http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/authors/john-kirriemuir/ Recent content in John Kirriemuir on Ariadne Hugo -- gohugo.io en-gb Sat, 21 May 2016 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/kirriemuir2/ Sat, 21 May 2016 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/kirriemuir2/ Overview [Disclosure: As Director of UKOLN, Lorcan Dempsey hired me in 1995 to be the Information Officer and Ariadne web editor.] This 2014 publication presents a selection of posts from the blog [1] of Lorcan Dempsey [2], the Vice-President of research at OCLC for several years. The posts are presented largely as they were originally made public; the editor notes that: "Of course, time goes on, and some websites, services, tools, and links are undoubtedly gone. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/76/kirriemuir/ Fri, 05 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/76/kirriemuir/  Introduction British Library [bl] Labs [bll] are currently running an initiative funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation [awmf], where they look for new or novels ways of manipulating, enhancing or presenting their considerable digital collection and data holdings.The Labs are holding a Spring 2016 roadshow [roadshow]. One stop was in Nottingham, where the Labs organised a joint workshop with the Digital Humanities and Arts Praxis project [praxis] from the University of Nottingham. The location enticed me to attend. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/editorsreview/ Sun, 17 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/editorsreview/ Ariadne is 20 years old this week and some editorial board members thought it might be useful to look back at how it came to be, how digital library offerings have changed over the years, and maybe also peer into the near future. To do this, we’ve enlisted the help of several of the past editors of Ariadne who have marshalled their memories and crystal balls. Back to the beginning. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/kirriemuir/ Tue, 12 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/75/kirriemuir/ In the beginning was the Jisc­-funded buffet Ariadne was conceived between Lorcan Dempsey and John MacColl [n0], gestated in UKOLN and the University of Abertay in Dundee through the autumn of 1995, and was born, on a dark and stormy night [n1], in January 1996. Richard Dawes [n2], the IT manager for the University of North London Learning Centre where the launch party and online demonstration were held, recalls the technical hiccups and the joy of launching under Windows 3. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/74/kirriemuir/ Wed, 15 Jul 2015 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/74/kirriemuir/ Need There is a vast range of articles, reports, papers, stories and other ephemera concerning ‘gamification’, both online and in print. As an increasingly weary reader of several hundred of these items, it is obvious that there are extreme variations in the quality, bias, depth, analysis, and related and cited research within many. Though unsure of whether the world needs yet another introduction, or perhaps just needs a few high quality pieces, I reviewed this particular publication for Ariadne. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/53/kirriemuir/ Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/53/kirriemuir/ Introduction: Second Life Second Life (SL) [1] is an Internet-based virtual world developed by Linden Research Inc (commonly referred to as Linden Lab) and launched in 2003. A downloadable client program called the ‘Second Life Viewer’ enables its users (‘residents’) to interact with each other through avatars, providing an advanced level of social networking in the setting of a virtual world. Residents can explore, meet other residents, socialise, participate in individual and group activities, and create and trade items (virtual property) and services. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/46/editorial/ Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/46/editorial/ Ten Years of PathfindingJohn MacColl reflects upon the choice of Ariadne’s name in the light of the publication’s guiding mission. The Follett Report [1] which started everything off, appeared in December 1993. When the subsequent JISC call for proposals for electronic library project activity appeared in the summer of 1994, I was only a few months into my new post as a Depute Librarian at Britain’s newest (and probably smallest) university, the University of Abertay Dundee. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/29/kirriemuir/ Tue, 02 Oct 2001 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/29/kirriemuir/ This article discusses some of the issues that arise when an academic department, unit or institution moves from possessing a few digital library projects and services, to possessing an integrated digital library centre. The article is based on: the experiences of the author, who has worked in four digital library centres (according to the definition in the next section) in UK higher education.replies from various people who have been employed by digital/electronic library projects and services over the past decade, to emailed questions about various aspects of digital library centre cultureexamples of incidents or case studies of things that have occurred within UK digital library centresIt does not prescribe a 'one model fits all' plan for all budding digital library centres. