1. Change the name “Library Departments” to “Contact Us.”  The purpose of this page is to give users quick access to departments like Reserves, Interlibrary Loan, Collection Management, etc.  Using the word “Contact” in the name of the page brings more attention to the page, we think.  It also might allow us to remove the long list of contact info that otherwise could be needed on the library collections pages.
2. Create a new subpage under “Library Collections” called “Collections,” and nest pages like College Archives, Government Documents and Digital Collections in it.  This decreases the number of subpages under “Library Collections” to 6.  White Whale recommends no more than 8 subpages, and without this change, “Library Collections” has 11.  We considered nesting some of the collections under “Main Library,” but we think that nesting them under “Collections” gives them a little more prominence.

We think these changes will make it easier for most users to find what they’re looking for.  Do you agree?

Timekeep, notetake, moderate, drive

Announcements

Permissions and workflow for LIS content

11/9 – deliverables on timeline

The Quantitative Analysis Lab (QAL) in LIB 105 is up and running! On Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings peer tutors are available to help students with the statistics packages Stata, SPSS, and Minitab (see the schedule, below.) In addition, other quantitative software packages are available on the computers in LIB 105, including Data Desk, R, Maple, Mathematica, MatLab, Excel, and Geometer’s Sketchpad. The lab will be a great resource for students who are working in the main library, and can potentially bring together people working on a variety of subjects, topics, and projects.

Quantitative Analysis Lab Schedule

Sundays:

• Minitab tutor: 7 – 10 pm
• Stata tutor: 8:30 – 10 pm

Wednesdays:

• Stata tutor: 8:30 – 10 pm
• SPSS tutor:  8:30-10 pm

Thursdays:

• Stata tutor: 8:30 – 10 pm

Note:  During QAL tutoring hours, students working with tutors will be given preference, but other students may use the lab if space is available.

We have a preliminary outline of content, otherwise known as Information Architecture or IA, for the new Library web page (aka the new version of http://go.middlebury.edu/lib).  We need your feedback.

If you’re interested, please take a look (open this Word doc: ia-lis-lib-2).  Then, post your comments here (log in to this blog at the upper-right, then leave a reply at the bottom of this post).  Please comment in the next few days.  We must get our structure into Drupal so that editors can begin adding content.  Given our time constraints, we won’t be able to respond to every comment, but we will consider them all when we make our final decisions.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Mechanics of the Word document:  For the most intelligible display, when you open the document, select View>Outline.  Click on the “+” to open or hide the contents below each  heading.
• Contents that sit below the green headings might be on a subpage.
• The headings (in green, or black, or blue!) represent content groupings, not finalized names.   For example, you might not see a link called “Databases” on the new page.
• Some content will just be a link to another page.  Some content will be maintained on another page and displayed both there and here.
• Think of what the user (students, faculty and other researchers) will need and expect.  Remember that what we expect as library staff sometimes will differ from what researchers will need and expect.
• Usability studies show that some researchers will go straight to a search window rather than browsing through menus.  So, we plan to use tagging and keywords to make our content easy to find via Search.
• This outline is based on content on our current site, content on other library sites that we like, usability studies done at other institutions, and surveys and analysis of search stats done here.  Once we have the new site up and running (after the big January launch), we plan to do some usability testing.  In other words, what you see in January will be a work in progress.  If you make a suggestion for a change now and you don’t see it in January, you might still see it later if the need is verified by user testing.
• Since the IA document is all text, it will be difficult for you to visualize what the site might look like when it’s done.  The Resources section of the LIS Website Team’s wiki lists  “Sites to Check Out.”  Each of these sites has some design feature that we like.  Reviewing these sites might help you imagine what we’re aiming for.
• The LIS Website Team’s LIS Website Recommendations page explains where the Library page fits in with other LIS site content.

Thank you in advance for your time and your comments!

eg, for Chemistry:

Library and Technology – Library and Information Services (LIS)

• Research by Subject:  Chemistry – Major research resources.
• LIS Liaison – Library and technology contact for Chemistry.
  Carrie Macfarlane, Reference and Instruction Librarian for the Sciences,  Armstrong Library 206, McCardell Bicentennial Hall, 802.443.5018, cmacfarl@middlebury.edu
• Sciences LIS Advisory Group – Provides advice, feedback, and guidance to LIS on behalf of faculty.  Groups are organized by discipline, with one faculty representative from each department.
  Roger Sandwick, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Department Chair, McCardell Bicentennial Hall 451, 802.443.3496, rsandwic@middlebury.edu
• Student LIS Advisory Committee – Provides advice, feedback, and guidance to LIS on behalf of students.  Comprises 5-7 students selected by the SGA and LIS staff.

Once we have some text that we like, I’ll ask faculty (eg, Roger Sandwick) what they think.

This year, we will continue to support geospatial applications like Google Earth and Google Maps through student tutors in the Wilson Media Lab at the Main Library, but we’ve altered the scope of our services a bit.

Like last year, all tutors have been trained in Google Earth and related applications, and a few tutors have additional expertise.  Unlike last year, we won’t be able to do in-depth GIS (geospatial information systems) projects during the school year.  During the school year, we’ll only be able to help people with projects.  During the summer, as long as we have student tutors with GIS skills, we should be able to DO projects for people.

Anyone who would like assistance with geospatial projects can visit the Wilson Media Lab on the main level of the Main Library, or send a request for assistance to DigitalMediaTutors@middlebury.edu.

The next LISterine Workshop (LIS Technology, Endeavors, and Resources in Need of Explanation) has been scheduled.  On Thursday, September 17, from 12:30-1:30 pm in Library 145, Alex Chapin will present Capture. Watch your inbox for an invitation.

Want to present a workshop? Want someone else to present? Vote for it in the LISterine Feedback Forum!