s/he is 9 weeks and 6 days old ;)and i have another surprise! but will divulge it after everything is settled. ciao.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
back to normal again...and other surprises...
whew! it's funny how i can only blog when the semester has been finished. it will be a good two months vacation especially now that i'm nurturing another life inside me.
s/he is 9 weeks and 6 days old ;)
s/he is 9 weeks and 6 days old ;)
Monday, November 3, 2008
back to normal
after almost two weeks of academic hiatus, it's 4 days to go and life will be back to normal again: sleep deficiency, caffeine overdose, rush hours, cramming, (techno)stress, burn out and all that stuff endured by a working MA student with a full load.
last semester was one hell of a semester. i was REALLY exhausted. i took 9 units in my MA program, had 6 units of teaching cultural anthropology and a part-time indexing job. whew, up to now, i don’t know where i drew the energy to cope and survive that turning upside-down-and-sideways semester.
but like most masochists, i will still deliberately distress myself. well, i got another 9 units this semester: lis 262: information technology, lis 266: database structure and design (nosebleed), and lis 299: research methodology (another nosebleed).
everyone who understood what i’ll be going through mumbled that i’m suicidal, and i retorted, “let’s just see how doomsday will unravel itself in the process”.
last semester was one hell of a semester. i was REALLY exhausted. i took 9 units in my MA program, had 6 units of teaching cultural anthropology and a part-time indexing job. whew, up to now, i don’t know where i drew the energy to cope and survive that turning upside-down-and-sideways semester.
but like most masochists, i will still deliberately distress myself. well, i got another 9 units this semester: lis 262: information technology, lis 266: database structure and design (nosebleed), and lis 299: research methodology (another nosebleed).
everyone who understood what i’ll be going through mumbled that i’m suicidal, and i retorted, “let’s just see how doomsday will unravel itself in the process”.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
the los baños trip and other reflections
okay, this is it. and i think this might be a good sem-ender.
the laguna trip particularly in los baños was great, except that we were not able to visit the IRRI library. of course, it should be the highlight of this trip, nonetheless, the trip is equally fulfilling.
we were able to visit the open university of UP in LB, and i must admit i was swept away. well, okay, i was tempted to get units next semester here since there is an MIS course, a good news for librarians actually. it can broaden the the tracking of the profession.it was complementary.
the mode of teaching in open u is not traditional: computer-computer communication, online discussions, and electronic interaction. no traditional reporting and no face-to-face recitation, tempting? and maybe, just maybe, i'll give it a shot.
actually, it is not really our purpose to be enticed by the open u curriculum, but to appreciate the application used for this kind of learning.
they are using moodle, an open source application. they shifted from a proprietary application to this one for budgetary reasons. that's a good move since they were eased by the burden of paying the old application. as far as i saw from the demo provided, moodle is very easy to use and other features are still open for development. web 2.0 that is.
we were able to visit also the LIBRARY. most of the titles i browsed are IT/computer books, and in all fairness, they are very new. i didn't have the chance to see if they have an existing ILS, but the one clear is that the library has not yet step up to the demand of an open u.
since open u eliminates physical boundaries, it's just right to note that the library should bring up its access on a higher level, a more liberating one.
the trip was really worth-it, especially the food!
thanks to the class, see you all next sem.
*credits: organizers: jem and melvin, jen's camera, jing's umbrella, ma'am sharon, open u people, drivers and lis 260 class for the company ;)
Monday, September 1, 2008
IPP, IPN and CIPPA : a critique
*spoiler: this lis 279 reaction paper was long long overdue. and since this a critique on three indexing and retrieval systems related to IRS, i opt to blog this.
*
Two of the premier university libraries in the Philippines develop and use specialized article indexing and retrieval system. University of the Philippines uses Index to Philippine Periodicals (IPP) for periodical articles and Index to Philippine Newspaper (IPN) for periodical articles while the Ateneo de Manila University uses Computerized Index to Philippine Periodical Articles for periodical and newspaper articles.
Coverage and Timeliness
IPP is the oldest collection of index among the three indexing and retrieval systems. It indexes almost all circulating Filipiniana periodicals. The treatment is exhaustive. The process of indexing is continuous since it first started up to the present.
IPN started in 1981 indexing eight (8) locally published newspapers namely: The Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Express, Manila Chronicles, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Malaya, Manila Times and Times Journal. Now, 19 locally published newspapers are being indexed.
