Public Interfaces Committee
PIC Meeting
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
9:30-11 a.m.
Present: Dale Askey, Katie Bauer, Debra Falvey, Stephen Naron, Karen Reardon,
Earl Roy, Andy Shimp, Kalee Sprague, Tao Yang, and Richard Zwies (Minutes)
Absent: Julie Linden
1. Announcements
PIC meeting 12/22 - keep or cancel?
Voted to Cancel.
Portal Opportunities Group
Kalee reported they will begin meeting tomorrow. The group will build on the
Task Force's work to make connections between the Yale Portal and Orbis, pushing
Library information to other venues. They will look into interaction between
the Portal, Sakai (open source courseware) and Yale Station, etc.
MetaLib progress
New release of MetaLib, v. 3.12, installed. Seems to be going well but progress
is slower than expected. Work on the interface, mostly. Covered the major database
vendors so far, but there is more work to be done. Bugs found when searching
being worked out. Authentication a major issue in the new release. Authentication
should eventually use CAS.
SurveyMonkey
Favorable reaction so far from the Medical Library. IRB approval not automatic
in that a Library Web survey may need additional approval. SQIC needs to approve
the purchase of SurveyMonkey, hopefully soon. Can run a survey early in the coming
semester.
Action: Katie will check about the IRB approval?
Usability study - next steps
Meg Bellanger has agreed to fund a lab. Software is being investigated to record
user sessions remotely. CCL space is a possibility. People in IT also have usability
space that we can share. $30,000 has been allocated.
Action: Katie will send send announcement soon. Rick will find an article he
read about remote usability studies and distribute.
Other Announcements
Ordering of Babylonian results in OPAC searches (change the location code) has
been taken out of PIC's hands. Rather than wait to see whether the ordering function
in Voyager operates correctly in the next build, the curator sought help elsewhere.
It is believed that Cataloging staff will be involved in making a change to the
Collection's location code, so that its holdings will appear below like holdings
in the stacks. Audrey has been informed of the plan.
Kalee announced that our Orbis decisions will be announced and implemented.
Next time we'll have a review period.
2. Hours database
Princeton's code won't work. Security problems. Not flexible enough for multiple
open/close times per day or comments for specific days. Not worth effort to rewrite.
Look at alternatives from list Rick sent out -- either as a database or just
a different display format?
Karen: There were issues with the software on the server: encryption of passwords,
session variables are a security issue, and problems with flexibility, i.e.,
entering closing and reopening library hours on the same day, like for lunch
(our unique hours). Creating a database from scratch might be more trouble then
it is worth.
Action: Karen's group can work with Maryetta Russell/'Bonnie Turner about formatting
the hours [?]. Which version did we settle on? Rick will get the original list
of "database" examples for distribution on the PIC list.
3. Call number indexes in OPAC - what to call them, where to place them
Local Yale call numbers are going to be designated as "other" and
get their own index in the OPAC. This call number change is scheduled to take
place over the weekend of 12/18. Audrey's group identified a couple of problems,
but I agree with her that neither is fatal: (quoting from an e-mail message from
Audrey):
"**Search re-directs fail for call numbers other than LC. When an OTHER
or SUDOC call number displayed is a record is clicked to execute a search, the
search will bring up a result screen with matches from the LC index. This happens
because we can specify only one index in the configuration file for search re-directs.
Furthermore, the system doesn't know from the OPAC display whether a call# is
LC, SUDOC or OTHER. The solution to this problem is to eliminate the option to
execute a call number search from a displayed call number. Readers and staff
will have to return to the Search tab & cut-and-paste or key the displayed
call numbers as a search string. Since very little call number searching is done
now by the public, and since these types of searches fail in our current database,
we concluded that this problem is not a show stopper."
"** We understood that the separate OPAC LC, OTHER and SUDOC call# indexes
would be self-contained, i.e., that only LC call#'s would be in the result set
when the LC search was selected. In rel 2001.2 - our current release -- the separate
indexes are not self-contained." However, someone at LC discovered (and
Endeavor has confirmed) that this is fixed in the Unicode release, which Yale
is scheduled to implement in summer 2005.
Outcome: Recode our local Yale call numbers as other so they will index in
a ASCII sort. Separate them into "search types or indexes." LC, Other,
etc. Issues: no longer do call number redirect with in a record (can't click
on it in the record and go to a result page for that call number, must do a separate
call number search). Other alternatives are available. Julie and Sandy talked,
and having a SUDOC search is not necessary. There is some result crossover of
separate search indexes that will be fixed in the next release.
Actions: "Local Yale" call numbers will be more specific, and will
turn off redirect. Timeframe: test run this weekend, release date: December 18th.
Perhaps keep the call number bold to make it look similar to the current link.
Message to YULIB next week. LC listed first, change help documentation. Agreed
to keep it "LC" for consistently, and "Other" changed to
"Local" and to follow in choice list.
4. Potential "facelift" redesign of FD
There was a discussion about the scope of redesign plans. Usability tests,
surveys and other data will drive redesign efforts and we should know more about
how and what will need to be changed (Front Door, the graphics, information architecture
like categories and navigation, or content of Web pages). How the work will be
accomplished is yet another issue.
QuickLinks - need data (Karen/Rick working on) Karen, Daphnee Rentfrow, &
Katie met recently and discussed the Front Door from the perspective of someone
on the outside. Daphnee has done a lot of work on educational software and student's
user behavior. Major issue: Library not linked consistently from other major
Yale sites. Other issues: vocabulary (naming the catalog "Orbis").
She did have notes that she might share, particularly a one page summary of how
students use and see Web site.
A highlight area on Front Door real estate was discussed as important in a
redesign.
Language links were brought up again.
News: how to highlight news and keep them revolving. Where are we going to
post survey? There were a number of questions that needed further discussion.
Actions:
PIC should review major Web sites from the University including the Yale main
site and see how or if the Library is linked. Liaisons should go out and lobby
to place these links. Katie will ask about letting us share the documents that
Daphnee Rentfrow may have.
Home page clickthrough survey should be done by the last week in January.
Karen and Rick will work on counting the Front Door clickthroughs which should
give PIC solid numbers on QuickLink usage. Rick will look into alternative methods.
Dale will work with Bonnie and the language links mock-ups to produce an acceptable
version.
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