25 June 2012
The end of the blog
Following the beta launch of StarPlus last year, we no longer intend to update this blog. For further information about the ongoing development of StarPlus, please see the relevant pages on the Library's website. If you want to contact us about StarPlus, please email lib-primo@lists.shef.ac.uk rather than leaving a comment here. Many thanks for following our progress!
24 November 2011
Welcome to the new Library catalogue!
We've launched StarPlus, our new next generation catalogue and resource discovery layer, on a beta release basis. It offers a much improved customer experience with a single search point for all content regardless of format or location. You can search collections held locally in our sites or those held remotely in electronic and digital forms with direct access to full text where this is available to us.
Star will remain in place for some time and will not be withdrawn until the new catalogue has been fully refined. To help us develop the new service, please email your suggestions to lib-primo@lists.shef.ac.uk, or leave a comment. All feedback welcome!
Star will remain in place for some time and will not be withdrawn until the new catalogue has been fully refined. To help us develop the new service, please email your suggestions to lib-primo@lists.shef.ac.uk, or leave a comment. All feedback welcome!
21 September 2011
Hands-on training for staff
The Resource Discovery Forum has had a busy summer break despite having no formal meetings. As well as continuing to test the new system and providing lots of useful feedback for the project team, RDF members have been helping with training staff.
We've held a number of hands-on training sessions for Library and IC staff. Each session was led by a member of the project team with RDF members available to answer questions and offer advice to trainees. The sessions followed a standard format: first, there was a brief presentation on what the new resource discovery layer is and what it does; next trainees worked through a booklet of exercises based on tasks frequently carried out on the catalogue by Library customers - e.g. requesting an item, searching for a specific item, searching for information on a particular topic, and so on. The idea was to give staff an opportunity to experience the main functionality of the new system in a friendly and informal environment.
We invited feedback after each session and the overall impression has been good so far. Trainees were encouraged to take away the worksheets so they could continue to explore the system at their own pace. We also provided a contact email for questions, comments or feedback. Depending on developments over the next few months, we may consider offering more sessions later in the semester.
We've held a number of hands-on training sessions for Library and IC staff. Each session was led by a member of the project team with RDF members available to answer questions and offer advice to trainees. The sessions followed a standard format: first, there was a brief presentation on what the new resource discovery layer is and what it does; next trainees worked through a booklet of exercises based on tasks frequently carried out on the catalogue by Library customers - e.g. requesting an item, searching for a specific item, searching for information on a particular topic, and so on. The idea was to give staff an opportunity to experience the main functionality of the new system in a friendly and informal environment.
We invited feedback after each session and the overall impression has been good so far. Trainees were encouraged to take away the worksheets so they could continue to explore the system at their own pace. We also provided a contact email for questions, comments or feedback. Depending on developments over the next few months, we may consider offering more sessions later in the semester.
13 June 2011
Staff training and federated search
May's Resource Discovery Forum gave us the chance to discuss how Library colleagues would be introduced to the new resource discovery layer in advance of its launch. The resource discovery layer is designed to be an intuitive system, but staff still need to feel confident using it from a customer perspective in order to provide appropriate support. RDF members felt that we had gained sufficient experience of the system over the past few months to be able to assist with training colleagues. We thought we could provide informal hands-on sessions with scenarios based on common tasks most likely to be carried out by customers. Hopefully, these sessions will demonstrate the greatly extended functionality of the system compared to our current Star catalogue.
Some of the extended functionality comes from MetaLib, our new federated search system. Before the training discussion, there was time for a brief presentation about MetaLib. We bought the system with the intention of making it available to customers through the new resource discovery layer. We plan to use it to offer our A-Z list of databases through the resource discovery layer, and to offer subject-specific groups of databases to cross search. We think it will provide a quick, easy way for customers to access the Library's bibliographic and other databases, and a neat fit with the resource discovery layer to offer a one-stop shop for locating print and electronic resources.
Some of the extended functionality comes from MetaLib, our new federated search system. Before the training discussion, there was time for a brief presentation about MetaLib. We bought the system with the intention of making it available to customers through the new resource discovery layer. We plan to use it to offer our A-Z list of databases through the resource discovery layer, and to offer subject-specific groups of databases to cross search. We think it will provide a quick, easy way for customers to access the Library's bibliographic and other databases, and a neat fit with the resource discovery layer to offer a one-stop shop for locating print and electronic resources.
5 May 2011
What should the resource discovery layer be called?
