11/15/2005
by:Barbara Polowy
Five College Libraries, Research, Information & Outreach Committee
Minutes of the October 17, 2005, Meeting at Hampshire College
Present: Bryan Goodwin, Margaret Groesbeck, Sherre L. Harrington, Beth Lang, Barbara Polowy (recorder), Bonnie Vigeland
Meetings
The minutes from the September 9 meeting were approved by email before the meeting.
The next meeting will be held on November 14, starting at 9:15 a.m. at Hampshire College.
Bryan Goodwin will be the recorder at the next meeting.
Committee members discussed OPAC interface features, reviewing public catalogs from other Aleph sites for ideas about graphic design, functionality, and screen language. The following are RIO’s recommendations for the interface design committee:
Basic Search Page
Search box
A single search box is strongly recommended
combining keyword and “starts with” searches (CUNY)
prefer to display all search options rather than using a dropdown menu (Nortre Dame)
“Title [author, subject, etc.] beginning with” and “title [author, subject, etc.] word/s” are favored for the search box (University of Maryland)
Selection of libraries to search
Seven catalog search options should be displayed prominently on the page as buttons, boxes, or another graphic device at the top of the basic search page (Notre Dame)
o Combined five college search
o Each of the five colleges
o User-defined combination of libraries (University of Maryland’s “multi-campus search” is a good model)
The default search should be the combined five college search
The page should display a “you are here” feature showing which catalogs are being searched
Advanced Search Page
Pull downs are unavoidable on this page (good design example: MIT)
Location and collection: The distinction between “location” and “collection” are problematical. Margaret Groesbeck will develop a list of terms for collection and location that are more meaningful to library users. The OPAC design committee should consider combining location and collection limits into a single option (FSU).
Language limiting: The 10 most popular languages should be displayed at the top of the dropdown menu, with a complete list following it.
Format
o Duke’s design is recommended (though selections and terminology are not)
o Grouping related formats together is preferred to an alphabetical display (UC Santa Barbara)
o The following five college logical bases should be displayed as format choices: music recording, archives and manuscripts, electronic resources, five college moving images
Results Screen
Default displays
o Table format without lines or boxes (UC Santa Barbara vs. Alfred)
o Sort should be reverse chronological order (University of Maryland)
The option to modify the search should be presented on the results screen
The holdings page should show title, imprint, holdings, instructions (?)
Availability information should be higher on the page, right under the citation and above the page fold if possible
The following terms are suggested for results displays
o “location” should be used for Aleph “library”
o “collection” should be used for Aleph “location”
o Click to view availability
o Click to view full record
RIO does not recommend the convention of displaying items owned/items out (e.g., 1/0), but it appears this cannot be modified
Help
On-screen help should be contextual examples that change depending on the search selected (University of Maryland)
University of Maryland’s help should serve as a model for five college help screens
Personalization Features
Personalization features should be graphically distinct from searching and other catalog functions (University of Maryland preferred over Notre Dame)
Personalization options should display on all catalog pages
“My Account” and “sign in”/ “logout” are recommended terms for these features
Better vocabulary is needed for “end session.” “Empty basket” and “clear” were suggested.
Other Issues and Questions
Command searching should not be presented as an OPAC option
RIO recommends using * rather than ? for a truncation symbol (MIT)
Is it necessary to instruct users to omit initial articles when doing a title search?
