MyLibraryNCState

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MyLibrary_at_NCState

• How NCSU Libraries built a customizable,
  interactive, and portable interface to library
  Web services
• Andrew K. Pace
• NCSU Libraries

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Outline

• History The Focus Group Interviews
• Information Overload Information Literacy
• Using MyLibrary
• DRA Integration
• Policy, Management, and Promotion
• Future Developments
• Open Source Philosophy

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NC State FactSheet

• NC States total enrolled headcount 30,000
• 22,000 undergraduates
• 7,000 in graduate programs,
• 4,600 Masters 2,400 Ph.D.
• Faculty and professional staff - 3,000

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NCSU Libraries FactSheet

• 2.8 million volumes
• 35,800 print and electronic subscriptions
• 316 Staff, FTE
• ARL ranking 101 of 107 in 90/91 35 of
  111 98/99

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Electronic Resource Growth

• 1994 - 3 bibliographic dbs on network
• 1996 - 86 databases
• 2001- 215 - almost all web accessible
• 3500 Electronic Journals
• 400-500 external URLs from Web
• 17,000 e-books

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1997/98 Annual Survey

• Evaluation

• Evaluating Electronic Resources
• Defining Electronic Resources
• Defining Electronic services

Questions
Resources and services used Satisfaction of
users Missing resources Problems, esp. with
technology Technologies used Methods for
learning Training Ideal library
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Results and Directions

• Five Thematic Areas
• Service
• Interface
• Teaching and Learning
• Publicity
• Other

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Service

• More resources
• Better resources
• Faster access to resources

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Improve the Interface

• Personalization
• Improved organization
• More human contact
• Integration of the OPAC - Duke, UNC, NCSU

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Teaching and Learning

• Just in time training
• Formal classroom training
• Overviews and in depth
• Customized training

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Publicity

• But we own that
• Use the OPAC
• Paper works
• Tell me whats good

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Two Themes

• Overload
• Problem for library users and librarians
• Digital age brings apprehension excitement
• Educate ourselves - then others
• Information Literacy
• Definition
• Relation to other literacy initiatives

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Not Just Electronic

• 2.5 billion books published in 1999
• 64,711 individual titles (1997)
• 155,000 periodical titles in Serial Directory

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Not Just Information

• The pace of technology is outstripping the
  ability of consumers to absorb it.
• Clayton Christensen
• Harvard Business School
• The Innovators Dilemma

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Solving Information Overload

• Literacy is the answer but what kind of literacy?
• Several different ideas

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Defining Literacy

• an individual's ability to read, write, and
  speak in English, compute and solve problems at
  levels of proficiency necessary to function on
  the job and in society, to achieve one's goals,
  and develop one's knowledge and potential
• National Institute for Literacy (NIFL)
  www.nifl.gov

• Traditional Literacy

Network literacy
Network literacy is the ability, to identify,
access, use, and evaluate information from the
network. Ed Shearin, 1995
Media Literacy
Media literacy is education that aims to
increase students' understanding and enjoyment of
how the media work, how they produce meaning, how
they are organized, and how they construct
reality. Ontario Ministry of Education
Digital literacy
Digital literacy is the ability to understand
and use information in multiple formats from a
wide range of sources when it is presented via
computers ... it is cognition of what you see on
the computer screen when you use the networked
medium. Paul Gilster, Digital Literacy, 1997
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Differing missions?

• Primary job of librarians is information literacy
• Primary job of information technologists is
  network literacy
• Primary job of educators is general literacy
• Overlap the problem -collaboration the answer?
• Is one the all encompassing activity?

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MyLibrarys Purpose

• Fight information overload
• Allow users to control their information flow
• Serve as a vehicle for collaboration
• Support Distance Education initiatives
• Outreach and Literacy
• Publicity and Marketing of Library

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The MyLibrary System

• User Interface
• Under the Hood
• DRA Integrated Features
• Managing MyLibrary
• Future Development
• Open source architecture

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DRA Integrated Features

• Quick Searches
• Current Awareness
• Resource Desriptions
• Patron Account (future)

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omeindexdefaultquerylnAIH-4679
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Managing the Project

• Involving The Staff
• MyLibrary Development Team
• MyLibrary Management Committee

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MyLibrary Management Committee

• Define staff roles and integrate into workflows
• Refine discipline and content structure
• Develop marketing strategy
• Create staff training manual

• Upgrade administrative pages
• Recommend enhancements, new features
• Ensure quality integrity of product
• More users, more users, more users

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Work Flows

• Challenges
• Need for continuous training
• Diversity of users, content providers, resources
• MyLibrary Content Providers -- a one-person band
• One more thing I gotta do

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Discipline Content

• Relationship of MyLibrary to Libraries Web page
• Core Resources
• Default or Recommended Resources
• Resource Categories
• New Disciplines (Thrusts)

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Marketing Strategy

• In the Library
• train all public services staff on benefits of
  MyLibrary accounts
• Ask Me About MyLibrary_at_NCState
• Bookmarks
• Dedicated workstations
• Ask a Librarian messages
• Handouts

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Marketing Strategy

• Faculty Visits
• 60 new MyLibrary users per content provider
• Faculty visits

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Marketing Strategy

• Survey of MyLibrary users -- May 2000
• Survey of MyLibrary non-users -- Fall 2000

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Future Implementations

• Turn components on/off
• Component creation
• Choose books for me
• Let me choose my own books
• More robust statistical features
• XML input/output

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MyLibrary to the world

• Source code freely released - v2.50
• Over 300 downloads
• 10-15 active developers
• Shared development
• MyLibrary sandbox available

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MyLibrary Information
http//my.lib.ncsu.edu/ Visit MyLibrary (log in
as Guest) http//hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/development/m
ylibrary/ Get behind the wheel of the user and
administrative interfaces. Also includes
Webliography, helpful links, development
information, and the MyLibary Cookbook mylib-dev_at_
hegel.lib.ncsu.edu Join the Development
listserv