Off the Shelf

The Musings of a Digital Archivist & Information Manager

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Entries from May 2008

Usability and last.fm Pt. 1

May 17th, 2008 · No Comments

Ok, so I’ve decided to get on the last.fm boat. Why do you ask did it take me so long? Well, when I started using it again I remembered why. Simply, I don’t think I like it. I am a big fan of the Pandora project and prefer that to almost any online music application. […]

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Tags: UI · usability · web 2.0

Just so there’s no confusing fact with fiction when watching “Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”…

May 12th, 2008 · No Comments

This was recently posted to the Museum Securities Network Mailing-list re-posted from the Times Online UK, so I’ve decided to post it yet again for you guys to read:
Secrets of the crystal skulls are lost in the mists of forgery
With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull about to erupt across our cinema […]

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Tags: archives · museology

UNC Library & Information Science Video Series

May 10th, 2008 · No Comments

This is a series of lectures and interviews at UNC-Chapel Hill on topics related to information and library science and the use of information in learning and research.
Permalink: UNC Information in Life Series on Youtube

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Tags: LIS

Thoughts on Bates’ Berrypicking

May 8th, 2008 · No Comments

Bates, M. J. (1989). The design of browsing and berry-picking techniques for online search interface. Online Review, 13, 407-424.

“The human natural tendency in information seeking is to fallback on passive and sampling and selecting behaviors derived from millions of years of [evolution]” [1]
–Marcia J. Bates

Today, the relationship between information retrieval (IR) and […]

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Tags: cognition

Inspiring Designs

May 8th, 2008 · No Comments

Some of my recent favorites are:
http://www.sachagreif.com/ - I really appreciate the subtle colors that allow the header to pop and the black text seems soothing against the pale brown background. The page is also divided into upper and lower levels, with the lower level having a design relationship with the top nav bar. The […]

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Tags: webdesign