Project SimpLR

Charter

Task Force charges

Timeline Overview

Timeline New Vera/Metalib

 

Old Metalib project wiki (restricted to Task Force members)

New Vera-Metalib project wiki (viewable by MIT Libraries staff only)

Metadata aggregator project wiki (restricted)

See also:
Verde project wiki (viewable by MIT Libraries staff only)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public web
Staff web
MIT

 

MIT Libraries

Project SimpLR

Charter

PROJECT NAME
Project SimpLR: Simplified search & discovery of Library Resources
(pronounced, “simpler”)

PROJECT PURPOSE:
To build a simplified, integrated, search and discovery interface for accessing the MIT Libraries resources.

BUSINESS NEEDS
The Spring 2006 user needs report and the Library Survey resulted in a number of findings concerning problems that our users have with our current interfaces for search and discovery of library resources. The highest priority need from both projects was determined to be this: Make discovery and search easier and more effective.

PROJECT GOALS & METHODS
The following goals* came from those findings:

* NOTE: This project is primarily focused at addressing the goals in letter A, secondarily focused on letter B, and not meant to address letter C.

Below each goal are the ways that this project aims to address those goals.

A) Make discovery and search easier and more effective.

  1. Reduce the number of starting points for discovery.  Allow users to search several catalogs (such as Barton & Vera) and databases (such as Web of Science or other subscription databases) at once.
  2. Provide more guidance in the selection of our subscription research databases to use for discovery. (such as “best best” and “related resources” for each subject)
  3. Provide user-friendly access to metadata for search strategy refinement and discovery, such as faceted browsing and grouping of results by format, author, date, and other metadata.

B) Incorporate Trusted Networks in Finding Tools

  1. Add links within our search and results interfaces that facilitate linking to sources of trusted network data, such as Amazon, book review sites, Google Print, citation databases, etc.
  2. Incorporate social networking and reviewing capabilities into our tools for input from users.
  3. Expose our own circulation and use data to help people understand what is heavily used.
  4. Incorporate relevancy rankings into results lists in our tools.

 

C) Continue to Put Links to the Libraries Where the Users Are
For details, see the User Needs report. This goal is not in the scope of this project but will be addressed in other work currently being done outside of this project.

 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In order to achieve the goals in letter A above a two-part project is proposed.

1) Update functional requirements for implementation of Metalib + X-Server in a targeted, specific context, in order to allow for cross-search of specific appropriate small (i.e. less that 10) sets of our licensed resources.

2) Develop high-level functional requirements and make recommendation for acquiring a Metadata Aggregator with faceted browsing (and trusted network features, such as user contributed reviews and/or user tagging) in order to bring together metadata from what are currently separate systems: Barton, Vera, and DSpace to start, with the possibility for other systems to be included in the future, such as Image Collections, GIS and VDC records, public web site pages and other future metadata repositories.

3) Determine from a user perspective how the Libraries’ web user interface will include metasearch (Metalib/x-server) functionality and metadata aggregator functionality, with respect to what’s currently served by Barton, Vera, DSpace and other library catalogs and services.

4) Project planning
Once the functional requirements are documented and the technology selected, a detailed project plan will need to be developed. It will include:

  • technical specifications for implementing both technologies above, including all custom programming.
  • a plan for integrating these technologies into the libraries’ web site, including which current user interfaces will be replaced (such as Barton web opac and current Vera screens).
  • specifications for all hardware, software, data processing and loading scripts and ongoing maintenance.
  • cost models for both initial implementation and for ongoing maintenance.


ASSUMPTIONS & PREREQUISITES
This project assumes that we will acquire a metasearch system, namely Metalib with its X-server and implement it in a targeted, specific way.

This also assumes that we will continue to maintain an open URL resolver, such as SFX, which is a key component of the overall system.


CONSTRAINTS
Additional money may need to be budgeted for purchase of a Metadata Aggregator tool (unless an open source tool is selected) and this could have a significant cost. This project may be constrained by the amount of money that can be budgeted for this. If free, open source software is selected, there may be constraints on staff time available for customizing the software to our requirements.

Staff and workflows for ongoing maintenance of this work will need to be carefully evaluated in order to find efficient ways to make the best use of limited staff or determine if additional staff need to be moved from other areas. Part of the outcomes of this project will be to look at what work that we do now could be discontinued after we implement these new tools. (For example, it may be possible to discontinue maintaining the Barton OPAC custom interface if the Metadata Aggregator serves to replace the web OPAC interface).

Other constraints may involve the type of metadata that can be aggregated with a Metadata Aggregator. It is possible that some of our metadata will not be able to be aggregated (unless it is converted first). There will also be some of our licensed databases that will not be cross-searchable via Metalib. Those will still have to be searched separately by the end user. We plan to provide user-friendly ways to lead people to these separate databases that will need to be searched separately (such as via our current Business Database Advisor, or a similar method).


KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Oversight and project management:

1) A project team, led by Nicole Hennig will be created, with members drawn from the User Interface Group, STS, and CAMS.

2) A steering committee will be established for the project, including MacKenzie Smith, Steve Gass, Marilyn McSweeney, Nina Davis-Millis, and Nicole Hennig.

3) Two initial task forces will be created:

Task force 1: Metalib/X-server project planning
August 1 – Dec. 5, 2006

Task force 2: Metadata Aggregator Requirements
August 1 – Dec. 1, 2006

 

KEY DATES

Dec. 13 : Metalib/X-Server report to project steering committee.
Dec. 11: Metadata Aggregator recommendation is made to project steering committee.
December 19: Project steering committee meets to plan next steps.