Image via Wikipedia

I have been working on this (mostly) annotated collection of  tools and articles that I believe would be of help to both the data dabbler and professional. If you are a data scientist, data analyst or data dummy, chances are there is something in here for you.

I included a list of tools, such as programming languages and web-based utilities, data mining resources, some prominent organizations in the field, repositories where you can play with data, events you may want to attend and important articles you should take a look at.

The second segment (BONUS!) of the list includes a number of art and design resources the infographic designers might like including color palette generators and image searches. There are also some invisible web resources (if you’re looking for something data-related on Google and not finding it) and metadata resources so you can appropriately curate your data.

This is in no way a complete list so please contact me here with any suggestions!

Data

Tools

1. Google Refine – A power tool for working with messy data (formerly Freebase Gridworks)
2. The Overview Project – Overview is an open-source tool to help journalists find stories in large amounts of data, by cleaning, visualizing and interactively exploring large document and data sets. Whether from government transparency initiatives, leaks or Freedom of Information requests, journalists are drowning in more documents than they can ever hope to read.
3. Refine, reuse and request data | ScraperWiki – ScraperWiki is an online tool to make acquiring useful data simpler and more collaborative. Anyone can write a screen scraper using the online editor. In the free version, the code and data are shared with the world. Because it’s a wiki, other programmers can contribute to and improve the code.
4. Data Curation Profiles – This website is an environment where academic librarians of all kinds, special librarians at research facilities, archivists involved in the preservation of digital data, and those who support digital repositories can find help, support and camaraderie in exploring avenues to learn more about working with research data and the use of the Data Curation Profiles Tool.
5. Google Chart Tools – Google Chart Tools provide a perfect way to visualize data on your website. From simple line charts to complex hierarchical tree maps, the chart galley provides a large number of well-designed chart types. Populating your data is easy using the provided client- and server-side tools.
6. 22 free tools for data visualization and analysis
7. The R Journal – The R Journal is the refereed journal of the R project for statistical computing. It features short to medium length articles covering topics that might be of interest to users or developers of R.
8. CS 229: Machine Learning – A widely referenced course by Professor Andrew Ng, CS 229: Machine Learning provides a broad introduction to machine learning and statistical pattern recognition. Topics include supervised learning, unsupervised learning, learning theory, reinforcement learning and adaptive control. Recent applications of machine learning, such as to robotic control, data mining, autonomous navigation, bioinformatics, speech recognition, and text and web data processing are also discussed.
9. Google Research Publication: BigTable – Bigtable is a distributed storage system for managing structured data that is designed to scale to a very large size: petabytes of data across thousands of commodity servers. Many projects at Google store data in Bigtable, including web indexing, Google Earth, and Google Finance. These applications place very different demands on Bigtable, both in terms of data size (from URLs to web pages to satellite imagery) and latency requirements (from backend bulk processing to real-time data serving). Despite these varied demands, Bigtable has successfully provided a flexible, high-performance solution for all of these Google products. In this paper we describe the simple data model provided by Bigtable, which gives clients dynamic control over data layout and format, and we describe the design and implementation of Bigtable.
10. Scientific Data Management – An introduction.
11. Natural Language Toolkit – Open source Python modules, linguistic data and documentation for research and development in natural language processing and text analytics, with distributions for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.
12. Beautiful Soup – Beautiful Soup is a Python HTML/XML parser designed for quick turnaround projects like screen-scraping.
13. Mondrian: Pentaho Analysis – Pentaho Open source analysis OLAP server written in Java. Enabling interactive analysis of very large datasets stored in SQL databases without writing SQL.
14. The Comprehensive R Archive Network
    - R is `GNU S‘, a freely available language and environment for statistical computing and graphics which provides a wide variety of statistical and graphical techniques: linear and nonlinear modelling, statistical tests, time series analysis, classification, clustering, etc. Please consult the R project homepage for further information.
    CRAN is a network of ftp and web servers around the world that store identical, up-to-date, versions of code and documentation for R. Please use the CRAN mirror nearest to you to minimize network load.
15. DataStax – Software, support, and training for Apache Cassandra.
16. Machine Learning Demos
17. Visual.ly – Infographics & Visualizations. Create, Share, Explore
18. Google Fusion Tables
    - Google Fusion Tables is a modern data management and publishing web application that makes it easy
    to host, manage, collaborate on, visualize, and publish data tables online.
19. Tableau Software
    - Fast Analytics and Rapid-fire Business Intelligence from Tableau Software.
20. WaveMaker
    - WaveMaker is a rapid application development environment for building, maintaining and modernizing business-critical Web 2.0 applications.
21. Visualization: Annotated Time Line – Google Chart Tools – Google Code
    An interactive time series line chart with optional annotations. The chart is rendered within the browser using Flash.
22. Visualization: Motion Chart – Google Chart Tools – Google Code
    A dynamic chart to explore several indicators over time. The chart is rendered within the browser using Flash.
23. PhotoStats
    Create gorgeous infographics about your iPhone photos, with Photostats.
24. Ionz Ionz will help you craft an infographic about yourself.
25. chart builder
    Powerful tools for creating a variety of charts for online display.
26. Creately
    Online diagramming and design.
27. Pixlr Editor A powerful online photo editor.
28. Google Public Data Explorer
    ?The Google Public Data Explorer makes large datasets easy to explore, visualize and communicate. As the charts and maps animate over time, the changes in the world become easier to understand. You don’t have to be a data expert to navigate between different views, make your own comparisons, and share your findings.
29. Fathom
    Fathom Information Design helps clients understand and express complex data through information graphics, interactive tools, and software for installations, the web, and mobile devices. Led by Ben Fry. Enough said!
30. healthymagination | GE Data Visualization
    Visualizations that advance the conversation about issues that shape our lives, and so we encourage visitors to download, post and share these visualizations.
31. ggplot2
    ggplot2 is a plotting system for R, based on the grammar of graphics, which tries to take the good parts of base and lattice graphics and none of the bad parts. It takes care of many of the fiddly details that make plotting a hassle (like drawing legends) as well as providing a powerful model of graphics that makes it easy to produce complex multi-layered graphics.
32. Protovis
    Protovis composes custom views of data with simple marks such as bars and dots. Unlike low-level graphics libraries that quickly become tedious for visualization, Protovis defines marks through dynamic properties that encode data, allowing inheritance, scales and layoutsto simplify construction.Protovis is free and open-source, provided under the BSD License. It uses JavaScript and SVG for web-native visualizations; no plugin required (though you will need a modern web browser)! Although programming experience is helpful, Protovis is mostly declarative and designed to be learned by example.
33. d3.js D3.js is a small, free JavaScript library for manipulating documents based on data.
34. MATLAB – The Language Of Technical Computing
    MATLAB® is a high-level language and interactive environment that enables you to perform computationally intensive tasks faster than with traditional programming languages such as C, C++, and Fortran.
35. OpenGL – The Industry Standard for High Performance Graphics
    OpenGL.org is a vendor-independent and organization-independent web site that acts as one-stop hub for developers and consumers for all OpenGL news and development resources. It has a very large and continually expanding developer and end-user community that is very active and vested in the continued growth of OpenGL.
36. Google Correlate
    Google Correlate finds search patterns which correspond with real-world trends.
37. Revolution Analytics – Commercial Software & Support for the R Statistics Language
    Revolution Analytics delivers advanced analytics software at half the cost of existing solutions. By building on open source R—the world’s most powerful statistics software—with innovations in big data analysis, integration and user experience, Revolution Analytics meets the demands and requirements of modern data-driven businesses.
38. 22 Useful Online Chart & Graph Generators
39. The Best Tools for Visualization Visualization is a technique to graphically represent sets of data. When data is large or abstract, visualization can help make the data easier to read or understand. There are visualization tools for search, music, networks, online communities, and almost anything else you can think of. Whether you want a desktop application or a web-based tool, there are many specific tools are available on the web that let you visualize all kinds of data.
40. Visual Understanding Environment
    The Visual Understanding Environment (VUE) is an Open Source project based at Tufts University. The VUE project is focused on creating flexible tools for managing and integrating digital resources in support of teaching, learning and research. VUE provides a flexible visual environment for structuring, presenting, and sharing digital information.
41. Bime – Cloud Business Intelligence | Analytics & Dashboards
    Bime is a revolutionary approach to data analysis and dashboarding. It allows you to analyze your data through interactive data visualizations and create stunning dashboards from the Web.
42. Data Science Toolkit
    A collection of data tools and open APIs curated by our own Pete Warden. You can use it to extract text from a document, learn the political leanings of a particular neighborhood, find all the names of people mentioned in a text and more.
43. BuzzData
    BuzzData lets you share your data in a smarter, easier way. Instead of juggling versions and overwriting files, use BuzzData and enjoy a social network designed for data.
44. SAP – SAP Crystal Solutions: Simple, Affordable, and Open BI Tools for Everyday Use
45. Project Voldemort
46. ggplot. had.co.nz

