Glossary of technical terms
Learn about the technologies, concepts, and organisations behind our experiments.
ALTO
ALTO (Analyzed Layout and Text Object) is a XML Schema that details technical metadata for describing the layout and content of physical text resources, such as pages of a book or a newspaper. Source: Library of Congress [https://www.loc.gov/standards/alto/description.html]
View Details ->Algorithm
A step-by-step set of instructions a computer follows to complete a task or solve a problem. Algorithms can be simple (sorting a list) or complex (recommending a book). In AI, algorithms guide how systems learn from data and make decisions.
View Details ->Anaglyph 3D
Anaglyph 3D is a stereoscopic technique combining two colour‑filtered images, typically red and cyan, which appear three‑dimensional when viewed with matching glasses, creating depth from flat displays for digital viewing.
View Details ->Analytic AI
AI used to analyse information and support decisions. It finds patterns in data, summarises trends and can make predictions or recommendations. Unlike generative AI, analytic AI typically focuses on understanding existing data rather than creating new text, images, or audio.
View Details ->Artificial Neural Network
A computer model inspired by how brains process signals. It contains layers of connected “neurons” that transform input (like words or pixels) into output (like labels or predictions). By adjusting connections during training, the network learns to recognise patterns such as faces, handwriting, or topics. Source: Alban Leveau-Vallier (2025) ‘Glossary,’ trans. Michelle Noteboom, 'The World Through AI', JBE Books
View Details ->Artificial intelligence
Also known as AI, Artificial Intelligence refers to a digital computer's ability to perform processes that typically require human intellect, like complex reasoning, speech recognition or visual interpretation, and learning from experience. AI can also refer to the scientific field dedicated to developing and understanding these abilities in digital agents.
View Details ->Augmented reality
A technology that overlays real world experience with computer generated content, often in an interactive form. While Augmented Reality (AR) typically refers to the inclusion of digital visuals in real world environments, AR experiences can also include other sensory elements, like audio or haptic experiences. One of the most famous examples of AR is Pokémon Go, a mobile phone game that superimposes Pokémon onto the world around us and invites users to interact with them.
View Details ->Bookmarklet
A small JavaScript program stored as a browser bookmark. When clicked, it runs code on the current webpage. One example is a bookmarklet that extracts ISBNs from a webpage and searches the library’s holdings.
View Details ->CLIP (Contrastive Language-Image Pretraining)
A model that learns links between images and words by training on pairs of pictures and captions. It maps both into a shared “latent space”, helping systems search for, sort, or describe images using text. For example, it can match “a green tram” to relevant photos. Source: Alban Leveau-Vallier (2025) ‘Glossary,’ trans. Michelle Noteboom, 'The World Through AI', JBE Books
View Details ->Catalogue
An organised listing of all the items within a library's collections. Their purpose is to help library users search for and find relevant material. Catalogues used to be purely analogue but are now increasingly available and searchable online.
View Details ->Code Club
Code Club is a grassroots initiative within SLV that provides space for staff to learn and engage with technology. With an inclusive and accessible approach, the club is working to increase digital literacy, demystify technology, and foster cross-departmental connections.
View Details ->Computer vision
A field of AI that helps computers “see” by analysing images and video. Computer vision can detect objects, read signs, identify damage in photos or help organise image collections. It is widely used in areas like accessibility tools, quality control and cultural heritage digitisation. Source: Digital NSW [https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/policy/artificial-intelligence/a-common-understanding-simplified-ai-definitions-from-leading]
View Details ->Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)
A neural network designed for images. It uses small scanning filters to pick up simple features (edges, textures), then combines them across layers to recognise more complex shapes and objects. CNNs are commonly used for image classification, object detection and some handwriting and document analysis tasks. Source: Alban Leveau-Vallier (2025) ‘Glossary,’ trans. Michelle Noteboom, 'The World Through AI', JBE Books
View Details ->Creative Studio
Creative Studio is a branch of the Library's Digital Directorate responsible for developing and delivering digital experiences to the public. Mike Daly acts as head of Creative Studio, and Nick Paustian leads the development team.
View Details ->DALL-E
A text-to-image model that generates pictures from written descriptions (prompts). You can ask for “a watercolour of Melbourne’s skyline” and it creates an image that fits. Like other generative tools, it reflects patterns in its training data and may produce unexpected or biased results.