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/28/vts/ Thu, 21 Jun 2001 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/28/vts/ Wednesday the 9th of May saw the simultaneous launch of the JISC-funded Virtual Training Suite [1] across the United Kingdom. The launch took place in six academic institutions: Edinburgh, Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham, Kings College London, and Manchester. We attended the Scottish launch, which was held in the main library of Edinburgh University. The Virtual Training Suite consists of forty online tutorials designed to help students, lecturers and researchers improve their Internet information skills. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/23/convergence/ Thu, 23 Mar 2000 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/23/convergence/ The pastVideo games have been around for a lot longer than most people realise. Many people can remember playing games on their ZX Spectrum (1982), or even their cartridge-based Atari VCS (1978). However, before these systems came into being there had already been a decade of video game development, mostly based in the US and Japan. The first recognised games console was the Magnavox Odyssey [1] in 1972. This US-produced machine sold around 100,000 units in three years, and at the time was considered to be revolutionary. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/20/omni/ Mon, 21 Jun 1999 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/20/omni/ This article describes some of the findings of an informal study of access to the Internet for information professionals working within the UK public funded health sector e.g. hospital libraries, NHS trusts, and other public funded medical libraries. The problemThe OMNI service [1] receives a steady number of inquiries from a large and diverse number of people. Many of these inquiries are from members of the public requiring medical and health information; in these cases, as we are not medically qualified or legally covered, we have to politely point out that services such as OMNI are meant to complement their General Practitioner, not to replace him or her. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/19/omni/ Fri, 19 Mar 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/19/omni/ Defining the subjectsHere at OMNI, our subject gateway essentially covers all of the health studies subjects in scope (basically medicine and health), and various biomedical aspects of the life sciences, such as molecular biology research, clinical psychology and sports medicines. Of late, it has struck us that most of the national controversies that tend to fill the tabloids (and other newspapers) are sprung directly from these subject areas. In this section, we outline six examples most applicable to the UK; for countries such as the US, there would be a similar array of issues, including abortion as an issue of high public profile. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/18/elib-review/ Sat, 19 Dec 1998 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/18/elib-review/ "The Vice Chancellor may take some time in replying to your query regarding the effectiveness of cultural change, as I have to print out his email, and transcribe and re-key the reply for him. Health and safety regulations here mean that we dissuade him from using his computer whenever possible" That quote isn’t a snippet from this weeks Laurie Taylor column on the back of the Times Higher, but my favourite email from three years of being involved with eLib. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/10/clifford/ Fri, 18 Jul 1997 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/10/clifford/ Z39.50 has been around for a long time, now - why do you think it has not been assimilated into networked retrieval applications and technologies to the extent of e.g. CD-ROMs, the Web? I think that Z39.50 is now well established for large, if you will, mainframe or server-based systems. Certainly, those folks who wonder what real Z39.50 systems are in use could look at institutions like the University of California, where we have had it in production for a number of years, and we're using it every day to provide access to our community of close to a quarter of a million people, to resources mounted at places like OCLC and RLG. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/10/editorials/ Fri, 18 Jul 1997 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/10/editorials/ This is my last issue as editor of the Web version of Ariadne. In a few weeks time, I will leaving the fluffy bunch of people collectively known as “UKOLN” [1], to join the equally fluffy bunch of people known as the “ILRT” [2]. Just time for a quick look at what is in this issue, and then some thanks to various people who have been useful/groovy/fluffy to Ariadne over the last ooooh, two years or so, now. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/8/down-your-way/ Wed, 19 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/8/down-your-way/   Based in Kensington, London, the Natural History Museum [1] is housed in a building of palatial size and architecture. The museum houses one of the largest collections of naturally- occurring objects in the world, its holdings running to 68 million objects, a collection so large that less than a tenth of one percent is on display at any one time. Every conceivable type of animal, plant and mineral is represented, as well as a surprisingly large collection of books, art (one of the largest collections of art on paper in the UK), journals and other literature. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/8/web-edit/ Wed, 19 Mar 1997 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/8/web-edit/ Welcome to issue 8 of the Web version of Ariadne. As John mentions in the editorial [1] for the Print version of Ariadne, the eLib programme [2] is no longer a youngster; some projects are approaching the end of their funding; some projects have already produced significant deliverables, or contributions, towards the building of this elusive, shimmering, Electronic Library. Overall, the programme is now gearing up towards a more concerted dissemination push [3] , at the level of individual projects, groups of projects, and the programme as whole, aimed at our target community - those people in the UK Higher Education community who will build, use, or be influenced by Electronic Library resources, infrastructure and practises. