ContentDM Users Group 2015 @ Nashville Public Library

ContentDM Users Group 2015 @ Nashville Public Library
Author Name: Tracy Carroll
Library System: Western Maryland Regional Library
Date: August 6-7, 2015
Learning Event website: https://sites.google.com/site/southerncdm15/

Top 3 things learned:
1. How to Clean up data using OpenRefine http://www.openrefine.org/
2. How to make maps pinpoints using a Google and a ContentDM API https://github.com/laddmm/CONTENTdm_Map
3. How to properly save images in ContentDM. https://prezi.com/4jdcsnxcqzkw/behind-the-scenes-of-image-storage-and-retrieval-in-contentdm/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

How to implement:

1. OpenRefine can be used to clean up data that we've inherited or data that we've received and would like to use on Whilbr but we need to clean the data to store it in ContentDM.  Bad data makes it harder to search and find what you're looking for when you're searching a database.  An example of something we consistently run in to, we may have a spreadsheet and in one field there is data that is inconsistent.  It may say "Street", "St.", "street", "st", not because it's wrong but because different people entered the data and now the data is inconsistent.  OpenRefine will let us clean up all of the records so that they all say "Street" or "street" or whatever we decide all of the records will show.  Previously we would do a find and replace several times until everything is consistent.  OpenRefine groups and counts the records so it will show you that you have 100 "Street"s and 200 "St"s and you can replace all 300 records in seconds.  Win!  This is such a huge deal for us because sometimes we can spend hours or days cleaning up data.  OpenRefine where have you been all of my life?! lol. 
2. The session "Making Maps with the CONTENTdm API" used code for mapping that can be used where we'd like to provide some interaction for a collection.  On the old Whilbr website there is a flash application of the Confederate Dead buried at Antietam that is one of our most popular collections.  The collection is great, but with wider use of mobile devices, part of the collection that uses a map of the burial sites can't be viewed on devices that don't support flash.  We could take the data from this collection and use this new code to build an interface that would work on all devices.  
3.  In "Behind the Scenes of Image Storage & Retrieval in CONTENTdm" there were tips for how to save and store images in a format that displays best in ContentDM.  The presenter gave recommendations on standards for saving and storing images and showing how they are changed and modified through ContentDM.  They were good reminders for what looks best inside of ContentDM.  We currently have a great standard for saving and uploading images in our ContentDM, but this provided a good reminder.  She also went through in great detail what happens to the images inside of ContentDM based on what the original file type.

Additional learning:  While ContentDM continues to create their mobile platform for current sites, we did learn that we can keep track of what is happening with their mobile version at: http://digital.whilbr.org/digital They are still developing a few things that aren't functioning, like Compound Objects, but providing us with the link is helpful to be able to see what's happening with it.  There currently is no timeline for release but we are hopeful that it will be sometime in 2016.