Hazman Aziz.com

I should be feeling thankful to the Almight God that he has given me the opportunities to play a multi-roles in my life lately. Just to share with you guys, apart from just working in an academic library and a son, I am also a soldier. These three weeks (between 22nd July to 8th August), I have been recall back to report to my Reservist camp in Clementi.

A Librarian Role
Working in the academic librarian with a veneration of saints that safe keep the highest knowledge of the entire nation or even to the extent of a civilization is one of my daily roles in life. With the advent of technology today, I have the opportunities to explore using my initiative and creativity to promote the usage of a knowledge silo (library) to be  mobilise into an entity that adopt formulation. This formulation is embraced by with a community of scholar that works to enhance our daily life for the sake of knowledge economy to be driven as far as we are able to prove the regime of truth. Knowledge mobilisation for the Library 2.0 to adopt and explore to embrace the beyond entity of the truth.

In the layman term, promoting information that each library has subscribed to a number of online information providers need to be known (or market) to the users. This is to ensure the information awareness is there as to estimate the perceive of usefulness and ease of use to ensure the sustainability of desirability for each patrons to fully utilise the resource effectively and efficiency.

” Has the libraries (especially in Singapore) reach this objectivity yet? “

A question, a pondering that this trainee librarian always ponder each day when he comes to the office and stare at the library technology and system’s infrastructure. He is not too sure if his senior librarians does  even took this as a consideration to measure the critical success for the organisation to evolve in hybrid way. Sometimes, yes. And, sometimes, no. Anyway, he is always trying his best to share this to the community.

A Soldier Role

Returning back home to Singapore, I am not too sure where I have made the correct decision or not. But, this is my 2nd year, I have been scheduled and called up to serve the rest of liability as a Singaporean male. 10 years of reservists life. I am assigned to SAF’s 2nd PDF, 821 SIR. Charlie Company, Platoon VII as the Acting Platoon Sergeant. If you wish to know more about National Service in Singapore, you can check out here.

As Platoon Sergeant, it does give me a number of perspective to the roles and responsibilities.

To be truthful, it is really tough for me to handle these two responsibilities at this age. Moreover, as a son, I still need to finish of my postgraduate studies and graduate from the Graduate School. Now, I really feel that I am a cross point of my life and career. Like …

• Why must I go through this life, two careers
• How long can I endure
• Will this make me a better person or man

Life still has to go on. Thanks goodness, I have the entire weekend to ponder these thoughts.

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New sections have been added recently, Photos and The Hazzie Show, this simply illustration as mash up between this blog, Facebook Photo (Photos) and also The Hazzie Show (YouTube). Let’s me share how I delivered this functions to beef up this site for the community keep updates with my activities in Singapore towards the passion for webology culture.

Fotobook

The Photos
The Photos sections is using Fotobook. It is a WordPress plugin that will link to our Facebook account and import all of our photo albums into a page on this website installation. It makes use of Facebook’s API so importing your photos is a breeze. This plugin is designed by Aaron Harp, a great chap from Ovilla, Texas. Aaron also has developed a great number of Wordpress plugin, such as Managable, that you to administrate your Wordpress with ease.

So, I have installed this tool to save up some of my server space and store all my photos in one location, Facebook. Tonnes of helps from the two web developers, Aaron Harp and Mark Zuckerberg.

For librarians, this would actually represents a lot of means to them, such as:

1. space constraint
2. marketing into two spheres; (i) facebook – controlled environment, (ii) the blog sphere – uncontrolled environment
3. easy management
4. creative in graphic delivery

Frankly speaking, librarians should adopt Facebook as a form of a profile file. This will actually make each librarian deliver his/her service with a personal touch, increasing the level of service dimension.

The Hazzie Show
I have Photos integrated, we should have videos too. This to spicy up the mywebsite with the hidden talents of the members. I am using TubePress to deliver this functionality, an intergration between Wordpress platform and also YouTube.com. TubePress is developed by Eric Hough. This is a marvellous tool to bring out our creativity into this site.

The methodology for storage is similar to Fotobook. You can check out more details from TubePress’s weblog. Well, now you can also follow up all the related videos that I have developed.

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“My design should win because… this artwork is personal to me. It was designed way before I know of this competition. The design was did to release (my stress), relieve (from it for a while)”

- Rasidah Ab. Rahim (url)

A friend of mine shares his wife design interest for mid cut boot. This is very interesting that Dr. Martens creates a design competition to find out the creativity of their user. I am not really a big fan of wear boots after serving the Army for 2.5 years of my life. Speaking of that, this reminds me that I will be going back to my Reservist Camp next 3 week and back to military life.

