Talk:Library

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I started a discussion page for library software adn content delivery - If I have put this in the wrong spot please move it to the right place. Thanks - Stephen

Library Tools

The [Greenstone Digital Library] system provides a lightweight digital library in terms of application and collection size if properly configured. Greenstone can deliver collections on very old 16 bit hardware with much lower specs than the the OLPC laptop.

A slightly different [more limited?]notion of library than the one we have in mind.

Stephen's Suggestions

Application configuration;

  • Only include the cgi library interface
  • lightweight http server (their may already be one on the device that could be reused)

Don't include the GLI interface for library creation, ditto for the supporting code, and perl wrappers/plugins etc. Much of the application in the full download is not required for searching/viewing collections.

Collection configuration;

  • Collections can be optimised and compressed in a variety of ways that would easily allow fitting a great deal of content into a small portion of the space available on the OLPC, or even on a small USB flashdrives for distribution.
  • The most efficient ways of including content is to store/compress it as either plain text or html (if linking or lightweight images are needed). This facility already exists in Greenstone.

Stephen De Gabrielle


Some specific thoughts

Definitions

Library Activity
-- A way to interface to content on the XOs and school servers. Eventually this may become its own activity; currently this will be a browser interface.
XO library
-- the library of materials on an XO.
School library
-- the library of materials on a school server.


Interface

The default interface for the library activity can be similar to the journal interface. (Eventually the journal may provide much of this interface.) Browsing the XO library: 

- main page (by subject)

Browsing the school library: 

- main page -- a page for "what" (by subject)
- "who"  (by student) **
- "when" (by time) **

There will be a multilingual server collection, linked to from the above: 

- literature, picture books and audiobooks
- world atlas of maps (with its own mini-portal)
- images from around the world
- video (movies, tv programs) and sounds 
- games (a puzzle game, simcity, tetris, an etoys project collection)

Also: dictionary, 'develop' activity (deep links), photos and videos take with capture activity, audio recorded likewise.

Many of the above will be loadable by browsing to them; some will require more technical know-how. 

** once a database is set up to store and search through metadata.  there can be simple 
   implementations before the full object store is in place.
*** assuming a media streamer is working


A main browsing-page: 

------------------------
(journal-style search bar)

   [   A   ]     [   B   ] 

   [   C   ]     [   D   ] 
    
------------------------
A : Texts (reading, math, science; project ideas; for teachers, students; ...)
B : Images  (photos, snapshots, ...)
C : Video (clips, films, ...)
D : Activities (games, etoys, ...)


Subsidiary browsing pages: at least one for each of the sections listed above. One for each large collection [encyclopedia, dictionary if present, atlas, periodic table]. A variation of each portal for every core language [ideal portals have no text at all, or at branch tiers, text in every language].

Milestones

- get a number of draft sketches of possible main and secondary browsing pages 
- define what the design and layout will be like
- define when we will have final converted media from our own machines and from Real
- determine what media player to use
- finalize agreements re: use of media works
- draft spec for metadata store 
- have small localization team in place for En, Es, Pt, Ar
- find remaining resources needed

- revisit full timeline & needs
- test XO-customization activities
- test character-sets [again]; first run of localization work [on-wiki]

- testing ebook readers x2 (yellow and internet archive readers)
- testing datastore on server 
- testing video streaming, server to XO 
- test form creation, new games (simcity, puzzle game, &c)

- testing wiki & admin interface (moodle, &c)
- test localized sugar, journal.
- revisit full timeline & needs

...

- testing on a server

Resources

  • Mozilla expert to help perfect the interface via the browser
  • Moodle, Mediaplayer, &c. devs to help set up server apps
  • designer[s] to help create any images necessary in line with existing interface specs
  • developer to help write a database to support storing simple metadata about library materials and simple searching for those materials; and scripts to restructure and reformat text and metadata from existing sources.
  • group focusing on localization implementation -- activating a language preference, setting up workflows that will work over the longer term.


Library design

Thoughts

A good library should be beautiful, its use inspiring. Specific design ideas:

1) The overall HTML framework should replicate some of the look of the Journal, notably the topmost bar. Images + JS; implements whatever search is available.

2) The main portal page - Megan suggested a circular / annular theme to match the desktop. A central circle containing a library logo, with four sections for text, images, music/video, and games/activities, each represented by small images. This is the top-level browse view.

3) We'll have secondary pages for each section, offering a "browse" view organized by subject ("what") for that section. This can be a two-column view with sections, and icons for each major section -- Eben, this would be similar to a 2-up display similar to what your tv-widget offers.

4) We need a "browse" view for people ("who") showing what each person has in his/her personal collection. This will be needed if the servers are done in time, but takes lower priority than the rest.

5) We should have a template for search results; similar to 3) above but dynamically generated.

