ITAL Information Technology and Libraries (E-Journal)
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Modeling a Library Web Site Redesign Process: Developing a User-Centered Web Site Through Usability Testing
Get PDFThis article presents a model for creating a strong, user-centered web presence by pairing usability testing and the design process. Four rounds of usability testing were conducted throughout the process of building a new academic library web site. Participants were asked to perform tasks using a talk-aloud protocol. Tasks were based on guiding principles of web usability that served as a framework for the new site. Results from this study show that testing throughout the design process is an effective way to build a web site that not only reflects user needs and preferences, but can be easily changed as new resources and technologies emerge.
 
Assessing the Treatment of Patron Privacy in Library 2.0 Literature
Get PDFAs libraries begin to embrace Web 2.0 technologies to serve patrons – ushering in the era of Library 2.0 – unique dilemmas arise regarding protection of patron privacy. The norms of Web 2.0 promote the open sharing of information – often personal information – and the design of many Library 2.0 services capitalize on access to patron information and might require additional tracking, collection and aggregation of patron activities. Thus, embracing Library 2.0 potentially threatens the traditional ethics of librarianship, where protecting patron privacy and intellectual freedom has been held paramount. As a step towards informing the decisions to implement Library 2.0 to adequately protect patron privacy, we must first understand how such concerns are being articulated within the professional discourse surrounding these next generation library tools and services. The study presented in this paper aims to determine whether and how issues of patron privacy are introduced, discussed, and settled – if at all – within trade publications utilized by librarians and related information professional
Simon Fraser University Computer Produced Map Catalogue
Get PDFAn IBM 360/50 computer and magnetic tape are used in a new univer- sity library to produce a map catalogue by area and up to six subiects for each map. Cataloguing is by non-professional staff using the Library of Congress "G, schedule. Author, title, and publisher are in variable length fields, and codes are seldom used for input or interpretation. Ma- chine searches by area, subjects, author, publisher, scale, pro-;ection, date and language can be carried out
Digital Native Academic Librarians, Technology Skills, and Their Relationship with Technology
No full textA new generation of academic librarians, who are a part of the Millennial Generation born between 1982 and 2001 are now of the age to either be in graduate school or embarking on their careers. This paper, as part of a larger study examining Millennial academic librarians, their career selection, their attitudes, and their technology skills, looks specifically at the technology skills and attitudes towards technology among a group of young librarians and library school students. The author initially wanted to learn if the increasingly high tech nature of academic librarianship attracted Millennials to the career, but results showed that they had a much more complex relationship with technology than the author assumed.
 
Library Computerization in the United Kingdom
Get PDFLibrary automation in the United Kingdom has evolved rapidly in the past three years. Imaginative, innovative development has produced novel techniques, some of which have yet to be put into practice in the United States. Of greatest importance is the growing cadre of highly effective librarians engaged in development
That Was Then, This Is Now: Replacing the Mobile-Optimized Site with Responsive Design
Get PDFAs mobile technologies continue to evolve, libraries seek sustainable ways to keep up with these changes and to best serve our users. Previous library mobile usability research has examined tasks users predict they might be likely to perform, but little is known about what users actually do on a mobile-optimized library site. This research used a combination of survey methodology and web analytics to examine what tasks users actually carry out on a library mobile site. The results indicate that users perform an array of passive and active tasks and do not want content choices to be limited on mobile devices. Responsive design is described as a long-term solution for addressing both designers and users’ needs
Editorial Board Thoughts: Services and User Context in the Era of Webscale Discovery
Get PDFEditorial Board Thoughts: Services and User Context in the Era of Webscale Discover
Information Retrieval Using a Middleware Approach
Get PDFThis paper explores the use of a mediator/wrapper approach to enable the search of an existing library management system using different information retrieval protocols. It proposes an architecture for a software component that will act as an intermediary between the library system and search services. It provides an overview of different approaches to add Z39.50 and Search/Retrieval via URL (SRU) functionality using a middleware approach that is implemented on the BISIS library management system. That wrapper performs transformation of Contextual Query Language (CQL) into Lucene query language. The primary aim of this software component is to enable search and retrieval of bibliographic records using the SRU and Z39.50 protocols, but the proposed architecture of the software components is also suitable for inclusion of the existing library management system into a library portal. The software component provides a single interface to server-side protocols for search and retrieval of records. Additional protocols could be used. This paper provides practical demonstration of interest to developers of library management systems and those who are trying to use open-source solutions to make their local catalog accessible to other systems
