Service Quality Improvement Council

August 23, 2000

Agenda

1. Discussion of Reference Services webpage (Suzanne Eggleston)

2. Support for non-Roman characters on YUL Workstations: Karen Reardon will present her task force report

3. Brainstorming session on future issues for SQIC consideration

4. Announcements, questions, future agenda items

Minutes

Present: Suzanne Eggleston, Holly Grossetta Nardini, Emily Horning, Sandy Peterson, Rich Richie, Andy Shimp, Martha Smalley, Paul Stuehrenberg (chair)

Absent: Katie Bauer, Susan Crockford-Peters, Kenny Marone, Fred Martz, Danuta Nitecki, Joan Swanekamp

Guest: Karen Reardon

I. Reference Services Group. Suzanne Eggleston asked for comments on the library-wide Reference Services Web page designed by the Reference Services Group and its programmatic statement. She requested that comments be sent to her via email. Suzanne noted that there are still a number of tasks to be completed:

• Generate a page listing reference office hours

• Create a new, generic reference form that can be used by all libraries

Questions raised included:

• Where to send reference queries for the Cross Campus Library collection. It was suggested to alter the text of the Research Services and Collections reference services Web page to clarify that services pertain to both the SML and CCL collections.

• Should a general statement on reference hours be included

• Should a link be made to the Service Contacts page at

http://www.library.yale.edu/htmldocs/servcontacts.html

Suzanne shared the concern of the Reference Services Group that the page may not be ideally suited to represent the reference services available at each of the libraries. It was decided to have each "umbrella" library decide where reference queries to its subordinate library units should be sent (e.g., Kline Science Library would serve as the "umbrella" for the Chemistry Library). Suzanne thought it best to design a new Web page with the relevant reference contact information based on the preferences of the administrator in charge of those library units. Suzanne will get in touch with these administrators for their preferences.

II. Sub-committee on Vernacular (Non-Roman) Support. Karen Reardon, Chair of the Sub-committee on Vernacular (Non-Roman) Support presented the roll-out plan for the appropriate configuration for public workstations to provide reader access to non-Roman script. The sub-committee recommended that workstations in the following locations be configured to support non-Roman script:

• All workstations in the Periodical Reading Room in Sterling Memorial Library

• All ADA-compliant workstations in A&A, SSL, Government Documents, KSL, CCL, Music and Engineering

• All new workstations ordered as part of the current equipment request process

• A workstation at the Medical Library

• All workstations in the CCL classroom and the SCML

Karen mentioned that Danuta Nitecki had requested that the fonts be installed on all new machines. She explained that while IE will allow the reader to view all known non-Roman scripts, it was determined that the Netscape browser uses a font to display Hebrew that is unacceptable for Roman script. This particular font was pulled from Netscape after a trial run-through at Kline Science Library. Karen advised the group that most persons viewing pages with non-Roman script will know to use IE instead of Netscape because of its more reliable presentation of alternate fonts. Two training sessions for expert users on the basics of the changes made to the public workstations have been scheduled. A third can be scheduled if necessary.

Concerns put forth included the following:

• Martha Smalley noted that the Divinity Library does not have IE loaded into their public workstations.

• The university portal scheme (which will eventually allow students to customize their personal Web pages) works better with IE. Netscape presents problems other than the incorrect display of Hebrew given its relative slowness in reacting to new technologies. Karen commented that moving to the use of the IE browser will alienate the rest of the university (which continues to use Netscape as its primary browser), but not loading IE will leave the script problem unresolved. She explained that this is a transitional difficulty that will be worked out once a university-wide policy on browsers is in place.

• Suzanne Eggleston pointed out that students will have to be told to use IE when viewing Hebrew script since we cannot assume that this is common knowledge.

• The need to advertise the configuration of public workstations to display non-Roman script to readers has yet to be addressed. Staff in curatorial units will have to publicize the change to their patrons.

• It was asked whether ORBIS allows for the display of non-Roman script. Karen responded that ORBIS does not provide such support.

• Concern was raised whether there would be any change in the presentation of Roman script. Karen assured the Council that the default character support in the browser would revert to Roman script when appropriate.

Karen noted that once fonts are loaded on a machine, readers can go in and change preferences to suit their particular needs.

Paul Stuehrenberg suggested that, from a public service perspective, the more machines configured to support non-Roman script, the better. Thus far, both the CCL Electronic Classroom and the SCML have been configured without the Hebrew font in Netscape. SQIC approved the recommendations of the sub-committee and asked that they be implemented forthwith.

III. SQIC fall forums. Paul put forth three suggested forum topics for discussion --

• Document Delivery

• Instruction & Reference Services

• Staffing Issues

and confirmed the schedule for forums during early fall. Forums will be announced on yulib-l once scheduled.

Holly Grossetta Nardini emphasized that the forums should allow SQIC to publicize the successes of the group, as well to gather feedback on SQIC's efforts to affect improvements in public services from staff -- including non-public services staff.

Martha Smalley noted that the already-scheduled "refresher" sessions for public services staff, which will detail services that are currently available to readers, may make information shared at a future forum redundant. Paul responded that the point of the forum should not only encompass what is available, but how staff think about public services. Discussion will be focused on policies, not products. Holly agreed that the forums will help set the tone for the future direction of public service efforts by the next Service Quality improvement Council ("SQIC II"). Summary of services that have already been instituted will be secondary to brainstorming on the topic of public services as it applies to the proposed subjects for discussion. The desired outcome of the forums would be an outline of future agendas for 2000-2001.

Paul suggested that the issue of the forums be put aside for a moment, and Council members reflect on what the Council's role in the library has been and where it should focus its attention. It was put forth that the Council has provided an arena where various library components can gather to report and get feedback on a broad range of system-wide public services issues. SQIC has worked as a sounding board for proposed initiatives. Martha Smalley suggested that SQIC has been functioning/should function as a federation of groups rather than a central body. Holly commented that the description of SQIC's role seemed reactive, and not proactive. Rather than have the agenda set by groups represented on SQIC, Paul argued that the role of SQIC should be reversed - that is, it should set the agenda and direction for the other groups. The role of SQIC should be to work out a "vision" for public services at YUL. The forums are intended to initiate discussion of SQIC's "vision" for public services. Mandate for action should flow from the issue to SQIC to its subgroups and task forces.

Sandy Peterson noted that the Staffing Issues Group is currently working on a training program for the development of public services staff skill sets. The Staff Training & Organization Development Resources Office will assist in creating a systematic training program. This task was embedded in the Group's charge, but it has not yet been fully addressed.

Suzanne Eggleston reported that the Research Workstation Group is interested in generating a new Databases Web page and pursuing a reexamination of how the library provides access to its online resources. The Group contacted the Reference Services group to advise on the possible redesign of the Research Workstation Web page that would involve the inclusion of an additional "blob" to denote a link to a Reference Tools Web page. The Reference Services Group would concentrate on the reference function of the databases page.

Discussion turned to the Library Front Door and its sub-pages. Martha suggested addressing Web-related service quality issues at one of the forums, including the issue of better integrating the Front Door with the Research Workstation and improving coordination between them. Other suggestions included discussing the problem of obscured, "buried" information and a general assessment of the library's Web presence. The members present agreed that a useful "meta-issue" to address would be how to use the library's Web resources more effectively to meet the needs of users. All agreed that the agenda for the next meeting will be to try to identify other such "meta-issues."

The meeting was adjourned at 4:03 p.m.