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Trudy Levy, Image Integration

Image Integration, consultants in creating, managing and using digital images and host of this site, faced an interesting challenge this spring which we just satisfactorily completed. Image Integration was hired by the Bainbridge Bunting Memorial Slide Library of the University of New Mexico to develop file naming and management conventions. All "meetings" and information exchange were to occur electronically.

Initially the information gathering was proposed to be done by means of a web based questionnaire, but from past experience, Trudy Levy, of Image Integration, has discovered that crucial information, which can spell the success of a project, is not revealed by simple direct questions. This crucial information is usually formed by each groupsı unique work process. If this is not taken into account, trial and error result. File management, as many of you have probably learned, is not a good area to practice trial and error, as each trial compounds the error. So far the best way to uncover the unique factors in each groups work process has been in casual unstructured discussions about the entire work process.

For example:

During a discussion prior to a project to move one group's images to a network, an apparently irrelevant factor became very important to the success of the project. They had been using images from PhotoCDs, which unfortunately do not create unique file names - a must in file management. It was clear some renaming was necessitated, but these images were already linked to a significant quantity of desktop publishing files. If they were renamed or moved, all the image links in the desktop publishing files would have to be restored. If the renaming process had not take into account the relinking of the image files to the desktop publishing files, the result would have been catastrophic.

Thus, beyond the conventional information such as platforms, existing conventions, significance ,the crucial information which she is always looking for could best be described as:

Key bit of information

While each file name must be unique, unique does not mean meaningless. A naming scheme is strengthened when it preserves a trace of information to identity the file. As in the above example the key bit was integral to maintaining a good workflow. For libraries it is often the best information for identifying a file. Databases do become corrupt, therefore it is safer, if each file contain some identifying information, attempt to recreate the whole store of information a that is to complex. The simpler and more self evident or easily documented, the better.

Implementation Procedure

The goal is to reduce the possibility of human error in data entry by automating the process as much as possible. This procedure is often not developed until implementation actually occurs, when it is done by the seat of the pants. At which time an apparent error proof system may develop many holes. For this reason, Image Integration has always included establishing an implementation procedure as part of its creating file naming and management conventions.

To our delight Trudy found a web solution which was more time effective and reliable then past meetings. In this solution she was able to have all participants - network administrator, database developer (off site consultant) and the entire library staff involved with the digital collection - contribute, without anyone ³wasting their time² listening to discussions which did not impact their effort. Also because of the time lapse, people could ponder the impact to their effort and then respond.

The Solution was a combination of a simple questionnaire which was to be answered only if the questions concerned the respondent's area of expertise and several scenarios describing possible procedures for naming and entering image files into the database systems. Each scenario presented a noted ³problem² and all were asked to react and respond to the scenarios in terms of their actual area of expertise on the team.

The scenarios and direct questions were posted to a private web site. An email describing the purpose and the web questionnaire was then circulated to each participant. They were asked to respond on the web and ³send² the information directly to image Integration. The network administrator did just that. He provided the technical information requested and also made some great observations about the Implementation scenarios. In particular he was concerned that the names be self-evident.

The library staff, however, decided to take advantage of the ³thought provoking² scenarios to have an in-house discussion about the implementation and the structure of their developing database. They then sent their thoughts and questions off to Image Integration in a group email. This continued as an email discussion between Image Integration and the library staff to develop a procedure with which they were comfortable.

The remaining participant, the database developer, preferred a telephone call, if there were any questions. By this time, the procedure and conventions which would best meet UNM goals were becoming clear. They were explained to the developer, to see if he foresaw any difficulty from data entry into his program. He saw none and added that his database could contribute to reducing human error by generating the file names.

Thus the three parts of the team, under Image Integration's direction, contributed to a simple but strong solution. A solution arrived at by means information exchange and discussions via the web, email and the telephone.

 
Image Integration
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