I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Wikipedia article on Data Compression actually (gasp!) made some sense to me! And how much did I love the example of the lossless vs. lossy compression? Seriously, I gasped. It made it 100% clear! And I'm glad I read that prior to reading the article on Data Compresson Basics. That article wasn't that bad, armed with my newfound knowledge of lossless v. lossy compression...though it was still a little too "techie" for my comfort level.
The YouTube and Libraries article was pretty insightful. I'm seeing more and more libraries take advantage of various resources like that, and I think it's a GREAT way to reach out to patrons. And who doesn't love a good YouTube video?
The article about Imaging Pittsburgh was also really interesting. I love how these collections are available online now. I thought the challenges noted by the author were pretty insightful. He did a good job of discussing the communication issues and the different academic cultures involved in this collaborative effort.
You make it sound as though Wikipedia has no useful purpose. I will admit that since anyone can contribute articles to Wikipedia, just about anything with questionable authenticity can be posted. However, so long as a Wikipedia article is fulfilling its mission by giving the readers a general idea about a certain topic, it is just as good as any other encyclopedia. If anyone wants to go more into details, only then the individual must seek elsewhere. Had it not been for the Wikipedia article on "Data Compression" that gave me a general idea about "lossy" and "lossless" formats, I would not have been as able to comprehend the article on "Data Compression Basics." There were still some bits I found confusing, but at least the core concepts got through to me.
ReplyDeleteTim I agree with your statement made about loving YouTube videos! I think that libraries might be able to get younger patrons into the building by embracing such technologies; especially younger patrons.
ReplyDeleteI also am glad I read the wikipedia article first because I would probably have gotten frustrated reading to "DC Basics". I agree with att66 comments about the core ideas getting through to me but still being a little unsure of the some particulars.
@att66, I just meant that I was surprised that I understood things. I LOVE Wikipedia. I use it all of the time. I find the technology in this class to be pretty baffling at times, hence my delight at actually understanding some of the information!
ReplyDeleteRE: Youtube and Libraries, Youtube is a great way to reach out to patrons. Until I read the article I had never thought about the possibility of libraries using Youtube but it does make sense. I use Youtube all the time but more to watch music videos, tv shows - for entertainment purposes, which it is probably designed for. I wonder if libraries will/do have success with using Youtube to attract patrons or if library videos wouldn't be entertaining enough to capture their attention.
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