Informal status report

I apologize for the long wait. I've been working on a different web project, but that's no excuse. There are several things to bring up, so we likely will need to meet again.


a) The page content.

Here's the original list complied on July 10th:

CH:
Databases by name
Databases by Subject
newspapers

MW:
Off-campus access
The Reference Desk
Contact
Distance Learning
Purchase requests
Job Opportunities

KN:
Tutorials
For faculty/Staff
For Students
Comments


ML:
Ask A Librarian
Subject Librarians
Style Guides
Staff and Departments
Interlibrary Loan [will no longer simply link to Iliad]
Tours and Instruction
copying/printing

KC:
Visitor Information
History [um, of the library]
For the Community

CR:
Friends of the Library

MM:
Computer Lab [not marked on sheet, but I assume it's his]

Orphans:
[these links don't truly need anything new in terms of content or will be handled in a special way. If they do later, we can arrange something]
FAQs
Subject Guides
Floor Plan
Blog
Annual report
Policy
Privacy

Here are the completed parts that I know about (I'm sorry if I forgot something):

--Maren's "contact us" and "Help---->Reference Desk" are here:
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/ulmlwpcblog/2008_09_01_archive.html

Megan's "Style Guides," "ILL," "Photocopying/Printing" are here:
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/ulmlwpcblog/2008_08_01_archive.html

(By the way-- Someone had a session at LUC about how to add Uni. colors and a logo to the Illiad interface. Did anyone go to that? We should think about it.)

Here are Karen Cook's "Visitor Information" "History" and "Community":
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/History of the ULM University Library.docx
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/community-services-n-info.docx
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/visitor-info.docx
(For being .docx files, the markup imports into html rather well)

Megan's "Library Instruction," "Departments & Faculty/Staff Page," "Ask-A-Librarian Page," "Subject Librarians Page"
and Maren's "Find articles--->Off-campus access" and Subject Librarians Page are all here:
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/ulmlwpcblog/2008_07_01_archive.html

My ""For Faculty" page (I think I may change this)
http://www.ulm.edu/%7Eniemla/newpages/forfaculty.html
My "For Students" page (I think I may change this too)
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/newpages/forstudents.html
My "Tutorials" page will be like this, minus the graphics, and plus or minus some tutorials (I certainly will be chaging this)
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/gggg/insdemo.html

b)
There has been some confusion as to whether "comments" or "contact us" will have separate forms. We need one form that will allow people to ask us questions or give us comments. I have the ability to create a basic one that emails itself to a designated address. I do not, however, know how to format or embed such a thing. Example:
http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/newpages/ref-email-test/

c) The Friends of the Library doesn't seem to be particularly active, the last I heard. I will make one if no one else wants to.

d) Where is the template as of this time? I would like to begin work on converting/fixing my old pages, unless that's inappropriate.

e) Directories. What will be done with /reference and /govdocs? What pages will go on /library and what won't? I've been thinking about it for a while, actually.

f) Apparently, the blog has lost some functionality, like linking to posts, after moving it to ULM. Oh well. :-( At least I know not to try that again.

New Library Templates

The new library template has been completed. I'm not sure if I can post the links here, but I must say... I'm really happy with them.

Readability can be achieved in different ways...?

I just scribbled these out in 5 min., so of course it looks bad, but it does show that adding some texture does not necessarily detract from readability. It's really nothing to worry about. The more nondescript the image is, the better.
Or there could be other ways to break things up. Solid colors can't be the only way to make something "readable."

Personally, though, I do reckon that the banner should remain pristine and uncluttered all the time as to maintain gravitas. Perhaps things could go into the proposed area where the catalog search will be? I'm aware that is a very, very, very unpopular view.

Minutes for Oct. 2, 2008

KC
MMag
MW
KN
CH
DW


ISSUE 1
TABLE WIDTH for sub-pages (to retain consistency)
fixed width = yes
pixel = 750-800


ISSUE 2:
For bg color:
either some kind of Grey or a darker shade of the same color on the Glaze draft page. That colors (#E5E5CD ?) bleaches out into white too easily on some monitors, which is too bright because the main table BG is going to be white already [at least we agree on that! :-) --KN]


ISSUE 3:
Should we move the reference blog to ULM space?
No. That is unimportant and the change undesirable.


ISSUE 4
DIRECTORIES:
Depts. with their own directories will decide what to do as they see fit. There will be more discussion on this later...


ISSUE 5
FORMS:
Some will have to be made, probably in PHP. More to be decided later.

ISSUE 6:
We do want the long wide table with the search bar. If possible. it allows us to explain what the catalog is, and have a ask-a-lib image button (which should have alternate text)

ISSUE 7:
A box for text news and other info. is needed after all. Announcement will go there for emergencies, special news, etc.
RULE: the news box will have a set height/width that will not be violated = YES
This way, the box will not change the size of the table. Or contain too much information.
(not said at meeting: We could create special pages as needed and hyperlink to the in this box. That way, the subject being linked to will have all the room it needs for explication. Maybe that goes without saying.--KN)


ISSUE 8:
All are in favor of making the picture a teeny bit smaller to make more room for "white" space and the aforementioned longer table for the search box.

ISSUE 9:
M.M.'s general arrangement is still favored

ISSUE 10:
Committee members still want to use the banner for placing links and content. If a gradient or other texture is used in the banner, readability is the primary need.