A librarian, a postgraduate student, a son, a brother and lastly a soldier that is what I am. To be frank, playing all these roles in my life is not really easy. The responsible is high as there are pros and cons. But, what can I brag more. I am born here, 23 years out of 27 years of my life, growing up on this small island. And, along with other boys, we all have to do it. Boots, that what always reminds me of. Responsible, nation, and fitness.There is not democratic when you are wearing one. It mean power, even if your knowledge is wider. The level of authority is much stronger. They would said, “lower rank move first”.

Well, she changed the perspective of boots. That is what I think of this artwork. A symbolize on an angel coming down from the heaven,  give the release, relieve and relive to the user wearing the boot. Maybe she is right. Well, if I were to look from he perspective of metal rock, punks or even skalites. That’s actually reminds me of this YouTube’s videos.

The young ones – Dr martens boots song

Or maybe, let me share a secret, I just the librarian who actually wearing safety boot to the library and soon be a ska librarian in an academic setting.

Dr. Martens – Spec Commercial

Anyway, let’s give my friend our support. To be frank, the design is great! Let’s vote, guys.

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I was trying to figure out how a librarian is able to redifine video marketing via social media site like YouTube.com, Veoh.com and even Facebook Video can help the library promotion to be more vocal on the internet. And, I found out some good documentary actually hosted on Youtube.com that explained Islam, The Empire of Faith.

What it is all about?
“This documentary is an excellent introduction to those aspect of Islam which is covers. It covers, at about 50 minutes each, three aspects of the religion: Mohammed and the origins, the culture and the first Christian crusade, and the Ottoman empire. Each is given excellent coverage but it is very much a secular description rather than a religious one. For those people who have little knowledge of Islam except for exposure to the western propaganda and the news of Islamic terrorist (a minute minority of the whole) this is an eye-opening documentary. Everyone should know about the rich cultural heritage which kept alive intellectual pursuits during the dark ages of western Europe. The sections on the Ottoman empire and the fall of Constantinople is well covered and provided some information most are not familiar with.” – IMDB

Even though, I am a born Muslim. Lot’s of stuffs about my faith, I don’t really understand. But, I begin to embrace each knowledge pass and share with me, taken what I can learnt and turn it as a seed of my life foundation.

Librarians should watch this video as it describe how the early scholarly works is form. The creation of paper that leads to books and manuscripts. And, how paper that content knowledge able to spread all the three regions of the world.

City of Córdoba in Andalucía, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba is one of the city in the Western world that benefit from the knowledge of the empire of faith. Córdoba was the birthplace of four famous philosophers: in Roman times the stoic Seneca, in Islamic times the Muslim Averroes, one of Islam’s most famous and eminent scholars Imam Abu ‘Abdullah Al-Qurtubi and the Jewish scholar Maimonides. Córdoba was also the birthplace of the Roman poet Lucan, the medieval Spanish poet Juan de Mena, and the Renaissance Luis de Góngora, who lived most of his life and wrote all his most important works but one in Córdoba. In addition some scholars have linked the Renaissance philosopher Abraham Cohen de Herrera to the city. More recently, several flamenco artists including Paco Peña, Vicente Amigo, and Joaquín Cortés were born here as well.

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“Wow!” – I won’t denied it that what the web is able to turn us into today. Here is my observation on the relationship between a man and machine:

” … From a nobody, into an entity. An entity that build up the energy in self’s container that bonds and links to the node, which could not travel beyond it could. Faster than a speeding bullet, power than the impact of Nagasaki. Leaving a chronicles of trials that left the other entities to ponder and wish to know more and more that this entity is able to couple and manage…“

I shared this thought with actually my dad and mom (and my girlfriend too). Looking back 10 years ago, when I just finish off my secondary school (GCE O level / junior-high school) in Singapore, I told my folks exactly I want to study History & Anthropology.

“No son, we are in Singapore. We need to study subject which much more practical, like from engineering, computers or accountancy. This will secure us a job. Not history, Singapore has no land to dig and find dinosaur’s bones. Or even war for us to analysis”

Gosh, that goes my dream to be a Military Historian. Someone, who will work in a Naval organisation, learning about historical war tactics, finding warship and its route of exploration. My dream totally shattered into pieces. Of course, that would not be a held back for me to explore the world. At that time, I am starting to explore the Internet, by building simple website, trying to bypass the hosting specification. The idea, I want to host multimedia file such as sound and video, but the space is constraint. I worked around it by read the HTML code and try all sort of embbeded mode. Maybe, sometime, I should upload my very first website.