Data Mining

1. Weka -nWeka is a collection of machine learning algorithms for data mining tasks. The algorithms can either be applied directly to a dataset or called from your own Java code. Weka contains tools for data pre-processing, classification, regression, clustering, association rules, and visualization. It is also well-suited for developing new machine learning schemes. Weka is open source software issued under the GNU General Public License.
2. PSPP- PSPP is a program for statistical analysis of sampled data. It is a Free replacement for the proprietary program SPSS, and appears very similar to it with a few exceptions. The most important of these exceptions are, that there are no “time bombs”; your copy of PSPP will not “expire” or deliberately stop working in the future. Neither are there any artificial limits on the number of cases or variables which you can use. There are no additional packages to purchase in order to get “advanced” functions; all functionality that PSPP currently supports is in the core package.PSPP can perform descriptive statistics, T-tests, linear regression and non-parametric tests. Its backend is designed to perform its analyses as fast as possible, regardless of the size of the input data. You can use PSPP with its graphical interface or the more traditional syntax commands.
3. Rapid I- Rapid-I provides software, solutions, and services in the fields of predictive analytics, data mining, and text mining. The company concentrates on automatic intelligent analyses on a large-scale base, i.e. for large amounts of structured data like database systems and unstructured data like texts. The open-source data mining specialist Rapid-I enables other companies to use leading-edge technologies for data mining and business intelligence. The discovery and leverage of unused business intelligence from existing data enables better informed decisions and allows for process optimization.The main product of Rapid-I, the data analysis solution RapidMiner is the world-leading open-source system for knowledge discovery and data mining. It is available as a stand-alone application for data analysis and as a data mining engine which can be integrated into own products. By now, thousands of applications of RapidMiner in more than 30 countries give their users a competitive edge. Among the users are well-known companies as Ford, Honda, Nokia, Miele, Philips, IBM, HP, Cisco, Merrill Lynch, BNP Paribas, Bank of America, mobilkom austria, Akzo Nobel, Aureus Pharma, PharmaDM, Cyprotex, Celera, Revere, LexisNexis, Mitre and many medium-sized businesses benefitting from the open-source business model of Rapid-I.
4. R Project – R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is a GNU projectwhich is similar to the S language and environment which was developed at Bell Laboratories (formerly AT&T, now Lucent Technologies) by John Chambers and colleagues. R can be considered as a different implementation of S. There are some important differences, but much code written for S runs unaltered under R. R provides a wide variety of statistical (linear and nonlinear modelling, classical statistical tests, time-series analysis, classification, clustering, …) and graphical techniques, and is highly extensible. The S language is often the vehicle of choice for research in statistical methodology, and R provides an Open Source route to participation in that activity.One of R’s strengths is the ease with which well-designed publication-quality plots can be produced, including mathematical symbols and formulae where needed. Great care has been taken over the defaults for the minor design choices in graphics, but the user retains full control.R is available as Free Software under the terms of the Free Software Foundation‘s GNU General Public License in source code form. It compiles and runs on a wide variety of UNIX platforms and similar systems (including FreeBSD and Linux), Windows and MacOS.

Organizations

1. Data.gov
2. SDM group at LBNL
3. Open Archives Initiative
4. Code for America | A New Kind of Public Service
5. The # DataViz Daily
6. Institute for Advanced Analytics | North Carolina State University | Professor Michael Rappa · MSA Curriculum
7. BuzzData | Blog, 25 great links for data-lovin’ journalists
8. MetaOptimize – Home – Machine learning, natural language processing, predictive analytics, business intelligence, artificial intelligence, text analysis, information retrieval, search, data mining, statistical modeling, and data visualization
9. had.co.nz
10. Measuring Measures – Measuring Measures

Repositories

1. Repositories | DataCite
2. Data | The World Bank
3. Infochimps Data Marketplace + Commons: Download Sell or Share Databases, statistics, datasets for free | Infochimps
4. Factual Home – Factual
5. Flowing Media: Your Data Has Something To Say
6. Chartsbin
7. Public Data Explorer
8. StatPlanet
9. ManyEyes
10. 25+ more ways to bring data into R

Events

1. Welcome | Visweek 2011
2. O’Reilly Strata: O’Reilly Conferences
3. IBM Information On Demand 2011 and Business Analytics Forum
4. Data Scientist Summit 2011
5. IBM Virtual Performance 2011
6. Wolfram Data Summit 2011—Conference on Data Repositories and Ideas
7. Big Data Analytics: Mobile, Social and Web

Articles

1. Data Science: a literature review | (R news & tutorials)
2. What is “Data Science” Anyway?
3. Hal Varian on how the Web challenges managers – McKinsey Quarterly – Strategy – Innovation
4. The Three Sexy Skills of Data Geeks « Dataspora
5. Rise of the Data Scientist
6. dataists » A Taxonomy of Data Science
7. The Data Science Venn Diagram « Zero Intelligence Agents
8. Revolutions: Growth in data-related jobs
9. Building data startups: Fast, big, and focused – O’Reilly Radar

BONUS!

Art Design

1. Periodic Table of Typefaces
2. Color Scheme Designer 3
3. Color Palette Generator Generate A Color Palette For Any Image
4. COLOURlovers
5. Colorbrewer: Color Advice for Maps

Image Searches

1. American Memory from the Library of Congress The home page for the American Memory Historical Collections from the Library of Congress. American Memory provides free access to historical images, maps, sound recordings, and motion pictures that document the American experience. American Memory offers primary source materials that chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America.
2. Galaxy of Images | Smithsonian Institution Libraries
3. Flickr Search
4. 50 Websites For Free Vector Images Download
5. Design weblog for designers, bloggers and tech users. Covering useful tools, tutorials, tips and inspirational photos.
6. Images Google Images. The most comprehensive image search on the web.
7. Trade Literature – a set on Flickr
8. Compfight / A Flickr Search Tool
9. morgueFile free photos for creatives by creatives
10. stock.xchng – the leading free stock photography site
11. The Ultimate Collection Of Free Vector Packs – Smashing Magazine
12. How to Create Animated GIFs Using Photoshop CS3 – wikiHow
13. IAN Symbol Libraries (Free Vector Symbols and Icons) – Integration and Application Network
14. Usability.gov
15. best icons
16. Iconspedia
17. IconFinder
18. IconSeeker