IPP and IPN index all available periodicals acquired by the University Library. Acquisition is on the basis of exhausting all the available circulating periodicals in the country. Indexing Department can also recommend periodicals to the Acquisition Department.
CIPPA started indexing national dailies and various research journals since 1980. The extent of need was recognized, thus, CD format was produced years after. In 2000, it becomes available online. Unlike IPP and IPN, CIPPA combines indexing both newspaper and journal articles. It started with at most 173 titles and at least 80% still exist at present. Approximately 500,000 entries were encoded in the database as of the moment.
In CIPPA, selective indexing is being applied for the national dailies however, exhaustive indexing is being practiced for research journals.
CIPPA’s coverage is a bit partial compared to IPP and IPN since CIPPA is practicing selective indexing. Selection is on the basis of the choice of the Head of the Filipiniana Selection which delimiting factor is inevitable since the decision to choose lies only in one person.
Predictability
Since IPP is not yet available online and can only be retrieved through the database ISIS, it can be noted that the means of predictability is very low. There is freedom that users can search based on the vocabulary they know or how they want to search the database based on their criteria.
IPN search interface for headings has been updated to include option to search for "All the words", "As Phrase", "As Rootword", and "Exact Match". This obviously helps narrowing down search expressions and providing precise search results. Searchers can also narrow the search to a chosen date. True as it promises, it allows greater predictability of terms for both Indexers and searchers because its search features are very specific. The database provides default search clues that searchers can choose from.
CIPPA predictability measures spell simplicity. It allows user to search by Title, Author, Subject and Keyword. It has search option for the year of publication. Its searching options are also not as fragmented as IPN’s and it simply displays the searched article’s title, author, source, date of publication and subject.
Retrievability
IPP, IPN and CIPPA utilize both the natural and controlled vocabulary indexing. Flexibility is the name of the game, and these indexing and retrieval systems recognize this.
The complex the predictability of the indexing and retrieval system, the easier the retrievability of materials will be. Searchers are pointed to find “more like this” information. Precision will be high that directs searcher to information they really need. IPN is a perfect example of this kind of retrievability in terms of quality; IPP, on the other hand, entails retrievability by quantity since its predictability is very lax.
Consistency is being emphasized in CIPPA. After the Indexer assigned subject of the article, the Head of the Indexing Department, check and edit primarily the assigned subject of the article. A subject dictionary (WIN ISIS) that contains established entries is being consulted. This is cumulative and at the same time, authorized.
All three indexing and retrieval systems follow a manual to guide their indexing practices. In a sense, this practice help them standardized their vocabulary be it natural and controlled. New indexers of the systems will just have to follow the existing guidelines and the indexing language being used.
Conclusion / Recommendation
The purpose of the indexing and retrieval system should surpass the budget and manpower considerations in upgrading the coverage and timeliness and even the maintenance of the system. Strategic planning and continuous evaluation of service are recommended.
One basic if not the most important consideration of an indexing and retrieval system is to provide information needed by users and searchers. Predictability and retrievability are two most important factors in line with this consideration. It was observed that the indexing and retrieval systems being mentioned here are not yet near perfection. Loopholes are being observed yet. Quantity and quality of information are the deciding factor through perfection, but as long as these systems serve their purpose of existence, it can be implied that at least they are getting “there”. Continuous upgrading of techniques should be observed in predictability and retrievability area.
These systems should also cope with the fast-changing technology to deal with being out-of-date. They may extend online or even web-based, and get by with the trade of the game. Continuous upgrading of the system is highly recommended. Benchmarking should be also done. Comparisons of these systems to other information retrieval especially those of web-based are very helpful. Web IRS offers a lot of featured that can be adapted for the system.
Lastly, sustainability has been a positive move for these systems. The idea of marketing these systems to other institutions provided funds to sustain their resources. But being idealistic about it, information should be free. Opening this to public for free can help other poorer institutions to access quality, but free information. This will also open possibilities for the two institutions standardized Filipiniana indexing and retrieval systems, and help upgrade Philippine libraries and librarianship as a whole.
*
Two of the premier university libraries in the Philippines develop and use specialized article indexing and retrieval system. University of the Philippines uses Index to Philippine Periodicals (IPP) for periodical articles and Index to Philippine Newspaper (IPN) for periodical articles while the Ateneo de Manila University uses Computerized Index to Philippine Periodical Articles for periodical and newspaper articles.
