Project Status Meetings
Previous updates:
- Newer entries
- Friday, 12/19/08
- Friday, 12/12/08
- Friday, 12/5/08
- Friday, 11/21/08
- Friday, 11/14/08
- Friday, 11/7/08
- Wednesday, 10/29/08
- Thursday, 10/16/08
- Friday, 10/10/08
- Friday, 10/3/08
- Friday, 9/26/08
- Friday, 9/19/08
- Friday, 9/12/08
- Friday, 9/5/08
- Friday, 8/29/08
Summary for 12/19/08
- Sandbox demos up: blog and web page with RSS. A better view of the final concept can be found at the Vanderbilt and University of Alabama versions. The developer has sent me the code for free use, with the stiplation that we link back to them so he can see how it is being used.
- Mobile library initiative proposal (& wiki)
- Archivists' Toolkit: they love it, want to move to permanent server. Added 1 station today.
Summary for 12/12/08
- Response from MyLibrary programmer at Cornell.
- Proposed added functionaltiy:
- Patron record (given to Jim H.)
- CardCat: search (working as of 12/11/08; thanks Robert!)
- CardCat: Book Bag
- Course Reserves
- New materials
- New mobile app: Evernote
- Wordpress µ (multi-user) available: my idea -- cannot use, does not integrate with reservations.
Summary for 12/5/08
- Successful presentation at PPA meeting Wednesday.
- MyLibrary: will work on layout, and provide functional specs for:
- patron record integration
- Citation integration from 360 Search into EndNote
- Incorporating course reserves
- Book bag
- New materials feed
- Others?
- Noted revised "Interesting mobile sites" page. OK'd to update as more content found.
- iPhones may surpass smartphones: Andy's article. Recommended any development aim at this audience rather than regular or smart phones.
- Submitted article on Wikispaces to Dean Hafner
- Reviewed Red Hot Search @ IUE: blog has some explanation
- Mobile initiatives:
- Left off one invitation
- Will create wiki
- IUE has a LibX toolbar. Will compare functionality with the current library toolbar
Summary for 11/21/08
- Archivists Toolkit installed and working, users very satisfied.
- Discussed mobile computing, & updating BSU interface. Will review site in detail and prepare recommendations.
- Looked over IU East's "Red Hot Search" site, and whether it can work with Zotero. Will contact IUE to find out about "Red Hot Quest." Also will post Zotero documentation.
- Looked at BSU Library's Instructional Services web page. Will consider options for how to get courses better publicized.
Summary for 11/14/08
- MyLibrary: clear up the confusion
- 360 Search and citation management: will wait until test version put up in December or January.
- Archivists' Toolkit
- LDADS website: if Mike overwhelmed, I'd be glad to work on it.
Summary for 11/7/08
- My Library update
- EndNote testing
- Idea from LITA Forum: Web-based laboratory for library users
- LibX update
- Career advice request
Summary for 10/29/08:
- View of 360 Search on IU East website
- Update on WorldCat for iPhone
- Library-friendly mobile initiatives
- Update on MyLibrary
- Next Library Insider article, and the Dean's feedback
Summary for 10/16/08
- My Library: prototype added selection menus, formatting will follow.
- Accessibility: report nearly finished, can review & add optional stuff online
- Mobile-friendly library app
Summary for 10/10/08
- Work continues on mock-up of MyLibrary demo:
- Creating paper prototypes for usability testing with student assistants.
- Flowchart of processes (click image to enlarge).
Summary for 10/3/08
- Work continues on programming for MyLibrary demo:
- Entry point diagrammed, and entity-relationships developed
Summary for 9/26/08
- Revision of MyLibrary demo
- Using wiki to detail desired contents
Summary for 9/19/08
- Revised demo of MyLibrary up that includes authentication.
- Will ultimately be easier to create from scratch than to make ND's version work for us.
- Robert & I have had multiple conversations about how to implement, will use PHP & MySQL. This will also allow us to add a spell checker more easily.
- Working with LibGuides to have direct access to database for feeds from content.
Summary for 9/12/08
Zotero
Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. Zotero is portable:
- Using Portable Firefox on a USB Drive
- Zotero over a Network
- Using a folder synchronization service or Rsync (over SSH) to manage your Zotero library across computers
Strengths:
- Works with EBSCO, JSTOR, WorldCat, Google Scholar and VuFind
Problems:
- Does not work with:
- Evergreen
- CardCat. I have posted a forum discussion topic in hopes of a resolution.
- CQ Researcher
- INSPIRE
- LibraryFind
- Blacklight (has link "Add to Zotero" that did not work for me)
- Can click and drag items between folders, but destination folder must not be empty
- LexisNexis: Works in single-item screens, but not multi-item list
- VuFind: works in multi-item list, but gives wrong item type for books (as web page) in record view.
MyLibrary prototype
System diagram
Revised demonstration page (opens in new window).
Course Resources and Reserves at U.R. page.
Summary for 9/5/08
LibGuides
- Can embed widget in Blackboard page
- Can we get statistics on usage (beyond top 10)?
- Fully integrated with Facebook in the form of a LibGuides app.
May be the best place for a MyLibrary adaptation to LibGuides
MySpace
- BSU page
- 2 widgets no longer work (BSU Library Guides and Ball State Daily News)
- Currently has no apps; very difficult to find out how to create them
- Notre Dame already has a "MyLibrary" app, and a similar offering from BSU may be appropriate, if student use of the page warrants it (statistics?)
Summary of findings: 8/29/08
- MyLibrary@NCState created in 1998; several dozen implementations followed.
- Adoption rates rarely exceeded 10%, & it did not do well in usability testing
- Customizable interfaces less popular now than previously.
- Three models currently remain:
- Original, text-based version
- CoURse Resources @ University of Rochester
- MyLibrary at Notre Dame
CoURse Resources @ University of Rochester
- A “web-based interface that brings together the best resources the Libraries have to offer at a course-specific level.” (Started with courses that have reserves.)
- Libraries need ability to push resources to users.
- Organizing resources based on courses students are taking avoids silo effect of a single-discipline focus
- Includes digital and paper resources that are linked to course syllabus
- Does not require any HTML coding for subject specialist librarian
- Allows for both broad and narrow associations
- Allows subject specialists to assign sort order, if desired
- Resource descriptions customizable at course level
- Links to their version of Blackboard
- Programmed in ColdFusion + SQL database, available via open source (sourceforge.net)
- Not user-customizable
MyLibrary @ Notre Dame
- It is "intended to provide a framework for creating relationships between information resources and people."
- Resources: books, journals, indexes, catalogs, music, etc.
- People: patrons and librarians
- Uses facet/term combinations: “a locally defined and institution-specific controlled vocabulary.” These describe and create relationships between MyLibrary objects (information resources and people).
- Made of a set of object-oriented Perl modules, not a turn-key application. It is “a digital library framework and toolbox. It allows you to create all sorts of digital library applications by building relationships between people and resources through a set of your locally-designed facet/term combinations.”
- Not currently allowing user-customization.
- Offers a Facebook application version
- Staff to implement:
- systems administrator
- Perl programmer
- graphic designer
- subject specialist
- To browse:
- Overview
- Example of personalized page
- Programmed in Perl
- Previous, turnkey version available, but it is text-based.
Proposed MyLibrary System
