Breakout Session
2006 VALE User Conference
January 5, 2006
Library Website to Campus Gateway:
Integrating Library Resources into a
College Information Commons
By Mark S. Thompson
Assistant Director, Library
Bergen Community College
Bergen Community College
Today’s Outline
LESSONS LEARNED & KEY QUESTIONS
• Why and how do you integrate the library into a college
web?
• Library-centric Web College Gateway
• How do you uncover student needs and change your
approach to the site?
• Usability inputs toward innovation
• With limited time/resources, how do you succeed?
• Collaborative Process
Demonstration (pre- or post- lecture)
• Not focusing on the results
– Try links (on handout)
Bergen Community College
Background
• Now and Future - Bergen Community
– Community college with 15K students
• Continued growth in student body
• Expansion of online courses
– One library; Central location on campus
• Large people traffic volume – the main place on
campus
– Information Commons
• Library renovations will begin Spring ’06
– Closing open labs, so increase library workstations from
60 to 200
Bergen Community College
Project effort
• Given charge to overhaul and migrate entire
Library website by 9/1/05, but:
– We didn’t begin overhaul until 5/1/05
– Old site is large, disparate, and many owners
• Various formats and styles
• Page currency ranges from 1-5 years old
– Web committees not functioning
• Our Library web team was only two people
• Then we discovered that we had other
challenges…
Bergen Community College
Project Effort, cont.
• Other challenges:
– College web platform move to Sitebuilder
(Sungard/Collegis)
• PR department redesign of college Web
• Whole new Web software editor and process!
– IT upgrade to WinXP and other programs to create
new library workstation image
– Due for an upgrade in our Innovative Millennium
Online Catalog, as well, in Spring 05
• This was NOT just a library project.
Bergen Community College
Key Questions
• Any upcoming computing platform or
network changes?
– Web = Computing, Services, Content
• What’s available on campus
– What content or functions are under
development?
– How does the library homepage fit within the
college site?
Bergen Community College
Limited Resources
How do you deal with limited time /
resources?
• Used a fast track process to benchmark
best-in-class and to focus on the end user
to make sure it met their key needs.
• Invited others to collaborate with us in
their area of expertise.
– Many short-term, limited project efforts
Bergen Community College
Fast Track Process
Short on time and personnel
Simplified Process: Ask, Try, Ask Again
and then Fix
– Benchmarking
– User studies and testing
– Web development
• More user testing
– Trial and Launch
• More user testing
Bergen Community College
Benchmarking
• Reviewed excellent academic sites
– And library sites
• Reviewed Web project approaches, usability
and design books
– Hint: Need to decide on an approach
• Discussed with internal and external experts
– Differing opinions cloud the picture
• Assessed current website and its uses
– Where are we now: strengths and weaknesses
See handout for references to these
Bergen Community College
Benchmarking
• Establish usability principles
– “Don’t make me think”
– I should be able to “get it” (what it is and how
to use it) without effort
• Establish design goals
– Create clear visual hierarchy on page
– Develop consistency in page layout
See other guidelines on handout
Bergen Community College
Resources
• Are you primarily?
– Systems, technology
– REF, Circ or teaching
– Administration, mgt
– Collections, tech services
• Questions
– Do your webmasters manage both content and
systems efforts?
– Whom can we partner with to better manage web
users, content and systems?
Bergen Community College
Resources
• Many groups have a role in providing a
college and library website
– Can you partner with other departments in
looking at solutions?
• Identify perspectives and expertise
– Looking at it now, I guess it worked!
– Each subteam had one urgent purpose
• Short term collaboration
Bergen Community College
Collaborative Project
Simultaneous efforts and subteams work toward common goal: new college portal
Three College Depts.
Key groups participating Worked Together
Departments
Public Relations Technologies
Library
Who was involved
Asst. Dir. Electr. Svcs.
IT Staff
Webmaster Steering Comm Patron Svcs Librarian.
Expertise - PR Expertise - Library Expertise - IT
•New Web Platform •Library content •Network and Workstation
•Database functions/searching Tasks
•College goals
Tasks •Upgrade info commons workstation
•Custom web skills
Tasks •Library site review and image
•Manage Sitebuilder implem. conversion •Support MS Active Desktop use
•Solve web roadblocks •Design new library interfaces
•Upgrade online catalog features
•Training support
•Create new content sets
•Oversee collegewide launch
•Lead usability testing on library site
Bergen Community College
Collaborative Project
Simultaneous efforts and subteams work toward common goal: new college portal
Three College Depts.
TOTAL of 16 people involved Worked Together
Public Relations Info
Library Technologies
College Team
Main Library Project Team Network/Tech Support
Asst. Dir. Electr. Svcs. Office of Info
Web Steering Comm Patron Svcs Librarian Techn.
Webmaster •Warren Conditi •Mark Thompson •Lynn Schott. •Keith Muirhead
•Warren Conditi •Sheila McGee •John Methner
•Lynn Schott
Other PR Staff: Other Library Teams: Other IT Staff:
Tracy Baird Pat Denholm, Director; Rong Wang, A.D.-Admin Team Javier Leon
Matt Pierce Paula Williams, Annemarie Roscello – Web Development Ulysses Isa
Edith Sirianni, Gloria Delfico- OPAC Enhancements
Bergen Community College
User Focus
Do you know?