View Details ->Data Mining
The process of examining large amounts of data to discover useful patterns, relationships or trends. Data mining can help organisations understand behaviour, detect unusual activity or group similar items. In libraries and archives, it can support collection insights – provided privacy, consent, and ethics are addressed. Source: https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/policy/artificial-intelligence/a-common-understanding-simplified-ai-definitions-from-leading
View Details ->Deep Learning
A type of machine learning that uses multi-layer neural networks to learn complex patterns. Because it can process large datasets, deep learning is behind many recent breakthroughs in speech recognition, image analysis and language tools. It often requires substantial computing power and careful evaluation to avoid errors.
View Details ->Digital twin
A digital replica of a real-world item or system, often incorporating up-to-date data to maintain accuracy. At SLV LAB, the 3D models of Ned Kelly's armour act as a digital twin for the real collection items.
View Details ->Disc Imaging
The process of creating a bit-for-bit, sector-level copy of a physical disc (e.g., CD, DVD, Blu‑ray, floppy, Zip, hard drive) into a single file (an “image”) that preserves the disc’s content, structure and metadata exactly as it exists on the original media. In libraries and archives, disc imaging is used to stabilise at-risk media, reduce handling of originals, retain authenticity and enable future access (including emulation) without depending on aging drives or software.
View Details ->EaaSI
An open‑source platform that lets galleries, libraries, archives and museums deliver browser‑based access to emulated computing environments so users can run legacy software and interact with digital collections. The program is led by Yale Library’s Software Preservation & Emulation unit; it began in 2018 with support from the Mellon and Sloan foundations and is now an ongoing Yale initiative. EaaSI builds on the Emulation‑as‑a‑Service (EaaS) framework (originally developed at the University of Freiburg) and offers a web sandbox to simplify running multiple emulators in a browser. It enables a network for sharing pre‑configured environments and supports “virtual reading room” access workflows across partner institutions. In Australia, AusEaaSI extends the platform to GLAM organisations via AARNet, providing shared, browser‑based access to born‑digital cultural collections.
View Details ->Finding aid
A term used in archival science referring to a document that summarises an archive's structure and contents, for the purpose of helping users find specific information within a collection. This technology dates back thousands of years, and has been in use at least since the time of the ancient Sumerians.
View Details ->Fine-tuning
Adapting a pre-trained model to perform better on a specific task or domain. For example, a general language model can be fine-tuned on heritage descriptions to write in a consistent style. Fine-tuning can improve relevance, but it can also amplify problems in the new training data if not managed carefully.
View Details ->Folk technology
Describes how people creatively adapt and repurpose systems in unexpected ways to solve their specific needs, amounting to a form of technology. For instance, users might transform a basic spreadsheet tool like Microsoft Excel into a complex, custom solution for tracking unique workflows or managing intricate personal systems that go far beyond the software's original design.
View Details ->Foundational Model
A large, general-purpose model pre-trained on a broad spectrum of mainly unlabelled data, using self-supervised learning techniques. Instead of building a new model from scratch, organisations start with a foundation model and adapt it (through prompting, fine-tuning, or add-ons). Many generative AI systems are built on foundation models.
View Details ->GLAM
GLAM is an acronym for galleries, libraries, archives and museums, and refers to organisations that collect, preserve, and share cultural knowledge. GLAM organisations often share many of the same goals, values, and challenges, and can be found collaborating and sharing best practices. State Library Victoria is a GLAM institution, and SLV LAB is a GLAM lab.
View Details ->GLAM Lab
GLAM (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums) labs are spaces for innovation within cultural heritage institutions, where staff explore how advanced technologies can benefit audiences, collections, and access. GLAM labs investigate and create digital innovation from a place of public interest and custodial responsibility, often viewing their work as an extension of their trusted information-sharing roles. SLV LAB is a GLAM Lab.
View Details ->Unsupported Media
Gaussian splatting
A 3D scene representation and rendering technique that relies on a digital 3D cloud of millions of tiny, translucent ellipsoids (aka Gaussians) to create photorealistic 3D models and scenes. The resulting models can be viewed from many angles and at higher frame rates than other photogrammetry techniques.
View Details ->Gazetteer
A geographical directory that contains information about place names, often including coordinates, administrative boundaries and historical data. Gazzetteers support metadata enrichment, geospatial search and historical research by linking place names to structured geographic data.
View Details ->Generative AI Model
An AI model that creates new content – such as text, images, audio or code – based on patterns learned from training data. It does not “understand” in a human way; it generates outputs that statistically fit the prompt. This can create biases, and cause accuracy and rights issues.
