A task force of Aurariabrarians is currently deciding on the fate of the Library's ADI--the database of databases that, until our implementation of 360 Search, was our primary point of access for database searching. The concern is that we will be expending resources maintaining multiple redundant systems. The task force is considering retiring the ADI and using Skyline and 360 Search to provide access to our online resources.
At the November reference department meeting, concern was expressed over what functionality would be lost if the ADI is retired. What concerns you personally? If the ADI went away, what would you miss? Post your comments below by Wednesday, January 16th, so that the task force can weigh this information at our next meeting.
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16 comments:
I want to think about this more, but my first thought:
I think it's a service to users to be able to recommend "best" database choices for specific subject areas, akin to what we do in adi with 'Most Recommneded.' I don't know if this would be possible in the Advanced Subject Groupings, given the fewer number of subject headings. With a little tweaking, adi might still be a great place to send people - as something akin to mini-subject guides.
This method is a good way to stop discussion of any issue.
I don't think Nina's looking to stop discussion. Just consolidate it. Get those comments in.
Ok, another comment. After seeing all the additional databases/websites on the adi page - I was impressed. Though I think some are extraneous, many are splendid finds. If we end up just having the Advanced Search pages (360) I'd advocate moving plenty of them over. Or keeping them where they are. Really this is just a comment that I want to have all those 'extra' databases easily located.
Hi Nina—I think what I like about the ADI page is that it has all the ways one would want to access databases all on one page: 1) search for database by title, 2) by subject area (the pulldown menu), 3) A-Z list, 4) recommended databases to start your research, and 5) the top 4 multi-subject databases as a starting point. I think that if we could design a page with these four elements, PLUS the federated search, and have it “powered by” Serials Solutions data, that would work very well. I like what the University of Wyoming has done with their ADI page, and I believe they use Serials Solutions 360 search (http://www-lib.uwyo.edu/find/articles.cfm). They have the A-Z title list, the subject browse, common general indexes (our multi-subject equivalent), and “find it fast” which I assume is their federated search. The only thing they don’t have is the “recommended subject-specific databases”. I’m clearly not a programmer, so I don’t know how one would design a page like this, or get the Serials Solutions database data to feed into the appropriate categories, but I think the concept of having all the different ways to access the databases (including the federated search) on one page, clearly labeled, is something to keep in mind. Elaine
There is definitely much to consider here. One thing that I want to look at in the near future is how the III Electronic Resources Management system will help our users discover our electronic resources. It has an OPAC component. It has a record description that seems similar to the descriptions that the bibliographers and Gayle create for the ADI. We have not purchased the ERM yet, but will be in the next few weeks. We will likely put together an ERM implementation team and I hope one of the members will be our new Electronic Resources and Serials Librarian :-)
I think we need to keep looking for good examples at other libraries as Elaine has done, considering what is helpful in the ADI, investigating how the ERM will help us, and exploring how 360Search can be tweaked.
Cindy H.
Elaine, thanks for the U of Wyoming example; they do indeed use 360 Search, so we can, uh, "borrow" what we like from them. ;)
I just wanted to give a little background on this issue. The ADI requires skills and time to keep up. We don't currently have the PHP skills in house to do maintenance on it and it is a home grown application which is inherently problematic because we need to worry about the technical aspects of the application. It also takes time that Gayle and Nina might be using to do other things. We have a lot of requests for their time and I always feel bad when we can't get to things in a timely manner. We are also cataloging databases in Skyline, getting database information and lists from Serial Solutions and putting lists and descriptions in 360 search. I am interested in exploring where we are duplicating effort and if some of these application can duplicate some of the functions of the ADI or if we can reproduce the ADI in some form using some of these applications. That is why it is important right now to find out what people use and need and what they do not. I don't think that anyone is interested in taking away functions that are used and needed...just in not duplicating effort. There are so many things that a talented person like Gayle can do and she only has so little time so I am being a little selfish in that I want to make sure that we are using her talents wisely and not manually duplicating what we might be able to do automatically. She has also recently been given the extra responsibility of statistics which will be taking more of her time. That is why I want to have meetings with people who use the ADI, serial solutions, 360 search and the catalog. So your feedback is important because I want us to provide the library with what it needs in the most efficient and economic (time and money) way possible. Please don't be upset...I just think it is prudent every once in a while to get feedback and explore what we are doing and see if we can do it in a better way. I look forward to hearing feedback in this area. If anyone would like to join the little adhoc group I have set a meeting with: Elaine, Ellen M., Cindy H., Nina, Gayle, Jeffrey.....please let me know. I really want to know what you use and what you need.