Discussion, Mar 30

1930 EST

Feel free to add to the agenda:

  • Specific topics needed : bootstrapping materials, images for using each application
    • Visual and playful introductions
    • Module/topic priorities by country
    • Curators and topical/language coordination
  • Online v. school servers v. laptops -- finding & using material
    • Exposing created works : documents, photos, videos, projects
    • Finding project collections online


  • Asides
    • Content review and stamping
      • microformats, Ratepoint, Connexions' del.icio.us model
    • Game development, weekly discussions

This steals storage from the children.

The kids have about 1/3 of a gigabyte free to start with, maybe more like 1/5 after all the software is written. This is supposed to last them for years.

They should have at least 300MB free. They will have backups elsewhere, and can delete things in their library that they don't like, so it's not quite clear to me what "last them for years" means here.

It's enough space, barely, if it doesn't get filled up with stuff (libraries for example) that isn't all that likely to be useful. Kids will be creating images, sound, and maybe even video. There really isn't room for a library.

That's roughly the idea. The best local materials are the ones that can be used to learn how to do things, and used as templates, or as part of other creative works.

The school server isn't likely to have lots of space either. It'll be doing backup duty. It'll be serving up textbooks, probably chapter-by-chapter to save space on the XOs. Anything left over could be used as a web cache if there is a net connection.

It will be serving up books and images and maps and materials in the school library, yes. And it will be part of a cache framework, along with the laptops themselves.

The "web cache" could of course hold a library, if the students wish to use a library.

Sporadic network access means that some of the active caching will have to take the form of a library that is preloaded or regularly made available, with updates available over time as well. Sj talk 10:58, 30 March 2007 (EDT)

AlbertCahalan 22:02, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

More samples

library design

Monday, April 9

 1. making a library activity that's readily customizable and skinnable
(with sugar and html views),
   + working with country partners to develop a local image in four
languages

 2. coordination of look and search with the World Digital Library and
Internet Archive
   + html and other; design and usability guidelines

 3. default views: by topic, by media, by language, by geography
   + existing projects and interfaces with view selections.

 4. content guidelines: writing for children, for translation, other.

Saturday, April 14

Visualization of components of the open library exchange.

Proposed schema for a [world open library exchange]: This needs defined interchange formats and collection-level style and feed guidelines. Most collections have limited collection or transparency of the fact that new additions or changes have been made (metametadata?).


Graphical overview of proposed open library schema.

Classification into groups and collections, needing standard "breadcrumb" metadata format for all content providers to reference object locations in the [OLE]. This draws upon the ideas in Content_Stamping and the structure of the current library as well as desires to promote multilingual cooperation.

Format and display issues

  • screen resolution questions
  • efforts to fix open font solutions

Country materials and existing initiatives

Working through a few countries; looking for university and creative nexus collections. Feel free to add yours here:

Argentina

  • Educ.ar CD collections -- offline version prepared to demo on the laptops
  • Universities:

Brazil

  • Showing people how important english learning is.
  • Talk to existing groups and researchers, make sure they are strongly involved
    Teacher seem to be more committed and using machines; it is more commitment than we expected. a very short time; teachers that came to a first meeting, when nothing worked well... some researchers even left the room. But they became so motivated, and are wonderful to work with. We came with them to build a solution together.
    Ways forward: on lists/groups, other teachers are saying, you aren't asking us about what we think! So we're getting teachers from the school working on the project on these lists (to draw them in)
  • Universities:

Colombia

Roger

  • Portal development a couple of years back : relpe; for most of spanish-speaking south america.
  • contents based on competences; mandatory for students and schools not to follow curriculum but develop competences in each topic
    Math, science, language, technical, bilingual
  • University:

Pakistan

  • Health and environment (coordinate with UNICEF water/environment)
  • Literacy, English
  • Lots of small regional projects; need coordination.
  • Library coordination - needs someone on the OLPC side, in the US pulling on local government?
  • University

Nigeria

from mini it/tech

  • Literacy - system to help teach, graphics to enhance and encourage lit
  • Health - primary healthcare. (children influencing parents) If children take omre caution, the parents will as well.
  • Environment - Being an oil/petro counry, there is much environmental trouble. 20-30 yrs ago, many areas that produced fish are now damaged.
    BioVision
  • Math/science - simplify visualization; add a lot of local content, to see how materials can be used.
  • Games - a country rich in games! Want to proudce local games, folklore, things related to the educational and counting system.
  • Library - Not much yet; trying to develop digital libraries. Libraries at the school will be nice; allowing to search and discuss with peers. Can add to the list of what we need in archives. Difrectly intersted in cultural heritage; most kids don't know their culture. My children can't even speak my language... we have so many in the country, we can't do all of them.
    The interest in language is very important; most educational systems are built on basic language. Support and encourage a few languages; especially when visitors come.

