Richter Library Web Services Dream Design

2003, Methodology, Future Innovations

(Odilon Redon, The Buddha)

This entry steps back to review projects and web directions in 2003 to better focus on future 2004 directions. What was accomplished? For one, the entire website took a large opening step towards multimedia, interactivity and Flash. This was a major paradigm shift for the library moving from a static html set of pages and 'gothic cathedral' type structure to a more unified, interactive and forward thinking 21st century paradigm. This was also the first sitewide implementation of Flash and interactivity in a North American tier one ARL research library.

One of the goals in the upcoming year is to expand and build on this leap forward organically and incrementally. It is also time to begin thinking seriously about interactive online digital video possibilities. Emerging and rising important software was Flash MX 2004 and Dreamweaver, in general the new integrated Macromedia suite. Waiting in the wings was the largely untapped potential of Digital Video, 'Camtasia', Flash-enabled online e-learning and farther back but worth begining to experiment with, 3D library possibilities. Also, worth examining further are projects more strongly and innovatively tying back end database possibilities (PHP/MySQL) with far front end interface innovation (Flash) (Shneiderman and Shneiderman)

Other major trends during the year was Richter's implementation and then continuing rise of the MT "weblog". If anything, this implementation of weblogs will expand in the upcoming year. On the one hand weblogs will hopefull take over from some tedious html editing to more personal management. There is also a necessity of moving to 'multimedia and more visually oriented blog infrastructure. This will bring personal 'content management systems' to a larger library grouping. Again, this should be pursued vigorously but also judiciously in order to continue 'a larger' design but also research plan.

While PDA's and mobile cell phones were not implemented in the library, they continue to grow in power and capabilities. This should be explored further and perhaps thought about more seriously in the upcoming year.

Other digital initiatives regarded the technological intersection of academic library, faculty and interdisciplinary initiatives. At U Miami libraries, this manifested itself in collaborations with Caribbean Lit, "Anthurium: A Carribean Studies Academic E-Journal" and English Department cultural and literary oriented journals, UTURN and Dune Shack. Also, this interdisciplinary collaboration was in evidence in the libraries participation in the Visual Thinking Strategies Institute between the school of Education, Lowe Art Musuem and Richter.

Other initiatives involved technology more directly. A cross database metalinking tool was implemented SFX. As was an E-Reference and E-Chat Service, Questionpoint. The way to go with this is also clear to explore - virtual chat rooms (3D) and talking head animated e-reference. These possibilities should be further explored and are delineated in more detail regarding specific software in the July Blog entries.

The possibilities of multimedia in a library were more fully explored in the Music Libraries new site. This was particularly in evidence in the streaming MP3 "International Archive of Double Bass" and Larry Taylor and Billy Maththews Musical Theatre Archive. This type of work should be expanded.

(Odilon Redon, The Angel)

Theoretically, this weblog alternated between looking broadly at new software possibilities and exploring a series of more high end 'information science' and information visualization oriented topics. In the next year, emphasis will hopefully shift more towards 'experimental' techniques and problems of implementation and new software exploration. What was evident about the historical theory exploration, is that the web is changing extremely quickly.

The larger web projects that were implemented were all fairly successful. Because of this, perhaps, this blog will concentrate more on 'method' and technique experimentation discussions to quickly translate these software methodologies and techniques (whether in Flash, Weblogs, Dreamweaver or other software) to direct academic library application.

The most useful work in the past year seemed to focus on developing 'larger projects' with multimedia and interactive potential that were robust and substantive connecting preferably to a database backend (ie. Musical Theatre Archive). While a thousand cosmetic updates were accomplished regarding website 'content' and 'usability', what in the end shone through and placed the library on a higher level were the larger multimedia and interactive projects. To be fair, everything must be in place (content + innovation). Innovation though should take a direct and central role to place the library onto a national and international stage and focus.

Music Library Webdesign

Turn on your speakers, UM's Albert Pick Music Library has undergone a major redesign. The site is now interactive and acoustically enabled. Featured in the new redesign is a Flash 'musical staff and overarching score metaphor' and tighter integration with the existing UM Libraries online infrastructure. Highlights include a multimedia Flash interface for the Larry Taylor and Billy Matthews Musical Theatre Archives, streaming music MP3 site for the libraries "international archive of double bass" recordings and new database acquisition of the "Classical Music Library". Students and faculty may now listen to a large number of classical composer and their various repertoires online.

(Dizzy Gillespie & Sonny Rollins Duet Album Cover)

To detail the design, a tight integration with UM libraries existing design was accomplished through the addition of templates, cascading style sheets for typography and Flash banners to enable an easier navigation.

Photographs were taken of the library and staff and these images were integrated in a larger pictographic structure branding the 'site' as a 'music' library and metaphorically capturing the essence of many of the library's pages. For example, the Music Library's special collections were enlivened through a stronger visual layout regarding the James Joyce Sheet Music Collection, Sabat Collection and Cantica Sacra Manuscripts. Similarly, previously long scrolling list "Classification Indexes" were enlivened wtih a visual descriptive dimension.

New possibilities of "Flash Technology" was used in the "Larry Taylor and Billy Matthews Musical Theatre Archive" to give the database pizzazz and flash. For the Playbills, Scores and Recordings Databases, various images from the archives were used to market the site drawing on the rich history of playbills, scores and recordings cover design.

With regards to the "International Archive of Double Bass Recordings", a recorded program was developed with Professors Lucas Drew and radio host Lyn Farmer. A program made up of selections from famous double bass numbers with a musical commentary was developed to play on desktop PC's.

The music library in its array of diverse multimedia technologies moves another step in exploiting possibilities of 'new media' technology for digital libraries. While the redesign is a major step in the music library's online evolution, this only begins to tap the possibilities of what may be achieved. Onwards towards the future with more resources, stronger attention to more widespread and prevalent multimedia and interactive possibilities.