Hint on Configuring the Archivists’ Toolkit on Linux

I finally got the Archivists’ Toolkit configured on a Linux machine for testing. I installed the Linux version of AT with Java VM built in. It was a hefty download, but it seems to work well so far.

I did notice one small peculiarity. When I tried to install using the sh ./InstallArchivistsToolkit.bin command from a terminal, the install would break, and I would get an error that began with awk: error while loading shared libraries: libdl.so.2.

I did a little bit of searching and came across this post. Apparently, when using SUSE (I am using OpenSUSE) and sometimes Fedora, one encounters problems because of a line in the binary file. To quote the above post,

export LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5
should read
#xport LD_ASSUME_KERNEL=2.2.5

The problem is, when you try to open and fix the .bin file in a text editor such as vi, it somehow mangles the code.

To fix the program, here’s what I did. First, I backed up my installer to make sure that I didn’t have to redownload. Then, I installed GHex, the Gnome Hex editor. If you’re using SUSE, you can install it with Yast. If you’re using Fedora, you can probably install it with Yum.

After you install GHex, start it. Click on File, then Open, and open the InstallArchivistsToolkit.bin install file. Left click on the right panel (ie. the one with characters that make sense.) Click on Edit, then replace. Type export LD in the right panel of the find section and #xport LD in the right panel of the replace section. Click on replace all. Cancel out of the replace dialog and save the file.

You should be able to run the file now. However, if you have to make this modification, you will also have to modify more of the Archivists’ Toolkit files in the exact same manner. I had to enter my Archivists_Toolkit directory and change both the Archivists_Toolkit and the AT_Initialize_Database files as well in order to get the program to run correctly. If in doubt about any part of the program, run that part from the command line, and watch for the results. If it fails because of this error, you will see awk: error while loading shared libraries: libdl.so.2 when it fails. If you see that, you know you need to edit the file.

More on Archon

For those interested in finding out more about the Archon Project, the project’s website now has a listserv and better documentation.

New Tool for Archivists

I mentioned earlier that the Archivist’s Toolkit had been released. Tomorrow, the Archon Project is scheduled to release version 1.10 of Archon. I played with version 1. It was easy to install and a very powerful tool. The digital library function was particularly promising. I noticed a couple of bugs in version 1 while testing it, so I didn’t put it into production. I am fairly certain that these bugs will be remedied in this latest release, and I cannot wait until I get the time to install and test it. All the folks at UIUC who were involved in this project need to be congratulated for their vision and vigor because they brought such a project into being. What an interesting and exciting time it is to be an archivist!

Instant Street Cred ILS

A library in Ohio just migrated to KohaZoom, the open-source version Integrated Library System. This particular version of Koha appears to be developed by a vendor, LibLime. You can see The system in action here.

Notice anything about it? That’s right, folks. It looks just like Amazon, and it uses Amazon images. Bye, bye, usability problems. Hello instant street cred with patromers.

Needless to say, I want one.

One Vendor to Rule Them All…

Francisco Partners, the company that recently completed a purchase of Ex Libris, also purchased Endeavor Information Systems. More information about the merger can be found here.

I am eager to see what this will bring forth.

Ex Libris Changing Hands

For those who have not seen the news, Ex Libris is changing hands. Francisco Partners is purchasing EL. Francisco Partners also owns these companies. I am not sure what, if anything, this will mean for the future of the company. It appears that EL is the only library services vendor that Francisco partners owns.

Odd Jobs

As I said in my first post on this blog, I work both as a systems librarian and an archivist. The combination sometimes makes for strange weeks, but both duties are enjoyable and rewarding in different ways. This seems particularly evident to me as I reflect on the last week of work.

Last week, I had one of the most enjoyable days of my fledgling career. In one day, I helped a patron identify exactly which 1589 Geneva Bible he had inherited; I worked with another exceptionally rare Bible; I held the first book that ever entered our library; I helped one of our patrons find a much needed resource that he had been unable to find; and I aided a researcher in using a set of Baptist associational minutes which turned out to have a heretofore unreferenced circular letter by the second president of the Southern Baptist Convention. That was a great day!

Yesterday, I had a different kind of day. I sent another librarian several HTML files that would enable her to do something her library director wanted on their website. I changed out a SCSI card. I replaced the computer that was wired to our microfilm scanner. I installed the software that went along with said scanner. I worked with another systems librarian to help identify why our MetaLib and SFX server wasn’t working. I made a really, really long Ethernet cable.

It’s odd. Four years ago I would not have seen myself doing either of these things for a career. Now, I work in two disparate fields in the same job, and I seem to enjoy both in different ways for different reasons. As an archivist, I work one on one with people, pointing them to the resources they need. It’s very rewarding in tangible ways. Patrons generally love you if you are an archivist. I even occasionally get thanked in the front-matter of books.

