UIAS User Services Task Force Meeting

CalPoly San Luis Obispo
11 August 2000

Present: Paul Adalian [SLO], Jessica Hartwigsen [Chico], Rod Hersberger [Bakersfield], LaVonne Jacobsen [SFSU], James Koga [Pomona], Marvin Pollard [CSU], Pat Robles [Bakersfield], Gordon Smith [CSU], Steve Sottong [LA].

Bill Budge of Sacramento State has had to withdraw from the Task Force; a replacement will be appointed in the near future.

Action items marked with **.

A. Review of Current Status

New Dell Servers —

All campuses have received the new servers; most are not yet set up.

**Banner Notes (new banner) —

Item Requests — each campus will decide whether to suppress or link to an information page. A few campuses will be using RSS in the fall. [more on local changes below]

Z Server/Union Catalog Upgrade -

By next week or so, expect to integrate the new iPAC index and Z Server — part of the major iPAC software that will be completely available next spring. This will result in much faster broadcast searches, but there will be fewer keyword searching options.

Catalog Searches —

A, T and S are browse searches for most catalogs — the Endeavor catalogs (MB, Humboldt) do not support browse; Innovative libraries that have installed Advanced Searching are experiencing problems with title browse, keyword searches, and hook to holdings.

Keyword Searches —

Default depends on the database or catalog in use. In JACC & Innovative Adv Searching, the default is phrase (adjacency) searching; in many others it is implicit ‘and.’ Punctuation is stripped to prevent problems; that means that "" cannot be used to request a phrase search. The New First Search (mandatory by August 22^nd) has keyword and author only — titles and subjects are mapped into keyword.

**Context Sensitive Help —

Paul’s staff has completed the help; Jessica has already connected some of it to the generic "help" link on PHAROS results pages. Pop Up help is yet to be installed.

RPA/Patron Authentication — works, new version being installed now.

**Searching labels (General Keyword, keyword anywhere, etc.)

TF should review these [in the library catalogs and databases from major vendors] for consistency and jargon.

Maximum Users message —

To prevent endless waits, users will receive a "busy, try again later" message when a limit [to be determined] has been reached.

**ADA —

Rollout will include alternate version for low-vision, low-tech users.

**Tour PHAROS —

"Flat" (non-flash) version should load automatically when script does not detect appropriate plug in. This does not always work — needs adjustment.

B. Notes from Bill Budge

**E-Mail Citations should default to full record -- Will be changed (currently defaults to brief if records are saved on the brief results page).

**Full Text E-Mail — should be sent as attachment, if possible. Many e-mail systems cannot support large files in the body of the message.

Pop Up Windows should automatically Close -- They do, but timing is set for slower readers. Clicking anywhere else on the page (or clicking on X) also closes the window.

**Add Javascript to automatically save records which have been marked on a brief results page -- It is not clear to users that each page of marked items must be saved separately.

**Change language -- "View Saved Items" to "E-Mail/Print"

**Save This Record should be on Full Record display screens —- always intended but had not yet been implemented.

PHAROS should have a separate union list of journals —- California List of Periodicals includes all CSUs (plus UC, some public) and is included in "look up holdings" list. Not always current; but will be used for now.

PHAROS e-journals in the core collections list —- will be done later.

**Advanced Searching link [comments based on old design] — clarification: this link will go to a list of databases with NO SEARCH BOX. Text will advise "Select a database or catalog for advanced searching" which is done by clicking on a resource name.

**MultiSource Search (Make Your Own) will go to a list of catalogs and databases (same one as above, typically) with checkboxes and a SEARCH ENTRY box. Text will advise "Select up to 5 databases or catalogs to search simultaneously."

Links to Internet Resources (Re-Directed Searches) — each campus determines which links to include; easy to comply with local restrictions on commercial links.

The CSU Catalog/Union Catalog must become a realtime catalog, constantly updated, not updated by gap tapes —- always intended, will be realized next year with upgraded iPAC software.

Reported author search problem in JACC (Drucker, Peter not including Peter in the search) — I could not reproduce this problem.

Is it possible to "de-dup" the citations in a broadcast search? -- not technically possible.

Javascript & webpac errors — believed to be gone in the new server except when it’s being actively worked on. Report such experiences to Marvin.

Limits to number of hits to retrieve? -- Will not set limits at this time.

C. iPAC in 2001

Next year there will be entirely new WebPAC files and portal software ["My PHAROS"]. Expect that public PHAROS will not change during Spring 2001, but work will go on behind the scenes to configure the new files. [In other words, we have a lifetime sentence to User Services!]

D. Orientation/Roll Out

**Campuses can expect to have most of the changes to their servers done by Marvin and Jessica [some campuses will make their own changes to html files]. TF members will help them by compiling database information for campuses which have not supplied it. It’s easy to look at the urls and list databases by vendor for Z server purposes — anyone can do this, leaving Marvin & Jessica to do the specialized things.

**For other local changes, we will develop a web form for gathering information about other preferences (which url for exit, for example).

As delivered, the campus servers are a few weeks out of date. Will be updated within the next few weeks.

**Each campus MUST set up the new server as soon as possible so that Marvin has access to them and can update the servers.

**User services members’ local servers should be fully configured first — then we can act as resource people for campuses with questions.

E. Future Development

Full implementation of RSS [item requests] functions and monitoring current installations are primary items. Farther future definitely includes "My PHAROS" which is already funded. Next meeting will be at San Francisco on Friday, October 20, 2000.

F. Assessment and Usability Studies

Gordon Smith discussed some possibilities for including PHAROS usability studies in upcoming projects, such as some focus groups being planned for November 2000 and the spring.

**We can also log user information on PHAROS servers; Marvin recommended sample snapshots on predetermined days rather than constant background logging. It was agreed that samples would be taken before the next user group meeting in October.

1. eBooks
2. The CSU has arranged a trial of eBooks for Jan — Dec 2001. This trial will include about 2,000 titles from NetLibrary, 24/7, and I T Knowledge and primarily include reference sources and heavily-used, often stolen computer titles. The trial will include a user feedback form. Titles will be available from NetLibrary directly, from the CSU Catalog, and from other CSU library catalogs if they choose to participate.
3. Resource Discovery Network (RDN) [www.rdn.ac.uk]

**These will be on the agenda for the next meeting.

I. JACC Expires

The JACC contract expires in December. For the fall, each campus may decide whether to continue offering "JACC." Many campuses like the EBSCO Academic Search Elite content/interface and will continue as subscribers. JACC Online/EBSCO Online is a small collection of fulltext journals that is difficult to search and will probably be targeted for immediate deletion by many campuses.