Scandinavian-Canadian Studies

Noticed that Leif had inadvertently uploaded a couple of documents into the root collection, /db/. This shouldn't be possible, but it is; also, I can't find a way to change permissions on the root collection using the JNLP client. Posted to the eXist list about this. Also spent quite a while trying without success to troubleshoot a file association issue with oXygen on ENDIVE. Leif is now marking up the content of Neijmann, and updating Trish's documentation as he goes.

Leif finished the markup of the biblio for the next vol 17 article, so I set him up as a user on the eXist db and showed him how to upload docs to test them out. We went through a range of issues emerging from this bibliography, some of which require clarification from JT, and he's now working on updating Trish's original documentation to clarify and expand it, so that it reflects our current practice.

Spent a little time with Leif as he started working through the first article markup. He's done the header with no problem, and had a first shot at the body, and will finish the bibliography by the end of the day.

Met with John and Luke, who advised us that we should use Google Analytics for site statistics, and register with the Google Webmaster tools. I tested Google Analytics, and there are two problems with it:

• Using it requires making a JavaScript call the Google server, which is slightly iffy (we're sending usage data and user information to a company in the States without warning the user).
• The Google server is down, so any page which uses it generates JS errors.

Still waiting on JT's decision as to whether to go with this. Registered the ScanCan Google account for Google's Webmaster Tools, and verified the scancan.net domains.

Created a template file for L. to start marking up an article, and posted it on Endive with instructions by email.

Set up copies of the existing XML documents on Endive, and spent some time discussing XML, TEI, DTDs and schemas with Leif. He's worked through a lot of introductory material already, and he should be ready to start marking up tomorrow.

Met with JT and Leif, who will be doing workstudy this semester. Set up Leif on Endive, to do XML markup using oXygen. Initially he'll work through some TEI introductory materials, then start marking up Vol 17 articles. As he does each section of each type of article for the first time, we'll both work on documenting the practices that have evolved over the lifetime of the project, merging Trish's and my old documentation with newer info to create full documentation for the markup.

JT had marked up the first vol 17 article using the P5 output from the site as a guide, rather than a P4 document, so I did a basic conversion using XSLT, and some more tweaks with XPath searches and XSLT transforms to fix regular departures from the P4 DTD; then I went through the result and made all the corrections from the printed copy generated from the P5. This article is nearly done, but will need proofing once more; I suspect there are still some problems with the biblio.

JT sent over a PDF document containing a review of the ScanCan site, by an acquaintance who works in IT. Took a detailed look through the review, and responded directly to JT.

Dr. T dropped by with a copy of volume 16, fresh from the printers. On first look, it seems a much better job than the last one -- the colours on the cover are good, and the book is the right size. The pages look as though they've been printed more consistently too; there's none of the misalignment between lines on the recto and verso that we saw in the last volume. A definite step forward.