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Web Advisory Group Home > Minutes > 1 September 2004


Minutes - 1 September 2004

Present: Hennig, Duke, Gaskell, Skuce, Quirion (minutes)

1. Membership

Millicent joined WAG for her first meeting.  Jennifer has rotated off of the group, Stephen and Christine will continue.

2. Accessibility features

Review of accessibility projects and status:

  • Added access keys to home page
  • Barton access keys are live, thinking about adding these to lower level pages of our site
  • Decided not to adjust contrast settings
  • Added heading tags to home page so screen reader users can tab through the page
  • We havent adjusted font size yet, but we are revisiting this.  Nicole will mock up again with a larger font size.
  • Keyboard events- ATIC lab sent suggestions about a way to make hover links work
  • Javascript-turning it off will still allow the Barton quick search to work.  Removing Go button from Quicklinks menu will make it more difficult for users with screen readers, so well leave the go button for now

Web Forms - Making them even MORE accessible for screen readers

  • All of the ILB forms are accessible, along with the suggested purchase form
  • Marion is almost done with ask us form and ask the archives form
  • Bookpage & RSC are not done
  • Document Services forms waiting on ILLIad
  • Many individual library questions forms are done- see Aero for example
  • To do: Darcy will make several links to the access keys page from various pages of our site.

3. Best practices for interfaces

WAG will publicize these pages, letting staff know that the pages can be used as a guide, yet the pages are also work in progress.  The best practices guide for interfaces ( http://libstaff.mit.edu/webgroup/heuristics/) can be consulted when groups are selecting products or interfaces of existing or new products, or in the process of developing a new systems.  The information in the guide grew out of WAG usability studies, Barton customizations.  If others have thoughts, comments, or suggestions to add to the guide, they can send them to WAG.

4. Update on news, spotlights, photostripes, tips, etc.,

Darcy created a checklist of spotlight projects available on the web. Darcy and Nicole are meeting regularly with Heather Denny to decide on potential topics for the news and photo stripes.  We have many spotlights for a while, but there will be a need to keep getting more items to feature.  We also need to continue to rotate the featured service/tip of the week.  In general, source photos should be 700-800 pixels wide. WAG will contact Archives, RVC, and others to get images of content from our collections that may already be digitized.Future contents might include the Humanities audiobooks or browsery.

5. Digital thesis library update

Christine reported that the Digital Library of MIT Theses will be moving to DSpace, hopefully by early October, and showed what the thesis community in DSpace may look like.  A new guide will be created for using the DSpace thesis collection to help users, as well as a page about the scope of the digital collection.

6. News

Millicent reported that changes to the reserves process and communication with the coop may required a form to be created for faculty to request that items are placed on reserve.  Current reserves pages are incorrect with coop info, however, WAG does not advocate making big changes to the reserves pages until we know more about the new process.  Darcy will remove links to the Coop, update Barker pages and notify web contacts in each unit that they should do the same.   Each library has its own reserves pages that are customized, and all of these pages will need to be updated and linked to a reserves request form when it is created.  Millicent will talk to Steve about the status of the changes to the reserves process.

The E-Reserves request form is now part of the Stellar course ware system.  Marion worked with AMPS staff to get the form set up and to get the request email messages to relay the correct information to library staff.


Next meeting:

Wednesday, September 15, 2-3:30, Barker Conference Room

http://libstaff.mit.edu/webgroup/minutes/20040901.html


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