Hi, I'm John Jackson.
I’m a cataloging librarian who bikes, writes, codes, and tinkers. This is my portfolio and repository of personal projects. Here are a few subject headings that may describe me:
Public librarians.
Catalogers.
Cyclists.
Computer programmers.
Bloggers.
Software engineering.
These are some sundry software projects I've dabbled in over the years.
Coronate: a Swiss chess tournament manager
I created my own chess tournament manager. It's free and open source for anyone to use, but especially designed for libraries and small clubs.
The Acutis template language, or: how I over-engineered a program that just prints text
Acutis is a programming language that I created from scratch. This is the story of how and why I built it, including the decisions I made, the problems I solved, and the technical details involved. Also, this website is built with it!
V4D: Visualize 4D Shapes
V4D is a webpage I made to play with four-dimensional shapes. It can project each shape in its entirety or as a three-dimensional "slice" that simulates how the shape would appear passing through our space.
Stella Maris Vim color scheme
I spent enough time looking at the Vim text editor that I made my own color scheme for it and called the scheme Stella Maris. It's simple, accessible, and looks good to my eyes.
Maximum weighted matching finder
This interactive webpage explains how to use maximum weighted matching theory to do things like pair chess players.
...and other small projects
Most of my tinkerings don't result in anything big or useful at first, but you can view some of my other repositories here.
Writing.
Besides the documents on this website, here are some of my writing projects.
Bike Walk Life blog
As a longtime bicycle commuter, I use this blog to discuss stories and issues from the world of biking and walking. I especially focus on the Southeast U.S.
Your Library’s First Chess Tournament: From Opening to Endgame
I've published a guide to running a library chess tournament on Programming Librarian. It covers all of the basic knowledge such as scorekeeping and pairing, plus other tips that a library worker (or anyone directing a tournament) would need to know.
How to Play Chess: a reference for novices and veterans
I ran a chess program at our library from 2017 to 2020. At the time, I couldn't find any satisfactory guides to give to participants. This is one that I wrote myself which aims to cover all of the necessary knowledge without being too long or too short.
Internet videos production and direction.
Videos for socially-distanced library programming
In 2020, I produced videos for Chattahoochee Valley Libraries as part of our response to the COVID-19 crisis. These helped extend library services while our doors were closed to the public.
Library Science.
John Jackson’s MLIS portfolio
I graduated with a master of library and information science degree in 2018 from the University of South Carolina, focusing on academic and digital libraries. This portfolio includes samples of my work during that time.
Carpentry Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Sometimes I build furniture, and these are the guides I wrote for them.
Marble-top Chessboard End Table
I made a custom end-table with an old marble chessboard and some two-by-fours. This guide covers how it was done, and some tips for building your own.
Standing Desk Converter with Scrap Wood
I turned a old, regular desk into a fancy new standing desk. This covers how I did it, how you can make your own, and some general tips about standing desks.
