Migrating from ILLiad to Tipasa

Abstract

Tennessee State University was a decade long user of OCLC’s ILLiad platform. 2019 marked the year when the relationship with that system ended as our two interlibrary loan departments migrated to Tipasa, OCLC’s new cloud-based system. The platform change did not stem from dissatisfaction with ILLiad but from being informed that Tipasa would eventually replace ILLiad. This article covers three areas of the implementation: communication, staff training, and outreach. Explained is the communication had between library staff and OCLC representatives, what our participation in online cohort training involved, and included are visuals used to inform our campus about Tipasa.     

Build Your Program by Building Your Team: Inclusively Transforming Services,Staffing and Spaces

ABSTRACT

User feedback told the story of the largest and busiest campus library being dated in both physical form and programmatic function. Under the framework of a newly-developed strategic plan, library leadership initiated a comprehensive and inclusive assessment program to understand fully user needs by engaging users, campus partners, and, importantly, library personnel. Simultaneously, they embarked on a review of change management literature for guidance on implementing the required transformation. Informed by the change management philosophy of John Kotter, the library utilized the findings of the assessment program to craft and implement a sustainable transformation of its services, staffing, and spaces.     

Implementing an Action Plan

Abstract

A university library implemented a three-pronged marketing action plan to increase library visibility on campus. The plan included a publicity campaign, a formalized liaison program, and a user satisfaction survey. The year-long effort did return library instruction statistics to earlier levels but did not increase reference usage. Several factors are identified as potential causes for its limited success.     

Going Global: Providing Library Resources and Services to International Sites

ABSTRACT

The Brooklyn campus library of Long Island University (LIU) seized the opportunity to take a proactive approach to providing library resources and services to the university's Global College community. An active link connecting the library, Global College headquarters, and international sites has been created. After carefully evaluating the needs of faculty and students across the globe, the authors recount how the library supports the teaching and learning activities of this unique user group. This article describes the LIU Brooklyn campus library's efforts to promote and implement customized resources and services to users on different continents.     

Should We Care If the Case Digest Disappears?: A Retrospective Analysis and the Future of Legal Research Instruction

ABSTRACT

This article begins with a brief history of the West key number digest system. Next, it reviews some of the prominent literature discussing the shift from case digests to full-text searching (including the sole user study on this topic). Then, this article examines how the paradigm shift is reflected in law library collections and current trends in legal research instruction. Finally, the author presents four lessons gleaned from this discussion that may help shape future legal research instruction and proposes a user study to better inform future discussion.     

A Review of "Using Tablets and Apps in Libraries"

Abstract

Academic libraries have increasingly adopted web-scale discovery tools in order to meet the expectations of students who want immediate results, efficient algorithms, and a single search box. As they have become the de facto search tool at many libraries, librarians and patrons alike have been forced to confront the way they think about research processes and in some cases, modulate ingrained habits. In this article, the authors explore student perceptions of efficacy, relevancy, and ease of use of a library discovery tool through a 2017 mixed-methods user experience study conducted at three City University of New York (CUNY) campuses. The results from this user study will be useful to other institutions that already have implemented discovery layers within their library and help inform website design, discovery layer design, and pedagogy. By combining student interviews with a task analysis, the authors were able to learn more about student search behaviors, how they respond to challenges, and what they expect from search tools. Identifying these barriers to student use of the Primo discovery tool has helped us articulate best practices for instruction and interface customization that may address these barriers and has illuminated implications for website integration.     

Renovated,repurposed, and still “one sweet library”: a case study on loss of space from the Health Sciences and Human Services Library,University of Maryland,Baltimore

Setting:

The Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL), University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), is located in an urban environment on the west side of downtown Baltimore. Founded in 1813, the library opened its current building in 1998 and is one of the largest health sciences libraries in the United States, with 6 floors and over 180,000 gross square and 118,000 net assignable square feet (NASF).

