Enhanced Navigation Implementation Group

Report to Associate Directors for Collections Services and for Technology

July 29, 2002

[N.B. You can also view or download the report and its appendices in PDF format.]

BACKGROUND
The Enhanced Navigation Implementation Group (ENAV) investigated Ex Libris' MetaLib and SFX applications to explore enhanced navigation of information resources provided by the MIT Libraries as instructed in our charge of August 2001 (see Appendix 1). To facilitate our work we conducted a controlled investigation and pilot of SFX and MetaLib, limiting our study to two specific subject areas: biomaterials and contemporary issues. This allowed us to discover differences in availability of content and types of materials by discipline and to use enough resources to see meaningful results. A recommended course of action for each of these applications has grown out of our initial training and work. Possible staffing models are presented with lists of start up tasks as well as continuing staffing needs. (Rough estimates of time required are included in Appendices 2-5.)

SFX
Recommendation: The MIT Libraries should implement SFX during Fall 2002.

Advantages:
An immediate benefit to users is the ease of linking to full text, even with a gradual or incomplete implementation. It is not necessary for every resource to be activated before this tool becomes helpful, and as more titles are added, it only becomes more useful.

Start up considerations:

• A majority of publishers/vendors of the pre-configured Sources in the SFX Knowledge Base has been contacted. However, the products have been activated with a test account; the vendors need to be contacted for setting up a live account for all Sources.
• All major journal packages have been activated as Targets. What remains to be activated are some partial packages or individual titles received with print. Prioritization is needed.
• Before general release, cleanup is needed on some of the titles already activated, involving problem solving error reports of missing ISSNs or making sure holdings thresholds are working properly.
• Several monthly updates to SFX KnowledgeBase remain to be done.
• We need to complete the implementation of CrossRef to facilitate linking to the article level among publications from publishers who are part of CrossRef.
• The bulk of the work involved in customizing the "services" menu screen has been done. What remains is a small amount of programming to enable SFX to populate two of the Libraries' existing web forms (ILB and RSC request) as well as some further minimal customization of the screen itself.
• Public services staff require training before any version of SFX is made available to the public.
• A "quiet" roll out in the fall is preferable, even if a few bugs remain to be worked out. This will also allow early feedback for problem solving.
• Usability testing of SFX screens could be combined later in the fall with testing of Vera/Barton/Finding Articles tutorials.
• Publicity should be developed after the quiet roll out phase whenever we are ready to formally launch SFX in a more splashy way.
  

Implementation staffing recommendations:
If the recommendation to implement SFX were accepted, a small group of staff would need to devote some concentrated time in the next few months to resolve the remaining problems with the activated titles and gradually add the rest of the eligible titles into SFX. This group could include one or two people from ENAV, a Serials and Acquisitions Services (SAS) digital resources person, and consultation with a web person who has worked on the menu screen customization and staff from Systems, as needed. Public services librarians should prioritize the remaining partial packages and titles for activation. A separate group, including appropriate public services and instruction staff, should be formed to plan for staff and user training and a publicity campaign for the eventual, formal roll out.

Ongoing tasks — Possible staffing model:
Although SFX implementation will require the collaboration of staff across the system to function properly, many of the ongoing operational tasks seem to fit within existing structures already in place for making digital resources available. Therefore, with the recognition that help or input will be needed from Systems and Technology Services (Systems), Public Services, and Web staff, we recommend that the ongoing tasks be handled primarily within Collection Services (see Appendix 2 for chart of tasks, time required and levels of staff recommended).