Invisible Web

1. 10 Search Engines to Explore the Invisible Web
   Like the header says…
2. Scirus – for scientific information
   The most comprehensive scientific research tool on the web. With over 410 million scientific items indexed at last count, it allows researchers to search for not only journal content but also scientists’ homepages, courseware, pre-print server material, patents and institutional repository and website information.
3. TechXtra: Engineering, Mathematics, and Computing
   TechXtra is a free service which can help you find articles, books, the best websites, the latest industry news, job announcements, technical reports, technical data, full text eprints, the latest research, thesis & dissertations, teaching and learning resources and more, in engineering, mathematics and computing.
4. Welcome to INFOMINE: Scholarly Internet Resource Collections
   INFOMINE is a virtual library of Internet resources relevant to faculty, students, and research staff at the university level. It contains useful Internet resources such as databases, electronic journals, electronic books, bulletin boards, mailing lists, online library card catalogs, articles, directories of researchers, and many other types of information.
5. The WWW Virtual Library
   The WWW Virtual Library (VL) is the oldest catalogue of the Web, started by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of HTML and of the Web itself, in 1991 at CERN in Geneva. Unlike commercial catalogues, it is run by a loose confederation of volunteers, who compile pages of key links for particular areas in which they are expert; even though it isn’t the biggest index of the Web, the VL pages are widely recognised as being amongst the highest-quality guides to particular sections of the Web.
6. Intute Intute is a free online service that helps you to find web resources for your studies and research. With millions of resources available on the Internet, it can be difficult to find useful material. We have reviewed and evaluated thousands of resources to help you choose key websites in your subject. The Virtual Training Suite can also help you develop your Internet research skills through tutorials written by lecturers and librarians from universities across the UK.
7. CompletePlanet – Discover over 70,000+ databases and specially search engines
   There are hundreds of thousands of databases that contain Deep Web content. CompletePlanet is the front door to these Deep Web databases on the Web and to the thousands of regular search engines — it is the first step in trying to find highly topical information. By tracing through CompletePlanet’s subject structure or searching Deep Web sites, you can go to various topic areas, such as energy or agriculture or food or medicine, and find rich content sites not accessible using conventional search engines. BrightPlanet initially developed the CompletePlanet compilation to identify and tap into many hundreds and thousands of search sources simultaneously to automatically deliver high-quality content to its corporate and enterprise customers. It then decided to make CompletePlanet available as a public service to the Internet search public.
8. Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus.
   Information Please has been providing authoritative answers to all kinds of factual questions since 1938—first as a popular radio quiz show, then starting in 1947 as an annual almanac, and since 1998 on the Internet at www.infoplease.com. Many things have changed since 1938, but not our dedication to providing reliable information, in a way that engages and entertains.
9. DeepPeep: discover the hidden web DeepPeep is a search engine specialized in Web forms. The current beta version currently tracks 45,000 forms across 7 domains. DeepPeep helps you discover the entry points to content in Deep Web (aka Hidden Web) sites, including online databases and Web services.
   Advanced search allows you to perform more specific queries. Besides specifying keywords, you can also search for specific form element labels, i.e., the description of the form attributes.
10. IncyWincy: The Invisible Web Search Engine IncyWincy is a showcase of Net Research Server (NRS) 5.0, a software product that provides a complete search portal solution, developed by LoopIP LLC.
    LoopIP licenses the NRS engine and provides consulting expertise in building search solutions.

Metadata

1. Description Schema: MODS (Library of Congress) and Outline of elements and attributes in MODS version 3.4: MetadataObject
   This document contains a listing of elements and their related attributes in MODS Version 3.4 with values or value sources where applicable. It is an “outline” of the schema. Items highlighted in red indicate changes made to MODS in Version 3.4.All top-level elements and all attributes are optional, but you must have at least one element. Subelements are optional, although in some cases you may not have empty containers. Attributes are not in a mandated sequence and not repeatable (per XML rules). “Ordered” below means the subelements must occur in the order given. Elements are repeatable unless otherwise noted.”Authority” attributes are either followed by codes for authority lists (e.g., iso639-2b) or “see” references that link to documents that contain codes for identifying authority lists.For additional information about any MODS elements (version 3.4 elements will be added soon), please see the MODS User Guidelines.
2. wiki.dbpedia.org : About DBpedia is a community effort to extract structured information from Wikipedia and to make this information available on the Web. DBpedia allows you to ask sophisticated queries against Wikipedia, and to link other data sets on the Web to Wikipedia data. We hope this will make it easier for the amazing amount of information in Wikipedia to be used in new and interesting ways, and that it might inspire new mechanisms for navigating, linking and improving the encyclopaedia itself.
3. Semantic Web – W3C In addition to the classic “Web of documents” W3C is helping to build a technology stack to support a “Web of data,” the sort of data you find in databases. The ultimate goal of the Web of data is to enable computers to do more useful work and to develop systems that can support trusted interactions over the network. The term “Semantic Web” refers to W3C’s vision of the Web of linked data. Semantic Web technologies enable people to create data stores on the Web, build vocabularies, and write rules for handling data. Linked data are empowered by technologies such as RDF, SPARQL, OWL, and SKOS.
4. RDA: Resource Description & Access | www.rdatoolkit.org Designed for the digital world and an expanding universe of metadata users, RDA: Resource Description and Access is the new, unified cataloging standard. The online RDA Toolkit subscription is the most effective way to interact with the new standard. More on RDA.
5. Cataloging Cultural Objects Cataloging Cultural Objects: A Guide to Describing Cultural Works and Their Images (CCO) is a manual for describing, documenting, and cataloging cultural works and their visual surrogates. The primary focus of CCO is art and architecture, including but not limited to paintings, sculpture, prints, manuscripts, photographs, built works, installations, and other visual media. CCO also covers many other types of cultural works, including archaeological sites, artifacts, and functional objects from the realm of material culture.
6. Library of Congress Authorities (Search for Name, Subject, Title and Name/Title) Using Library of Congress Authorities, you can browse and view authority headings for Subject, Name, Title and Name/Title combinations; and download authority records in MARC format for use in a local library system. This service is offered free of charge.
7. Search Tools and Databases (Getty Research Institute) Use these search tools to access library materials, specialized databases, and other digital resources.
8. Art & Architecture Thesaurus (Getty Research Institute) Learn about the purpose, scope and structure of the AAT. The AAT is an evolving vocabulary, growing and changing thanks to contributions from Getty projects and other institutions. Find out more about the AAT’s contributors.
9. Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names (Getty Research Institute) Learn about the purpose, scope and structure of the TGN. The TGN is an evolving vocabulary, growing and changing thanks to contributions from Getty projects and other institutions. Find out more about the TGN’s contributors.
10. DCMI Metadata Terms
11. The Digital Object Identifier System
12. The Federal Geographic Data Committee — Federal Geographic Data Committee

Related articles

• NSA Extends Label-based Security to Big Data Stores (pcworld.com)
• Cassandra 1.0, the cloud, and the future of big data (rackspace.com)

So my application was accepted and I’m now a part of the O’Reilly Blogger Review Program! Tight…

Image by AlphachimpStudio via Flickr

Aside from my internship at the Smithsonian Institution, I had one goal this summer: dig deeper into understanding, analyzing and representing information.

I set out to learn more about theory, analysis, and implementation through a fairly methodical method. As a Master’s student at Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, I have already had a huge head start and knew where to look and what to look for. There are also the blogs and twitter accounts I follow. Combining everything, I was able to come up with common trends and themes and vet them against what everybody was saying and writing.

What turned out was a list that will take you from the big picture, atmospheric view all the way down to pixel level decisions and everything in between.

I am in varying stages of completion (there is another list I am working through as well) with the listed books and will keep hammering at them throughout the upcoming semester. BTW, a number of these books can be purchased through O’Reilly Media, which regularly has some pretty sweet sales (buy 2 get one free, discounts for digital books, etc.).

