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I recently joined a team that is transcribing more than 6,000 letters to and from a very prominent writer. The work until now has been done in a very primitive fashion. There's an Spreadsheet log of each letter and a Word file for each transcription. I would like to bring the operation to the XXI century. What kind of software should I use to archive these documents? [more inside]
posted by Omon Ra on Mar 5, 2020 - 4 answers

I am publishing a nonfiction book, and the citations need to be checked. I know that many newspapers have online archives, but are there other ways to check citations via the Internet? [more inside]
posted by Surprised By Bees on Oct 22, 2018 - 7 answers

I am looking for a way to categorize and search a list of books using database software. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by Biblio on Nov 14, 2016 - 6 answers

What is the cause of errors in a small library OPAC? Technical services librarians and database experts, your wisdom is appreciated. [more inside]
posted by bad grammar on Mar 8, 2016 - 9 answers

I am responsible for a library of about 1200 books, which I've cataloged in a database. I'd like to put the database on our website so that readers can search for a book without having to visit the library. I have experience with Python and to a lesser extent, MySQL. What is the best way to create a searchable database online using these tools or something else that's relatively easy to learn?
posted by stinker on Mar 9, 2015 - 8 answers

I'd like to set up a web-based system that will allow me to enter document records and make them available to multiple groups of logged-in users on a set schedule so they can select documents they are interested in. After all is said and done, I want to be able to access a sorted list of the documents so I can get them where they need to go easily. [more inside]
posted by hmmnathan on Feb 13, 2015 - 2 answers

I've just finished adding all of my owned books into a personal database app. Now what can I do with that information? [more inside]
posted by jefficator on Jan 21, 2015 - 5 answers

I am looking for a way to generate lists of library books from my library's catalog and have them display on a different webpage. [more inside]
posted by Biblio on Jan 18, 2015 - 6 answers

Is there demand for digital librarians trained in data management, exposing electronic collections, digital archiving, and so on? [more inside]
posted by jsturgill on Dec 17, 2012 - 15 answers

How do I choose an image from a large collection of rare (or rare editions of) illustrated children's books at the public library? The Friends of that Library would like to use one of the images to promote a fundraiser for the collection, and I need some help navigating copyright and practical issues surrounding that choice. [more inside]
posted by saguaro on Nov 2, 2011 - 5 answers

Are there any online databases that hold older European papers? [more inside]
posted by Ideefixe on May 11, 2011 - 2 answers

How can I organize all of these video clips from different sources (Flip cam, iPhone cam, etc) into some kind of database to make it usable? [more inside]
posted by JMB1138 on Apr 11, 2011 - 3 answers

Please help me to figure out if any library catalog entries were lost during a file transfer from an old to a newer computer. [more inside]
posted by dancingfruitbat on Feb 15, 2011 - 5 answers

Attempting to create an online "television" for a massive online course that would rotate through content created by the course participants. Similar idea to betamaxmas but will probably include static visual content like Flickr feeds as well. Hoping to not have to build this completely from scratch but coming up blank on all searches. Read on for the dirty details [more inside]
posted by genial on Feb 2, 2011 - 3 answers

I'm looking for good Mac-based database software for organizing several hundred gigs of photos for a small art production / fabrication team. [more inside]
posted by catrae on Jan 25, 2011 - 5 answers

How can I obtain access to ProQuest's Historical St. Louis Post-Dispatch [1874-1922] database? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 3, 2011 - 7 answers

Librarians, art historians, art researchers and scholars: From the perspective of art historical periodicals research with the widest range of relevance for art studio and art history students and instructors, which is the better database, Art Abstracts ~ or ~ Art and Architecture Complete? [more inside]
posted by xod on Nov 11, 2010 - 4 answers

Beyond the stacks - what library e-resources shouldn't I miss as a new grad student? [more inside]
posted by deludingmyself on Jul 14, 2010 - 15 answers

Plant/Computers Filter: What's the best way to create an easily searchable digital database/library? Any program recommendations? [more inside]
posted by pulled_levers on Jul 2, 2010 - 4 answers

Librarians? Anyone? I'm looking for information on describing and/or predicting cat personality characteristics. I've been trying to find a library (or otherwise borrowable) copy of the ASPCA's "Meet Your Match Feline-ality guide" somewhere, or science/research/articles about it. No hits in WorldCat. Is it hopeless? [more inside]
posted by amtho on May 30, 2010 - 6 answers

What's the best way to create a circulation database for a small-medium music score library? [more inside]
posted by those are my balloons on May 22, 2009 - 8 answers

What's the best library database for finding journal articles on Internet and other digital research? [more inside]
posted by gusandrews on Nov 11, 2008 - 14 answers

A two-part question on accessing scholarly library materials from abroad. [more inside]
posted by Brian James on Jul 19, 2005 - 4 answers

As per this question a couple of weeks ago, the insurance company paid up and I'm the owner of a brand new Canon 20D. Unfortunately, the new camera didn't come wiht any database software like my old D60 did. Now I need a new way to keep track of all the photos. (MI)... [more inside]
posted by trbrts on Nov 17, 2004 - 4 answers

I know, I know -- not another web photogallery AskMe question, but: I've actually settled on the gallery itself. I'm using JAlbum. Having made the choice, though, I'm left with two questions:

1. JAlbum makes nice galleries, but doesn't create a top-level index page. (I could hand-code it, but my wife will be doing most of the updating and I don't want her to have to go mucking around in HTML.) The easiest solution, I'd think, would be just to reformat the directory listing into something attractive -- all I really need to communicate to the user is descriptive folder names and upload dates, but I'd prefer to make something more handsome than the standard Apache page. Can anyone recommend a particular PHP file system manager or other solution?

2. JAlbum's auto upload is ridiculously slow -- better just to FTP it. When JAblum makes a gallery, though, it includes a lot of stuff I'm not using -- icon sets, borders, etc. It's not a ton of space, but I'm going to uploading a lot of these galleries, and it'll add up. Is there a programmatic way I can stop JAlbum from including all this, instead of weeding it out before each upload? (I'm using the BluPlusPlus skin.)
posted by blueshammer on Sep 5, 2004 - 1 answer

I have a rather picky online photo album management question. [more inside]
posted by mrbula on Aug 16, 2004 - 4 answers

Content cataloging script recommendations? [more inside]
posted by jca on Apr 22, 2004 - 1 answer

Sorting digital images. I went digital a year and a half ago and I still haven't figured out a way to sort my pictures that really works for me (by which I mean edit, in the sense of going through and picking out the keepers and organizing them by merit, subject, whatever). Before I went digital I used to just get cheap 4x6 prints of everything on every roll and had a very efficient system for sorting through, editing and organizing them, is there anything software-wise which makes this intuitive and easy, or should I just start printing? I find moving images around in folders really counter-intuitive for this purpose. Any suggestions?
posted by biscotti on Mar 7, 2004 - 12 answers