I do not think my perspective on the way digital information is managed has changed that much since the course started , but I have gained a much better understanding of how digital information is managed, manipulated, used, and re-purposed. Databases always seemed to be a key aspect of digital information management and thanks to the MySQL crash-course, I was able to better understand how data are entered into database, in what form and format (data-type), that these things matter and they can be quite helpful and powerful when used right. The date data-types could enhance the information users' require - the way chronological data can be computed and manipulated, unfortunately in most library and archival content standards, chronological data are of little use from the point of view of machine manipulation, as they are usually entered as unrestricted text strings.
The real eye opener, however, was the last part of the course on PHP and MySQL. The ease with which the database could be queried, data retrieved, and delivered to the browser really surprised me. However, the effortless update of the database was the real coup for me. It made me think again about the Web 2.0 participatory aspect and how useful they can be to the cultural heritage field. I realize that both
delivery and update actions were rather unsophisticated and many blocks of code would be required to update databases with useful, normalized data and also to retrieve them in a more user-friendly way.
The relative ease with which the whole system is built and operates , convinced me that the LAMP framework is a viable concept, quite suitable for libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural and heritage institutions both big and small.
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