Theory

I was first made aware of Edward R. Tufte‘s work in Jaime Snyder‘s course on Information Design. The guy is essentially the godfather/granddaddy of information design and visualization, analytic design, and associated creative processes. Definitely worth getting the hardcover editions of both. They are full color and gorgeous.

• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward R. Tufte
• Envisioning Information - Edward R. Tufte

Analysis

This is  a wonderfully comprehensive book and, like the Yau offering, could be listed in multiple categories. I put it under ‘Analysis’ because it is a great – and friendly – primer for really digging deep into data analysis. I got the Ebook (available in the following f ormats: APK, DAISY, ePub, Mobi, PDF) and found that to work best for me. I am on the computer already so having the digital copy there makes it easy.

• Head First Data Analysis - Michael Milton

Implementation

Processing is an open source programming language and environment for people who want to create images, animations, and interactions. Since created by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, it has taken off like wildfire and, from what I found, is standard, required knowledge for taking information interpretation to the next level. Though I am (not yet) a programmer, I have been able to battle through the tomes with some success. I got the Pearson book in soft cover (nice color graphics in the beginning and comes with the Ebook free) and the others in Ebook format.

1. Generative Art – Matt Pearson
2. Getting Started with Processing - Casey Reas, Ben Fry
3. Visualizing Data – Ben Fry

Related articles

• Ben Fry, Information Designer (slate.com)
• Slopegraphs (kottke.org)
• What I am reading at the moment (kitlas.com)

Smithsonian Castle Interior (Belly of the Whale)

A version of this is also posted on the Syracuse University iSchool blog, Information Space.

I am now nearing the end of my internship. In my last post, I promised to make this one about the projects I am working on and the skills and tools I am using to execute them. If at any point this post begins to sound like an advertisement or glowing review of the Syracuse University School of Information Studies…it is.

There were many things that first drew me to this internship at the Smithsonian Institution – the focus on professional development, the rigorous and diverse set of projects, and that the work combined library and information science skills and information management skills. I am jointly pursuing a LIS and IM degree so getting an internship that had elements of each was critical.

Of all the courses I have taken in my year at the iSchool, the following four classes – in this order – have provided me with the skills, tools, and knowledge to execute the projects I am working on at the Smithsonian

• IST 659 Data Administration Concepts and Database Management (Bei Yu)
  • From day one, I was writing SQL scripts to organize, manipulate, and extract data from entities with tens of thousands of records. This is not something for Excel. As nice as Excel is, and I do really like the software, it just does not have the engine to work nimbly with very large amounts of information. Aside from SQL, I was called on a couple times to explain theory and best practice in database design – all learned from Bei Yu and IST 659.
• IST 616 Information Resources: Organization and Access (Jian Qin)
  • I have had to do a LOT of ordering and structuring of digital resources in this internship. Every day I have worked through the nature of information-based problems and how information systems address these problems, the concepts, principles, standards, and technologies of information organization, the human aspects of information organization, and how organized information affects information search/retrieval.
• IST 600 Information Design (Jaime Snyder)
  • This course is a great companion to just about everything at the iSchool. It should be required, in my opinion. How did I use what I learned in Information Design at this internship? Primarily on a theoretical level and linked closely to the practicality of what I learned in 616, but also in designing the components of information-driven systems in my projects.
• IST 631 Enterprise Technologies (Dave Dischiave)
  • More than once the enterprise technology concepts discussed in this class came up. After educating some senior (rank not age) staff members about virtualization and ‘scaling up’ versus ‘scaling down’, I was labeled as ‘the expert’. In the meetings and casual water cooler conversations following, I was asked regularly to weigh in on questions about enterprise technology issues a lot more than I anticipated, sometimes daily.

As you can see, there is both a mix of IM and LIS classes and their real world applications. There are also bits and pieces from other classes that I employed on a regular basis. The iSchool had me well prepared, to say the least. On a separate note, if anyone wonders about the credibility of the iSchool in the real world, I definitely got more than a handful of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ after telling new colleagues and staffers my academic affiliation.

It has been a great experience and I only regret that the internship does not run longer.

If you want to ask me any questions, please do not hesitate – my email is jkitlas@syr.edu or you can go to http://kitlas.com

• Linked Data – The Story So Far

  http://tomheath.com/papers/bizer-heath-berners-lee-ijswis-linked-data.pdf

• How to Publish Linked Data on the Web

  http://www4.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de/bizer/pub/LinkedDataTutorial/

• Linked Data

  http://www.w3.org/DesignIssues/LinkedData.html

• Scientific Data Management

  http://personal.cscs.ch/~mvalle/sdm/scientific-data-management.html

• Managing and Sharing Data

  http://www.data-archive.ac.uk/media/2894/managingsharing.pdf

• Faceted Wikipedia Search

  http://dbpedia.neofonie.de/browse

• Getting Started with Processing by Casey Reas, Ben Fry
• Metadata by Marcia Lei Zeng and Jian Qin

Smithsonian Institution

I’m VERY excited about this one…

http://ischool.syr.edu/newsroom/news.aspx?recid=1130

Visual timeline

My latest field study for IST 659 – Information Design. I put  together a couple  infographics which I’m hosting on slideshare. Just click the image to check them out.

Elements

The elements of my study exist on several levels.

There are those that are apparent and those that are unperceived.

Some elements are tactile, while others are intangible.

Some make sense and others do not.

They are connected and yet, they are not.

There are seemingly whimsical relationships and others that are set in stone.

There are some limitations.

This is a convergence of graphic design, computer technology, software technology, and me (Connolly, 1999) (Wikipedia) (Meggs & Alston, 2006).

Executing this project where everything I do is influenced. (See Supporting Information 1)

The tangible, physical elements include: my keyboard, my mouse, a USB cable, an HDMI cable, a ViewSonic monitor, a Toshiba Satellite laptop, two power jacks, an electrical outlet, and electrical wiring in my building connected to a regional power grid.

The virtual, and somewhat tangible, elements include: the software drivers connecting my keyboard and mouse to the computer, the Windows 7 operating system that runs the computer, the software in the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop® CS5 Extended, Illustrator® CS5, InDesign® CS5, Flash® Catalyst™ CS5, Flash Professional CS5, Dreamweaver® CS5,  Fireworks® CS5, Acrobat® 9 Pro, Bridge CS5, Device Central CS5-all of which I’m hugely intimidated by), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, Access-only a few of which I’m intimidated by), Google Chrome and Firefox web browsers.

The imperceptible, yet physical, elements include: the greater Syracuse area power grid, connected to an even greater regional power grid that’s connected to, among others, those international thieves at National Grid (National Grid) who are no doubt trashing the environment, to some executives, employees and shareholders who will probably never than me for dutifully paying my utility bill (or introduce themselves for that matter).

And then, of course, there is me.

I work on the keyboard, the mouse and the screen. I sketch out concepts, write down words, draw pictures, eat cashews and drink apricot nectar. I search for meaning, depth, images, content and inspiration.

I am driven by investigation, research and analysis. I am also driven by the brownies I ate as a kid. The woman who taught me how to surf in Los Angeles. Running a marathon. My influences come from everywhere.

I review the readings from class, find new ones, and evaluate the evaluation criteria. Check it again. Look over my last field study. I do not want to get a poor grade.

Relationships

There are a number of relationships in this system that operates on varying levels. There are physical, mental, social and emotional associations that play a part in enabling, disabling and monitoring of the flow and structure of this information system.

The primary relationship is a three-way convergence between the computer, the software and me. How well I know the software. How comfortable I am with the computer. There are also the relationships I have with the class and the instructor. Do I care enough to try my best? Is there competition between myself and other classmates? The answer to both is yes.

All relationships are influenced by me and my reaction to elements (physical, mental, social and emotional) around me.

Flow

The flow of this system starts and ends with me. I’m the conductor of this creativity train. Without me, the computer and software would sit dormant. My influences define the flow. Where it starts and where it stops.

