Message-Id: <mailto:199410251304.IAA05911@library.wustl.edu> Date: Tue, 25 Oct 1994 09:04:45 -0400 From: Pamela Mason <mailto:pmason@NALUSDA.GOV> Subject: Invitation to Evaluate Image Database To: Multiple recipients of list IMAGELIB <mailto:IMAGELIB@ARIZVM1.BITNET>
Subscribers of Imagelib and VRA-L, The following letter was mailed to potential evaluators from the land grant and cooperative extension service community. In an effort to reach others who might find the content of the database of interest, I am posting this invitation to the two lists. Apologies to those who subscribe to both and will receive two invitations. Cheers, Pamela *ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ* | Pamela Mason, Project Manager | National Agricultural Library |
| mailto:pmason@nalusda.gov | Information Systems Division |
| Phone: (301) 504-6813 | 10301 Baltimore Blvd. |
| Phone: (301) 504-7473 | Beltsville, MD 20705-2351 |
*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*ÿ*The National Agricultural Library (NAL), in cooperation with the University of Pittsburgh School of Library and Information Sciences and Michigan State University Cooperative Extension Service, has produced a horticultural database of nearly 2000 full-color images and their descriptions.
Two different collections are represented: the first 26 volumes of Curtis' Botanical Magazine (1787-1813) and a slide collection of common landscaping plant pests and diseases from MSU. The Curtis collection includes not only the hand-colored botanical prints, but images of the text descriptions for each plant, plus the corrected index to the volumes. The plant pests and diseases collection includes the most commonly-seen problems as well as selected images of beneficial insects to enable their identification. We invite you to participate in the evaluation of these two collections in both the online and CD-ROM versions during the 6-month period from November, 1994 through April,1995.
The image database will reside on a World Wide Web server at the University of Pittsburgh that will be accessed through a MOSAIC client residing on the participants'computers (which can be PCs, Macintoshes, X-terminals or workstations). MOSAIC clients are available for all these platforms. The image files are being stored in TIFF (Tagged Image File Format), but can be requested in GIF (8-bit color) as well as JPEG (24-bit color). Indeed, evaluating what color levels are preferred is one of the objectives. A NAL-produced CD-ROM with TIFF-only images, running under Windows 3.1 will also be part of the evaluation.
Beyond agreeing to respond to the evaluation questionnaire, participants should have the following at a minimum (Note: users with PCs need only have the one platform to evaluate both the online and the CD-ROM version; users with Macintoshes or X- terminals or workstations would also need to have a PC to evaluate the CD-ROM version):
1) A connection to the Internet (via server or modem)
2) 386-level PC (or higher) with VGA or Super VGA color monitor (preferably Super VGA with 512K Video RAM; 640 x 480 pixels resolution, 256 colors). (For both the online version plus the CD-ROM version evaluation.) or Macintosh with 8 bit color monitor (for online version only) or X-terminal device or workstation, with color monitor capable of 640 x 480 pixels resolution, 256 colors (for online version only)
3) MOSAIC client appropriate to the platform (PC, Macintosh, X)
4) Microsoft Windows 3.1 (for CD-ROM version evaluation)
5) CD-ROM drive (for CD-ROM version evaluation)
6) Imaging software (at a minimum, JPEG View (MOSAIC viewer) or Windows Paintbrush, which is supplied as part of Windows 3.1, but preferably other imaging software capable of handling other image formats)
We would especially like to invite the participation of organizations which have computer support for 24-bit color or "true color", which requires 1 MB Video RAM and separate video card. This level of quality is important to our evaluation of the uses made of the images by endusers requiring very high resolution and color quality.
Users who may find these two collections of interest range from art, horticultural and botanical libraries to homeowners, teachers, master gardeners, horticultural specialists, and Cooperative Extension Service agents. We are especially interested in having the materials evaluated by a wide variety of participants who may wish to incorporate the images into their work, to reproduce them for other purposes, or simply use the images and the accompanying descriptions as teaching tools or for pest identification. Our intent is to evaluate the image resolutions and color levels which are satisfactory for each purpose. In addition, we wish receive feedback on the indexing of images using text descriptors, e.g., were the terms relevant to the various user communities, and if not, what could be done to improve access?
Please respond by October 31, 1994 to this invitation so we may include you or your organization among the evaluators of this exciting digital library. The form which follows should be used for the response. Please return it as electronic mail.
---------------cut here ----------------------------------------- NAL Photo Image Project Response Form (send to mailto:pmason@nalusda.gov)
Name/Address/Telephone Number of Participating Individual or Institution (include Internet electronic mail address):
I can participate in both the online and CD-ROM version evaluation:_____ (check if applicable)
I can participate in the online database evaluation only:_____ (check if applicable)
Description of hardware which will be used in the evaluation (Include platform type, processor (e.g., 386), if known, and monitor description, e.g., (Macintosh 14" RGB monitor), type of CD-ROM drive):
HARDWARE FOR ONLINE EVALUATION:
HARDWARE FOR CD-ROM VERSION EVALUATION:
Description of imaging software which will be used in the evaluation (JPEG View, GIF Viewer, Paintbrush, Hijaak Pro, etc.); (If the online evaluation will use different software than the CD-ROM evaluation, please note this.):