Variations2
Permanent link for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2022/29452
The Variations2 project aims to establish a digital music library testbed system containing music in a variety of formats, involving research and development in the areas of system architecture, metadata standards, component-based application architecture, and network services.
Funding for this project was provided in part by the Digital Libraries Initiative - Phase 2 program, with support from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Item Understanding and Representing Learning Activity to Support Design: A Contextual Design Example(2005-10) Notess, MarkContextual Design is a well-defined method for gathering and representing user understanding within a coherent design process. This paper illustrates the value of Contextual Design to educational system design by describing a case study involving 14 contextual inquiry sessions that were carried out in and around the Indiana University music library, in support of designing technology for student learning. Findings are presented as diagrammatic work models, an affinity diagram, and a list of insights and design ideas. The utility of Contextual Design work modeling is assessed, and some limitations in its ability to represent learning are considered.Item Using Contextual Design for Digital Library Field Studies(2005-06) Notess, MarkItem Integrating Human-Centered Design Methods from Different Disciplines: Contextual Design and PRInCiPleS(2004-11) Notess, Mark; Blevis, EliThe human-computer interaction (HCI) community has developed primarily among those trained in computer science and psychology. Design methodologies within HCI tend to address the needs and interests of those who have been trained in cognitive science, human factors, or software engineering. This paper illuminates the similarities, distinctions and opportunities existing between one of the better known HCI methodologies, Contextual Design, and an encapsulation of the oral tradition of studio-based design methods that we call PRInCiPleS. PRInCiPleS forms part of the curriculum in HCI design at the Indiana University School of Informatics. We present a case study wherein both methods were used, and we draw from that experience and our own analysis to compare and contrast HCI approaches and studio-based design approaches generally, suggesting how each may benefit from the strengths of the other and postulating a coherent integration.Item The Anatomy of a Bibliographic Search System for Music(2004-10) Scherle, Ryan; Byrd, DonaldTraditional library catalog systems have been extremely effective in providing access to collections of books, films, and other material. However, they have many limitations when it comes to finding musical information, which has significantly different, and in many ways more complex, structure. The Variations2 search system is an alternative system, designed specifically to aid users in searching for music. It leverages a rich set of bibliographic data records, expressing relationships between creators of music and their creations. These records enable musicians to search for music using familiar terms and relationships, rather than trying to decipher the methods libraries typically use to organize musical items. This paper describes the design and implementation of the system that makes these searches possible.Item Timeliner: Building a Learning Tool into a Digital Music Library(2004-06) Notess, Mark; Swan, Margaret B.Timeliner is a pedagogical tool integrated into Variations2, the Indiana University digital music library. Timeliner enables students and instructors to create visual representations of the formal structure of musical works contained within the digital library. The tool incorporates content visualization and annotation features drawn from traditional multimedia design principles. This paper describes the Timeliner tool and its integration within Variations2. We then describe results from multi-method user studies that have informed the tool’s design. Finally, we describe our plans for improving Timeliner and integrating other pedagogical tools in Variations2. The application of these ideas is not limited to music: pedagogical tools can be integrated into digital libraries for other disciplines as well.Item Variations2: Improving Music Findability in a Digital Library Through Work-Centric Metadata(2004-06) Notess, Mark; Dunn, Jon W.The Variations2 Indiana University Digital Music Library is a large test-bed project funded in part by Phase 2 of the Digital Libraries Initiative, with support from the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. This demonstration will show the current state of the Variations2 test-bed software, focusing on the search user interface.Item Variations2 Help: Moving Help Closer to Users(2004-04) Swan, Margaret B.; Notess, MarkItem Three looks at users: a comparison of methods for studying digital library use(2003-09) Notess, MarkThe Variations and Variations2 digital music library projects at Indiana University provide a valuable test-bed for user studies. We have used user satisfaction questionnaires, session logging, and contextual inquiry to study digital music library usage by music students. This paper describes our approach with each method and offers a comparison of cost, advantages, and disadvantages of each methods. The comparison can help