Unfortunately I am not as binary as a computer or software. It is my creativity that fortunately and unfortunately pours out of me at differing rates. It sometimes pours out of me and at other times stays bottled up. When it pours, it can really pour.

An example of an unfiltered thought:

What am I breathing, smelling, eating, drinking, and wearing. Did I eat? Drink? Shower? How long has it been since I last had a really good workout? Called my Mom? Dad? Grandmother? Sisters? Who was that girl who used to live across the street? I barely know Illustrator. We used to play together when we were in kindergarten, but she moved away before we were in first grade. Am I going to be able to find a job after graduation? If I move to Los Angeles, will there be that ‘big end all’ earthquake or should I stay on the East coast? Is blue a good color? Kes likes blue. I used to like blue. I like red more these days. What was that site? The color site. With all the designs? OH yes Colour Lovers. Let me find a good color palette. These posters have great color concepts. How do they do it? Why cannot I do it? I hate the cold. Should I check out everything you love to hate again? Why have not I gotten word on any of the internships I applied for? Google rejected me for the Policy Fellowship program they are offering. That is fine, really. I am listening to Yankee Foxtrot Hotel too much these days. Facebook. Email.

Good thing there are funnels.

Now, after the funnel:

I barely know Illustrator. Is blue a good color? Let me find a good color palette.

Some very quick and basic math shows that the post funnel data is roughly 8% of the pre-funnel mess (I took the word count and divided it – 16/210=.076). This part of the flow of the information analysis and response process clearly can have varying results depending on where my mind takes me.

This thinking closely parallels a recent string of television commercials extolling the benefits of the Microsoft search engine (they call it a ‘decision’ engine), Bing (Microsoft, 2009). In the commercials, an actor make a statement such as ‘bail-out’ (referring to the recent bail out of the financial services industry), another actor repeats the word or phrase, but with a different meaning, say, ‘bail-out’ of a sinking ship, while another references a bale of hay. The commercials continue in the fashion until everything gets so distorted you forget where you began. It similarly parallels the ‘organized, but not really’ style of blogging by ‘lifestyle for digital natives’ expert Nalden (Nalden, 2002).

Function/purpose

The function of this system is simple; it is the analysis and interpretation of information prepared for evaluation. Its purpose is similarly straightforward; to develop a greater understanding of the information studies presented in IST 600 – Information Design as well as the material presented in other courses that are a part of the Syracuse University Information School program.

Boundaries

Requirements of the assignment. The need for sleep.

The need for food.  Intelligence and knowledge (or lack thereof).

Physical limitations. Length of the assignment.

My willingness to write a short field study. A long field study.

In the greater view of the system (in this case my approach to work), viewing boundaries –however interpreted – fit a vital, and perhaps underappreciated or even unrecognized, role in the flow of the system. If there were not a form to the English language, this assignment could be written in an incomprehensible manner. If there were not limitations to my own abilities, I could conceivably write, edit, rewrite and research this field study forever.

Limitations help to frame the system and put some order to it. Having boundaries help to define the structure of the field study. Though they can be unseen and ambiguous, they are, perhaps, ‘the most crucial determinant of the system’s behavior’ (Meadows).

Context

The circumstances that form the setting for this field study is the culmination of my life and experiences (see Supporting Information 1) joined with the boundaries set forth in the field study requirements. My influences create answers to the questions posed: be it physical design of paper layout, design of supporting information or interpretation of facts, data and information.

Comparison

In comparing my system with a human-only or machine-only system, there are both similarities and differences. They both set out to achieve a task or set of tasks to the best of their ability. They both have parameters that define the project or task to achieve as well as expected outcomes.  The most glaring difference is that when you throw a human into picture, the likelihood for consistency can be greatly diminished. However, when a system requires analysis of an intangible, for instance emotion, a machine-only system will fail.

Unlike machines, humans are incapable of being programmed and have lower limits to output. For instance, to expect a human to sew 10,000 socks in a day is completely unrealistic while a machine could conceivably handle that task plus many others.

If a part of the human-only or machine-only breaks, there will, providing the parts are available, be a much greater chance that the machine-only system will easily be fixed. If a human breaks down physically, they will often be able to repair themselves or get help to repair them. If, however, the human is experiencing a terminal or psychological breakdown, the pieces will be either much harder to repair, or unable to be repaired at all.

Analysis

This field study is about my influences and that space in between things. There actually is not any space to speak of physically, just a shifting, amorphous area between concept, execution, review, analysis and acceptance. How to pull these pieces together and make sense of them varies with the project and my mood and how I feel will best convey the points I’m trying to get across (Tufte, 1997). This field study is as much about the analysis of a human-computer system as it is a dissection of my habits, influences, limitations and understanding (Norman, 1988).

In my own egotistical way, this field study is all about me and my influences and how they affect my work operations. It is not just what is playing on the radio this moment, or that slice of pizza from lunch or the vitamins I gulped this morning. What is governing my work is 38 years of ups, downs, challenges, triumphs and experiences. The way in which I act and react to information will profoundly impact the project.

Things are clear yet can easily be distorted. The way of filtering information through my own personal lens and gaining more arms in the arsenal of information helps in the edification of what is around me (Tufte, 1997). The more my eyes are opened, the more information there is to see (Lester & Kohler, Jr., 2007).

For me, this was a journey. I came to Syracuse University to pursue a Library and Information Science degree. Thirsting for more technology, I added Information Management to the mix. Curious about design, I took IST 659. Now, especially after this project, all I want to do is be an Information Designer.

Supporting Information

Timeline of Kitlas

http://www.slideshare.net/joshkitlas/visual-timeline

Brain states

Please go to page 11 Here:

http://www.slideshare.net/joshkitlas/field-studytwokitlas

Appendix

Key moments in graphic design history

15,000 – 10,000 BC The first known visual communication, with pictographs and symbols in the Lascaux caves in southern France.

3600 BC The Blau Monument, the oldest artifact known to combine words and pictures.

105 AD Chinese government official Ts’ai Lun credited with inventing paper.

1045 AD Pi Sheng invents movable type, allowing for characters to be individually placed for printing.

1276 Printing arrives in Europe with a paper mill in Fabriano, Italy.

1450 Johann Gensfleisch zum Gutenburg credited with perfecting the system for printing type in books.

1460 Albrecht Pfister the first to add illustrations to a printed book.

1470 Nicolas Jenson, considered one of history’s greatest typeface designers, sets news standard for Roman type.

1530 Claude Garamond opens first type foundry, developing and selling fonts to printers.

1722 First Caslon Old Style font developed, later used for the printing of the Declaration of Independence.

1760 Industrial Revolution begins, setting the stage for advances in graphic design production.

1796 Author Aloys Senefelder develops lithography.

1800 Lord Stanhope invents first printing press made of all cast-iron parts, requiring 1/10 the manual labor and doubling the possible paper size.

1816 First sans-serif font makes a subtle entrance as one line of a book.

1861 Williams Morris, who became a highly influential figure in design history, sets up art-decorating firm.

1880 Development of halftone screen allows for first photo printed with a full range of tones.

1890 Art Nouveau movement begins and changes design, making its way into all types of commercial design and utilizing all types of arts.

1917 James Montgomery Flagg designs famous “I Want YOU for the U.S. Army” poster. The poster, a self-portrait, was actually an American version of a British poster by Alfred Leete.