You, guys will have a good laugh at it. Btw, it is done in 1997. I will search my server at home later.

Anyway, back to Prof. Wesch’s story. Michael Wesch, he is an antropoly professor.

“An assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, set out to study the culture of YouTube users, and he ended up becoming a video star in the process. He and his students have been lovingly documenting how people are using their Web cams to express themselves, and his short videos about the new ways the Web is connecting people have been viewed millions of times…” —Jeffrey R. Young (Wired Campus)

He came out this video for his studies on Digital Ethnography.

Digital Ethography is about exploring human uses of digital technology. And, if I were to look back on my journey, aligning it to my interests. I have been making use lots of technology concept to manage a number project and at the same time sharing with the community. Of course, I have a number of questions that friends and even colleagues have approached me. Here are the top 20 questions that I always have to face and answer:

1. What is your latest project …
2. Who are your community …
3. How is your do this …
4. Where do you got this knowledge …
5. Can you share with me …
6. Where is the information on …
7. What are you working as …
8. How can this tools help you …
9. Where do your find so much time doing this …
10. What is your justification …
11. Can I clone you …
12. Is this legal …
13. Don’t you scare of …
14. Can you help me in locating …
15. What is the incentive in return …
16. Why do you become a …
17. Do you know …
18. Do they pay well ..
19. Where do you get this …
20. Can we do a joint …

As the questions pile up, I have noticed that these questions are actually reference questions, indirectly. Guess I have figured out myself through my Master Distertation studies based on Jahoda’s model. From this model, I am trying to align the acceptance level between operations and technology to deliver a unique FAQs system or Ask a Librarian system. If I were to look backagain, the root is still lay with a piece of information called datum. This datum is an entity. An entity that is helpless which either cause from an enquiries or self created from another catalyst. With the concept of social networking, that entity can be also refer to a human (in case, a human with a piece of information). That would bring to a question:

1. What can I do with this information
2. Where can I located/link/share with this information
3. Which part of this piece of information useful
4. Why is the information created
5. How can I go beyond here …

Of course, with the advent of technology, today, all the 5 pieces of information are answered. Not excatly 100 percent. But from that orginal state, that piece of information is mobilised. And to mobilised thsi piece, a force is needed. That would then bring us to the equation F = ma, shorthand for Newton’s second law of motion. And if you were to look back at Prof Wesch’s video again, that actually explain the closest theory to what I am studying, which left me pondering trails. It is quite for me figure it out now, but to understand the an in-depth Look at the cyber-Phenomenon of our Time: Web 2.0.

Well the society has shifted to this. So is the library science industry, adopting Library 2.0 into their mode of services. The next questions that I would check out, if the journalism industry has a created a citizen journalism sphere. Does the library science industry will have citizen librarianship?

Let’s me ponder more … Well, this might be a digital ethnography study within the librarianship. And, I would like to tell my dad and mom, as watching them growing old (they used to tell me they love to me grow up) …

” … after that conversation, it does changes a lot my perspective towards life. I do not regret it at all going to Engineering school and then Computer Science School. Today, I am what I am as you guided me the light to strengthen my path in my interest. I am getting the best of the two worlds. Even I don’t get to dig, I can now start to dig between the virtual world and a rich information centre.”

Hopefully, in ten years down, I hope to sort out the ponder where I have started, before I am growing old too and watching my own kids growing up.

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This morning, as I just switching on my Lappy, an interesting article was streamed down to my Google Reader. Cool! Free and Open Source Options for Creating Database-Driven Subject Guides by Edward M. Corrado and Kathryn A. Frederick

Abstract
This article reviews available cost-effective options libraries have for updating and maintaining pathfinders such as subject guides and course pages. The paper discusses many of the available options, from the standpoint of a mid-sized academic library which is evaluating alternatives to static-HTML subject guides. Static HTML guides, while useful, have proven difficult and time-consuming to maintain. The article includes a discussion of open source database-driven solutions (such as SubjectsPlus, LibData, Research Guide, and Library Course Builder), Wikis, and social tagging sites like del.icio.us. This article discusses both the functionality and the relative strengths and weaknessess of each of these options.