Coverage and Timeliness
IPP is the oldest collection of index among the three indexing and retrieval systems. It indexes almost all circulating Filipiniana periodicals. The treatment is exhaustive. The process of indexing is continuous since it first started up to the present.
IPN started in 1981 indexing eight (8) locally published newspapers namely: The Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Express, Manila Chronicles, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Philippine Star, Malaya, Manila Times and Times Journal. Now, 19 locally published newspapers are being indexed.
IPP and IPN index all available periodicals acquired by the University Library. Acquisition is on the basis of exhausting all the available circulating periodicals in the country. Indexing Department can also recommend periodicals to the Acquisition Department.
CIPPA started indexing national dailies and various research journals since 1980. The extent of need was recognized, thus, CD format was produced years after. In 2000, it becomes available online. Unlike IPP and IPN, CIPPA combines indexing both newspaper and journal articles. It started with at most 173 titles and at least 80% still exist at present. Approximately 500,000 entries were encoded in the database as of the moment.
In CIPPA, selective indexing is being applied for the national dailies however, exhaustive indexing is being practiced for research journals.
CIPPA’s coverage is a bit partial compared to IPP and IPN since CIPPA is practicing selective indexing. Selection is on the basis of the choice of the Head of the Filipiniana Selection which delimiting factor is inevitable since the decision to choose lies only in one person.
Predictability
Since IPP is not yet available online and can only be retrieved through the database ISIS, it can be noted that the means of predictability is very low. There is freedom that users can search based on the vocabulary they know or how they want to search the database based on their criteria.
IPN search interface for headings has been updated to include option to search for "All the words", "As Phrase", "As Rootword", and "Exact Match". This obviously helps narrowing down search expressions and providing precise search results. Searchers can also narrow the search to a chosen date. True as it promises, it allows greater predictability of terms for both Indexers and searchers because its search features are very specific. The database provides default search clues that searchers can choose from.
CIPPA predictability measures spell simplicity. It allows user to search by Title, Author, Subject and Keyword. It has search option for the year of publication. Its searching options are also not as fragmented as IPN’s and it simply displays the searched article’s title, author, source, date of publication and subject.
Retrievability
IPP, IPN and CIPPA utilize both the natural and controlled vocabulary indexing. Flexibility is the name of the game, and these indexing and retrieval systems recognize this.
The complex the predictability of the indexing and retrieval system, the easier the retrievability of materials will be. Searchers are pointed to find “more like this” information. Precision will be high that directs searcher to information they really need. IPN is a perfect example of this kind of retrievability in terms of quality; IPP, on the other hand, entails retrievability by quantity since its predictability is very lax.
Consistency is being emphasized in CIPPA. After the Indexer assigned subject of the article, the Head of the Indexing Department, check and edit primarily the assigned subject of the article. A subject dictionary (WIN ISIS) that contains established entries is being consulted. This is cumulative and at the same time, authorized.
All three indexing and retrieval systems follow a manual to guide their indexing practices. In a sense, this practice help them standardized their vocabulary be it natural and controlled. New indexers of the systems will just have to follow the existing guidelines and the indexing language being used.
Conclusion / Recommendation
The purpose of the indexing and retrieval system should surpass the budget and manpower considerations in upgrading the coverage and timeliness and even the maintenance of the system. Strategic planning and continuous evaluation of service are recommended.
One basic if not the most important consideration of an indexing and retrieval system is to provide information needed by users and searchers. Predictability and retrievability are two most important factors in line with this consideration. It was observed that the indexing and retrieval systems being mentioned here are not yet near perfection. Loopholes are being observed yet. Quantity and quality of information are the deciding factor through perfection, but as long as these systems serve their purpose of existence, it can be implied that at least they are getting “there”. Continuous upgrading of techniques should be observed in predictability and retrievability area.
These systems should also cope with the fast-changing technology to deal with being out-of-date. They may extend online or even web-based, and get by with the trade of the game. Continuous upgrading of the system is highly recommended. Benchmarking should be also done. Comparisons of these systems to other information retrieval especially those of web-based are very helpful. Web IRS offers a lot of featured that can be adapted for the system.
Lastly, sustainability has been a positive move for these systems. The idea of marketing these systems to other institutions provided funds to sustain their resources. But being idealistic about it, information should be free. Opening this to public for free can help other poorer institutions to access quality, but free information. This will also open possibilities for the two institutions standardized Filipiniana indexing and retrieval systems, and help upgrade Philippine libraries and librarianship as a whole.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
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