Questions: how will thi saffet the educational system? What will children see? hw will they be assured not to see what they will not see? (part covered yesterday)

  • Primary schools are mainly under local councils. (774 of them)
  • On being lazy. Nigerians are v. individualistic. A system of local content that builds collab/cooperation, working with others to solve real world problems... that will be quite good. Groups that love education ask, ed for what? From a young age, think 'ed for job creation'. Right now it creates job seekers, not job creation.
    Show how ed is useful from creating job from a young age, so hose with entrepreneurial tendencies are encouraged; so they could start companies, use knowledge and skills to make things happen, that would give them leewya to say they could get good education and start modern companies... have a mentoring system with fellow young people who did the right thing.
    nb- connect with unicef mentors.
    create/recruit a special class of young teachers to teach other young people. when the age group is close and they see creativity, they like to copy them. (cf mousers) wb - you can also leverage the nigerian propensity for filmmaking. the idea that you can use media to get cultural messages out; creation, not creating job-seeking.
  • Universities:

Paraguay

  • In education: bilingualism. Teaking a spoken language can completely fail (keeping guarani alive) some try to take it out of the program. others want to keep it. olpc can help strenghten, with the capacity to move, up/download multimedia.
  • Lack of transport: gettig people to cities is hard . Allowing participation to know what is up, what topics are discusse, that will be [big change].
  • Library system isn't always maintained; some things are 40-50 yrs in storage
  • University:

Uruguay

  • re: Relpe, used broadly for ebooks
  • Generating new content for olpc during the rollout, and format, other updates to existing materials
  • 3-4 wks of teacher preparation, with 2 stages - how to use an xo, how to take advantage of apps for the XO and content generated on it.
  • These curricula and developed material will be available; the model is available now; will send to Battro so he can consider it, and if it is good it will be shared.
  • University:

Nepal

OLPC Nepal

  • No digital library yet
  • A separate linux distro has been under development. Scanning materials and making digital libraries will come very soon. OLPC Nepal is making their own contents, converting physical contents for children
  • UMN/UNICEF works ot produce physical books; they are working with them to digitize. Nepali WP with only 500 articles; working with university and high school students to develop it more rapidly.
    NB: connect with Hivos
  • Trying to make env and cultural contents, with UNESCO as well.
  • Languages: 40-50 langs. Some groups are working to produce books in their own language. Working to digitize (connect to ICDL). Making local lang wikipedias as well.
    Note: we need fonts for them as well. Connect with Rosetta Project before it disappears; also the Unicode Foundation
  • Texts involve lots of delays; and are in a vacuum. There is a gov responsibility to get new texts every year to every student.
  • Adult literacy is low. There are few books in the countryside. Tin truck libraries. There are numerous projects to bring books out in paper to the countryside; it is hard for them, the truck is the best solution.
  • University:
  • BellaNet

Libya

Exciting... not a lot of public libraries. A few concentrated on history of the country. Universities, mainly reference. Culture of librarianship isn't strong.

  • National texts : there is digitization underway (about history). High school? Perhaps not.
  • Focus on English language, IT.
  • Map digiitzation, using GPS.
  • Fonts? Use of Squeak.
  • Work with companies in country to fund creation of materials. Teachers may lack qualification or willingness. Get in touch with university groups.
  • University:

Panama

  • limited resources for tachers, including English
  • Education about the canal and nat resources matters. Smithsonian tropical research center. [check int'l location obligations] NASA atmospheric center - City of Knowledge [physical]
  • exploration programs online
  • games; chess apps. tile layouts via Cairo; Pygame chess, for tournaments and bughouse?
  • Some digitization possible at the nat library; glad for help.
    See what other countreis are doing to inspire development.
  • Health/telemedicine for countriside areas with no clinics; use cameras?
    Argentine group working with the WHO -- basic first aid, &c, via curric-builder.
  • University:
  • NB: the head of the nsf-equivalent.

Ethiopia

Thomas

  • In the 70s, there was help. Education was key; everyone went to Addis. Now every dept and faculty has some project in the past. Uncoordinated (competition?)
  • University: Addis... note the long history; used to external funding. But no library system.
    a dean will likely work with you intensely if there is support for the university.
  • For primary school: not much. Texts are handed out, not comprehensive; every 2 years or more. Old texts, no libs.
  • Digital publishers: AA can access content around the world... but connectivity is poor. One university only (not AA) has good connectivity. infra is ongoing. New solutoins needed to distribute.
  • MiniEd wants to see texts on machines, to solve distribution; local bureaus have own projects. One has text of books on CD --> 60 books atm.
  • Despite the efforts recently, 138/139 on ICT use/density. Willing to put in a real push to make the leap. Really want to make this part of the ed system.

General font discussion

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