Supporting your library users: OPAC 2.0

Supporting your library users: OPAC 2.0 - great overview of 2.0 catalog features with examples and usage data.

Designing For Flow

From A List Apart

...The goal should not necessarily be to create a simple site. The goal should be to create a site that feels painless to use no matter how complex it really is....

Making the most of your library website

• BEYOND THE BASICS: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR LIBRARY WEBSITE
• "a presentation by Marylaine Block for the Arizona Library Association, November 14, 2007"
  
  
• Library Terms That Users Understand
• "This site is intended to help library web developers decide how to label key resources and services in such a way that most users can understand them well enough to make productive choices. It serves as a clearinghouse of usability test data evaluating terminology on library websites, and suggests test methods and best practices for reducing cognitive barriers caused by terminology."

Navigation vs. Hierarchy

Navigation vs. Hierarchy from NYPL Labs.

"So how do I, as a designer, provide my user with a guide to the site without suggesting a weighted classification?"

See the comments too.

A couple of web design links

Cool Tools for Webmasters from the Internet Librarian Conference - covered by Library Web Chic and Librarian In Black.

Web Design on a Dime (pdf) by Librarian In Black.

The Designing Librarian

The people behind Web Site Design with the Patron in Mind have a blog that they seem to have just started taking a greater interest in. The Designing Librarian has been up since November 2006, but the posting just got regular this past month. Has anyone taken a look at the book? Is it any good?

Designing a better library experience

From the Blended Librarian webcast on 27 Sep 2007. Some thoughts:

• Design for outcomes not features.
• User-centered not technology driven.

These ideas among others stood out for me because I think that they are particularly relevant and something librarians -- who know all the possibilities and want others to have the best chance to find stuff -- forget.

All the possibilities overwhelm most of our users. We need to provide for them and also create alternatives for those who want more options, more possibilities.

Integrating into the Network Environment

http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/001379.html (Lorcan Dempsey)

Some interesting thoughts here that have been tickling at the edge of my brain for awhile.

The entire post is worth reading.

Glanceability

Glanceability   [excerpt from Lorcan Dempsey's weblog]
May 08, 2007
http://orweblog.oclc.org/archives/001347.html

Glanceability is about enabling "users to understand information with low cognitive effort". And further: Glanceability refers to how quickly and easily the visual design conveys information after the user is paying attention to the display.

These quotes are from a paper Designing glanceable peripheral displays by Matthews, Forlizzi and Rohrbach at Berkeley. [abstract html] [full text pdf].

I went looking for further information about glanceability after I came across a mention of it in Tony Hirst's blog:

However, whilst the visual component to radio is not just using limited to scrolling liveText displays, nor does it mean moving wholesale into television: the key is to support glanceability, a beautifully evocative word referring to the ability to look at a screen and capture the information you require at a glance. [OUseful Info: Learnin' from Virgin] 

Broadly speaking, it seems to me that effective ranking, for example, supports glanceability, as folks will focus in on top results and may forego individually inspecting each member of a result set. And of course, one of the issues with library websites is that they have low glanceability: they require quite a bit of cognitive effort to figure out what is available where as they present a...

Joomla - cms web management

CIL-07
http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/04/17/computers-in-libraries-2007-day-2-rhumba-with-joomla-using-a-cms-to-build-community/

CIL - information-design-for-the-new-web

David Kings notes from CIL 07

http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/04/16/computers-in-libraries-2007-day-1-information-design-for-the-new-web/

Web Opac -- Webpac Pro

Need to begin serious work on Webpac Pro.

Plan:

• Review latest info on CSDirect
• Make sure I have latest downloads
• Check for wwwoptions files for sites that are good
• Check for my experimental briefcit files
• Check IUG clearinghouse for webpub.def examples

In addition, ask other librarians to take a look at Encore at ACRL.

Ban the word "re-design"

Interesting thought from Louis Rosenfeld via David King. It's not that we don't do this, it's just that we may not think about it this way. The RSS feed from David's site is short and can be quoted here. (http://www.davidleeking.com/2007/02/20/design-for-your-audience/)

Louis Rosenfeld has started a 5-part series on Information Architecture. Part one includes this:

Step #1: Ban the word “redesign” from your meetings.
Step #2: Determine who your most important audiences are.
Step #3: Determine each primary audience’s 3-5 major needs.
Step #4: Make damned sure your site addresses each of those needs.

Great words of wisdom, I think! Now… who are your library’s most important audiences?

Update on reference wiki

I submitted a proposal to Richard before the winter break to load wiki software on the IRT server since I really did not get a response from Melanie that was adequate after her initial refusal saying that it was inappropriate to do. Here is the gist of the email and the proposal:

Email:
Julie asked me to submit a request to you about loading wiki software on an IRT server. I previously sent a preliminary request to Melanie, Stevan, and Jen Weber in early November -- not being certain which was the best person to ask. Melanie responded that she felt it was not an appropriate service to put on an IRT server and suggesting a public wiki.
Since we felt a public wiki is not appropriate for this use, I'd like to put forth this proposal to you. The rationale is in the attached document. The software that appears to be a best fit for us is called Perspective. I've included links in the document.

Let me reiterate that we don't expect other IRT staff to run this wiki for us although they would certainly have to help us load and setup the software to their satisfaction. It is also possible that the software could be used for a wiki for some other IRT department. However, I haven't explored its capability for multiple wikis.

Proposal:

Proposal for a Library Services Reference Wiki

For several years we have been trying to use the InsideLS site to promulgate information, policies, procedures, and guidelines for the reference desk librarians. Since we have to rely upon so many adjunct refernce librarians to staff the desks at each campus and these librarians come and go, we have found it difficult to adequately share information in a timely manner. As we strive for consistency of service, we recognize that, although location may drive some idiosyncratic practices, a common tool easily accessible to library staff and easily updateable would be a good way to serve our students and employees better.

After considering several approaches, including content management software, we think that a wiki might be a good solution for us. Since some of the information contained in the wiki is not appropriate for viewing by those outside of the library staff, the wiki should be password protected and not easily available to others. This is why I am proposing that we load wiki software on an IRT server and make it accessible to all librarians, even adjuncts.

à I first suggested Flexwiki because I know it runs on Windows servers, but I am open to other software. In particular, I’d like to find software that makes it very easy for unskilled librarians to add pages and topics as well as to edit existing content.

à Another possible wiki that can run on Windows servers is Perspective. It’s fairly easy to use and edit.

(http://www.high-beyond.com/perspective.aspx?action=view&page=perspective:Welcome)

This one would seem to be a possible best choice. The documentation is easy to read and it looks like it would be easy to set up and control security and authentication.

(http://www.high-beyond.com/perspective.aspx?action=view&page=documentation:Index)

o I’ve experimented with their demo editing and it is very easy to edit and to attach files and insert images.

Some example of libraries using wikis:

Note: Most of the library wikis I see run on Linnux or Unix servers.

à Uconn wiki.lib.ucon (http://wiki.lib.uconn.edu/wiki/Main_Page)

à Univ of Minn staff pages (http://wiki.lib.umn.edu/)

à Ohio Univ Biz Wiki

à LaGuardia CC Ref Desk

à Baruch’s Newman Library ref handbook

à Virtual Reference Wikis (http://vrsig.pbwiki.com/Wikis) lists a number of library wikis

We would not expect other IRT staff to run the wiki for us. After some preliminary work to load and initially set up the software, we would expect that the program would be maintained and updated by Library Services staff. Initally that would probably be Margaret Peloquin, Steven Self, and Teresa Ashley. [Of course, the front end would be accessible and editiable by all full-time and adjunct reference librarians.]