Project:

The initial discussions in late 2005 involved moving campus offices into the library. Almost immediately, it was recognized that a much larger renovation was needed due to the scope of the work. The vice president for academic affairs, the library executive director, and campus planners agreed that if the renovation was done thoughtfully, multiple needs could be met, including new office spaces, better user spaces, and synergy with the new campus center being built next door.

Planning:

The planning, design, and construction process was multifaceted and on a fast track. Although the final piece of the renovation was completed in June 2009, the majority of the planning, design, and construction took place between March 2006 and June 2008. All tenants were involved with office design. Library staff were involved in designing the public spaces and planning the strategy for weeding and shifting.

Outcomes:

Approximately 8,000 NASF was reallocated to new office space from shelving space, amounting to approximately 6.7% of the building NASF and approximately 10.6% of the public space in the building. The majority of new offices in the building report to the same vice president and are student focused and service oriented, with similar missions to that of the library resulting in a very harmonious cohabitation. Additional units with these missions and reporting structure are located in the new campus center, creating a synergy between the two buildings.     

An International Collaboration: Establishing an Education Collection in a Library in Qatar

ABSTRACT

Texas A&M University has a history of international collaboration, cooperation and global outreach. Texas A&M University at Qatar provides engineering students in the Middle East with an education, and ultimately, a degree comparable to that found on our home campus in College Station. The Texas A&M University Libraries have provided curricular and research support in all of these endeavors, and currently maintain library facilities in Santa Chiara, Bodrum, and Doha, Qatar. In 2004, a noteworthy collaboration between the Colleges of Education at Texas A&M University (TAMU) and Qatar University (QU) in the development of a primary teacher preparation program at Qatar University offered another opportunity for the TAMU Libraries to support our campus community. As the education librarian at the Texas A&M University Libraries, I participated in this collaboration by recommending materials, equipment and supplies for a resource library collection and an instructional materials preparation room. This article describes the collection development involved in the establishment of the resource library, the trips to Qatar to set up the library, and the cultural and logistical challenges encountered in the endeavor.     

Conversations with Web Site Users: Using Focus Groups to Open Discussion and Improve User Experience

ABSTRACT

User feedback on Web site design can be vital to understanding what issues library users may encounter when visiting a Web site, but obtaining this feedback can be time consuming, difficult to structure, and expensive. In past years, staff working on the Cal Poly Pomona University Library Web site collected user feedback from surveys and usability testing. This team was interested in acquiring a more basic understanding of how users interact with the Web in general, whether for research or other purposes, and how such experiences could inform design decisions. This article will discuss what focus groups are, why libraries should consider conducting focus groups for Web site testing and development, how focus groups can complement usability testing, and if focus groups are worth the time and effort. Results from focus group sessions will also be shared and discussed including information that fueled design decisions and benefits that participants gained from the experience.     

Campus Book Delivery at the University of Oklahoma

Abstract

At the University of Oklahoma, we began campus or home delivery of items from our library as well as those from other libraries. We have added more services over the years in response to requests from our users. In doing so, we found room for improvements. This paper addresses some of the issues we encountered.     

Library Safety Through Design: Using a Checklist Approach at the University of Idaho

ABSTRACT

Libraries are responsible for the safety, security, and welfare of their patrons, employees, collections, buildings, and property. Well-designed library spaces enhance the overall security and safety of the library building and its users. One potential tool to assist in assessing library spaces and building design is the Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) methodology. This article presents a case study in which a CPTED checklist was used to examine safety and security design features in an academic library environment. In conjunction with other safety measures, including dedicated safety committees, expert-led safety trainings, and ongoing conversations about security in the library, the CPTED checklist can help inform library conversations about building security and contribute to a safer, more secure atmosphere in which students can thrive.     

