Minutes of User Interface Task Group Meeting

Friday, December 9, 2005

Attending: Betty Day, Lenore England (notetaker), Janet Evander, Jean Phillips, Linda Seguin, Cindy Todd, Susan Wheeler, and Laura Wrubel

Topic 1: Update on Change Review Process (Cindy)

Reviewed the change process document. The following changes were suggested.

• Section 1: Aleph RX is used for catalog issues; Laura suggested that we put in MDL help as well for reporting Research Port issues. The additional wording will state: ALEPH RX or MDL Help.
• Section 1, paragraph 2: Also put in wording on the kinds of requests that are submitted and about the campus vetting process.
• Section 2: The person who sends in request will need to also state why.

Once the changes are made, the document will go up on the Web site - Cindy will do this.

Topic 2: MetaLib default search in Quick Search and Cross Search (basic vs. advanced) (Laura)

Heard from 8 campuses about the interim search screen; Laura will turn on the interim screen in January 2006.

The other option is change the default setting to basic or advanced. We have to agree on this as a consortium.

Basic: one search box
Advanced: has two search boxes and drop down fields.
     Suggested that we remove the simple (basic) tab altogether.
     Suggested that the default would be "all fields" in the drop down menu.

Laura will send proposal out to COI; the deadline will be within two weeks (before winter break).

Topic 3: Report from subgroup working on ERIC 2 issues (Laura, Heidi, Cindy, Linda, Janet)

Information sharing about ERIC 2 group's plans for releasing Find It in the catalog; review suggestions from subgroup for improving both the presentation of Find It and other improvements to the catalog.

Put Find It in the catalog before the spring semester; Laura demonstrated the progress of the ERIC 2 group work.

Changes to be made:

• Heidi will try to put the find it button near "record 1 of xx". Reformat the rest of the record as a result.
• Heidi will unlink the title to prevent possible loops in searching.
• Will also unlink publisher information.
• Another reason to unlink is to make the availability link more evident.
• Heidi will experiment with removing other campus locations within each filter since usability testing showed there was widespread misunderstanding of what locations were being searched within the filter.
• Heidi will add the Find It button to the Holdings screen.
• The Find It button on the availability screen will be moved up.
• Find it menu - working on the reviews section and wording for library holdings sections.
• For campuses that page (UB and UC, for instance), we can change the wording to say, "Pick up at campus".

Cindy asked about linking to book review guides in the Find It menu or information on getting help from a librarian. Laura will check on current Amazon link; put in another book review link instead?

Next steps:

• Heidi is looking to get all of the work done in the next week or so.
• Then send out to the COI - here is what we are doing. There is a lot more to address that came out of usability testing. Wanted to focus on priorities. Will work on other items by next summer.
• ERIC group is meeting next week; will be planning an open forum for January 2006.
• Web testing site for the catalog: http://alephtest.umd.edu:8993/F
• Have your campuses take a look at Find It in the catalog on the test server for both on and off campus.
• Will have to log into the catalog to enable the right affiliation and then log in when click on the full text links in the find it menu.
• Not able to resolve multi-affiliated users issues. Cindy requested that we have as much guidance as possible for patron with multiple affiliation. Jean will work on getting scenarios out so that we will know what is going to occur.

Topic 4: Set meeting dates for 2006

Second Friday each month:

January 13
February 10
March 10
April 14
May 12
June 9

Topics for January agenda:

• Eric II topics
• More usability testing issues
• New book catalog

Future agenda topics:

• Not for next meeting, perhaps in Feburary, from Betty: starting to implement Verde (new electronic management system). We will need to be thinking about the presentation of licensing information via SFX and how to find a way to disclose to the public for each resource.
• Authority task group topics
• Research Port statistics issues? Betty will check on this.