Notes for September 13, 2005 Meeting
Davis Library Conference Room
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Attendance: Christy Branston, Rachel Caldwell (recorder), Helena Calogeridis, Sandra Keys, Esther Millar, Bill Oldfield, Dan Sich, Marina Wan (chair).
Regrets: Marian Davies, Linda Hastings
1) Notes from the last joint WebOps/LibWebReview Meeting/ Business Arising
- Item #4 – E-Resources: there’s some concern about the ERM links/ needs revision and organization.
- ACTION: Bill Oldfield will look into this matter.
2) Agenda Review
- Christy will discuss the most recent survey results. This will be added to agenda item #5.
3) Launching the New CISTI Source & RACER Pages
4) Improvements on the Library Web – What & Why
- Janet Wason mentioned that JAWS users did experience problems with the “read more” links that had been featured under the home page’s Current News section. Links that are provided must be labeled more meaningfully instead of using title tags. Library web maintainers also need to know about this issue for when they are developing their respective web areas.
- When it comes to URLs and direct links, there seems to be some inconsistencies happening within the various pages of the Library’s web site. A meeting/info session needs to be provided to library staff responsible for specific sections of the web.
5) Survey Results/ Procedures to Review Survey Results
- Since the new library web site went live in June, Christy reports that there have been 85 responses to the online survey. 46 of the respondents were undergrads, 20 graduate students, and the remaining respondents were classified as faculty, staff, or other. The top three web links/sources used by the respective respondents are: 1) TRELLIS; 2) Journal Articles, Etc.; and 3) E-Journal Titles. Most of the respondents “agree” or “strongly agree” that the Library’s web site is easy to use. Many of the comments provided pertain to the format/usability of other resources, such as TRELLIS and CSA. Other comments deal with the change in navigation and/or the site’s current look/aesthetics.
- Issues with the desktop of the public workstations need to be examined further by the appropriate group/staff. There are problems with some of the workstations not allowing for more than one browser to be open.
- For survey participants who have responded negatively to the new web site, it was suggested that we change the survey/ add a link that allows users to ID themselves by filling in a form for participation with future usability studies. However, there are a few problems with this executing this idea, including approval from the Ethics Office. More thought needs to be attributed to this idea before making a decision.
- The survey will be moved under the Current News section of the Library’s home page to see if we can solicit more responses.
- The “wireless connections” link should be changed to “laptop connections”.
- ACTION: Esther Millar will change this link.
- We will encourage Library staff to urge patrons to participate with the current survey. Marina will encourage frontline staff at all UW libraries to send users' comments to directly to LibWebReview.
6) Terms of Reference for LibWebReview
- See handout containing ideas distributed by Marian Wan.
- This item of the agenda will be looked at in more detail at our next meeting.
7) Around the Table
- Bill Oldfield has drafted a Content Management Framework Requirements document.
8) Next Meeting
- Wednesday, September 28th from 1 pm to 2:30 pm (Porter 428?)
September 21, 2005
