THL Toolbox > Offline THL > Mobile Digital Libraries
Mobile Digital Libraries
Contributor(s): David Germano
THL Offline
THL has been designed as an online digital library that requires a fast, reliable Internet connection for end uses, and increasingly even for contributors. One of the great advantages of this is that the library itself provides the technologies and applications, as well as large amounts of storage. Thus the user simply requires a simple computer, browser, and internet connection to access complex and rich repositories of data.
However, the digital divide means that many individuals and communities who are off the grid of Internet access are thus prevented from using, and contributing to, THL. Given THL's social agenda of empowering and benefiting local communities across the Tibet and Himalayas, this constitutes a major concern. In terms of end delivery, we are working on migration strategies for how specific THL resources can be rendered from the digital library into formats that are viable for use as of today in rural Tibetan and Himalayan villages. For example, how can one create a subtitled video that can be played on a local VCD or DVD player? How can the translation tool be run on a single offline computer? How can a video iPod or other portal digital video player be used to deliver hundreds of rich images and audio-video materials into a classroom? In this way, rural communities can take advantage of these resources with their available technical infrastructure.
Delivering Audio-Video
All audio-video are stand alone files which can be downloaded from our database and played offline. Transcripts can also be downloaded and viewed on a computer or downloaded.
We are currently working on an automated system that will produce subtitled videos from our transcripts, so that users can view on a TV without reliance upon computer technology.
We are also working on production system to create DVDs and VCDs from our audio-video archives that can then be played in DVD or VCD players with no computer technology or Internet access.
We are also working at creating portable THL audio-video collections from small portal digital video players, such as an iPod. While such items do cost a significant amount of money, a relatively finite investment will produce a small object with a three year warranty that allows a huge amount of visual information to make its way into a rural community. Such players can usually be connected easily to a TV set for broader display in a classroom or community gathering.
Delivering Images
All images are stand alone files which can be downloaded from our database and played offline.
We are currently working on an automated system that will produce captioned images from our catalogs, so that users can view on a TV without reliance upon computer technology and still see information about place and content.
We are also working on production system to create DVDs and VCDs from our image archives that can then be played in DVD or VCD players with no computer technology or Internet access.
We are also working at creating portable THL image collections from small portal digital video players, such as an iPod. While such items do cost a significant amount of money, a relatively finite investment will produce a small object with a three year warranty that allows a huge amount of visual information to make its way into a rural community. Such players can usually be connected easily to a TV set for broader display in a classroom or community gathering.
Delivering Texts
We already make available our text collection in easy to download PDFs which can be viewed offline and/or printed.
Delivering Maps
We are currently working at creating a variety of Map PDFs from our GIS data sets. These maps will be searchable from an online database that then allows for their downloading. Once downloaded, they can be easily viewed offline on computers and/or printed for use in a classroom and so forth.
