09/15/2005
by:Margaret A. Groesbeck
Five College Research, Instruction, and Outreach Committee
Meeting, September 9, 2005
Present: Bonnie Vigeland (chair), Bryan Goodwin, Margaret Groesbeck (recorder), Beth Lang, Barbara Polowy, Sherre Harrington (FCLC liaison)
Minutes
The minutes from the meeting of 8//22/05 were approved.
Up-coming Meetings
This semester’s meetings will be at Hampshire at:
Monday, 10/17 9:15 am
Monday, 11/14 9:15 am
Monday, 12/19 9:15 am
Focus Group Lecture Sponsored by Amherst College Library
Amherst is scheduling a presentation on how to organize, run, and use data generated by focus groups by Marie Radford of Rutgers University’s School of Communication, Information ,and Library Studies. It will take place at Amherst at 10 am on Monday, 11/21. Five College librarians will be invited. This presentation may be important for training us to sample patrons’ opinions as we bring up Aleph.
New ILS: News, Logical Bases, Filters, and Limits
FCLC approved the Aleph Implementation Committee’s recommendation for interface design. The formal appointment of the design team from RIO and AIC will be announced later. Slate Roof has just one round of usability testing in its plan; RIO should plan on doing more.
Aleph is scheduled to come up next August, contingent on the successful implementation of “universal borrowing”. In July 2006, RIO should brainstorm about the Aleph introduction and instruction about the new system.
RIO discussed whether the initial default search in Aleph should be for the local campus, with other or all campuses as pre-search choices. Question: Is this option customizable by local campus?
Contextual help (such as that we see at Harvard and other schools) is absolutely
necessary.
Logical bases in addition to those outlined in minutes of 8/22/05
Journals sub-set of database Question: Is this the only way we can have the equivalent of “journal Title” search in III?
“New” acquisitions would be a searchable logical base (with date limits set by local institutions); all formats could be included
All moving images: DVD, VHS, and film. Separate materials types such as VHS, DVD, etc. should also be searchable individually. Question: Should this aggregation be a logical base – and shouldn’t there also be filter and limit formats to cover these at other times in a search?
All recorded music – with a similar breakout of LP, CD, and other formats.
Online resources: Some members of RIO are very concerned that we be able to separate out online—that is, networked – resources available outside the library buildings (A & I databases, e-journals, e-books, data files available online, etc.). By defining a logical base of “electronic resources”, we run the risk of casting too wide a net and getting DVDs, music CDs, CD-ROMs that are not available over campus networks.
Five College manuscripts and archival materials Question: Should these materials be joined in a single logical base – or should they be just filters and limits (where they could be separated out – archival material one format and manuscripts another). Or should they be all three options: logcial base, filters and limits? Bonnie will check with Nanci Young, chair of the Archives Committee, about that committee’s choice.
Reserves??? RIO has heard that Reserves are their own distinct sub-system in Aleph. Question: Is this true? Does a separate Reserves sub-system function as if a logical base?
Electronic data – whether networked or not. Question: How is this managed? RIO would be happy to have this be a format rather than a logical base but is not sure where the information about this category is derived. RIO leaves that to catalogers.
Filters and Limits
RIO agreed that Basic Search should have a single box for input and that all pre-search filters and post-search limits should key off Advanced Search.
In answer to a question raised in the lat meeting, Bonnie has learned from Jan Jourdain that keyword or phrase can be used as a post-search limit. RIO all agreed that this limit is desirable.
Filters
By location: When searching local catalog, by location (sub-library) and collection
By format (material type) (See list of formats attached) Question: Can aggregations that may really be logical bases (such as data files or all moving image formats) function as filters and limits as well? RIO assumes so but is not certain.
By language Common languages (list to be determined) would display, with clickable “more” for display of all languages represented in catalog. Question to catalogers: Is “English” a reliable language designation?
By date
By publisher
By Reserve Question: Could/should this be included with something like location?
Limits
By keyword or phrase
By location: When searching local catalog, by location (sub-library) and collection; when searching whole database, by campus at least
By format (See list of formats attached)
By language - common languages (list to be determined) would display, with clickable “more” for display of all languages represented in catalog. (Question to RIO members: Bonnie thinks we wanted all languages list at once. My notes say clickable “more” for less common languages. Does anyone remember what we said? I don’t think it may matter for now – so long as all languages are broken out and listed one way or other.)
By date
By publisher
By Reserve Question: Could/should this be included with something like location?
Formats/Material Types (RIO’s suggestions)
RIO understands that not all these types need display in all instances
Archival material
Artifacts/objects (?)
Book
E-book
Journal
E-journal
CD-ROM
Data File
Equipment
Government publication
Manuscripts
Map
Microform
Microfiche
Microfilm
Music Scores
Sound recordings
Music CD
Cassettes
LP
Visual material
Slide
Digital image
Moving image (listed with “visual material” in Aleph list?)
16 mm film
VHS
DVD
Theses
