This week, I am proud to report, I was able to begin uploading converted files of the Old Gold & Black newspaper to WakeSpace for keyword searchability. I have to say, I am grateful for the progress chart (shown in part to the right), which was what kept me going with manually uploading all of the thumbnails and PDF bitstreams.
Looking back at when I started the project, I truly underestimated the amount of time involved in performing much of the process "manually" rather than by batch processing (which hit a few snags in the conversion from TIFF to PDF and is not really possible for replacing the individual bitstreams in WakeSpace). Therefore, the progress chart is not only a great way to create a visualization for users of the collection, but also for myself. I don't think I can overstate the satisfaction of seeing the bars turn to gold as I make my way through the years.
Secrest Artists Series progress...
So, while much of my work with OGB this week was repetitive, I did move forward with (attempting to) conceptualize the Secrest Artists Series exhibit. Part of that brainstorming process was in reading some resources and materials on the process of creating an exhibit. One such source was Creating Exhibitions, a resource primarily directed at creating physical exhibits in a museum setting, but which gave me some insight into the creative process.
One of the primary concerns of Creating Exhibitions is on the evolving focus of exhibits from the subject matter to actually engaging the visitors. "...while the objects and the facts they embody remain important, it is the ideas and emotions raised by them and by the visitors that currently take precedence in the creation of contemporary exhibition." (p 70) Although this may seem like common sense, I think when creating anything for public use, not just a museum or library or online exhibit, it is important to consider the audience. Why create something for "them" that they cannot use or has no meaning to them?
The book also stresses that a successful exhibit may appeal to both an expert and a beginner when it comes to subject matter. This was certainly something I faced everyday when writing for a small community newspaper. In fact, one of the other writers on staff used to be fond of saying, "You have to write an article for the reader who knows everything [about a given topic] AND the reader who knows nothing." It will certainly be fun to bring this together with the Secrest exhibit.
Looking back at when I started the project, I truly underestimated the amount of time involved in performing much of the process "manually" rather than by batch processing (which hit a few snags in the conversion from TIFF to PDF and is not really possible for replacing the individual bitstreams in WakeSpace). Therefore, the progress chart is not only a great way to create a visualization for users of the collection, but also for myself. I don't think I can overstate the satisfaction of seeing the bars turn to gold as I make my way through the years.
Secrest Artists Series progress...
So, while much of my work with OGB this week was repetitive, I did move forward with (attempting to) conceptualize the Secrest Artists Series exhibit. Part of that brainstorming process was in reading some resources and materials on the process of creating an exhibit. One such source was Creating Exhibitions, a resource primarily directed at creating physical exhibits in a museum setting, but which gave me some insight into the creative process.
One of the primary concerns of Creating Exhibitions is on the evolving focus of exhibits from the subject matter to actually engaging the visitors. "...while the objects and the facts they embody remain important, it is the ideas and emotions raised by them and by the visitors that currently take precedence in the creation of contemporary exhibition." (p 70) Although this may seem like common sense, I think when creating anything for public use, not just a museum or library or online exhibit, it is important to consider the audience. Why create something for "them" that they cannot use or has no meaning to them?
The book also stresses that a successful exhibit may appeal to both an expert and a beginner when it comes to subject matter. This was certainly something I faced everyday when writing for a small community newspaper. In fact, one of the other writers on staff used to be fond of saying, "You have to write an article for the reader who knows everything [about a given topic] AND the reader who knows nothing." It will certainly be fun to bring this together with the Secrest exhibit.