Images, Apps, and More

(L-R) David Lee King, Jeff Rey, Rob Bruno

Jeff Rey described the process of launching the new NOAA Photo Library (it has not actually been launched because of the government shutdown).

The NOAA Library is the steward of weather data, etc. from the edge of space to the bottom of the ocean. The Photo Library highlights work by the NOAA staff. It has 20 collections with a total of over 80,000 images. All images are in the public domain. Submitters must provide metadata with their images. Here are some migration challenges and solutions.

• The previous site owner did not create any policy or documentation so the current managers had no information on how to continue the site. Migration was therefore a triage.
• Uploading images and metadata was done using web scraping and scripts.
• New site’s CMS has limited capabilities.

Processing workflow can be done for single images and batch submission of metadata with multiple images. Then submissions are evaluated for processing. File type (either JPG or TIFF) and resolution  are checked. Lists of invalid files are generated. Image directories are generated from valid CSV files and metadata. Exif metadata is written to images using a template, and images are moved to image directories. Once everything is complete, the images are moved to the public site.

Rob Bruno from the Levy Library of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital  described the development of their mobile app. It potentially could be used by 39K employees. Reasons for building it:

• Get the Levy Library on users’ home screens,
• Quickly view upcoming classes and events,
• Put the most popular database links in one place,
• Use smartphone features such as GPS, and
• Integrate with WorldCat Discovery.

Demco software was used. Demco is an established software developer. Submission of their configurations was done using a template. A version of the app was also built for iOS and Android. (If you want to investigate other developers, clutch.co is recommended.) Kickoff was set for April 2018. The first build (Sept 2018) was just a shell. Needed to put pressure on developers to make progress.

Beta testing and feedback occurred in January 2019. Internal review and launch will happen momentarily.

Lessons learned:

David Lee King discussed best practices for images. Using an image gives much more engagement than just describing your social media channel. The goal is to have people quickly “get” your message.

• Edit your photos, Crop them, adjust brightness levels, contrast, etc.
• Follow normal photography rules: rule of thirds, use space to your advantage and leading lines.
• Interact with people–share on Facebook, ask them to do something. If they respond, reply.
• Be consistent with postings: schedule postings, assign dates, make sure it’s part of someone’s workload.
• Use stories to get interaction and draw people into the library.
• Focus on your followers by sharing their content by reposting photos of what people are making (ask permission first).
• Use hashtags.Have a goal for the photo and decide what you want people to do next.
• Have fun!