Expanding Beyond our Library Walls: Building an Active Online Community through Facebook

This article demonstrates how Facebook, a popular social networking Web site, provides libraries with the opportunity to develop an outreach presence and information portal within an online community. While much of the recent literature examines Facebook and defines its potential use within libraries, this article focuses on the use of Facebook's newest feature: customizable Facebook Pages. In December 2007, librarians at the State University of New York at Buffalo began exploring the use of Facebook Pages to virtually reach out to patrons and market library services. Based on user response and Page statistics, librarians found the use of Facebook Pages provided a welcome extension of services and a unique form of outreach that reached beyond the campus community. Through a University at Buffalo Libraries Page on Facebook, librarians can update and inform students, faculty, and staff of new events, workshops, library services, and resources. Librarians at the University at Buffalo maintain an active online community that reaches more than 300 fans. Fans provide discussion and feedback regarding library services, offering a more interactive extension of the Libraries homepage. This article explains the design process, including the use of third-party and custom applications. Challenges, ideas, and user response in regards to the use of Facebook Pages in a library setting are also presented.     

Forward Progress One Step at a Time

Abstract

Library instruction about reference materials, databases, and quality web sites never goes out of fashion for students, faculty, or staff. An annual professional development program on the Colorado State University campus offers an opportunity to provide specialized library instruction to targeted faculty and staff members. For two consecutive years, the authors offered a workshop called “«Find it Fast»: Research Tips for People in a Hurry.” Using a standardized assessment tool, attendees were asked to rank their level of satisfaction with various aspects of the instruction session. By evaluating and incorporating this feedback, the authors modified and enhanced the workshop's format and content. Higher levels of user satisfaction are achieved in the second year, along with recommendations to continue and broaden the workshop.     

Reference in Context Project

Abstract

The Reference in Context team at OCLC has been trying to get a better understanding of how people look for information in a library setting. We are using a “user-centered” design method called Contextual Design to focus our information gathering and data analysis. The study provides many ideas about ways to enhance reference access and will improve our ability to design future end user oriented retrieval systems.     

Study Abroad Students: Designing Library Services to Meet Their Needs

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on the design of library services to best meet the information needs of U.S. college students studying abroad. The authors begin by developing a possible theoretical model, first to explain the needs and information-seeking behavior of U.S. students abroad, and second to utilize this framework to design library services. The empirical grounding of the paper consists of research conducted by a Pennsylvania State University librarian at four study-abroad sites in Rome and Bologna, and the work of two librarians at colleges with high student participation in foreign study programs. In regard to the latter, the authors will discuss the way in which Dickinson College began a new program of library services to study abroad students, and present a Goucher College librarian's experience as a collaborative participant in a study-abroad program.     

Organizing Interpretive Text for a Digital Library: How User Testing Found the Lost Frontier

SUMMARY

This paper looks at exercises done with user focus groups and how they have influenced the reorganization of Meeting of Frontiers' interpretive text content. Meeting of Frontiers is an international collaborative digital library project at the Library of Congress. Testing consisted of a user survey and card sorting exercises in order to refine the site hierarchy and identify problems with design proposals.     

Positioning the Library

Abstract

As environments become more challenging and resources decline, a library must position itself strategically within the university. This article provides twenty-three ways to improve the library's image on campus and to position the library for future success. Following these recommendations will enable the library to become a positive force in campus life and to establish its centrality to the academic mission.     

Tracking User Behavior with Google Analytics Events on an Academic Library Web Site

ABSTRACT

The primary purpose of an academic library Web site is to serve as a portal to library-acquired content. Navigational design of a library Web site affects the user's ability to find and access content. At Albertsons Library, the goal of the navigational design of the Web site is to mimic user behavior on the Web site to help them access information and articles from over 300 different library vendors. Coordinating with different vendors makes tracking the navigational flow of user behavior difficult with the tool Google Analytics. Using the events feature in Google Analytics, the team responsible for Web design was able to track user flow, and was able to quantify how many users were actual “drop-offs” versus those that were clicks into library resources. Decisions made after acquiring these data resulted in a Web site with a 10 percent or less bounce rate, and decreased the number of clicks required for users accessing the library's content.