User Interface Group
June 28, 2006
User Interface Group
Minutes, June 28, 2006
Present: Nicole Hennig (chair), Darcy Duke, Millicent Gaskell, Bonnie Parks, Maggie Bartley (minutes)
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION
Nicole welcomed members to the new User Interface Group and discussed aspects of the transition from WAG to UIG. Nicole will build a UIG wiki where minutes and other information can be posted. The group reviewed the charge for UIG.
UPDATE ON LIBRARY COUNCIL RETREAT
Nicole reviewed the SFX Verde recommendations and streamlined timeline for implementation. The recommended project areas are categorized as Cross Search, Putting Ourselves Where Users Are, Metadata Aggregator, and ERM Back End. Nicole explained some of the technologies involved and how they would help bring the Library's "silos" together. A letter from the Graduate Student Council requesting adoption of these or similar technologies was discussed.
BARTON & RSS
Darcy updated the group on the version 18 upgrade of Barton. The group will take up interface issues after the current testing and fixing phase is completed. Once version 18 is finally implemented, Barton can be used as an SFX source. Darcy also reported on progress in developing a feed from Barton to get new book titles out. She presented a checklist of parameters to include in setting up other RSS feeds from Barton.
SFX
Nicole reported that a special program for making IEEE conferences work with SFX was live. At some point in the next few months, Rich will work on making the program work for other conferences.
LIBX TOOLBAR
Nicole demonstrated the features of the LibX toobar <http://libx.org/ >, a Firefox extension that provides direct access to MIT Libraries resources from other web sites via a toolbar and right-click options. Some of the features are less than intuitive, but the basic functionality it adds is so useful that we decided it's worth offering to users.
We looked at the xISBN search feature <http://www.oclc.org/research/researchworks/xisbn/>. (xISBN supplies ISBNs associated with individual intellectual works represented in the OCLC WorldCat database. Give it an ISBN, and it returns a list of associated ISBNs). There is an option to turn it on or off, and we decided to keep it on for now, despite the fact that it's a little confusing, because it allows people to find different editions of the same work in Barton.
Darcy and Nicole will create a LibX Help page. <http://libraries.mit.edu/help/libx.html> Darcy will send an announcement to all-lib so staff can try it out before we release it to the public. We plan to release it in mid-July.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Nicole is working with Heather Denny on a new web site for potential donors. A wire frame site has been developed and an RFP for a graphic designer will soon go out.
Nicole will be working with the Archives staff this year to redesign their web site. A card sorting test will take place soon to help restructure the categories for their site. Once the redesign is underway, we'll bring some of the design questions to this group for review.
STAFF WEB
Nicole reported that we will soon move towards using MediaWiki for creating Staff Web pages. Marion Leeds Carroll and Melissa Feiden
have been asked to draft a new home page for the staff web. They will bring the draft to this group for discussion later in the summer and we'll get input from more staff at that time. More information will be available for the whole staff about this project later in July.
NEXT MEETING: Thursday, July 13, 2006, 3-4:30 PM.
FUTURE TOPICS
-MIT Libraries' Labs page:
LIBX toolbar
Firefox extensions
Podcasts
Beta home page
- Putting ourselves where users are:
Wikipedia
iTunes Univ
RSS feeds, other
- RSS feeds from Barton for new items
- podcasts/screencasts
- Angie's project tutorials
- new Giving web site
- archives web site redesign
- Staff Web: new home page and new wikis
- Barton v. 18 changes
- Barton as an SFX source
- SFX new features: more conferences, etc.
- grad student council letter