Re: (Tildes ~ ) (in reply to "graphics software")

From: Frances Jacobson Harris (francey@UIUC.EDU)
Date: Wed May 02 2001 - 14:08:51 EDT

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    ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
    Sender: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@SUN8.LOC.GOV>
    Poster: Frances Jacobson Harris <francey@UIUC.EDU>
    Subject: Re: (Tildes ~ ) (in reply to "graphics software")
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Fellow Fellows,

    The description of this problem is, for me, the latest piece of evidence
    proving that Internet filtering software is just not up to the job yet (if
    it ever will be). Talk about unintended consequences! What an unnecessary
    workaround for students to have to go through to get to these valuable
    primary sources (which are government sponsored, taxpayer-supported, blah,
    blah, further ranting on my part) -- and just when we're trying to
    encourage independent searching and critical thinking skills.

    Anyway, I plan to share this example with those I know who are working on
    the CIPA situation (mandated filtering in schools and libraries that accept
    certain types of federal funding). The left hand is unwittingly stealing
    from the right.

    Thanks for hearing me out,
    Frances

    At 12:18 PM 5/2/01 -0400, you wrote:
    >Sylvia (and others with this issue),
    >
    >The tildes (looks like this: ~ ) appear in the temporary URLs that you get
    >when you execute keyword searches for American Memory items. They also
    >appear at the item level when you have selected an index term that results
    >in more than one hit (which to the system is also a keyword search). In
    >the context of American Memory, the character has nothing to do with home
    >directories, but is something that the search software uses.
    >
    >Tildes do not appear when you pick items from the title lists or from
    >other links to specific items, such as links on collection home pages or
    >from many special presentations, Today in History, or Learning page
    >lists. Many index list entries result in single-item results--you won't
    >have a problem here, either. Where index or other special links result in
    >a list of entries, you will see tildes in the item-level temporary addresses.
    >
    >If your students want to identify items at home and then download them at
    >school, they should come to school armed with addresses derived using the
    >technique here:
    ><http://memory.loc.gov/learn/resources/tech/link.html>. As you may
    >recall, addresses derived with this technique, do not have "temp" (or
    >tildes) in them.
    >
    >As far as "home" directories... if you are referring to addresses that end
    >with a domain name (i.e. "loc.gov"), forward slash (/) or that do not end
    >with "htm", "html", or other "...ml" variations, you may usually
    >successfully add "index.html" to the end of the address. For example
    >American Memory home page can be addressed as:
    > http://memory.loc.gov
    >OR http://memory.loc.gov/
    >OR http://memory.loc.gov/index.html
    >
    >Is there a way to have your filter set to allow anything from the
    >"loc.gov" domain, regardless of this "tilde rule"? That would seem like
    >an easy solution, if allowed by the software.
    >
    >Betty
    >
    >At 10:43 PM 5/1/01 -0400, you wrote:
    > >---------------------- Information from the mail header
    > -----------------------
    > >Sender: American Memory Fellows <AMFELLOWS@SUN8.LOC.GOV>
    > >Poster: Sylvia Davis Ready <Sylviaready@AOL.COM>
    > >Subject: Re: graphics software
    > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------
    > ------
    > >
    > >Judith,
    > > Our biggest problem, still, at AshevilleHigh, is the filter not allowing
    > >home directories. If there is any way that the tilde could be taken out of
    > >AM's URL addresses, it would help a great deal. The videos don't seem to
    > >have the home directory address, but many of the photos do. Students can
    > >download at home, but most of them prefer to do so at school if they are
    > >creating a power point presentation with Microsoft Office. The pictures
    > tend
    > >to make the program larger than the space on a floppy disk. Most students
    > >find their pictures on the Net and then pop them into their presentations
    > >right away. Sound and video still take more time than they usually have at
    > >school, so they are looking for photos mainly. Sometimes, they make
    > >newspapers, using Publisher. Take care. Sylvia Ready



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