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/editorial/ Wed, 18 Sep 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/editorial/ So why is this issue of the Web version of Ariadne so big, then? …was a question asked by several people who have watched this issue being constructed. The answer is, in one word, "awareness" (Ariadne does reside in the Training and Awareness section of the eLib programme). In a possibly noticeable change of direction, the Web version of Ariadne (WVA for short) will have a significantly heavier bias towards making its target audience aware of relevant and useful services and resources. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/journals.html Wed, 18 Sep 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/journals.html This section contains descriptions of journals, freely available over the Web, that may be of interest to librarians and information specialists. The descriptions are written by the editors and/or publishers of the journals. D-Lib: William Y. Arms, D-Lib publisher and Amy Friedlander, the editor, describe this successful Web-based magazine that carries more technically-minded articles on all aspects of digital/electronic libraries research.Cause/Effect: Julia A. Rudy, Cause/Effect Editor and Director of Publications at Cause, an international, nonprofit professional association for managers and users of information resources on college and university campuses, describes Cause/Effect. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/libtech/ Wed, 18 Sep 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/libtech/ The exhibition was opened on the 4th of September by Jack Schofield, the editor of the online section of the Guardian newspaper. He gave a short speech, which included a witty section on the hassle caused by the frequent version updating of software; software where updates appeared every few weeks he named "dribbleware"! Also at the opening, the University announced the award of 462,000 pounds to the University of Hertfordshire, Cimtech Ltd and International Imaging Ltd to set up a digitisation centre that will convert more than one million pages of printed text a year into 'electronic libraries'. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/sideline/ Wed, 18 Sep 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/5/sideline/ Early summer. Sun high in the sky, white fluffy clouds skittering overhead, birds tweeting, and it's off to this year's Elvira at Milton Keynes. One paper to present, several interesting ones to listen to, and the flat, lush fields of Milton Keynes seductively beckon for that noblest of hobbies, boomerang throwing. The first programme session over; a quick swim in the pool, step outside and the God of rain decides to remind us of his/her presence with an all-evening deluge. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/best_elib/ Thu, 18 Jul 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/best_elib/ In the spring, we held a competition for those eLib projects that had, to date, produced and mounted their own set of Web pages. The criteria for a good set of Web pages was: Simple and pleasing designObvious and logical navigationA clear, not-too-technical, description of the projectPointers to related resources and servicesPointers/reference to the project personnel and any other project partnersClear contact detailsCompatibility across a range of browsers (or, alternately, browser independent pages)Mention of the eLib programme/JISC (i. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/editor.html Thu, 18 Jul 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/editor.html Caching: A criminal offence not to?How many others are dreading the next massive intake/return of Internet curious student in the autumn, and the subsequent effects on networking speed? In this issue of Ariadne, Jon Knight and Martin Hamilton describe the benefits of caching. Caching is essentially a way of bringing resources closer to the people who use them; less network used, less congestion, greater download speed, less frustration. In these times, where the increase in network users (be they students, users in the prolifically spawning cybercafe market, or the secret army of at-home modem users) easily outpaces the increase in bandwidth, such initiatives are not so much useful, but essential. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/libtech/ Thu, 18 Jul 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/libtech/ Libtech International '96 has a set of Web pages at: http://www.herts.ac.uk/Libtech/libtech.htm Libtech International is organised by the the Library & Media Services department of the University of Hertfordshire and held on the University's Hatfield Campus in September each year. The event consists of a large exhibition and a conference programme, which consists of various seminars, lectures and workshops. Entry to Libtech '96 itself is free to attend; some of the seminars and workshops charge a nominal fee for admission. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/research.html Thu, 18 Jul 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/4/research.html In this new section, we will be taking a closer look at non-eLib digital libraries initiatives, programmes, projects and research, both in the UK and overseas.  