Cascading Style Sheet

After doing the readings regarding Cascading Style Sheets, I realized that I actually answered my question from last weeks post. Now I realize that HTML is for text and CSS is for design in a web page.

According the readings, CSS contains a selector and a declaration. The selector tells the browser what elements are being affected, and the declaration tells the browser what is being done to the selector.

Within a declaration there is a property and a value. The property can tell the browser exactly what is happening to the selector such as making it a certain color. The value comes after the property and tells the browser the specific color or font, etc.

After doing the readings, I feel like I can more effectively sue the data management systems I work with in the archives. Currently, I am using Archivists Toolkit to process collections and a lot of the fields come from EAD, HTML, and CSS fields. For example, now I better understand what the field for "attributes" means in terms of making a title of a play italicized (which is something I didn't know before).

10/28 Muddiest Point

When using CSS, how do you assign multiple attributes to a single text section? For example if you wanted something BOLD and ITALIC and CENTERED?

HTML and Web Authoring Software

After this week's readings I realized that EAD coding (the coding that I have experience in) is not much different than HTML at all. I am seeing similarities in the tag names and the format. This actually makes me feel confident in my future ability to understand and use HTML coding. I know that for EAD coding that there is a book and online thesaurus-like resource for looking up tags names and circumstances in which they are used. I did further research to see if something of a similar resource existed and I was able to find this listing of tags http://www.w3schools.com/tags/

I also was wondering while doing research on HTML how HTML affects the placement of the text on the web page. To me it seems like HTML code is more to get the content onto the web page, but as far as making the title a certain font or font size, would that be something that you can do with HTML or is that another step in the process of building a webpage?

10/21 Muddiest Point

I have a question about HTTP, Why is it that sometimes you need to enter the HTTP section of the URL and other times you can just start with the "www." ?

Internet and WWW Technologies

While reading this week's articles I was most interested in the developing Integrated Library Systems (ILS).

I did additional research on types and the purpose of ILS and found that these systems are used as an automated way to acquire, store, organize, retrieve, and disseminate information...specifically items and patrons connected with the library.

Open Access Catalogs (OPAC) are a type of ILS and they have search capabilities and can be used by multiple users both on and off site.

There are also Circulation based ILS and they basically track check ins/outs, ILL, holds, reserve materials, and can be considered a means in which the library can keep an inventory of the materials it is holding or lending out.

LIS also contains acquisition and cataloging components embedded in the software as well.

In my own experience working in a public library, I am familiar with the Millennium Circulation LIS. Some of the challenges with this system we often encountered was its unreliability and frequent crashes. I am sure that Millennium is not the only LIS that has this problem but it is something libraries need to take into consideration when choosing LIS for their institution.

10/7 Muddiest Point

My question this week is about LAN: how can you share software in a network involving many computers? Take Photoshop for example, how would you be able to access it on all networked computers without paying for and installing the software separately on each computer?

9/30 Muddiest Point

How do library/archival institutions choose which metadata standard to abide by if there are so many standards for so many different data types? Doesn't this just defeat the purpose of having a standard if there are so many options to choose from?