I agreed that Open Source development has benefit me to the max, improving my knowledge from a bloke who lost interests in the IT industry and gain back into the information science industry. As both covers the creation of Database-Driven Subject Guides. Yesterday, I just finished touch up a lost open source code called Gregarius.

Gregarius is a web-based RSS/RDF/ATOM feed aggregator, designed to run on your web server, allowing you to access your news sources from wherever you want.

Completely web-based (runs on your web server)

Simple, password-protected, administration and configuration

AJAX powered item tagging

Full-text search

Committed to web standards: renders XHTML/CSS, supports OPML

Gregarius is FREE software and is released under the GPL

I have tuned Gregarius as a Subject Librarian RSS Feed Library sharing the librarians prefered RSS with the targeted users. Librarians can also categories their feeds accordingly to (1)folders, (2)tags and (3)categories. I have incorporated this into the Business Library Corporate Blog and also to my Podium.

If you wish to view the prototype, here is the url: http://hazmanaziz.com/gregarius/. Feel free to feedback too.

Managing RSS Feeds (management of information organisation) is becoming a dilemma for many reasons, due to a couple of reason. I am actually going to present this presentation in a local academic staff session, sharing about RSS Feeds development. Topic: Embrace!

Leave you guys with the Database-Driven Subject Guides, while I am going to download and explore the software soon. It will be just after my Army Reservist Training, around August.

Interesting stuffs (work) about these two authors:

About the Authors
Edward M. Corrado is Systems Librarian at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) located in Ewing, NJ, USA. Corrado earned his Masters of Library Service from Rutgers University and has been working with library technology for over ten years. His scholarly interests include the use of social networking, emerging technologies, and Open Source Software in libraries. He is also on the editorial committee of the Code4Lib Journal. If you would like to contact him, his Web site is http://ecorrado.us/.

Kathryn A. Frederick is the Access and Electronic Services Librarian at Elmira College (Elmira, NY). Ms. Frederick views libraries as vital social institutions and ponders their changing role in society. She is interested in expanding the scope and quality of library services by, among other things, integrating Web 2.0 and Open Source tools. Ms. Frederick is active in the New York Library Association (NYLA), currently serving as President of the NYLA SMART section. Visit www.kathrynafrederick.org for more information.

Mine would be:
Hazman Aziz is an trainee librarian with Library Technology and System and a Business Librarian (IT & Operations Management) with NTU Business Library at the Nanyang Technological University. Currently, he is trying his best to earn his Master of Science (Information Studies) and at the same time pondering about the Webotology Podium for Library 2.0 to be embrace in the local academic environment. Hazman is also active is the community work helping out the L’Hexagon French Club Alumni into the viral marketing using the Web 2.0 platform in the area of community knowledge sharing. Recently, he is help out the knowledge management cluster , in the areas of academic research to study the environment of knowledge mobilisation within a society.

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What a Joke to start my day at the studio, today!

Previously, I have been following the accusation of Librarians towards Google business models in penetrating the digitalization, cataloging, presentation and achieving digital books to the free world. From my understand and observation, Google hatl the project as I guess they have reached the targeted milestone in one of their key performance indicator. Thus, they are keeping silence for a while.

At the recent ALA conference, Google wasn’t there. This sparked out a number of assumptions through out the librarian blog-o-sphere, with the non – present of Google at the Anaheim, CA on the June 26–July 2, 2008. While, the report is out on Wired Campus, spreading the news all over the universities network in the world. by Andrea L. Foster

Google Reaches Out to Librarians

Google released an update today to its Librarian Central blog, heeding the complaints of some librarians that the company has been ignoring them. The blog announcement? Google is closing the blog but will communicate with librarians via a newsletter that it will send out “every few months.” The update provided a link to the issue released today. It includes an article on organizing medical records with Google and Google Book Search, its massive book digitization project.

“We want to keep this dialog open, so please stay in touch with us,” the post reads.

Article can be read at this url.

So, I decided to check out what Google has to say …

Endless summer
Friday, July 11, 2008 9:28 AM
Posted by Bethany Poole, Product Marketing Manager

As you may have noticed, we’ve taken a somewhat leisurely summer break here at Librarian Central. We’ve been thinking about how to best communicate with you, our audience, and as a result, we’ve decided to close this blog in order to focus on our newsletter…

Read more about this post.

Oh my Goodness, Google.