1919 The Bauhaus, a German school, is founded, eventually providing the framework for modern design.

1932 Stanley Morison oversees design of Times New Roman font, commissioned by the Times of London.

1940 First issue of Print Magazine printed.

1956 Paul Rand designs IBM logo using City Medium typeface.

1957 Max Miedinger designs Neue Haas Grotesk font, later renamed Helvetica.

1959 First issue of Communication Arts printed.

1969 Douglas Engelbart develops first computer mouse, setting the stage for the future tool of graphic design.

1984 Apple releases first Macintosh computer, featuring bitmap graphics.

1985 Aldus, formed by Paul Brainerd, develops PageMaker software. Brainerd coins the phrase “desktop publishing.” In the same year, New York firm Manhattan Design creates the MTV logo.

1990 Photoshop version one released, and physicist Tim Berners-Lee develops the World Wide Web, along with HTML and the concept of website addresses.

Source:  (Meggs & Alston, 2006)

Bibliography

Cohn, D. (2010). Evolution of Computer-Aided Design: How we got to where we are, and where are we headed. Desktop Engineering.

Connolly, M. J. (1999). Solaris-Adobe Products (a little long).

Lester, J., & Kohler, Jr., W. C. (2007). The Impact of Information in Society. In J. Lester, & J. W. Kohler, Fundamentals of Information Studies: Understanding Information and Its Environment (pp. 1-37). New York: Neal Schuman Publishers.

Meadows, D. H. (n.d.). Chapter One The Basics. In D. H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems: A Primer (pp. 11-35). White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

Meggs, P. B., & Alston, P. W. (2006). Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Fourth Edition. John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Microsoft. (2009, June 3). Microsoft Bing TV Commercial. Retrieved from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uy7Grx3fb2M

Nalden. (2002). Nalden. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from Nalden: https://www.nalden.net/

National Grid. (n.d.). Our Business. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from National Grid: https://www.nationalgridus.com/aboutus/a2-1_business.asp

Norman, D. A. (1988). The Psychopathology of Everyday Things. In D. A. Norman, The Design of Everyday Things (pp. 1-33). New York: Doubleday.

Tufte, E. R. (1997). Visual and Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Making Decisions. In E. R. Tufte, Visual Explanations: Images and Quantities, Evidence and Narrative (pp. 27-53). Cheshire, CT: Graphics Press.

Ware, C. (2008). What We Can Easily See, Chapter 2. In C. Ware, Visual Thinking: for Design (Morgan Kaufmann Series in Interactive Technologies) (pp. 23-42). Burlington, MA: Morgan Kaufmann.

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Adobe Illustrator. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Illustrator

In today’s iSchool news:

The Syracuse University School of Information Science’s eScience Librarianship Program announced the launch of the eScience Fellow’s personal blogs. The blogs will offer the public direct access to up to date information about their projects, internships and courses. All sites are online and can be linked from the ‘Coursework Projects’ section of the website.

“Part of our mandate from the IMLS is to publicly disseminate information gathered from the Fellow’s discoveries,” said Dr. Jian Qin, Principal Investigator of the project. “The Fellow’s blogs will do just that.”

The launch of the blogs is part of a greater initiative to increase the web and social media presence of the eScience Librarianship Program.

“As the eScience program matures, we need to get the word out in a variety of ways,” said Joshua Kitlas, webmaster for the project. “The Fellow’s blogs and other social media outlet will build on what we’ve done already with the website.”

Find out more about the program and links to the Fellow’s blogs at http://eslib.ischool.syr.edu/.

eScience Fellows Program

I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to post this but when I’m not schooling, I’m working.

I support Dr. Jian Qin, who’s the Principal Investigator of the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Services) funded initiative to build institutional capacity in eScience Librarianship.

I’m primarily responsible for the website design and love the project overall. It’s pretty pioneering stuff and it’s always nice to be at the forefront of development.

Learn more!

48:365 World Autism Awareness Day by Matt Beckwith

I, like many others, have been profoundly impacted by Autism. For me, it was the son of a co-worker who opened my eyes to the disorder. He is a very awesome kid who I fortunately was able to spend some quality time with. I watched him mature from a boy who would ask for food or water by taking you by the hand and putting it on the refrigerator or cupboard, to a pretty regular teenager who complained about mowing the lawn (I supervised) and loved to dance to reggae music (his lead). We’ve since moved out of visiting range (different continents) but I think about him every single day.

I put together this comprehensive list of autism resources as part of coursework for IST605 – Information Resources – Users & Services with my young friend in mind. It’s divided into a number of sections:

Authoritative Internet Resources
Audio Visual Resources
Print Resources
Database Resources
Sources for Ready Reference
Sources for In-depth Information for the Casual User
Sources for In-depth Information for a Scholar

The last 2 sections are a reorganization of the resources based on the user’s level of interest/competencies. It’s heavily annotated and I recomend you download the PDF.

But you have two options:

You can download it here. You can also view it in full below.

Comprehensive Autism Resources for the Beginner and the Researcher

Topic Area Description

For this pathfinder I’ve developed a detailed collection of print, audio-visual, database and Internet resources to aid both the beginner and the researcher in learning more about Autism.

Autism is a developmental disorder that appears in the first 3 years of life, and affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. The exact causes of these abnormalities remain unknown, but this is a very active area of research. There are probably combinations of factors that lead to autism. (MedlinePlus)

The disorder has affected many lives and families. Though there is no cure for the disorder, intensive treatment of affected children at a very early age has often lead to improved and higher-level functioning as affected individuals progress through life.

There is a very focused nationwide movement aimed at curing Autism with assistance and awareness coming from many different areas – media, medical, industry and so on.

Given the near daily advances in the analysis, diagnosis, and cures for the disorder, the most up to date information will be found in either the Authoritative Internet Resources or Database Resources. That’s not to say that print sources aren’t viable – they are – but the researcher and user who wants the most up to date information would probably be more inclined to start their research online before moving to print resources.

Not being an expert on Autism, my research included several conversations with employees of the Autism Society, National Library of Medicine, and Autism Speaks. I relied on their expertise in direction on some of the resources, especially the Audio-Visual materials.

Authoritative Internet Resources

• Autism Speaks – Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and look forward to continued successes in the years ahead.
  http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Autism Speaks. (November 2010). Autism Speaks. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/

• Autism Society of America – The Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.
  http://www.autism-society.org

Autism Society of America. (November 2010). Autism Society of America. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Autism Society of America: http://www.autism-society.org

• Autism Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders (NINDS) – The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to reduce the burden of neurological disease – a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world. NINDS is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
  http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail autism.htm

National Institute of Neurological Disorders. (November 2010). Autism Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from National Institute of Neurological Disorders: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm

• Autism: MedlinePlus - MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health’s Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, and for free.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html

MedlinePlus. (November 2010). Autism: MedlinePlus. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from MedlinePlus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html

• Autism Research Institute The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is the hub of a worldwide network of parents and professionals concerned with autism. ARI was founded in 1967 to conduct and foster scientific research designed to improve the methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing autism. ARI also disseminates research findings to parents and others worldwide seeking help. The ARI data bank, the world’s largest, contains over 40,000 detailed case histories of autistic children from over 60 countries. ARI publishes the Autism Research Review International, a quarterly newsletter covering biomedical and educational advances in autism research.

http://www.autism.com

Autism Research Institute. (November 2010). Autism Research Institute. Retrieved from Autism Research Institute: www.autism.com

• Global Autism Collaboration – The mission of the Global Autism Collaboration is to network and collaborate with autism organizations worldwide to generate necessary legal and social change to deal with the global autism health crisis. (Global Autism Collaboration)

http://wwwautismwebsitecom/gac

Global Autism Collaboration. (November 2010). Global Autism Collaboration. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Global Autism Collaboration: http://www.autismwebsite.com/gac

Audio Visual Resources – Web-based Videos and DVDS

• Autism Key >> Autism Key Video Library – These ‘home made’ videos provide the most update, direct and personal views and insights on Autism. (Autism Key)

http://www.autismkey.com/autism videos/

Autism Key. (November 2010). Autism Key Video Library. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Autism Key: http://www.autismkey.com/autism_videos/

• Autism: Now What Do I Do? [VHS] – A good reference for information on medical treatments once a parent finds out their child has autism.