• Oversight of SFX could ultimately be centralized in a position being redefined as responsible for Serials Data Management (formerly the head of serials cataloging). As an interim measure, Joan Kolias could maintain her involvement and relationship as a major contact with Ex Libris staff during the search for this position.
• The ongoing work of setting up new resources (both sources and targets) meshes well with the work of the Serials and Acquisitions Services (SAS) staff who now order and arrange access for digital resources, as another step to be done at the time they create records in Vera, serials commitments, and Aleph to activate a related record within the SFX Knowledge Database.
• The serials cataloging staff who now maintains Barton could accomplish maintenance of the SFX records from the monthly Knowledge Database Updates and Vera changes.
• Tasks such as those normally associated with Systems and groups like Web Advisory Group would still be accomplished by them. Tasks requiring in-depth subject knowledge, such as testing a particular product, may necessitate help from Public Services staff.
  

METALIB
Recommendation: The MIT Libraries should implement MetaLib by July 2003.

Advantages:
MetaLib helps to solve several key problems recognized by our public services staff in the environment of an ever-increasing number of electronic databases: a) helping users to find the appropriate databases for their topic, b) allowing users to simultaneously search across several databases, and c) allowing users to define their own set of databases to meet interdisciplinary needs. In addition, MetaLib will increase the power of SFX since any database searched using the MetaLib interface can act as an SFX source, even if it is not normally OpenURL-enabled.

There is great enthusiasm among public services librarians for the potential of MetaLib as a tool that can address some immediate problems with a relatively small investment of staff time. This is said with the recognition that MetaLib may not be the total long-term solution as other tools evolve in the marketplace. Our prior year of experimenting with OCLC SiteSearch led us to realize the MetaLib was an appropriate tool given current technology and ease of use. Examples of identified needs that were being discussed within public services even before the ENAV investigation include the Undergraduate User Group (database discovery tool), Dewey Library filtering tool (defining database discovery elements for business searches), and InterLibrary Borrowing staff (cross searching multiple OPACs to identify sources of materials). There is a desire to move ahead with at least some of these tools as soon as possible.

Implementation staffing recommendations:
Three major types of staff time investment are required: 1) decision-making about the subject categories and how to categorize our databases, 2) customization of MetaLib screens to allow this tool to serve our users in ways that meet their needs, and 3) configuration of existing databases selected to become part of MetaLib. There will also be a continuing need for a designated liaison to ExLibris.

• Form a MetaLib Implementation Team, composed of staff representing several specific areas within public services (subject specialists, reference, instruction, undergraduate user group), a member of the OPAC Team, a person from Web Advisory Group (WAG), staff from Systems (possibly J.Kolias), and a cataloger. Some overlap from ENAV may be helpful.
• Implementation Team surveys public services staff to discover exactly what kinds of tools are needed that should be created and implemented from MetaLib. They may choose to start with only one or two tools, rather than a full implementation.
• Implementation Team establishes metadata standards, collects Z39.50 information and URLs for linking from vendors, assigns metadata to existing databases, and configures databases according to the standards.
• Implementation Team consults with subject specialists representing each divisional library for assignment of databases to topics or categories, and subjects to databases.
• WAG customizes MetaLib screens: designs the user interface, colors, logo, wording, etc., coordinating MetaLib with the rest of our web site. WAG works with input from the Implementation Team to come up with the best design.
• WAG plans and conducts usability tests with small, specific groups of students and faculty in order to develop the best design and determine user education needs.
• The Implementation Team determines whether a MetaLib Advisory Group is advisable for ongoing monitoring or changes to interface.
• The Implementation Team may form a separate group, including appropriate public services and instruction staff, to plan for staff and user training and publicity.

Ongoing tasks - Possible staffing model:
Maintenance of MetaLib should not require as much ongoing staff time as SFX. However, there are some maintenance tasks that fall into three different areas: public interface; database configuration & maintenance; and systems.

Public interface:

• Decisions about day-to-day maintenance of web interface and functionality
• Small, incremental changes/improvements to web interface
• Troubleshooting problems or answering user questions

Because MetaLib is primarily a public services interface, it seems appropriate that the oversight for it falls within the same structure as the public web, e.g. the Web Manager/WAG, or the interface to the public catalog, e.g. Barton OPAC group. Public interface tasks may fall to one of these groups or to the MetaLib Advisory Group.

