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07/07/2005
Minutes June 21, 2005
by:M. A. Groesbeck

Research, Instruction, Outreach Committee (RIO)
Minutes of meeting, June 21, 2005, at Amherst College

Present: Margaret Groesbeck (chair and recorder), Bonnie Vigeland, Barbara Polowy, Bryan Goodwin, Sherre Harrington, Jan Jourdain (guest)

I. Minutes: The minutes of the meeting on 5/4/05 were approved.

II. New Chair: Congratulations to Bonnie, who now takes over from Margaret as chair of RIO for the standard 2-year term.

III. Annual Report & Website: Margaret will prepare an annual report for FCLC and circulate the draft. The basic RIO website will be up shortly on the Five College site. According to Jan, the problem of a secure site for committee minutes has been solved and will be announced soon. We should ask Robyn Cutler to set up a generic RIO sign-on for the committee website so that we can all post to it.

IV. Aleph Background and Plans: RIO had already received two documents: (1) a list of Aleph libraries that will show features of searching and interfaces (2) an outline of “logical bases”, indexes, and filters to select for Aleph. Jan Jourdain, chair of the Aleph Implementation Committee, used the second document to give the committee an overview of Aleph architecture and vocabulary and outlined RIO’s participation in the implementation process:

Structure of database(s):

Bib records: Common bib file for the system = “bib library”
a. 6 “adm”s (administrative modules) equal more or less to III’s “partitions” under common bib library (5 colleges plus Renaissance Center at UMass; 5-C Depository will be part of AC’s adm)
Patrons records: 1 large 5-C “patron library” which contains statistics, records of checked out items
a. Patrons query patron library when requesting information about themselves as borrower
b. Patron records are also included in separate, local adm which is required for a transaction on an individual campus
c. There is a suggestion that all 5-C patron records be loaded into all adm’s from the beginning for convenience; patron record required in local adm for any tranaction
d. Patron records are ever associated to specific bib record only by way of a specific item record
Item records: A single “holdings library” in common for all 5-C libraries
a. Item records are never included in a local adm
b. Each volume = an item
c. Details about any individual piece reside in item record

Indexes, logical bases, limits & filters:

Indexes: All traditional index terms reside in the bib record and are drawn from the bib record
Logical bases: These files created from item records
a. Logical bases can be used either to include or exclude materials from view (Ex: in search of all 5 libraries, perhaps routinely exclude media equipment – which could be, if we wish, its own logical base)
b. Selected logical bases can be tied to certain logins/patron types; therefore we can create logical bases that do not have to be shown on a public search screen
c. Logical bases can be created anytime, not just during implementation
Filters: Filters are applied pre-search
Limits: Limits are applied post-search

Local Adm:

Sub-libraries: Designations governed by local adm loosely defined by being branches or formal sevice points (Ex: Frost, Neilson, Science Libraries, etc)
Collections: Level below sub-libraries that have their own loan rules (Ex: Reference, serials, monographs)
In Aleph circ rules based on combination of item, status, sub-library, and patron type.

V. Interface design: The Aleph Implementation Team is developing a proposal on design of public interface for the Five College Librarians Council. It includes hiring an outside Web design firm, with a contract by 9/05. Five Colleges wants to own and be able to revise the final design. The 5-College team will include 2 members of RIO and 2 from AIC.

VI. RIO’s immediate role: RIO should start evaluating public interfaces for Aleph catalogs. (See list of libraries provided by Jan.). We should have a list of “good” (well-designed) characteristics of interfaces by the end of August. RIO should also start outlining desirable indexes, limits, filters, and logical bases. That list will go to the catalogers. RIO can discuss the choices directly with ctalogers. Once again, RIO can use other sample library catalogs for idea.

While working on these projects, RIO will meet about every 3 weeks

Next meeting: 2 pm Wednesday, July 6