Meg
"Whither the Functionality of the ADI" is a provocative, revealing, and clever title that could only have been written by an English major! Clearly, the writer is implying that the functionality of the ADI has withered. Alas, this is not the case.
If the problem, as stated, is that maintaining the ADI is "too much work," then one solution worth considering would be to "dedicate more resources to that area."
First of all, I agree with what Ellen and Elaine have pointed out, including what Wyoming has, which resembles a lot what we have on our ADI. I use the catalog all the time. One nice aspect is being able to do keyword searches and set limits from the start (this helps at the reference desk). As far as the ADI, I use it at the reference desk and in my classes. It is such an efficient and specific tool. I must confess that I seldom make use of the alphabetical listing. Also, not being an expert in every field, it is a life saver at the desk to quickly point a patron to the best databases on subjects with which I am not very familiar. I do not use federated searching much, although it might be useful in some instances such as when one can not find anything on certain topics, in order to get some ideas.
I would like to add that at our last "Future of the ADI" meeting, I was lobbying for keeping the ADI and repurposing it. I know that my fellow English major is kidding, but I do NOT think that the ADI's functionality has whithered, which is why I initiated this discussion: I want to make sure that if the ADI does go away, that we can still access, manipulate, and teach the databases how we'd like to. What has whithered is the programming behind the ADI, as Meg mentioned. Dedicating more resources is one solution, but as Meg points out, resources are limited, and if we can get what we need by maintaining 2 systems rather than three, it's better all around. Should we use our extremely limited human and $$$ resources to maintain multiple redundant systems, or to explore something else?
Ugh. And in spite of my horrid word usage in that last comment, I really DO know the difference between "whither" and "wither." :)
This is an excellent discussion. Thank you for reminding us to post our comments. As a non-technical user, I decided to check out U Wyo's and I like it. It is straight forward and has the search choices I want to use --- much like our ADI. So, if the decision is to "dump" (believe it or not, I, too, was an English major) our ADI in favor of tailoring 360, I like Nina's "borrowing" idea. The next discussion topic needs to be how we can clone most of you so we can do everything we want and need.
The main reason I would like to ADI to remain is to have a palatable alternative when the Quick or Advanced Search has no results after five or ten minutes, as happened this evening. The ADI allows me to show them how to get to a single database where they can get results NOW. Although we can look up an individual database in the catalog, remembering its name can be difficult, particularly for students. It is good to be able to get to the lists by subject, some of which aren't included in Advanced search under the logical subject (Original Sources is not under History). I use Quick Search and Advanced Search a lot and they frequently work, but it is poor service to the student to have no alternative when the wait is interminable and the student is desperate.
This page, http://0-library.auraria.edu.skyline.cudenver.edu/portal/tipsandhelp.html
seems to have a problem with images not displaying. You just see a little box with a red X in it. Thanks! Jeffrey
I have to admit that I'm troubled by the possibility that the ADI Page might be eliminated. We need the ADI Page, or something similar to it (i.e. a list of all of our databases organized both by title and subject). I'm not saying this because I dislike or want to disparage the 360 Search! On the contrary, I think it is a very valuable tool (even though it has a few bugs that need to be worked out). Regardless of its value however, it is only one of many tools we need at the Reference Desk, and like most tools it can be used to fix some things but not others. The 360 Search generally provides the user with a good, relevant set of articles on the topic searched for, and does so in a straightforward, relatively stress-free fashion, but it does not do so well with complex, in-depth searches. For this kind of search the user needs to use one database at a time, giving special attention to the specific search techniques that are peculiar to that database (i.e. are three word queries automatically searched for as a phrase, or as an AND search, or as terms in proximity to each other, etc.). This being the case, I think it’s very important that we think in terms of having the 360 search PLUS some kind of ADI-like page, and not just one or the other.
Our new less cluttered library home page is, according to recent survey results, appealing to many users. However, directing students to federated searching as a first choice and making other choices less obvious may be a disservice to users while early federated search software has kinks.
Elaine and I have some ideas related to the idea of making Quick Search one choice instead of the main choice.
We put together a web page mock-up that suggests that a link to a 'multi-choice' page (not yet designed) be first on the home page with Quick Search being next. The second page of the mock-up includes annotations to highlight the suggested changes. The mock-up was sent to REF e-mail; not sure how to add an attachment here.
Thoughts?
By the way - the mock-up is not a perfect reproduction but hopefully helps convey suggestions.
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