Database configuration & maintenance:

• Selecting subject categories for new databases (currently subject specialists now choose Vera subjects; this could become part of the same process, although more choices to be made)
• Configuring new databases, or making changes to database configuration, if necessary
• Maintenance resulting from MetaLib KnowledgeBase updates
• Deleting cancelled databases

Database configuration decisions can be coordinated with Vera database decisions at time of acquiring access. Actual work of setting up new databases falls logically within the Collection Services functions, with assistance from Systems.

Systems:

• MetaLib Administrative modules - routine maintenance, including monitoring log files, temporary files for user accounts, ExLibris-supplied software upgrades, including KnowledgeBase updates, Oracle, Apache web server maintenance as necessary, bug fixes, custom script programming.
• Server maintenance - operating system upgrades, system backups, security, including user permissions, server certificate maintenance, proxy server, etc.
  

Maintenance of the server, software upgrades, and the security of MetaLib Admin require the expertise of Systems staff.

RELATED QUESTIONS AND POTENTIALS TO BE EXPLORED

• ENAV does not envision that VERA could be immediately replaced by the SFX/MetaLib applications, although there are several limitations inherent in Vera that may be mitigated or solved by SFX implementation. While the public features of Vera would be greatly enhanced, none of the management functions would be replaced by SFX or MetaLib, as they exist today. An important feature of Vera is the ability to deliver access to electronic resources in the context of their rules for use and other licensing considerations, something MetaLib cannot currently do. The staff involved with providing digital resources access are keenly aware of the need to continuously look for ways to take advantage of efficiencies among our combination of tools, and work toward fewer, more versatile tools, not just continuing to add on steps to our processes.
  
  
• One of our current methods to provide access to the 8000+ titles hidden within large aggregator packages, such as Lexis-Nexis or ABI-Inform, is BELL (Buried E-Journal Locator List - a listing tool that supplements Vera). SFX may be able to provide this listing function, but we have not yet explored this potential.
  
  
• We currently use a variety of tools to maintain information on changes in large packages - very labor intensive with only partial results. The monthly SFX KnowledgeBase updates offer some hope for a standardized way to provide this information more efficiently.
  
  
• Use statistics are of great interest, but the variety coming from publishers are often not comparable. SFX offers uniform statistics on access to full text (by title, by package, etc) for all access coming through an SFX menu. We need to investigate where this might fit into our own efforts to gather meaningful statistics.
  
  
• Currently our Barton URLs do not allow off-campus access, but off-campus users who link to journals from Barton through the SFX menu will be invoking the proxy server, increasing their access.
  
  
• During the course of the ENAV work we identified several other resources that deserve exploration as potential targets and sources: Barton, D-Space, E-thesis collection, EndNote direct import feature, etc. After the initial implementation of SFX that effort should continue.

ANNUAL COSTS:
The annual cost for ExLibris maintenance and the KnowledgeBase update service is expected to be $6,500. Hardware upgrade will need to be factored into our experience with computer life cycles.

MORE INFORMATION:
Details about the ongoing staffing requirements and time commitment are included in the following appendices to this report. Click here to view or download all eight appendices in PDF format.

1 - ENAV charge and membership
2 - SFX Task List
3 - Technical support for SFX
4 - MetaLib Task List
5 - Technical support for MetaLib
6 - Status of Products in SFX and MetaLib
7-8 - Technical Support Experience - Narrative Version

Information about the work of the ENAV group, the timeline, and the slides from the All Staff Presentation (June 26, 2002) can be found on the Staff Web at http://libstaff.mit.edu/enav/news.html.

Respectfully submitted,

Enhanced Navigation Implementation Group
Joan Kolias & Marilyn McSweeney, co-chairs
Darcy Duke
Ellen Duranceau
Nicole Hennig
Carl Jones
Marlene Manoff
Beth Siers
Howard Silver