View Details ->Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT)
A family of language models built using the transformer architecture. They are pre-trained on large text collections to predict likely word sequences, then used for tasks like summarising, drafting or answering questions. They make up the base of ChatGPT, released in November 2023.
View Details ->Generative adversarial network
A machine learning framework where two deep neural networks, a generator and a discriminator, are pitted against each other to eventually train the generator network to create highly realistic synthetic data. Both models are continuously updated, with the generator attempting to mimic a real-world dataset, and the discriminator judging whether this incoming data is real (from the training dataset) or fake (generated by the other neural network). Once the generator network can consistently fool the discriminator, the generator neural network can be used to create highly realistic synthetic data in the form of images, sounds, text, or whatever other form of data it was trained on.
View Details ->Georeferencing
The process of assigning geographic coordinates (like longitude and latitude) to data – often historical maps, images or place names – so they can be accurately placed on a modern map to enable spatial analysis and exploration.
View Details ->Hackathon
A hackathon is an event where teams work together intensively over a short period to develop creative solutions or prototype new ideas around a common goal.
View Details ->Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR)
Technology that converts handwriting in images into editable, searchable text. HTR is related to OCR (Optical Character Recognition), but handwriting is harder because letter shapes vary widely between writers and time periods. Good results often depend on clear scans, representative training data and human review for difficult words.
View Details ->Hugging Face
Hugging Face is an online community-based platform for sharing high quality machine learning models and datasets. The site specialises in natural language processing models, and largely operates on an open-source basis.
View Details ->Human-in-the-loop (HITL)
An approach where people actively guide, check or approve an AI system’s outputs. Humans might correct labels, review generated text, or decide when the system should stop. HITL helps improve quality and safety, especially in high-stakes or sensitive contexts such as public information, cultural collections or identity-related data. Source: https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/policy/artificial-intelligence/a-common-understanding-simplified-ai-definitions-from-leading
View Details ->International Image Interoperability Framework
International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) is both a set of open standards for delivering images and audio/visual files on the web, and an international community that develops and uses the organisation's APIs. It is supported by many leading cultural institutions that rely on IIIF to share the full depth of their collections. IIIF is a critical technology at State Library Victoria, and many other GLAM institutions. It enables modern web browsers to display images and audio/visual files with full detail, structure and meta data (think captions, translations, and annotations), supporting features like deep zoom into highly detailed images.
View Details ->K-means clustering algorithm
An algorithm used to reduce a set of numbers to a group of clusters. When applied to an image, it can create a summary of the colours that make up that image i.e. a colour palette. This technique was used in the ManIIIFestor browser extension project to create a relevant background gradient for every copyright-free image.
View Details ->LAION 5B
A very large dataset of image links paired with text descriptions, created by the German non-profit LAION. It is used to train some image and multimodal AI models. “5B” refers to billions of image–text pairs.
View Details ->Language Model
A model that works with language by predicting word sequences based on context. It can generate text, translate, summarise, or classify sentiment by learning statistical patterns from training text. Language models can be useful for drafting and analysis, but they can also reproduce biases and produce plausible-sounding errors.
View Details ->Large Language Model (LLM)
Machine learning models capable of recognising and generating human language. These models are trained on vast datasets of high-quality human textual communication, often scraped from the web. LLMs rely on a form of machine learning called deep learning, which analyses the probability of various letters, words and sentences appearing together across these enormous datasets to eventually understand their function and relationships. To date, ChatGPT is perhaps the most famous example of a LLM.
View Details ->Latent Space
A mathematical “map” where an AI system represents concepts, images or sounds as numbers (vectors). Items that are similar end up close together in this space. Latent space helps models match text to images, group similar document, or generate variations – because moving within the space changes features gradually.
View Details ->LiDAR
LiDAR, an acronym for Light Detection and Ranging, is a technique for creating depth maps of objects and environments. LiDAR works by reflecting light from a laser off the target object and measuring the amount of time before the light returns to the receiver. These return times can then be processed and compiled into an overall map of the target object or environment. The technique can be used to create distance maps of landscapes or combined with 3D scanning to create digital models of 3D objects. At SLV LAB, LiDAR was used in the Mouthful of Dust projects to replicate the exact scale of Ned Kelly's armour for the digital versions.
View Details ->Low-rank adaptation (LoRA)
A method for adapting a large model to a new task by adding a small set of learnable changes, instead of retraining the entire model. LoRA is popular because it can be faster and cheaper, and it lets people create multiple specialised versions of a model while keeping the original base model unchanged.
