QR Codes (re-visited)

So, great news! I'm actually going to be implementing the QR code idea into the archives at Luther College. After the materials are cataloged and entered into Archon, we'll be creating QR codes that will direct to the box list online. We'll be attaching the codes to the boxes on the shelf, so we can instantly read what the contents are of each box and browse other boxes nearby by swipe/scrolling on our newly purchased iPod Touch! I'll be sure to keep the blog updated with my progress and include a few photos, too.

To celebrate, here's an awesome video that is part of the Google Demo Slam Project. (If you have a few minutes, head over to the Slampionship and vote for some of the best demo videos!)

Pushing Technology to the Edge

You may (or may not) have heard- this week the game show Jeopardy! will be pitting humans versus computer. IBM has developed an extremely advanced machine named Watson that will be competing against two of the best Jeopardy! players of all time: Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.



Certainly, this technology is not anywhere near the consumer level ... yet. We have seen this style of Q&A tech skyrocket on customer service telephone calls. In the future, whether 5 years or 10 years away, can this advancement eventually replace common reference in libraries and archives?

Of course, there's a good side and a bad side to everything. It's a little scary to think of humans losing jobs to computers, especially in a field so heavily saturated with fresh MLIS-grads looking for just about anything. Also, how will knowledge management be treated if in-house knowledge begins to accrue within hard drives and discs rather than brains?

Being a tech-addict, I can't forget the positive aspect of implementing this into an archives. The benefit of freeing up valuable human time would be immense. How much of your day-to-day is filled with answering basic reference questions that you (probably) have answered 10 times earlier this year? This leaves time that can be spent on preservation and conservation, tackling those projects you've always wished you could do, and digging out that backlog.

Regardless of which side of the coin you fall, tune in this week to watch Watson take on the humans!

The Google Art Project

A while ago, I mentioned the use of Panoramas and Object Movies to help showcase artifacts. Recently, Google launched the Google Art Project - an interactive site that features artwork and exhibitions from some of the world's most famous museums. (YouTube Video about the project)

Of interest to us archivist/curator/digital folks, Google put together a Behind the Scenes montage that shows a little bit of their approach to photographing the art and creating panoramas for the Tour Guide affect.

Of course, their equipment probably cost more than some of our salaries, but it is certainly interesting to watch! :)

P.S. Sorry to have been gone for so long! Will return to regular postings.