User Interface Task Group Meeting Minutes

October 3, 2006 McKeldin Library Rm. 2234 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Present: W. Bass (HSHSL, guest), L. England (UMUC), K. Glennan (UMCP, guest), H. Hanson (ITD), S. Henry (FSU), T. Lyons (HSHSL), L. Seguin (UMBC), C. Todd (UMCP), L. Wrubel (ITD, recording).

Absent: J. Evander

Topic 1: Approval of minutes from September 5 meeting

The minutes were approved.

Topic 2: Authorities in the catalog

Hanson reviewed the steps necessary to implement authorities. This includes creating a core subgroup to work on screens, initial programming, testing functionality, plan and executing initial usability testing, making indexing adjustments, moving to full test catalog, iterations of usability testing with students and faculty, release to COIs for comment, open forum and PR, and time when the changes are “frozen” in test for public services review.

Hanson will post a more complete list of steps of the implementation on the UITG wiki.

An open forum would need to be scheduled well in advance of when things would go live.

UITG agreed that the out-of-box implementation of authorities was not acceptable.

UITG felt a drop dead date of early December was necessary to give public services enough time to review, learn, and create guides for the catalog if we were to move Authorities live in January. UITG felt it would be preferable for public services and users if authorities were released live as part of the release of version 18. If the timeline to implement authorities were to be shifted so that changes were complete in test in the Spring, UITG agreed there was a need to set benchmarks along the way to keep progress through the timeline.

Hanson will put a call to create a subgroup to help her focus on authorities work and screen design. The subgroup’s work will be posted on the wiki.

Topic 3: OPAC Reports

Hanson has assistance from a GA in ITD to work on OPAC statistics. One of the USMAI campuses requested the following reports in their priorities list:

• use of catalog on-campus and remote
• use by USMAI patrons
• number of searches
• number of hits.

Hanson shared FCLA’s Aleph statistics page: http://www.fcla.edu/FCLAinfo/stats/aleph_opac_stat/firstpage.html

UITG generated ideas for a number of possible other reports:

• keyword searches vs. browse searches
• stats by base
• usage by time of day
• search statistics that would allow a comparison between how much the catalog is searched in RP and in the OPAC.

Hanson will put a wiki page up and ask UITG members to add ideas.

There was a concern about how this fits in with other projects, such as Authorities and New Books Catalog. UITG saw New Books catalog as a higher priority.

Topic 4: 856 links in Find It menu

Wrubel displayed the multiple 856 URLs (currently limited to 3 in the test catalog) with a more prominent text note directing users back to the catalog record for further links. The group felt it could be even more prominent, such as by making it red. UITG felt was unfair to users to display an incomplete list of URLs, and requested that the number of links displayed in the menu be raised to five, and the changes be moved to live.

Wrubel will work on adding the new 856 links to live SFX in the catalog and work on formatting the note referring users to further links in the catalog record. The note will only appear when there are 5 links.

ITD has requested a report on the numbers of catalog records with more than 4 URLs and UITG will use that report to determine if the number of links should be raised.

Topic 5: Update on Interface change requests.

Hanson needs examples for the 022 interface change requests.

• Seguin will find examples so Hanson can set it up in test.
• Wheeler will add a new request to suppress the 583 (Action Note).
• Hanson will check on whether the 886 is being suppressed. Linda will look for an example of the 886, since our current example no longer works.

Topic 6: Consortial update

Wrubel updated UITG on news from various consortial meetings.

• CLD is sponsoring a LITA Regional Institute on user-centered design and usability testing.
• Campus Contacts discussed the New Books catalog and the consensus seems to be to move ahead with the McGill model.
• To prepare for future UITG work on the New Books Catalog interface, Hanson will create a wiki page on new books and add link to McGill’s new books catalog, the powerpoint shared at Campus Contacts and UITG’s notes on its survey.
• Campus Contacts is looking into USMAI training needs and UITG will probably be asked to help survey and determine needs.

Topic 7: Items for October E-News

• Authorities work continues: research on the screens, planning and drafting timeline. UITG continues to work with library staff to gather initial comments and feedback to be used in screen design. See wiki page for up to date information.
• Work on 856 URLs in Find It menu in catalog
• Interface change requests (music publisher number)
• Working on the catalog down screen.

Next meeting: Nov 7, at McKeldin Library, room 7121.

Possible agenda topics:

• Authorities
• E-News
• Report on task group chairs meeting
• OPAC reports
• New books (if anything)
• Interface change request updates
• Scheduling meetings for 2007