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WebPac Implementation Team : Meeting Minutes

draft 3/22/01, Baker 158

Present

  • Jennifer Merrill
  • Jen Nelson
  • Norma Pellerin
  • Ann McHugo
  • Mark Mounts
  • Bill Ghezzi
  • Reinhart Sonneburg
  • Paul Merchant
  • Becca Lee (recorder)

Approval of minutes

Jennifer Merrill will send clarifications to Jim Fries.

Announcements

Staff orientation sessions for the Webpac (new library catalog) are going well and well attended.

Subgroup updates

SOS

Initial sessions are filling up, figures for later sessions are not as promising.  Plan to send another email to department heads to encourage enrollment and offer space to “drop ins”.  STDC evaluations will be sent to participants.

Publicity

Have alerted Cyndy Pawlek and John James re: concern to have an announcement made to faculty and staff about the move to Webpac.  The move will be discussed at the next Faculty Council Meeting.  Richard Lucier will work in conjunction with the council on this issue.

Locations in the Webpac

The Location Code Group was charged by CSG with developing a new location display that would use the 5-digit code that stores both branch code data as well as sublocation and item type data.   The group has proposed the new codes for the merging of this information.  The WPIT team needs to decide how these locations will display in the webpac.

Questions to consider:

  1. Should we be more uniform in how we refer to particular collections/libraries?  Our current naming practice combines both building names and subject categories (i.e., "Art" for Sherman Art Library but "Baker/Berry" for the Baker/Berry collection).   One limitation - the Innopac limits this display name to 25 characters.

    Proposal:  Make a recommendation to LOSC that in this interface we uniformly refer to building names.

  2. There is a potential serials label issue.  We use two different programs to generate spine labels for serials.  Labels for unbound serials and serials received bound are created directly by Innopac.  When the new location code is implemented the display we choose will also be used in label production.  This may cause problems with line breaks  on labels.  Since the received bounds are perm. items, unlike unbounds confusing or poorly formatted labels are not acceptable.  All other serial labels are created using a program written by Info Systems which allows for more control over content and formatting.

    Proposal:  Acquisitions and Preservation should examine workflow issues that might solve this problem, i.e., could the labels for the 'received bounds' wait a day and be generated by the Info Systems program?  Could this entire batch process be sped up?  Would the Innopac generated labels on unbounds be acceptable?

Advance Search Help Screen

Various help screen options offered in the Webpac

Author/Title                  Help screen is on one page

Title                              Help screen is a separate window

Subject                         Help screen is a split frame

The Help Screen subgroup unanimously felt that the separate window approach accommodated the users needs best.   This page could be separately maintained which would make updates to the Webpac much easier.

Concerns with this approach:

-Technology needs:  this page is invoking a Java script.  If, however, Java script is turned off in browser preferences the new page will work.  Recommend that a statement appear on the front page of the Webpac advising users which browser best support this application.

-Colors/fonts on this page are not consistent with the Webpac.  Text of title header needs to be fixed.

Help Screen Group will take these concerns under consideration and report back to WPIT.