Automation System Marketplace 2008

Automation System Marketplace 2008: Opportunity Out of Turmoil

[note to Richard Smith and Julie Todaro]
This is an excellent article (Library Journal, 4/1/2008) summarizing the state of library automation companies and interfaces. We need to be thinking ahead and there are some real changes on the horizon. Should we continue to be a turnkey system? If not, then we need folks dedicated to "library content management" and programming for delivery of information to our users. --mp

Thanks to Ellie for sending the link:
www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6542440.html

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Library Journal Article on Automation
Date:	Tue, 22 Apr 2008 10:46:07 -0500
From:	Ellie Collier
To:	Margaret Peloquin , Cherry Beth Luedtke

Have you seen the April Library Journal? - http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6542440.html

Wiki for Ad Hoc Group (ResearchGuides)

I've set up a wiki to help facilitate the implementation process.

I chose PBWiki because the new version allows the creation of folders to organize the site. The url to the site:

http://ResGuide.pbwiki.com

The userlist for the wiki is composed of the Ref Group and the Web Cmte.

The next steps are to

1. Develop a list of guides
2. Determine the essential elements of a typical guide.

LibGuides - ResearchGuides

LibGuides - other institutions

Here is a link to the Springshare site that lists institutions using LibGuides. Also give information as to how many they have.

http://libguides.com/selectsite.php?libguides.com


What to do next????

I'm pondering how to proceed next with formulating a plan to gather information and form a consensus with the Ad Hoc group. What question(s) should we address next? These are the kinds of things we need to decide.

• Original assumption is/was that we replace two web products with one, i.e., Research Shortcuts and W3 pages. Should we continue with this assumption as the first step?
• If so, then we need to develop a list of the ResearchGuides needed.
  
• Will that be the entire W3 list?
  
• Or, will it be some kind of hybrid? For example, will we have a libguide for each health sciences area?
• Or, will we have one guide that is health sciences and a tab for each area. (I know that somewhere I've seen an example of subtabs. Aha! I found one.http://libguides.acadiau.ca/content.php?pid=1254)
• After this first group of things, we may want to use the ResearchGuides for other things like documentation guides or other study guides.
  
• Should I be this vague with the Ad Hoc group or should we develop a firmer list of questions amongst this committee and then approach the Ad Hoc group?

Review from CIL - fast and easy site tuneups

http://infomational.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/cil2008-fast-and-easy-site-tuneups/