ASU Libraries Web blog

On January 5th, we will be updating the library web site to a newer version of Drupal. During this migration, we have made a few changes to the site.

• The layout of the main homepage and the individual library homepages will change slightly to accommodate the new Library One Search.
• The layout and engine behind the maintenance of the library hours will change.
• The maps page will incorporate Google maps with library images.
• The library directories will now be pulled dynamically from the ASU directory to eliminate duplication of data. Maintenance of this data should happen at the ASU Directory level from now on.
• The Library Channel feed will now display with images.
• The Homepage images will be a dynamic slideshow.
• Links will on our pages will print out in Firefox. Unfortunately, IE and Chrome do not support this feature yet. Note, a smaller font was necessary to allow for this functionality in our layout, so pages you print in Firefox will have a smaller font.
• We have installed a link checker module as well as an improved find and replace module to assist with site maintenance.

Due to content migration, it is possible that a few style problems may pop up, please put in a Helpstar ticket as you come across them. Also, the Library Channel feed may be down for a short while after the site goes live. We thank you for your patience during this rollout.

A toolbar will also be released on the same day which features the Library One Search: http://libdev.asu.edu/toolbar. Thanks to Jeremy Kurtz, this tool bar will be rolled out to staff stations.

My personal appreciation goes out to Jaime Jones, Kirk Manegold, Keith Swartz, Sunil Rao, Jim Chudzik, and Matt Harp. Special thanks to Debbie Flitner and Matt Trobaugh. I would not have been able to do any of this without their help. Thank you, Brad, for letting Debbie work with me during the fall semester.

Tammy Allgood
Web Services Librarian
Informatics and Cyberinfrastructure Services

Due to the results of usability testing at the end of last semester, I will be implementing some changes to the ASU Libraries home page this Friday afternoon. I apologize for the short notice. I had hoped to get the notice to you much sooner, but simply did not have the time.

You can see a preview of these changes on the development site: http://lib-dev.asu.edu/. Please note, the location library home pages will also change. These are linked off the development site. If you have any questions, or concerns, please let me know. As always, I appreciate feedback. I will also be sending this to the Library Services Council for distribution at their discretion.

Here is a summary of the results of my report:

The following changes were implemented due to the results of this testing:

1. A catalog search box was added to the home page due to the results of the focus group. This was nearly a unanimous request among participants of that discussion. Because there may be some confusion among users who attempt to search for articles within the catalog, a “Find Books & More” header was clearly placed above the search box. “Search Catalog” was also used in the search input button to make it clear that this input should be used to search the catalog.
2. The font sizes were increased within the catalog due to a request from the focus group.
3. Font sizes in IE6 were also increased due to the same request from the focus group.
4. A new, intermediary page was added in the hopes of directing novice users searching for articles to the correct search interface. It was obvious from the usability testing results that users, particularly novice users, were confused by the research database search page (http://library.lib.asu.edu/search/y). They expected to be able to search for articles there. Many of the users simply gave up at this point since they did not find any articles, but were given database results instead. Only 2 of the 8 users tested were successful in finding an article on a topic. Both of the successful participants used one of the “Most Used Resources” links to find an article. The new “Find Articles” page makes an attempt to direct these users. More experienced users can still use the direct, “Research Databases” link to reach the “Research Databases” page. An extra step was not added for all users, just those that follow the “Find Articles” link.
5. Location library addresses were added to the general maps page. This page attempts to collate all the directional information about location libraries.

Additional Changes that were implemented:

1. The images on all the library home pages were adjusted to reflect the new style guidelines recommended by the new ASU Brand ID standards found within the following presentation for branding guidance: http://asu.edu/news/files/ASU_BRAND_ID.pdf.
2. The layout was simplified so that the text is not quite as overwhelming at first glance. The three most important links are emphasized with colored boxes. The background images behind those boxes were replaces by gradient colors to increase text contrast.
3. Statistics to support the most used resources were updated. The list on the home page now reflects these results. The lists of most used resources on the location library home pages are still up to the discretion of the individual library, since we cannot filter statistics based on users’ “home” location library.