CEDAR: The Huddersfield Connection: Steve Pollitt describes the history and research behind CEDAR, the Centre for Database Access Research, which specialises in work on the design of interfaces for information retrieval systems. TLTP: Joanna Tiley describes TLTP. The Teaching and Learning Technology Programme, funded by the UK Higher Education Funding Councils of the UK, is a collection of 70+ projects aimed to " http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/3/downtime/ Sat, 18 May 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/3/downtime/ Win a copy of The Library and Information Professional's Guide to the Internet, as reviewed in Ariadne. This photo was taken in a dimly lit corner of the bar at the International Networked Information Conference at the Ramada hotel in February of this year. The photo features Caroline Bardrick (JISC), Lorcan Dempsey (UKOLN) and the left arm of someone who is wearing a burgundy blazer but who wishes to stay anonymous. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/3/editorial.html Sat, 18 May 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/3/editorial.html Brief thoughts on indexing the WorldAs speculation mounts on when, as opposed to whether, Digital will be mirroring Alta Vista in the UK/Europe, and what exactly they mean by “will have partners who can localize the pages and include regional content”, late night pre-Ariadne launch thoughts turn to matters indexing. In this issue Dave Beckett and Neil Smith describe AC/DC, a Web search engine. The hugely significant difference between AC/DC and other search engines is that it indexes only a subset of publically available UK Web servers i. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/3/elib/ Sat, 18 May 1996 23:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/3/elib/ As mentioned in last issue’s Electronic Libraries Programme (eLib) section, a wave of new projects has recently joined the programme. This now takes the number of projects to roughly 60, with the majority of UK universities, and many other research centres, organisations and companies, being involved in at least 1 project (some organisations have a stake in as many as four). A consequence of this increase is that many people, either directly working within a project, or less centrally as a project deliverable tester or eventual end-user, are interested in how their project and it’s supporting programme develop. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/faroe/ Tue, 19 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/faroe/ The Faroe Islands is a small archipelago, comprised of 18 small islands, off in the middle of the North Atlantic, between Norway and Iceland. The total area is 1,400 sqr.km., and the population only 43,000. The population of the capital Tórshavn is approximately 15,000. Although the nearest neighbour to the south is 300 km. away, the Faroe Islands has always maintained close connections with other countries. The Faroe Islands has to import most of its commodities, as well as to rely on regular access to export markets in Europe, USA, and other countries. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/elib/ Tue, 19 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/elib/ Recently, a wave of new projects under the umbrella of the Electronic Libraries Programme was announced. A consequence of this is that a large majority of the HE institutions in the UK are involved in at least one eLib project (is yours?), as well as many non HE organisations and institutions. Here, we give brief details of some of these new projects. In the Preprints/Grey Literature area, we have three projects: http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/netlaunch/ Tue, 19 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/netlaunch/ On 7th-8th February, John Kirriemuir attended the Netskills launch, which was combined with a Netskills training session; an overview of the event appears below. In addition, pictures of the launch (warning: very large files) are available. In this same edition of Ariadne, you can also find an interview with Jill Foster, the director of Netskills and Mailbase, as well as a more detailed description of the Netskills project. 7th February http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/netskills/ Tue, 19 Mar 1996 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/2/netskills/ With the rapid growth of the Internet we have seen a huge increase in the volume and range of networked information. We have also seen an increased public awareness - hardly a day goes by without some mention of the Internet in the national press or television. URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) are quoted everywhere - even on Dutch tax return forms! With the increased attention has come the increase in hype. http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/1/boston/ Fri, 19 Jan 1996 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/1/boston/ This is an informal diary of two delegates who attended the big event for World Wide Web people, namely the 4th International WWW Conference. Debra Hiom, the SOSIG research officer and John Kirriemuir, the UKOLN Information Officer provide the dialogue. The good quality photographs were taken by Debra, on her expensive camera, while the not-so-good quality pictures were taken by John on a cheap and nasty disposable camera (7 dollars). http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/1/elib/ Fri, 19 Jan 1996 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue/1/elib/ The Electronic Libraries Programme, funded by JISC as a consequence of the Follett Report into UK academic libraries, is now properly underway. The UK Higher Education funding councils have committed £15 million to the programme, which will aim to pave the way towards the fully electronic library of the future. The Electronic Libraries Programme, funded by JISC as a consequence of the Follett Report into UK academic libraries, is now properly underway.