Freeman, S. (Director). (2006). Autism: Now what do l do? [VHS] International Documentary Television Corp., & SKF Books.

• Being Responsive: You and Your Child with Autism [DVD] – This is an Australian video for parents of young children with autism focused on developing and creating interaction times with their child.

Matthews, V. (Director). (2006). Being responsive: you and your child with autism [DVD]. Australia.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Screening, Diagnosing, Thinking About Genetic Aspects [DVD] – A topical, medical overview of autism.

Bodurtha, J. (Producer), & Oswald, D. (Director). (2008). Autism spectrum disorder: Screening, diagnosing, thinking about genetic aspects [DVD]. Richmond, Va.: VCU Health System.

• About Me and You. Watch Me Learn. [DVD] – This DVD is part of a comprehensive learning system aimed to compliment school and therapy teaching.

Palo, M. (Director). (2008). About me and you. Watch me learn. [DVD]. Greenlawn, NY: Watch Me Learn, Inc.

• Two Worlds, One Planet [DVD] – This video provides a look inside a private K-12 day school specializing in youth with Autism and other disorders.

Levin, G. (Producer), & Reinking, A. (Director). (2008). Two worlds, one planet [DVD]. Boston, MA: Faces of Autism, LLC.

• Understanding Autism [DVD] – This video is ideal for those with family members or loved ones affected by autism spectrum disorders, helps to identify and diagnose quirks/behaviors in the autistic.

Sydney, N.S.W: SBS. (Director). (2006). Understanding autism [DVD].

• Autism and Applied Behavioral Analysis: ABA [DVD] – This is an ABC Nightline News program on autism.

Wolfe, P. (Director). (2006). Autism and applied behavioral analysis: ABA [DVD].

Print Resources

• The Autism Answer Book: More Than 300 of the Top Questions Parents Ask by William Stillman – William Stillman, a noted autism expert and author, delivers an Autism Q&A style book for parents and concerned family members.

Stillman, W. (2007). The autism answer book: More than 300 of the top questions parents ask. Naperville, Ill: Sourcebooks.

• The Autism Book: Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions by S. Johanna Robledo, Dawn Ham-Kucharski – A popular question and answer book written parents of autistic children.

Robledo, S., & Ham-Kucharski, D. (2005). The autism book: Answers to your most pressing questions. New York: Avery.

• The Autism Encyclopedia by John T. Neisworth, Pamela S. Wolfe – an updated and exhaustive resource including 22 pages of references including ones from all four editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Neisworth, J., & Wolfe, P. (2005). The autism encyclopedia. Baltimore, Md: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.

• Autism Journey Guide by Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) – This 300 page guide is a collection of best practices in autism care and development based on experiences the Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) Foundation has had with families.

Talk About Curing Autism. (2009). Autism journey guide. Autism Journey Guide. Costa Mesa, CA, USA: Talk About Curing Autism.

• Autism Spectrum Disorders from A to Z: Assessment, Diagnosis…& More! By Emily Doyle and, Barbara T. Doyle – A comprehensive book covering all aspects of Autism and written in a very accessible and user-friendly format.

Doyle, B., & and, E. (2004). Autism spectrum disorders from A to Z: Assessment, diagnosis – & more! Arlington, TX: Future Horizons Inc.

• The Official Autism 101 Manual: Everything You Need To Know About Autism From Experts Who Know and Care by Karen L. Simmons – An exhaustive resource for parents and professionals. With over 40 contributors, this book provides a wide- ranging overview of all aspects of autism.

Simmons, K. (2006). The official autism 101 manual. Alta., Canada: Autism Today.

• Pervasive Developmental Disorder: An Altered Perspective by Barbara Quinn, Anthony Malone – The authors describe the symptoms of PDD, what a diagnosis means, how a child fits into the umbrella term used to cover the whole family of autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger Syndrome.

Quinn, B., & Malone, A. (2000). Pervasive developmental disorder: An altered perspective. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

• Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (2006) – This booklet will help parents identify early signs, symptoms, and the behavioral differences in their children so that an intervention program can be started as soon as possible.

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2006). Understanding autism spectrum disorders. American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Understanding Autism: From Basic Neuroscience to Treatment by Steve Moldin, John Rubenstein – This reference book reviews state-of-the-art research on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of autism includes a discussion of the economic cost of autism.

Moldin, S. O., & Rubenstein, J. L. (2006). Understanding autism: From basic neuroscience to treatment. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press.

• Understanding Autism by Susan Dodd – Provides information to assist parents in developing their understanding of how autistic children think and respond.

Dodd, S. (2005). Understanding autism. Marrickville, N.S.W, Australia: Elsevier.

Database Resources

• NDAR – The NIH has developed the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR) as a secure bioinformatics platform for scientific collaboration around autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Its objectives are to facilitate data sharing and scientific collaboration, provide bioinformatics solutions to address community-Wide needs, and enable the effective communication of detailed research data, tools, and information. NDAR is a robust resource designed to help the ASD research community to accelerate discoveries that will improve the lives of people with autism and their families.

http://ndar.nih.gov/ndarpublicWeb/

National Institutes of Health. (November 2010). National Database for Autism Research. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from National Database for Autism Research: The NIH has developed the (NDAR) http://ndar.nih.gov/ndarpublicweb/

• DIRLINE is a directory database of addresses, phone numbers and information about health and biomedicine organizations, research resources, projects, and databases.

http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/

U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). DIRLINE – U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 11 29, 2010, from DIRLINE – U.S. National Library of Medicine: http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/

• PubMed searches MEDLINE (and OLDMEDLINE l95l-1965).

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/usemedline.html

U.S. National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). FAQ: Finding Medical Information in MEDLINE. Retrieved 11 29, 2010, from U.S. National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/usemedline.html

• LocatorPlus – an online catalog of all the books, journals, and other materials owned by NLM to identify materials on autism.

http://locatorplus.gov/

U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). LocatorPlus. Retrieved 11 25, 2010, from LocatorPlus: http://locatorplus.gov/

• Autism Society’s Resource Database is searchable by location or service type, and provides resource listings throughout the United States. Listings include: Autism Society Local Chapters, government agencies, physicians, medical and diagnostic centers, day schools, information and support groups, early intervention, community services for adults, service providers, legal and advocacy services, consultants, camps, research centers, and more. The resource database was created in 2004 and now contains well over 25,000 individual listings.

http://www.autismsource.org

Autism Source. (n.d.). Autism Source. Retrieved 11 28, 2010, from Autism Source: http://www.autismsource.org/

Sources for Ready Reference

• The Autism Answer Book: More Than 300 of the Top Questions Parents Ask by William Stillman – William Stillman, a noted autism expert and author, delivers an Autism Q&A style book for parents and concerned family members.

Stillman, W. (2007). The autism answer book: More than 300 of the top questions parents ask. Naperville, loll: Sourcebooks.

• The Autism Book: Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions by S. Jhoanna Robledo, Dawn Ham-Kucharski – A popular question and answer book written parents of autistic children.

Robledo, S., & Ham-Kucharski, D. (2005). The autism book: Answers to your most pressing questions. New York: Avery.

• The Autism Encyclopedia by John T. Neisworth, Pamela S. Wolfe – an updated and exhaustive resource including 22 pages of references including ones from all four editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Neisworth, J., & Wolfe, P. (2005). The autism encyclopedia. Baltimore, Md: Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co.

• Autism Spectrum Disorders from A to Z: Assessment, Diagnosis…& More! by Emily Doyle and, Barbara T. Doyle – A comprehensive book covering all aspects of Autism and written in a very accessible and user-friendly format.