• What usability testing has been done on
your college’s website?
• What are the most used functions on
college workstations? Homepage?
• Are elements of an info commons at work
on your campus?
Bergen Community College
User Studies
• Thought of as many ways as possible to get
user input (as quickly as possible)
– Students first
• Including Student Ambassadors
– Librarians as superusers AND experts
– Teaching faculty and administrators
• Adhoc: 1:1, 1:2, and small groups
– Tied to class schedules
– At Library terminals
• What did NOT work:
– Testing at end of library instruction classes
Bergen Community College
What’s the Target?
3 angles on what to do:
• What needed fixing? (from old)
– Benchmark
• What’s really needed (from current users)
– Usability
• What new opportunities to solve problems
do we see? (invent the solution)
– Creative
Bergen Community College
What Needs Fixing?
• Confusing navigation
– Where am I within Bergen’s site?
• Where do I find college services?
– Links scattered across page.
• Mix of college, dept. and library
• Too much text and clutter
• Many sections
• Data is several clicks away
• Too many links:
– 51 links on main page alone!
• Variety of colors, shadings, fonts and styles.
– Subpages also vary in style and format
Bergen Community College
Many Areas on Old Page
College areas:
pull-down lists
Major library links
News/alerts
Key library functions and many info links
Mix of college & library functions- 25 links
Bergen Community College
What’s Really Needed?
• Current Student Usage Surprised Us
– Multitasking
• Frustrated by the different desktops and
segregated functionality
– Focusing on key tasks only (3-4 links):
• MS Word, email, library databases, and online
registration
– Little awareness of resources
• Little time or patience to explore what is not central
to the Web page
Bergen Community College
Recalibrate
• Fixing the Library Web was not enough
• Need new student-oriented solution
• Solutions should be:
– One-stop shopping (gateway)
– Integrated library, workstation and college
resources
– Graphic, easy to grasp set of options and
resources
Bergen Community College
What New Opps?
• Think of ways to create “home” desktop view
– Use Microsoft Active Desktop
• Think of attractive visual to show what’s
available
– Graphic Control panel, “dashboard” or push-button
approach
• Let user have control
– Immediately jump into action
– Know where they are at all times (back/forth)
Bergen Community College
New College Gateway
•Problem: Needed a desktop view that would
allow students to SEE all that was possible and
EASILY GET to it.
•Solution 1: Instant View (MS Active Desktop)
•“Jumping-off Points” to info commons
workstation
•Include MS applications, e-registration,
WebCT and Library
• Clickable buttons that sit on an attractive
BCC flame logo.
Bergen Community College
PORTAL New Desktop for Fall 2005: Six icons and the Active Desktop portal
Bergen Community College
Entry into the college, desktop and library: all on 1 page
The flame is the
college logo
Only 9 links:
2 homepages
4 library
1 workstation applications
2 college service sites
Desktop is cleaned up
to only 6 icons.
Bergen Community College
New Library Homepage
Solution 2: Get me to the Search and don’t
lose me
• Create a library homepage with search
boxes up FRONT to complement the desktop
and make remote access easy.
• Place within the College’s sitebuilder
template/framework, so students can quickly
jump back-and-forth to what they need
• Navigational menu – on left
• Key links – on right
Bergen Community College
New Library Homepage: Fall 2005 with College Template and three Library Starting Pts
Key library functions placed with college template: all in one
Bergen Community College
Features of New Page
Breadcrumbs along horiz. and navigation menu in left column
All key info links
3 Key Functions: Accessible from 1st page
– flattened hierarchy
Search boxes or
direct links from
the first page
Bergen Community College
New Library Homepage
Solution 3: Let me see what you have
• Create tables with ALL of the key resources
listed.
• Then let me sort it so I can find it by title (I
know what I am looking for) or by subject (I
don’t know what to use) or type (I know I
need an X).
• We did this for all:
• Library databases
• Library handouts, how-to’s, guides, pathfinders
Bergen Community College
Electronic resources
•Sortable table
•Gives title and
description of databases
•Direct links to library
subscription resources
Bergen Community College
Instruction Materials
•Sortable table
•Gives title and
description
•Direct links to documents
Bergen Community College
From Old to New
What were the critical issues?
• Design approach
– Library as homepage
Desktop gateway
• Content essentials
– Library databases & OPAC
Plus college’s online registration, online courses,
e-reserves and MS Office applications
• Platform essentials
– Windows desktop & I.E.
MS Active Desktop & Sitebuilder template
Bergen Community College
From Old to New
• Along the way -- What We Changed
– Design process
• Approach to user needs
• Testing and usability research
– Web essentials
• Platform
• Interfaces
• Key elements on page
– Content/functionality
• Which functions we support
• Software applications
See handout for specifics
Bergen Community College
Key Lessons
• Focusing on student needs wins
everyone’s attention and creative energy
• Usability Testing Complete Re-focus
• Thinking as an inter-departmental
manager leads to innovative solutions
• Work, as if, we are all on one team
Bergen Community College
The END
• THANK YOU
• Visit us at (links on handout):
– www.bergen.edu/library
– www.bergen.edu/library/sslwallpaper.html
– Come in-person to Paramus NJ!
• Mark Thompson, Asst. Dir.
– Sidney Silverman Library at Bergen
Community College
– mthompson@bergen.edu
Bergen Community College