Webfeat home page link gone

The link for Webfeat is gone from the home page. As was decided at the last meeting, it has not been replaced by anything.

There have always been links for it in the DB Name list, and in the Quick Links menu, so it still is around if anyone really wants to use it.

Webfeat problems

Webfeat embarrassed me again today (why do I keep using it? Because it's right there on the home page and it's just so darned easy to get to, just like our patrons might think too). I searched for a book title in webfeat with zero results, but I did the same search again in both the LOUIS Union Catalog and OCLC Worldcat and did get 3 results in both. Just to be sure, I later did the same search in Webfeat, and did get 1 result that time (but not 3).

I will make another attempt to remove it.

Minutes for Mar. 18, 2010

Here are the ULMLWPC meeting Minutes for Mar. 18, 2010:

In attendance:
CH
LJ
ML
CA
MW
KN

• Webfeat shall be removed from the library home page for various reasons. It will also not be replaced by a similar resource. When its official replacement is revealed by LOUIS, that new product will be judged on its own merit and given or not given a place on the home page accordingly.

Note: After discussing the matter with DDS, it was decided that the Webfeat link will remain as it is, as it is a very popular resource. It could be moved later. There is still no word on the new "360" search engine LOUIS will get. --KN

• Tightening web site language is probably not necesary, as this was already done when the site was re-made. KN saw a good presentation about this subject at LLA 2009, and will try to find its slides.

NOTE: Looking back at the LLA '09 list, that sessions was:
"Clear as Mud and Full of Weasels: How to Write Library Policies, Reports,
etc. in Plain English
Friday, 1:30 pm – 2:50 pm
Sponsor: LaSSAL Section
Guidelines, examples, and exercises in writing clear, concise, and unambiguous
library policies, proposals, reports, etc. Track: Adult/ User Services."
I have an idea as to who did it. --KN

• The ULM Library has no interest in Second Life in its present form


• The ULM Library will have a Facebook page. It already has one, and has for a while; MW has been its Admin for a while also. Using Facebook for the library will have a high rate of ROI because the investment needed to do this is negligible.

• EBSCOHost Mobile could become available to students soon. We will use the link ASAP.

In other news:

I got this email from EBSCO:

Dear EBSCOhost Customers:

If you currently purchase eBooks or have considered adding eBooks to your collection, we hope this email comes as exciting news to you. Effective Wednesday, March 17^th, EBSCO Publishing and OCLC finalized an agreement whereby EBSCO has acquired NetLibrary, a leading eBook platform and service. It has been a pleasure working with OCLC, who saw EBSCO as the ideal candidate to continue to serve NetLibrary customers, and take the service to new heights.

EBSCO’s goal is to better serve research by offering the strongest possible collection of materials and the greatest accessibility and usability. As eBooks become more prominently used and relied upon by libraries, they are an ideal addition to the EBSCO suite of resources. As EBSCOhost is the single most-used premium research platform in libraries worldwide, and overall usage continues to steadily increase, it follows logically that searching databases and eBooks on a single platform would create a more complete, fruitful one-stop research experience for end users. Many librarians have requested we move in this direction, and we are pleased to be doing so.

At present, EBSCO will continue to support and enhance the NetLibrary platform, with the goal of enabling EBSCOhost to appropriately incorporate eBook availability in the near future. In the coming months, we will be conducting focus groups, advisory sessions and usability testing to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of eBook platforms, and investigate the various models for accessibility and purchase. We will provide updates on our progress as we move forward. Additionally, we plan to maintain the dark archive of eBooks to ensure accessibility for customers who have purchased and will continue to purchase NetLibrary eBooks. MARC records for these eBooks will also continue to be provided (at no cost).

Thank you for your patronage and support of EBSCO resources. We are excited about what the future holds for EBSCOhost users. If you have any questions regarding your current NetLibrary account, or would like to explore eBooks in subject sets or on a title by title level, please contact your EBSCO representative.

So... yes. EBSCO bought NetLibrary. I don't think "Whoa" is a professional thing to say, but I will say it:

Whoa.

LexisNexis has a new look

I first mentioned quite a while ago, so it's about time I finally did it. All links to LexisNexis Academic should now lead to the new interface.

It looks very different, but it's really the same, I say.

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computer lab page

Maren found some typos on the computer lab page, and also suggested that make it clearer that the computer center is responsible for the computer lab, as not to confuse anyone (I mentioned it before, but not prominently).

http://www.ulm.edu/library/computerlab.html

I have also installed a spell check in the plain text program I most frequently use to edit HTML. Hopefully this will help.