View Details ->MARC record
A standardised format for the Machine-Readable Cataloguing of bibliographic information. It's used by libraries to encode and exchange catalogue data about books, journals, digital resources and other materials. MARC records are foundational to library cataloguing systems like Alma. They support resource discovery and metadata sharing across institutions.
View Details ->Machine Learning
A way for computers to learn patterns from examples rather than being explicitly programmed for every rule. By training on data, a machine learning system can classify items, detect anomalies, or predict outcomes. The quality of results depends heavily on the quality, representativeness, and documentation of the training data.
View Details ->Metadata
Information that describes other data. For a photo, metadata might include creator, date, location, file type and rights details. Good metadata helps people find, interpret and manage collections. In AI, metadata supports transparency by recording where data came from, how it can be used and what limitations apply.
View Details ->Midjourney
An AI research lab known for its eponymous generative AI program that outputs images from natural language descriptions (or prompts). Released in 2022, Midjourney quickly set a standard in the field, yet has also sparked controversy (as other text-to-image models like Dall-E or Stable Diffusion have done): for using artists’ work without their consent, for making it easy to plagiarise, and even for its role in winning digital art and photography prizes.
View Details ->Mixed reality
Blending real-world environments with digitally generated ones, allowing people to experience both the physical and computer-generated at the same time. Mixed reality worlds are often interactive and designed to enhance real-world environments. Mixed reality covers a wide spectrum from nearly 100% virtual worlds to nearly all physical ones.
View Details ->Model
A simulation or representation of a real-world system, which can be used to imitate or better understand real-world dynamics. A large language model (LLM), for example, is a representation of natural human language that can be used to understand or generate realistic human-to-human communication.
View Details ->Multi-Agent Systems
Systems where multiple AI “agents” work together, each with a role such as planning, researching, checking or executing steps. Agents can collaborate or compete to solve complex tasks. Multi-agent approaches can improve coverage and reliability, but they can also multiply errors if agents share the same wrong assumptions or unreliable sources.
View Details ->Multimodal Models
AI models that work with more than one type of input or output – such as text, images, audio or video. A multimodal model might describe an image in words, answer questions about a diagram or generate an image from text.
View Details ->Named entity recognition
A task within natural language processing (NLP) to identify and classify important information from text. The information that is identified and classified is referred to as an entity. Examples of entity categories include people, location, dates and organisations.
View Details ->Natural Language Processing (NLP)
A field of computing focused on helping machines work with human language. NLP powers tools like search, speech-to-text, translation, summarisation and chatbots. It can support discovery and accessibility, but results vary by language, dialect and context.
View Details ->Open source
A computer program where the both the source code and the right to use, examine, or modify that code is freely available to all. Can also refer to the community of developers who support this practice, and the underlying software development approach that seeks to support decentralised and collaborative programming.
View Details ->Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
Technology that converts text in images (like scanned pages) into machine-readable text. OCR makes printed documents searchable and easier to reuse, making it a foundational technology in the digitisation of archive and historic materials. Accuracy depends on scan quality, fonts, layout complexity and language.
View Details ->Orphan work
In-copyright works where the creator (or rights holder) cannot be identified and/or located. Orphan works cover all formats (analogue and digital) and, although generally thought of as older works, can include any work lacking sufficient information about the creator, including those with anonymous or pseudonymous authors.
View Details ->Photogrammetry
The art, science, and technology of accurately describing physical objects and the environment through the use of photographs, especially aerial photographs. More specifically, it can refer to the process of creating accurate 3D models from images of real-world objects, such as Ned Kelly's armour in the Mouthful of Dust project.
View Details ->Prompt
The input you give a generative AI system to guide its output. A prompt might be a question, an instruction, a passage to rewrite or a description of an image.
View Details ->Public Domain Day
Celebrated on 1 January each year, Public Domain Day highlights works that have just entered the public domain, and can now be used and referenced without charge or permission. Works enter the public domain when their copyright expires according to each country's copyright laws. Famously, the Steamboat Willie version of Disney's Mickey Mouse finally entered the Public Domain in 2024, joining other culturally notable works, like the writings of William Shakespeare and the musical compositions of Mozart.
View Details ->Realia
Realia is a library term for three-dimensional objects like textiles, tools, and coins that fall outside the typical library classification system. Ned Kelly's armour is the best-known piece of realia at State Library Victoria, but there are many other examples within the Library's heritage collections, preserved for their association with notable people and events in Victorian history.
