12 January 2006 8:30 AM Central Classroom 612

Agenda

• Updates and announcements
  • Forum reports (if any)
  • Ask Us linking from e-resources
  • Basic Business Resources session
  • Others
• Future of the Library's web presence--short and long term

The Recombinant Library

http://www.oclc.org/research/staff/dempsey/dempsey_recombinant_library.pdf

Portal Has Two Faces

This article can be found in the Gartner Research Database. Instruction to locate:

1. Go to the proxied URL for this Database at: http://proxy.library.vanderbilt.edu/login?url=https://secureforms.library.vanderbilt.edu/pauth/gartner.phtml

2. Supply user information requested. This should take you to the Gartner Research Database.

3. Search for "Portal Two Faces". This should return a link to the article by Ray Valdes.

Let Jody know if you have any trouble accessing the article.

A couple of portal implementations that you might look at

• http://dewey.library.nd.edu/mylibrary/3.0/
• https://chico.nss.udel.edu/cas/login?app=portal&renew=true&service=http://uportal.udel.edu/student/Authentication

A website

http://www.library.upenn.edu/

Meeting Notes

Attending: Jason Battles, Leslie Boyd, Melinda Brown, David Carpenter, Sue Erickson, Teresa Gray, Janet Hirt, Amy Limpitlaw, Kitty Porter, Robert Rich, Flo Wilson

From the Digital Library Steering Committee: Jody Combs, Janice Adlington, John Haar, Bill Hook, Dale Poulter, Rick Stringer-Hye, Roberta Winjum

From the Communications Committee: Suellen Stringer-Hye, Celia Walker

The group proceeded with a discussion about the library’s website—what’s not working well for users, what kinds of changes do we think are needed, within what time frame and with what priority. The goal of the meeting was to determine whether changes need to be made for next fall and how extensive those would be, so that we can determine how to move forward with a larger redesign question for the future. The following notes were taken by the chair during the meeting:

Question: what’s broken?

• Location on the page (findability) of catalog, finding other resources
• Way databases are presented
  • Need to be able to build direct links to databases
• Headings need color differentiation since they aren’t links
• Language needs some work; users don’t understand terminology
• Services need to be organized by group; maybe a New User group to explain how to find, get around
• Too busy; too much on the page; using large headings and mouse-overs might help
• Need images of users
• Consideration needs to be given to varying resolutions; making it work with Firefox, Safari
• More consistency across the various library webpages would be helpful—appearance, language
• Need customization options
• Way to create course specific pages

Conclusions for what’s needed and do-able by fall

• Look and feel refreshing
• Review of language and user response
• Look at big chunks and using mouse-overs
• See how individual library pages and library-wide page can complement each other more

Other discussion

• Metasearching capability was discussed variously as desirable, not needed; time investment is critical consideration
• How to better merge relationships of the library’s various websites
• Need for multiple approaches to using the library’s website—flexible, customizable
• Invest in tangible, highest and broadest impact improvements
• Communications Committee will not have completed its marketing/branding efforts until after next fall

At the conclusion of the web discussion, Melinda updated the group on the Instruction Forum work—a planning group to be established soon to flesh out the plans for pursuing the Library goal on instruction. She also summarized her work with the Center for Teaching; they will be conducting a faculty survey of the kinds of things faculty think the students need to know; we can help by supplying possible questions.

Sue identified the need for a planning group for the Reference Forum, and will seek volunteers. She also talked briefly about the ASK US link added to Pro Quest and which can be added to other databases, and about the Business Resources session presented by Amia Baker for any interested staff. Scheduling conflicts resulted in several reference staff being unable to attend.