Mining Intellectual Capital: Digital Assets & Virtual Communities

Internet Librarian 2004 Deb Hunt and Rose Falanga

Bacteria producing color

Exploratorium

• Hands-on science museum

• 800,000 visitors a year• Web pioneer• Interested in

experimental media• Innovative teacher

professional development programs

Rotunda at Night

Digital Assets• Science, Art and Human

Perception• Hands-on science• 11,000 assets• Images, PDFs, Word files,

audio and video files• Medium Resolution (.25 -

.5 Mpix)• High Resolution (6 Mpix)

Pinscreen Faces

Information Professionals Wear Many Hats

• Library Manager• Web projects• Professional

Development• Intranet• Digital Assets• Virtual Communities

Eclipse Belly Dancer

Evolving Information Roles

Important to reflect on both the similarities and thedifferences in what we are doingnow and what we did in thepast.

Recollections

Similarities

• Marketing the Concept• Building a Collection• Centralization• Safeguarding• Increasing Assets

Anti-Gravity Mirror

Differences

• Intellectual property• Preservation• Cataloging new media• Fluidity• Democratization of

asset creation• Audiences• Dissemination

Colored Shadows

Guidelines

• Planning• Software selection• Digitization options• Media Options• Scanning • Storage• Institutional Change

Bending Light

Planning

• Needs assessment• Digitization plan• International standards• Conceptual framework• Back-up, storage,

security, maintenance

Duck Into Kaleidoscope

Software Selection• Difference between

database and DAM software

• Cross-platform• Staff vs. external user

needs• Ability to configure

metadata to DC or IEEE LOM standards

• Ability to export metadata

Digitization Options

• Outsourcing vs. in- house

• Standards• Knowing your

audiences• Variety of formats

Salt Piece

Media Options

• Using different media for same content

• Breaking up larger asset into smaller parts

Anti-Gravity Mirror

Scanning Tips

• Scan once use many times

• Scan at highest print quality you can manage

• Issues: quality of scanner; time it take to scan

Bubbles

Storage Issues

• Centralize for control and preservation

• Ability of computers to handle large files

• Space for primary and backup storage

Spinning Blackboard

Institutional Change

• Creating vs. organizing assets

• Staff development• Supporting adoption

of asset creation standards

Exhibit Builder

Central vs. Departmental Catalogs

• Central: best quality, both high and med resolution; full indexing; available to all staff and partly to external audiences. Copyright issue.

• Department Catalogs: range of quality and resolution; partial indexing; limited availability. Designed to help departments control access to their material.

Fracture in Granite

Virtual Communities• ISEN/TEN• Museum Programs: IFI and TI• Snacktalk• Webcasts• Accidental Scientist• Educator Database Project

Colored Shadows

Informal Science Educator Network/Teacher Educator Network

• 1995• National museum

educator group• Supporting entry

into digital world: email, website, grants, chats, full- text articles

Learning to Teach

Teacher Institute/Institute for Inquiry

• 1997• Exploratorium

professional development programs

• Extending learning beyond workshops: directory, listservs, websites, online library, training activities

Shadow Activity

SnacktalkPrint to web• Combined assets from 2

editions• Created hypermail

discussion so resource users could share ideas

• Ongoing editing of web version

• Teachers created new snacks that appear only on the web

Snack Book Series

Eclipse Webcast

• 12-hour event• Webcast• Slumber party• Live chat• Multilingual

email

Eclipse Overnighter

Accidental Scientist

• Explores the science of everyday life with webcasts, web interactives, and bulletin boards

• Cooking, Music (Gardening is on the way)

Bread Man

Educator Database Project

• Brings together participants from all educator programs

• Expands to new audiences• Delivers resources• Encourages feedback• Recruits educators for

resource evaluation and focus groups

Distorted Room

Final Thoughts

• Started out just working with stuff• First virtual communities focused

on shared experiences• Today’s efforts connect both

people and digital resources

Webcast of Eclipse in Zambia

Rose Falanga and Deb Hunt

• rosef@exploratorium.edu• dhunt@exploratorium.edu• http://www.exploratorium.edu/educate• This presentation can be found at:• http://www.information-edge.com/