Digital Collections News

ARTstor Training Sessions

Are you interested in learning more using ARTstor for teaching and research?
An ARTstor representative will be on campus Thursday, November 6th and you are invited to attend any of the following sessions:

THURSDAY, November 6th, 2008.

10:00 am -- ARTstor introduction and overview in the 2East Reference Classroom (NUL 2699)

11:00am -- Teaching with ARTstor in the NUL Forum Room

1:00pm -- ARTstor for graduate students in the NUL Forum Room

2:00pm -- ARTstor for undergraduates in the NUL Forum Room

Hope to see you there!

Pocket Projectors

Wow! 3M recently launched a hand held projector and you can plug in your laptop via VGA or use the composite video jack to connect other hand held devices like, digital cameras, iPhone and iPods.

The device uses LED illumination and the VGA resolution is 640 x 480. A popsci.com review states that projected in a well lit room, the images could only be viewed 11 inches wide but that a dark room would work well for moving images. 3M cites the projection range as 5" to 50".

Recent developments in computer technology have increased the portability of digital content. Perhaps now with digital projectors moving toward portability (affordable too - $359!) the insular relationship with digital content will begin to change. Sharing digital content now is fairly dependent on complex classroom configurations or an individual viewing web based content on their own personal computers. Maybe portable projectors could allow digital content to become more of a bridge builder or a catalyst of social and pedagogical interaction? Apparently, the goal is to put this technology inside cell phones! Now I really want an iPhone.

Real Player and Streamed Media

Many people have been having problems streaming media in the past few weeks. The most common problem as of late is a lack of necessary software on the viewer's computer.

If you are on campus, and connected to the Internet via a campus connection, you can watch streamed video through Video Furnace. These streamed videos are indicated by the "On-campus Buildings" parenthetical label on the title's streaming page. In this case, all you need is a web browser and an Internet connection of at least 2mbps.

If you are off campus, or have a slower internet connection, you can watch streamed video and listen to streamed audio with Real Player. These streamed videos are indicated by the "On or Off Campus" parenthetical label on the title's streaming page. In this case, you will need an internet connection of at least 400kbps AND Real Player software. While watching Real files is more convenient in terms of connection speed and connection location, it does require that you download and install the Real Player software yourself. You can download Real Player 10 for free. If you are still having trouble, make sure you have your VPN turned OFF, as the VPN connection can interfere with the streaming process.

For more troubleshooting information regarding streamed media, check out our troubleshooting page.

Creating Stills and Still Frames in iMovie

Have you ever wanted to freeze a frame while working with a video file? Or maybe take that freeze frame and create a still JPG to use on a printed page or on the web? Doing these things in iMovie can be simple...as long as you know where to look and what term to use!

Creating still frames and image files (.jpg or .pict) require a few short steps, almost all of which involve selecting the frame you wish to make static. Your first decision will involve whether you want to create a still frame or a still image. A still frame is a video with an adjustable duration that repeats the same single image multiple times. Essentially, it a video file of a still image. An image file, however, is a single still image.

If you plan to use the still in your iMovie project, you will want to create a still frame. If you plan to use the still as an image on your DVD menu, in a PowerPoint slide, or in any
printed material, you will want to create a still image file. The processes for these two
outcomes are very similar and are both outlined below.

To Create a Still Frame:
1. Select a clip. Single-click on it.
2. Drag the playhead to the frame you want.
3. Go to Edit —> Create Still Frame
4. A 5 sec. still will be placed on the Clip Shelf.
5. To change duration, double-click on clip.
6. Drag into timeline.

To Create a Still Image File:
1. Select a clip. Single-click on it.
2. Drag the playhead to the frame you want.
3. Go to File —> Save Frame.
4. Name your file, select a storage location, and click "Save".

It's that easy! For more helpful hints, stop by the Digital Collections Training Lab or check out our tipsheets.

ARTstor Collection Additions

ARTstor has recently added many items and collections to its database. Here are a few:

-more than 40 images from 8x10 Rothko transparencies
-more than 300 Lichtensteins
-an additional 2,848 images from the Scala Archives (including major Italian works)
-the first 600 ARTstor images from the Franklyn Furnace Archives
-an additional 14,000 archaeological images of Mayan excavations from the Carnegie Institution of Washington

And there is still more to come! ARTstor is currently working with Harvard to digitize over 3,500 Renaissance and Baroque images. They are also collaborating with Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi of Great Britain and the National Monuments Record to add 18,000 medieval stained glass images to the collection.

For more ARTstor updates, you can visit the ARTstor blog at http://www.artstor.org/blog or sign up for RSS feeds at http://artstor.wordpress.com/feed.

New ARTstor Platform Coming Soon

Anyone who finds ARTstor a bit daunting or difficult to use may be in luck: they plan to unveil a Beta version of a new ARTstor Digital Library in the next few months, with a full release following later in 2008. The new Digital Library will run on AJAX, rather than the Java thin client platform currently used. This means the Library will be integrated into your web browser, rather than run as a separate Java client. In addition, ARTstor promises the new version includes some significant improvements. For one, the navigation menus have been streamlined, searching and browsing have been highlighted, permanent URLs for bookmarking images. The Digital Library will also feature My ARTstor, which should make it easier for users to navigate to their saved links and image groups.

For those of you who prefer the ARTstor Digital Library you already know, don't worry. The current version and new version will be simultaneously available. Basic functionality in each version will be the same as well.

PicLens, Silverlight and Hard Rock memorabilia

There are new online interactive media viewers popping up everywhere! PicLens ,for example, turns your browser into an interactive 3D image viewer. It only works with some websites -- sites like Flickr, Facebook, and Google Images -- but they also have information on how to enable your own website for PicLens. I was very excited to see that PicLens is now compatible with YouTube! Even though I get a little dizzy in this visual environment, it is refreshing to be able to interact with large quantities of digital content with ease (and fun). It seems most successful with sites like Flickr, where people post hundreds of photos with little descriptive information. The social potential of sites like Flickr is limited in this view, as comments and links to other users are not viewable here, but you can easily get back to the normal view. The PicLens view is great for searching and viewing images on the internet and has potential for presenting image groupings as well.

You have to install a Silverlight plugin to view the Hard Rock Memorabilia digital collection. Microsoft recently announced Deep Zoom, which allows for zooming in on high resolution images without waiting for large files to download. Read more about it here, and be sure to check out Elvis Presley's tiger-embroidered pants suit.