10pm, UCSMLG went back to the library.
Wendie took over the meeting at this point.
- Collection management using session logs from ADL: presentation by Mary,
Catherine Masi, and Larry Carver; research being done by Phillip Sallis; URL
for Catherine's presentation is on the agenda. At some point, maybe soon,
SB may be requesting a letter of support from UCSMLG. Larry Cruse already
keeps session logs for SD and would be very interested in participating. John
noted very similar research being done on CDL by Michael Cooper from UCB,
and gave contact information to Catherine.
- Next, Larry Cruse gave a presentation on the transborder project; sounds
as if these are colorIR DOQQs, at least the US side (being done by USGS).
1 quad per CD, and each CD costs $30; Larry is inviting USGS rep to WAML at
end of October, and would like to get right to reproduce the CDs - suggests
we take on "managing" the socal area of this project, using it as a device
to pull together UNM, UAZ, UTEP, and state libraries. Mexico has begun its
part of this but hasn't made the data publically available.
ACTION ITEM: Larry will resend email with name of USGS contact. CRL:
Larry Cruse is in process of setting up an email reflector, maybe to be called
"NARL" (North American Research Libraries"). The idea here is for those of
us whose libraries are members of CRL to request purchase of map materials
(note: CRL is NOT interested in doing the map-case trip, so these would need
to be microform, cds, etc.). Larry noted some problems - e.g., Sanborn files
and Windsor battlemap archives have been purchased by CDL but never cataloged,
even at collection level, nor are these collections listed on the website
- you have to look in the print index.
- Query: aren't CRL records supposed to go into melvyl catalog? Katie
Frohmberg noted that CRL says they are trying to get all its materials cataloged.
Possible for UC to get member on CRL Board?
ACTION ITEM: Katie will check.
ACTION ITEM: Yvonne will check on CRL cataloging situation.
- Next was a discussion on using Ariel to transmit maps. Larry Cruse noted
problems of: - won't handle color - format too small - Ariel machine is in
many cases only in ILL - dot density not good enough [Looks to me as if we
went back to necessity for having CA quads scanned, and Larry Carver saying
that we need hard numbers to prove need] We need to build a hit list of items
to be scanned. [another congressional-record note from mary]
The CDL Collections Map and Geography plan is due for another update in January
of 2000; send information to Mary, and she'll add in/move up the queue as
appropriate.
ACTION ITEM: For the next few months or so, Barbara will record use
of Los Angeles quads in her library.
- When and where is next meeting, and who's in charge? When: in about 6 months
Where: how about Riverside? because Wendie's in charge through 6/30/2000.
(we go in alpha order from campus to campus, with each having the chairship
role for one year).
- Larry Cruse made a motion to hold 2 meetings a year, separate from WAML;
the WAML executive board meetings at the same time as UCSMLG has, and that
means persons who are members of both have to develop a split personality.
Seconded and passed by silent acclamation.
ACTION ITEM: Mary will send email to Goodchild, letting him know we
found the joint meeting with UC GIS to be very useful, and would like to meet
with them again. DONE.
Closing comment: We need to build a model of data storage at various institutions
- might be good topic for co-meeting with UC GIS. ______________________________________
Mary Lynette Larsgaard
Assistant Head, Map and Imagery Laboratory
Davidson Library
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara CA 93106
telephone: 805/893-4049 fax: 805/893-8799
email: mary@sdc.ucsb.edu ________________