That is really a long summer break. From June 29, 2007 11:23 AM, they you guys are taking a summer break, now you are claiming that your summer break drags till 2008. Common Google, just bring it out the truth that you want a change your marketing model in outreaching it. Please don’t put us as the IT Professional in the bad shape. We are already working our pants off to support the Library system, sometimes drag all the way to midnight that users or any other librarians do not aware off. And, Google as one of our ideal place to work, replied with such remark on the corporate blog. This is unprofessional. If you do not want to apologize too, a simple explanation, that you are changing your marketing model would do great. Just like in your third para.

Google, I have never been to America. My works have been reading by lot’s off people from all walks of life. I am also an ICT professional with an eBusiness Management background and also attending Master of Science (Information Studies), specialising in the Information Management areas. At the same time, I am also have the opportunities of working with an academic library, doing a dual role. Operations and Subject. Lately, I am invited by the Faculty of my school to learn and follow up with knowledge managment research, studying the basic elements of knowledge mobilisation. Thus, indirectly, I am doing a research in my current career.

What am I doing for my operations work at the library?

Operational Responsibilities :

Research developments in new technology initiatives for library’s information services and resources

Assist in the administration of the Library FAQ system (Web 2.0 applications using CRM)

Assist in the administration of the Library Website & Development

Assist in the acquisition of IT equipments (for Library)

Above are my main roles, apart from that in my secondary roll. I am covering up most of my senior system librarian (who are IT professional with proper basic degree in computer science or engineering) in administration other part of the library IT infrastructure. As a trainee, I have the privileges to do some initiative ideas to spice up the Library environment and to make the project a realistic implementation. This is because I have the elements knowledge of eBusiness management during my undergraduate days at University of Wollongong.

Of course, as an IT proffesional, I do make a lot of mistakes at work such as I estimated that this project would work or a success. And, as a young bloke, freshly gaduated from the university in 2006, I also tend to keep quiet and making the community to worry what is happening.

But after attend Remix 07, by Microsoft last year, Microsoft also claims and agreed that today business model have to be community driven based. Look at YouTube.com, the produce that you recently acquired. Look at Facebook. They all are some of the ideal place where today youngster like me, would like to work and explore our talents and creativity as young IT professionals.

But again, the journey to climb the initial career isn’t that easy, mate. Especially, going through those human resource interviews. I was lucky and glad that my current university given me an opportunity to start my initial career. But, with the library. On my mind, what the heck?

Library, as my one of my proffesor advices trid to look at the library, they might need an young IT lad who knows abot opensource development, especially blogging and social media. You made a good asset to help them in socialising their brick and mortar operations.

So, I decided to take on their advices and apply all the library.

Frankly, library is the last place of destination in my mind. But, after studying the development of library science, it is not bad after all, watching from far on how American librarians trying to promote their services via the Web 2.0 efforts and socialising their current IT infrastructure. I guess during this journey, some of the librarians there do face some unexpected issues in this project milestones, such as they do not have the background of the relevant IT knowledge and trying to outsource. And, then been play out. As I observed this situation, I noticed a “regime of truth” is born in gaining this knowledge management.

We called it for this area knowledge mobilisation as the piece of entity (information) is move around the sphere of network using the relevant technology from a related pool of source. In this case, the source would come from the library. For ancient of years, since born of Empire of Faith, knowledge has been created and kept in a place which today known as Library. Library symbolised the civilistion of mankind, aligned with the place of workship, where the faith gains it confident. Hurting the library is just like hurting the entire civilisation of mankind as all the collection pool is centralised into one locality.

But, again as technology evolves, economic up and down, lot’s of people forget about the library, similar to the fate of place of worship. One of the example is Iraq, both a destroy just in a matter of days, whipping the country into total anarchy. This is one of the stuffs that I learn in library school but not from a business or computing school.

Well, as a user of Google, an IT Professional, a trainee librarian, a user of the library, I still still Google should sit down with the Librarians. Invited them to Googleplex, share with the community what is Google’s plan. And, librarians should also time to visit Googleplex find out what is Google plan. Google might know something, which they would not want to release out at this time. Maybe, ibeat due to the technology model, business model or etc. Through, this visit, you guys would then learn something and maybe even help out in each other to move forward in this industry. I guess inviting the Librarians and giving a meal wouldn’t cost. Well, let’s me more democratic to get both party benefit from this coming oil inflation.

Lastly, this entry, I do not stand for any both party. But as a third person, watching the industry hurting each other and contributing my two cents worth of thoughts and experience as an IT proffesional and a trainee librarian in the far east.

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