digital library practitioners choose amongst or combine field-study methods based on their objectives and constraints.Item Content Visualization in a Digital Music Library(2003-05) Isaacson, Eric J.The Variations2 Digital Music Library project at Indiana University provides the opportunity to develop visualization methods aimed at students in schools of music. This paper describes several schemes involving the visualization of musical content.Item Music Representation in a Digital Music Library(IEEE, 2003-05) Byrd, Donald; Isaacson, EricThe Variations2 digital music library currently supports music in audio and score-image formats. In a future version, we plan to add music in a symbolic form. This paper describes our work defining a music representation suitable for the needs of our users.Item V2V: A Second Variation on Query-by-Humming(IEEE, 2003-05) Birmingham, William P.; O'Malley, Kevin; Dunn, Jon W.; Scherle, RyanMusic information retrieval (MIR) systems tend to fall into two camps: that camp developing cataloging and providing advanced access systems for large collections of music and that camp developing specific query or access mechanisms. By and large, the former camp concentrates its efforts on developing large collections and integrating with existing library systems, while the latter experiments with relatively small collections that are stand alone. We have started to merge these camps by integrating Variations2, which provides access to a digitized portion of Indiana University’s vast music library, with Michigan’s VocalSearch, which provides a query-by-humming (QBH) search engine. The joint system, V2V, demonstrates how QBH can be used in connection with a large number of holdings in a real-world environmentItem Predicting User Satisfaction from Subject Satisfaction(2003-04) Notess, Mark; Swan, Margaret B.In this paper, we describe work-in-progress in comparing user satisfaction ratings after user tests with ratings obtained following actual use of a digital music library software. We identify some of the variables that hamper prediction, and we reflect on the utility of surveys for predicting user/subject gaps in satisfaction.Item Why Not MARC?(2002-10) Hemmasi, HarrietteTraditional library cataloging records in the United States, based on AACR2R cataloging rules and MARC standards, constitute a solid foundation for many of the descriptive metadata elements needed for searching and retrieving works of music. However, there are significant weaknesses associated with these records and the online environment in which they live as users seek access to digitized representations of music. While music metadata in the library catalog records offer less than a perfect solution, they can and should have an important role in the total solution. Variations2, the Indiana University Digital Music Library, builds on the advantages of AACR2R and MARC and offers a domainspecific data model and search environment that address many of the identified problems.Item Variations2: Toward Visual Interfaces for Digital Music Libraries(2002-07) Notess, Mark; Minibayeva, NataliaIn this paper, we discuss unique challenges of visualizing musical data, address limitations of existing music interfaces and data structures, and propose some approaches to music visualization based on the data model developed by Variations2 digital music library project.Item A Digital Library Data Model for Music(Association for Computing Machinery, 2002-07) Minibayeva, Natalia; Dunn, Jon W.In this paper, we introduce a data and metadata model being developed for use in a music digital library system to support search and navigation of music content in multiple formatsItem Variations2: A Digital Music Library System(Association for Computing Machinery, 2002-07) Dunn, Jon W.; Isaacson, Eric J.This demonstration will show version 1.0 of the Variations2 digital library system developed by Indiana University. Variations2 is being built to provide access to music in a variety of formats–sound recordings, scanned musical scores, computer score notation files, and video–and is designed to support research and learning in the field of music.Item Music Learning Online: Evaluating the Promise(2001-11) Isaacson, EricA summary of some new technologies for distance learning is provided, with illustrations of possible applications of these technologies in schools of music. Two examples of distance learning technologies under development at Indiana University are presented. Finally, a number of issues that need to be considered before adopting a distance learning approach are discussed.Item Indiana University Digital Music Library Project: An Update(2001-10-15) Dunn, Jon W.; Davidson, Mary Wallace; Isaacson, Eric J.This talk will present a progress report on the Indiana University Digital Music Library project as it enters its second of four years.Item Indiana University Digital Music Library Project(Association for Computing Machinery, 2001-06-24) Dunn, Jon W.; Isaacson, Eric J.The Indiana University Digital Music Library project plans to create a digital library testbed system containing music in a variety of formats, designed to support research and education in the field of music and to serve as a platform for digital library research. Prototypes of user interfaces to the system will be demonstrated.Item Beyond VARIATIONS: Creating a Digital Music Library(2000-10-23) Dunn, Jon W.