View Details ->Reinforcement Learning
A machine learning approach where an agent learns by trial and error. It takes actions, receives rewards or penalties, and gradually learns strategies that maximise reward. Reinforcement learning is used in robotics, games and optimisation problems. Source: https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/policy/artificial-intelligence/a-common-understanding-simplified-ai-definitions-from-leading
View Details ->Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)
A technique that helps a generative AI system use trusted information. Before writing an answer, the system retrieves relevant documents (for example, from a library knowledge base) and then generates text grounded in those sources. RAG can reduce hallucinations and improve currency, but it still requires good retrieval, permissions and careful citation practices.
View Details ->Scraping
Automatically collecting data from websites or online sources, often by software that reads pages at scale. Scraping can support research and discovery, but it can breach terms of use, overload systems or collect personal data without consent. Ethical scraping includes respecting permissions, robots.txt guidance, privacy law and cultural sensitivities.
View Details ->Serverless
A type of software design that uses cloud-based servers for provisioning, managing and scaling the digital architecture necessary to run programs, rather than the developer creating and controlling all aspects of the digital architecture.
View Details ->Speculative Design
A design practice introduced in the 1990s by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby that uses imagined futures to question how technologies, systems, and values shape societies. Speculative design creates scenarios and artefacts that provoke debate, encourage reflection and open up discussion about possible, preferable or troubling futures. (Source: https://www.critical.design/post/what-is-speculative-design)
View Details ->Stereograph
A stereograph consists of two nearly identical photographs that, when viewed through a device called a stereoscope, combine to create a three-dimensional image. This technique was particularly popular during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They often depicted landscapes, architecture and everyday life, providing a more immersive and realistic view of the world.
View Details ->Stereoscope
A device for viewing a stereoscopic pair of separate images, depicting left-eye and right-eye views of the same scene, as a single three-dimensional image.
View Details ->Supervised Learning
A machine learning method that learns from labelled examples, where the “right answer” is provided. For instance, emails marked “spam” or “not spam” can train a filter. Source: https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/policy/artificial-intelligence/a-common-understanding-simplified-ai-definitions-from-leading
View Details ->Training Set
A collection of data, sometimes manually labeled, that an algorithm learns to recognise or complete by trial and error. With each error, the algorithm adjusts its parameters so as to gradually encode enough information about the data (their features, similarities and differences) to be able to classify or produce new ones.
View Details ->Transformer
A deep learning Natural Language Processing model proposed in 2017 by a team of Google engineers, whose main innovation is to give a central role to the “attention” mechanism, which consists of weighting the relative importance of each word in relationship to others. This parallel (rather than sequential) treatment requires less computing and has made it possible to multiply the size of training sets and the number of parameters, contributing to the emergence of large language models.
View Details ->Trove
An online portal for accessing digitised material from cultural, community and research institutions across Australia.
View Details ->Unreal Engine
A 3D computer graphics game engine created by Epic Games. This software framework is commonly used to generate high-quality computer graphics in both the gaming and the film and television industries. The engine is free to use for any creation with under US $1 million in revenue, and its source code is available to all on GitHub. At SLV LAB, Unreal Engine was used by Matt Hermans to create an ultra-high resolution model of Ned Kelly's armour for the Mouthful of Dust project.
View Details ->Unsupervised Learning
A machine learning approach that finds structure in data without labelled answers. The system groups similar items, detects clusters or reduces complexity to reveal patterns. Unsupervised learning is useful for exploration – such as discovering themes in large text collections – but the groupings still need human interpretation to ensure they make sense and avoid misleading conclusions. Source: https://www.digital.nsw.gov.au/policy/artificial-intelligence/a-common-understanding-simplified-ai-definitions-from-leading
View Details ->Userscript
A small piece of JavaScript code that modifies the behaviour and appearance of a website when viewed in a browser. Userscripts can enhance library catalogue interfaces, automate tasks or improve accessibility.
View Details ->Virtual reality
The use of computer modelling technology to create and allow experiential immersion in a digitally constructed 3D world. Virtual Reality (VR) often involves the use of stereoscopic headsets to simulate the visual environment, and can use gloves, controllers, or bodysuits to create other sensory experiences of the virtual environment. VR is most often used for entertainment, skills-training and education.
View Details ->Volumetric capture
A technique that records a three-dimensional space, like a performance or interior, using multiple synchronised cameras and then reconstructs it into a 3D model or "hologram" that can be viewed from any angle. Volumetrically captured works can be viewed in virtual or mixed reality environments, or on 2D or 3D screens.
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