As a systems librarian, I get the feeling of accomplishment as I make things work using my own ingenuity. No one ever taught me how to change a SCSI card. No one told me how to install software. And probably, no patron is ever going to thank me for what I do with systems (aside from other staff.) And that’s ok. I don’t do my job for thanks. Thanks is nice, but I do what I do for three reasons.

First, God has placed me where I am to do what I do for his glory. When I point researchers to the right resources, God is glorified. When I change a SCSI card so researchers can use microfilm, God is glorified. Second, I do what I do because I like doing it. I enjoy meeting the needs of researchers. I enjoy working with computers and computer systems. Third, I do what I do because I get paid. What can I say? I like to eat!

Despite the fact that these duties are disparate, they do share one commonality. Without someone doing them, no one would get to the resources they need. When our system is running, patrons can find what they need. When I create finding aids, I help patrons find what they need. And maybe that’s the tie that binds the odd jobs I enjoy.

Ex Libris and Scripts

One of the upshots of the ELUNA conference was that Ex Libris set up a script archive for customers to use in sharing SQL scripts. If interested, check it out, get an account, and start contributing. I am glad that the people at EL were thoughtful enough to set this up! The archive is designed for SQL scripts, but I don't suppose they would holler if you contributed some other type of script, like this one.

Fedora, Broadcom, and ndiswrapper

Great news. Ever since my computer crashed at ALABI, I have been trying to get my new operating system, Fedora Core 5, to recognize my Broadcom 4306 chipset wireless card. I have an integrated wireless card that came with my Compaq Presario 2175US, and I have had it for several years. Broadcom does not support Linux, but a piece of middleware called ndiswrapper allows linux users to run Windows drivers. I finally got ndiswrapper installed using this tutorial. I am now using my computer to blog via wireless!

The biggest problem was trying to get the kernel and devel-kernels installed. Finally, I plugged my computer into an ethernet connection and ran yum update from the command line. Yum updated them for me. Yum is one of the best reasons to have Fedora. It will automatically update all (yes, ALL) of your software! Beautiful.

Baptist Research and Statistics

On Wednesday, May 31, I will be speaking at the ALABI meeting in Richmond, Virginia. I am involved in a section on Baptist Research and Statistics. Basically, I will be looking at the way researchers at my institution use Baptist statistics, and proposing a way that I think librarians, Lifeway, and the entire Southern Baptist Convention could work together to better preserve and make accessible our data. My proposal is just an idea that I had, and should in no way be construed as anything more than this. I would love for the convention to consider it, but it could be nothing more than one archivist's pipe dream. I will try to post a series that will better explain all this later, along with what I see as the advantages and disadvantages of my proposal.

As a service to those attending, I include the text that will appear in my Power Point presentation below. For the record, the section on connectors, mavens, and salesmen is taken from Malcom Gladwell's book, The Tipping Point.

• How researchers at SBTS use statistics
  • To answer cultural questions
  • To corroborate findings
  • To analyze worldview patterns
  • To analyze church health
  • For background information on a potential employer
• Statistical resources researchers use
  • Diaries, journals, serendipitous reading
  • Reports from Joshua Project and IMB
  • World Christian Database and CIA World Fact Book
  • Baptist newspapers
  • Baptist Minutes
  • Southern Baptist Directory Service
  • Baptist Quarterly Review
• What SBTS Researchers Want
  • The nearly impossible
  • Ease of access to Baptist statistics
  • Ease of access to non-Baptist statistics
  • Standardized data
• Difficulties for creating access
  • Acquisition Issues
    • Collecting minutes takes time and space
    • Who is responsible?
  • Preservation Issues
    • CD-ROMs
    • Proprietary formats
• An Answer
  • A web based solution for Baptist minutes
    • Multi-platform
    • Open Source
    • LAMP
    • Exports to multiple formats (XML, HTML, PDF, .txt, .doc)
  • Able to handle all types of minutes
    • All levels (Convention, State, Associational, Church)
    • All time periods (retrospective and prospective)
    • All data (statistics, reports, circular letters, queries, list of ministers)
  • A Convention wide effort
    • Promoted and underwritten by Lifeway
      • In conjunction with the research initiative
      • Lightning press printing of minutes
    • Able to be contributed to by people at every level
      • Spreads labor
      • Many eyes looking at it
• What can we do
  • Volunteer to help work on an answer
  • Talk to others about preservation and access problems
    • Connectors– unique people who connect us to everyone else
    • Mavens– those who accumulate knowledge
    • Salesmen– persuade people to accept new information

    Urge better statistic gathering practices

  • Make relationships with archivists from other denominations