Tammy Allgood

Web Services Librarian

This note is from the creators of LibGuides…

“We are pleased to announce two exciting new LibGuides features: 1) Google Scholar content box, and 2) A “linked copy” feature for tabs/pages, enabling users to create a copy of any page in the system (even outside of your LibGuides) – and when the content on the original tab/page is updated, your linked copy of it will be updated as well. You just sit back and relax Thanks to our clients who suggested these new features, I believe everybody in the community will benefit from them. The full feature description is on our support blog at http://support.springshare.com/2008/10/google-scholar-content-box-linked-tabs-feature/

However, more importantly, today we are also introducing the long-awaited *optional* LibGuides module, which was developed based on numerous requests from our client libraries over the past 6 months.  The module has 3 features/functions:

1) The ability to upload images from your computer into LibGuides boxes (using the rich text editor) to be stored on LibGuides servers. The limit will be 2GB per institution, which equates to about 10,000 images – more than enough for all practical purposes of using it in LibGuides. As storage costs decrease, we will also increase the storage limits and pass on the cost savings to you. If you have a need for larger storage for these images, please let us know.

2) The ability for admins to download, on a weekly basis, a complete XML-formatted data file with all your LibGuides content. You can then use this XML file locally to create cool data mashups, to feed the xml file to your enterprise search application/appliance, or … for any purpose you want.

3) The ability for individual guide owners to create text-based backups of their guides and save it on their computer, in html format. Even though we perform daily backups of all our databases, some users would still like to have the ability to create backups of guides on their own computer. This can also come in handy if you accidentally delete a box or a page on your guide – you could easily look up the data and recreate it from you local backup copy.

The detailed description of these functions (including screenshots) can be found at http://support.springshare.com/2008/10/introducing-the-libguides-add-on-module/

Since this optional module will put significant storage and bandwidth requirements on our servers, we are charging a bit extra for this module functionality.  The price is set at $199/year, equating to about $18/month – a bargain by any means. We always strive to provide the lowest cost (and highest service) to our clients and I believe we were able to price this module low enough to enable anybody who wants/needs this functionality to have it in their system.

The module is being released as a “beta” until the end of this calendar year, to give everybody enough time (2+ months) to try out its functionality and decide whether it’s something you want/need for your LibGuides system. We will also use this time to iron out any bugs/issues so if you notice anything please do let us know.

Starting in January 2009 we will start charging (pro-rated amounts, to coincide with your annual license periods) those libraries who wish to keep this module in their LibGuides system.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you for using LibGuides, and please continue providing your excellent feedback and ideas for future enhancements.”

Please send me any feedback you have about these new features and I will look into the possibility of buying the additional module.

-Tammy

Currently, the site search is not working on the new site. We are re-indexing the site and should have the issue resolved soon. I apologize for the inconvenience.

-Tammy Allgood

Early Tuesday morning (August 19th), the URL for the ASU Libraries web site will change to http://lib.asu.edu. Here is some information regarding this transition:

Why?

In order to improve the dynamic functionality of the site we moved our web site from the static AFS web space to a UTO-hosted dynamic environment utilizing php, MySQL databases, and the Drupal content management system. This content management system will eventually allow content owners to update their own web pages using only a web browser (similar to LibGuides).

Content Migration

In consultation with employees from throughout the ASU Libraries, we have migrated and consolidated content from http://www.asu.edu/lib/, http://library.west.asu.edu, and http://library.poly.asu.edu/. In this process, many pages have been moved or weeded. The site content will remain, it just may be found in a new, more centralized and accessible location. There are still a few content areas that need to be updated, and we are working as quickly as possible to make sure they are complete before school starts. Please note, due to the unique requirements of their content, the Archives and Special Collections areas of the site are not scheduled to be migrated at this time.

Updating Links

ICS will update links throughout the site and within LibGuides. ASU Libraries web page owners should not be required to make any link changes to their pages. Web developers within the University will be notified of the change and asked to update their links. In order to aid in the possibly lengthy transition process, redirects will be in place for most of our pages.

Please report all errors through Helpstar: http://lib.asu.edu/systems/helpstar. My Web Services team will be prioritizing and working diligently to fix all problems, should they occur.

Thank you for your understanding and patience over the next few weeks. We believe that this change will set the foundation for what will be a more current, interactive, and user-centered ASU Libraries web site.

-Tammy Allgood
Web Services Librarian