Read the Github as a Library example repository.
Interact with this approach through the sandbox repository.
This project exists in the space between Library and Information Science (LIS) and Computer Science (CS), and therefore between two different approaches to the technical side of information systems. CS is an academic discipline focused on the technical (hardware and software) of the computer. The professions within CS value efficiency and have systems with standardized processes which handle information storage and project collaboration complete the action of this value. LIS is a professional discipline focused on information systems and the processes within them. The mode of work in LIS differs, where process can differ by the individual and the focus their work often centers around process, such as making preservation decisions, rather than automating those processes.
Working with information systems has become a common task in LIS with the advancement of technology. Most LIS program cirriculum has been updated to include learning how to code and work with database systems. However, computer science education, as it seems from my experience hearing from other students, has failed to be understood as approachable by many students outside the discipline. This seems to be due to the presentation of these systems being limited to technical details, with no contextual vehicle to support their communication. To a computer scientist, these systems ar vital, but this view is not necessarily shared with LIS professionals whose work has evolved to be more digital as the result of technical advancements. Learning how to use these systems is of value to LIS when one considers how libraries are situated to support educating their communities about technical systems their patrons encounter, and the value to their patrons to be able to independently understand those systems. Developing a deeper knowledge of technical systems helps remove users from the idea that these systems are "magic" and allows them to more accurately weigh on their own accord the affordances and risks of technical systems in their lives.
This tutorial website attempts to communicate the functionality of Github, a massive database of software, within the context of digital LIS work to ground new technical concepts. It attempts to communicate these systems to an appropriate technical degree for a beginning user. This tutorial is geared toward students in LIS who are learning to develop their process of working with information, while also learning how to use digital systems with which they may not have prior technical experience.
This is a project for building an introductory tutorial which illustrates the practical application of Community Code Archival Librarianship, a method of approaching a Github repository, for educational purposes. The tutorial is a website, and include an annotated bibliography of supporting capta to provide an access point for research in the digital humanities.
This project originates from the article We Go Together: Situating Github in Library Science, which argues for how core values from Library Science and Archives are applicable to Github as a platform, and the Free Open Source Software (FOSS) project communities it supports. This discussion is the capta of the tutorial. Additional capta is the annotated bibliography.
Community Code Archival Librarianship is defined in We Go Together: Situating Github in Library Science as "a methodology of understanding who carries out the actions of both a librarian and archivist in cases involving software and FOSS communities. This term may be used to describe the collective action of multiple individuals or entities."
For the purpose of showing simple examples of a Github repository, the CCAL Examples was created. Screenshots of this repository are used in the tutorial to provide references to actions on Github without including complex technical terms which a beginner user may not understand. This repository exists to be read through alongside or in addition to the tutorial.
To allow a space for interactive learning of understanding Github as a library, the sandox repository was created. Sandbox repositories are commonly used in software to allow new users to experiment with the functionality of a tool before formally using it. This sandbox space protects the actual code from being broken, and in this case, preserves the examples repository for best readability.
While this project was completed in a course, there is potential for future work with this project. Some idea are as follows:
- adding Javascript functionality
- imbedding GIFs or videos of use of each tab on Github into the tutorial webpage
- creating a video walkthrough which is either imbedded in the website or links to a video platform ex. vimeo, youtube
In accordance with recommendations on in The Endings Project, the tutorial website will remain in HTML/CSS, and future additions for interactivity should use plain Javascript instead of Javascript packages. This will support the digital preservation of the website, even if it is no longer maintained after a certain point.
As of December 2022, the website and this repository remain maintained.