Doyle, B., & and, E. (2004). Autism spectrum disorders from A to Z: Assessment, diagnosis – & more! Arlington, TX: Future Horizons Inc.

• The Official Autism 101 Manual: Everything You Need To Know About Autism From Experts Who Know and Care by Karen L. Simmons – An exhaustive resource for parents and professionals. With over 40 contributors, this book provides a wide-ranging overview of all aspects of autism.

Simmons, K. (2006). The official autism 101 manual. Alta., Canada: Autism Today.

• Autism: Now What Do I Do? [VHS] – A good reference for information on medical treatments once a parent finds out their child has autism.

Freeman, S. (Director). (2006). Autism: Now what do I do? [VHS]. International Documentary Television Corp., & SKF Books.

• Two Worlds, One Planet [DVD] – This video provides a look inside a private K-12 day school specializing in youth with Autism and other disorders.

Levin, G. (Producer), & Reinking, A. (Director). (2008). Two worlds, one planet [DVD]. Boston, MA: Faces of Autism, LLC.

• Understanding Autism [DVD] – This video is ideal for those with family members or loved ones affected by autism spectrum disorders, helps to identify and diagnose quirks/behaviors in the autistic.

Sydney, N.S.W: SBS. (Director). (2006). Understanding autism [DVD].

• Autism Speaks – Autism Speaks is the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We are proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish and look forward to continued successes in the years ahead.

http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Autism Speaks. (November 2010). Autism Speaks. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Autism Speaks: http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Sources for In-depth Information for the Casual User

• Understanding Autism: From Basic Neuroscience to Treatment by Steve Moldin, John Rubenstein – This reference book reviews state-of-the-art research on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of autism includes a discussion of the economic cost of autism.

Moldin, S. O., & Rubenstein, J. L. (2006). Understanding autism: From basic neuroscience to treatment. Boca Raton, Fla.: CRC Press.

• Autism Society’s Resource Database is searchable by location or service type, and provides resource listings throughout the United States. Listings include: Autism Society Local Chapters, government agencies, physicians, medical and diagnostic centers, day schools, information and support groups, early intervention, community services for adults, service providers, legal and advocacy services, consultants, camps, research centers, and more. The resource database was created in 2004 and now contains well over 25,000 individual listings.

http://www.autismsource.org/

Autism Source. (n.d.). Autism Source. Retrieved 11 28, 2010, from Autism Source: http://www.autismsource.org/

• Autism Journey Guide by Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) – This 300 page guide is a collection of best practices in autism care and development based on experiences the Talk About Curing Autism (TACA) Foundation has had with families.

Talk About Curing Autism. (2009). Autism Journey Guide. Autism Journey Guide. Costa Mesa, CA, USA: Talk About Curing Autism.

• Understanding Autism by Susan Dodd – Provides information to assist parents in developing their understanding of how autistic children think and respond.

Dodd, S. (2005). Understanding autism. Marrickville, N.S.W, Australia: Elsevier.

• Autism Key >> Autism Key Video Library – These ‘home made’ videos provide the most update, direct and personal views and insights on Autism. (Autism Key)

http://www.autismkey.com/autism_videos/

Autism Key. (November, 2010). Autism Key Video Library. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Autism Key: http://www.autismkey.com/autism_videos/

• Autism and Applied Behavioral Analysis: ABA [DVD] – This is an ABC Nightline News program on autism.

Wolfe, P. (Director). (2006). Autism and Applied Behavioral Analysis: ABA [DVD] –

• Being Responsive: You and Your Child with Autism [DVD] – This is an Australian video for parents of young children with autism focused on developing and creating interaction times with their child.

Matthews, V. (Director). (2006). Being responsive: you and your child with autism [DVD]. Australia.

• About Me and You. Watch Me Learn. [DVD] – This DVD is part of a comprehensive learning system aimed to compliment school and therapy teaching.

Palo, M. (Director). (2008). About me and you. Watch me learn. [DVD]. Greenlawn, NY: Watch Me Learn, Inc.

• Autism Society of America – The Autism Society, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. They do this by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.

http://www.autism-society.org

Autism Society of America. (November, 2010). Autism Society of America, Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Autism Society of America: http://www.autism-society.org

• Global Autism Collaboration – The mission of the Global Autism Collaboration is to network and collaborate with autism organizations worldwide to generate necessary legal and social change to deal with the global autism health crisis. (Global Autism Collaboration)

http://www.autismwebsite.com/gac

Global Autism Collaboration. (November, 2010). Global Autism Collaboration. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from Global Autism Collaboration: http://www.autismwebsite.com/gac

Sources for In-depth Information for a Scholar

• NDAR – The NIH has developed the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR) as a secure bioinformatics platform for scientific collaboration around autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Its objectives are to facilitate data sharing and scientific collaboration, provide bioinformatics solutions to address community-wide needs, and enable the effective communication of detailed research data, tools, and information. NDAR is a robust resource designed to help the ASD research community to accelerate discoveries that will improve the lives of people with autism and their families.

http://ndar.nih.gov/ndarpublicweb/

National Institutes of Health. (November, 2010). National Database for Autism Research. Retrieved 11 27, 2010, from National Database for Autism Research: The NIH has developed the (NDAR) http://ndar.nih.gov/ndarpublicweb/

• DIRLINE is a directory database of addresses, phone numbers and information about health and biomedicine organizations, research resources, projects, and databases.

http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/

U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.) DIRLINE – U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 11 29, 2010, from DIRLINE – U.S. National Library of Medicine: http://dirline.nlm.nih.gov/

• PubMed searches MEDLINE (and OLDMEDLINE 1951-1965). U.S. National Library of Medicine, the National Institutes of Health

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/usemedline.html

• LocatorPlus – an online catalog of all the books, journals, and other materials owned by NLM to identify materials on autism.

http://locatorplus.gov/

• Pervasive Developmental Disorder: An Altered Perspective by Barbara Quinn, Anthony Malone – The authors describe the symptoms of PDD, what a diagnosis means, how a child fits into the umbrella term used to cover the whole family of autistic spectrum disorders including autism and Asperger Syndrome.

Quinn, B., & Malone, A. (2000). Pervasive developmental disorder: An altered perspective. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

• Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorders by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) (2006) – This booklet will help parents identify early signs, symptoms, and the behavioral differences in their children so that an intervention program can be started as soon as possible.

American Academy of Pediatrics. (2006). Understanding autism spectrum disorders. American Academy of Pediatrics.

• Autism Spectrum Disorder: Screening, Diagnosing, Thinking About Genetic Aspects [DVD] – A topical, medical overview of autism.

Bodurtha, J. (Producer), & Oswald, D. (Director). (2008). Autism Spectrum Disorder: Screening, Diagnosing, Thinking About Genetic Aspects [DVD]. Richmond, Va.: VCU Health System.

• Autism Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders (NINDS) – The mission of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is to reduce the burden of neurological disease – a burden borne by every age group, by every segment of society, by people all over the world. NINDS is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail autism.htm

• Autism: MedlinePlus – MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health’s Web site for patients and their families and friends. Produced by the National Library of Medicine, it brings you information about diseases, conditions, and wellness issues in language you can understand. MedlinePlus offers reliable, up-to-date health information, anytime, anywhere, for tree.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/autism.html

• The Autism Research Institute (ARI) is the hub of a worldwide network of parents and professionals concerned with autism. ARI was
  founded in 1967 to conduct and foster scientific research designed to improve the
  methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing autism. ARI also disseminates research findings to parents and others worldwide seeking help. The ARI data bank, the world’s largest, contains over 40,000 detailed case histories of autistic children from over 60 countries. ARI publishes the Autism Research Review International, a quarterly newsletter covering biomedical and educational advances in autism research.

http://www.autism.com