April's Resource Discovery Forum took place on Tuesday 26 April 2011 in the Information Commons. There was a good turnout, despite the session being sandwiched between two extended holiday weekends. With enough of us to form three groups (led by Andy Bussey, Library Systems Manager; Elaine Dean, Head of Service Development; and Rachel Mason, Metadata & eTechnologies Manager), we were keen to discuss the main topic of the session: what should the resource discovery layer be called? Each group reviewed some of the names other institutions have chosen for their Primo installations before coming up with some suggestions for our own. Then we discussed ideas for involving colleagues and customers in the naming process.
Comparing notes of the breakout discussions, it was clear that we agreed on the importance of branding and identity for Library systems and services. Making Library products more easily identifiable for customers was a key concern and the groups agreed that rebranding was important. Primo is the brand name of the product, but some institutions have chosen to use or include it in their own names for their resource discovery layers (such as University of Cape Town's primo.uct and University of Strathclyde's SUPrimo). There was a feeling that Primo was more of a technical term in that it would mean something to Library staff, but not that much to customers. We preferred a more descriptive name that helps customers understand what the resource discovery layer is and what it does. Examples we liked from other institutions included University of Iowa's Smart Search and Yale University's YuFind. We felt this approach was particularly important as a resource discovery layer is and does more than a traditional library catalogue (it searches remote repositories, delivers full text and provides access to a full range of Library services, for example). The group agreed that it would be good to try to reflect some of this in the name.
We also agreed that a good brand name should be memorable and concise. An acronym was a possibility as this could be descriptive, though less likely to be understood immediately by new customers. On the other hand, a strong brand quickly becomes associated with the product in the customer's mind (like our current Star catalogue). It seems there's a grain of truth in the tongue in cheek comment of one RDF member - "avoid anything that's too gimmicky and anything that's not gimmicky enough!" Interesting, informative, memorable AND concise - it's a formidable task.
So, what happens next? The project team and other colleagues will agree a shortlist of suggestions and make this available for wider consultation. This will be ongoing over the next few months and we'll keep you up to date via this blog and the usual channels.
Comparing notes of the breakout discussions, it was clear that we agreed on the importance of branding and identity for Library systems and services. Making Library products more easily identifiable for customers was a key concern and the groups agreed that rebranding was important. Primo is the brand name of the product, but some institutions have chosen to use or include it in their own names for their resource discovery layers (such as University of Cape Town's primo.uct and University of Strathclyde's SUPrimo). There was a feeling that Primo was more of a technical term in that it would mean something to Library staff, but not that much to customers. We preferred a more descriptive name that helps customers understand what the resource discovery layer is and what it does. Examples we liked from other institutions included University of Iowa's Smart Search and Yale University's YuFind. We felt this approach was particularly important as a resource discovery layer is and does more than a traditional library catalogue (it searches remote repositories, delivers full text and provides access to a full range of Library services, for example). The group agreed that it would be good to try to reflect some of this in the name.
We also agreed that a good brand name should be memorable and concise. An acronym was a possibility as this could be descriptive, though less likely to be understood immediately by new customers. On the other hand, a strong brand quickly becomes associated with the product in the customer's mind (like our current Star catalogue). It seems there's a grain of truth in the tongue in cheek comment of one RDF member - "avoid anything that's too gimmicky and anything that's not gimmicky enough!" Interesting, informative, memorable AND concise - it's a formidable task.
So, what happens next? The project team and other colleagues will agree a shortlist of suggestions and make this available for wider consultation. This will be ongoing over the next few months and we'll keep you up to date via this blog and the usual channels.
14 April 2011
Making the discovery layer available to customers
The March session of the Resource Discovery Forum began with another look at the headline conclusions from February's focus group work. Rachel Mason, Metadata & eTechnologies Manager, summarised the key points, most notably the diverse requirements of our broad catalogue user community and the range of tasks they use the catalogue to carry out. Initial impressions of the look and feel were largely positive, but RDF members particularly noted the need for a strong corporate identity and branding, a clean and simple start page, a prominent search box, clear links to frequently carried out tasks, and consistency (of navigation, terminology, etc.). The Systems team are working on a new test interface, based on these ideas, and Andy Bussey, Library Systems Manager, gave a brief demonstration of it. RDF members have access to the new test interface as well as the 'out of the box' interface, so they can test and compare at their leisure and report back to the project team.
Next, RDF members turned their attention to the main business of the meeting, which was to consider how we should make the resource discovery layer available to customers. Star is available via the Library's web pages as well as via dedicated terminals and kiosks around campus. The new resource discovery layer should present many more possibilities. The search box can be embedded into third party web pages, for example, opening up options to access it from social networking tools and the websites of organisations affiliated with the University of Sheffield. RDF members came up with lots of ideas. We thought about all the places where customers can access University of Sheffield services and facilities, such as the University's portal (MUSE), online collaboration and networking tool (uSpace), virtual learning environment (MOLE), managed desktop service and mobile app (CampusM). The project team took away a long list of possible locations to investigate what is feasible and what might best benefit our customers.
