Kyle Banerjee wrote:

[snip]
>> Pick something that you need for a specific project. You already know how
> to program, so picking up a language for its own sake will mostly be an
> academic exercise for you.
> 
[snip]
> 
> My advice would be to work on a project and if it calls for a language that
> you don't know, then pick up that. If it calls for something you already
> know like PHP, just use that and pick up your new language when you need to
> later. In other words, learn what you need. It's dang hard to remember
> anything you don't actively use.
> 
> kyle
> 
> 
> 

Seconding.

I am not a programmer, but I've been able (by and large) to figure out 
what I need to do when faced with a specific problem. I have never been 
successful at my attempts to learn a language just for the heck of it.

A sample project that jumped to my mind given your interest in rare 
books and book arts would be digital libraries. If I were in your shoes, 
I might look at what's available in that area. I know of Greenstone (not 
because of any experience with it on my own, but because of classmates 
who were using it for their digital libraries class) but I'm sure 
there's a lot more out there.

Here's one of the projects I remember being done: 
http://gslis.simmons.edu/henty/team.htm

And now, back to my regularly scheduled lurking.

Ellen

-- 
Ellen Knowlton Wilson
Instruction Coordinator
Instructional Technology/Reference Librarian
Room 250, University Library
University of South Alabama
Mobile, AL 36688
6-2826 | (251) 460-7025
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