Next, RDF members turned their attention to the main business of the meeting, which was to consider how we should make the resource discovery layer available to customers. Star is available via the Library's web pages as well as via dedicated terminals and kiosks around campus. The new resource discovery layer should present many more possibilities. The search box can be embedded into third party web pages, for example, opening up options to access it from social networking tools and the websites of organisations affiliated with the University of Sheffield. RDF members came up with lots of ideas. We thought about all the places where customers can access University of Sheffield services and facilities, such as the University's portal (MUSE), online collaboration and networking tool (uSpace), virtual learning environment (MOLE), managed desktop service and mobile app (CampusM). The project team took away a long list of possible locations to investigate what is feasible and what might best benefit our customers.
15 March 2011
Focus groups & the competition
The second meeting of the Resource Discovery Forum was a practical focus group session. The aim was to generate some initial findings to help shape a test interface for customer usability testing. Forum members were split into three groups, each hosted by one of the project team (Andy Bussey, Library Systems Manager; Antony Hawkins, Library IT Manager; and Rachel Mason, Metadata & eTechnologies Manager) and decamped to breakout rooms in the Sir Frederick Mappin Building to work through a series of questions.
Each group began with a brief discussion of the catalogue user community. You may think a simple staff/student approach would suffice, but this doesn't account for the fact that there's more than one type of each. Undergraduates have different needs to postgraduates who have different needs to distance learners who have different needs to placement students - and so on. This tied in with the next topic: the most frequently carried out tasks. Why do our customers use the catalogue? What do they go there to do?
Next, there were questions on the look and feel of the 'out of the box' interface (our current test version). We were asked to consider the overall visual impact (things like branding, use of white space, graphics and text) and say what we liked most (and least!). We also thought about usability issues, such as navigation, layout and links.
Having had a chance to reflect on the 'out of the box' interface, we were ready for some competitor analysis to give us an idea of the 'market' context. A number of leading international research focused universities have already implemented Primo. By applying the same questions we'd asked of our own test set up to their live systems, we hoped to assess the possibilities for customisation and making the most of the available functionality. Some of the institutions we looked at were Yale, Oxford, Aberystwyth, New South Wales and Manchester. The idea of an implementation as a work in progress (there are a few beta labels) is an interesting Web 2.0 inspired approach (the 'perpetual beta' model allows for user-contributed development to extend beyond an early release). But that aside, it was a useful exercise just to be able to visualise the possibilities for Sheffield.
Finally, there was time for the briefest of summaries of each group's findings. We agreed that our customer base is diverse; that customers use the catalogue for key tasks (such as reserving an item); and that less is more - we like a Google-style clutter-free page with a highly visible main search box. The full findings will be collated and summarised in advance of the next session and we'll have a chance to look at them in more detail then.
Each group began with a brief discussion of the catalogue user community. You may think a simple staff/student approach would suffice, but this doesn't account for the fact that there's more than one type of each. Undergraduates have different needs to postgraduates who have different needs to distance learners who have different needs to placement students - and so on. This tied in with the next topic: the most frequently carried out tasks. Why do our customers use the catalogue? What do they go there to do?
Next, there were questions on the look and feel of the 'out of the box' interface (our current test version). We were asked to consider the overall visual impact (things like branding, use of white space, graphics and text) and say what we liked most (and least!). We also thought about usability issues, such as navigation, layout and links.
Having had a chance to reflect on the 'out of the box' interface, we were ready for some competitor analysis to give us an idea of the 'market' context. A number of leading international research focused universities have already implemented Primo. By applying the same questions we'd asked of our own test set up to their live systems, we hoped to assess the possibilities for customisation and making the most of the available functionality. Some of the institutions we looked at were Yale, Oxford, Aberystwyth, New South Wales and Manchester. The idea of an implementation as a work in progress (there are a few beta labels) is an interesting Web 2.0 inspired approach (the 'perpetual beta' model allows for user-contributed development to extend beyond an early release). But that aside, it was a useful exercise just to be able to visualise the possibilities for Sheffield.
Finally, there was time for the briefest of summaries of each group's findings. We agreed that our customer base is diverse; that customers use the catalogue for key tasks (such as reserving an item); and that less is more - we like a Google-style clutter-free page with a highly visible main search box. The full findings will be collated and summarised in advance of the next session and we'll have a chance to look at them in more detail then.
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