latest changes & EZproxy

Recent changes & news:

• Posted Mardi Gras hours, then later returned hours to normal
• posted Closed for Mardi Gras news
• Edited Special Collections/Archives pages with CR

EZproxy update:
Had phone conference with the OCLC EZproxy team, CE at the CC, and Lisa & John at LOUIS to talk about implementing new EZproxy instance. It seems very feasible. OCLC asked me to contact EBSCO to ask if the new EZproxy server will work for them. EBSCO believes it will solve our problems and work even with LOUIS in the picture. I sent an email to the OCLC EZproxy team reporting this and said that we're ready to proceed. Haven't heard back yet.

Dec 12, 2012, meeting minutes & news

Dec. 12, 2012, Passman Room
ULMLWPC Meeting minutes

In attendance:
ML, CH, MW, CR, KN

• Given that there is not enough time between now and Jan 14, when classes begin, the group decided to wait until just after the Spring 2013 semester ends to roll out the new library website
• Also a problem, on this very day KN was given OmniUpdate access (the new ULM.edu platform), giving little time to learn it
• KN mentioned the possibility of having a hybrid of the old and new site, with the new ULM banner site appearing at the top
• Some time was spent discussing what the new EZproxy service will be like and how it could be implemented on the site. (not long before the library received a grant to upgrade EZproxy) for It was not known at that time how quickly the new EZproxy account could be set up.
• KN said she had been able to produce a working EBSCO Discovery Service search box, which could be deployed now if we wished, except that the EZproxy troubles complicate this
• Some times was spent talking about EDS itself, and how useful it would be for the library versus its subscription cost. In order for it to be worth its price, an EDS search will likely need to fit into the library home page.
• KN said The fate of the ulm.edu/~personname domains and the possibility getting all librarians some form of site access is still unknown, though she has made its critical importance clear to RG at the CC. There is a possibility that the reference librarian pages could be made to look like the main website, but KN pointed out that she has no way of enforcing the design template on those areas as on the rest of the site. Having OmniUpdate Access for all librarians, even on one reference account, would be best.
• The group looked at some demonstration designs KN made from the existing new ULM site template
• Simplification and consolidation of links and pages will likely be necessary
• More specifics of the redesign will be discussed at a later date

Latest Website Changes:

• The order with OCLC to get the EZproxy service has been completed, but they say it could take up to 4 weeks to implement. KN, CR, and CE from the CC had a telephone meeting with OCLC's EZproxy team. They need more information about LOUIS and how its resources are authenticated. Another meeting with LOUIS in attendance may be necessary.
• The hours on the home page were again changed to show the holiday hours, then later to Wintersession, and now the Spring Schedule
• the hours.pdf full schedule was changed to the Spring schedule, with the spring graphic on the page
• During the weather closings and MLK Holiday, the hours were again changed
• news of a PrivCo database trial added to news box, blog, and facebook
• news of the library being open during the weather closures and a JSTOR maintenance period were added to news box and blog, then removed
• An ERIC documents problem has been added to news box, blog, , and facebook

hours, new website, and meeting

 ▪ The Fall Schedule  must be changed again because as it turns out we will indeed be open on Dec. 21st.

 ▪ OmniUpdate is getting closer, but we haven't been granted access yet

 ▪ The ULMLWPC will have a meeting on Wed. Dec. 12th, 2012 ay 11:30am in the Passman Room. Here is an agenda:

I.  OmniUpdate
a. project time frame options
II.  EBSCO Discovery Service
a.  search box for old/new home page
b.  EZproxy time frame?
c.  other customization options
III. Integrating the ulm.edu/~name sub-directories
a. librarians
b. The reference and Gov Docs sub-directories
IV. Speculative re-design ideas
a. The new ULM.edu template, general
b. reducing & combining pages and links
1) Usage statisticsV. Other

OmniUpdate, hours, meeting, etc.

•  During the Thanksgiving break, the hours were changed for the holiday and then back to normal. The Fall Schedule has been changed also to show that we will be closed and not open on Friday the 21st after all.
• The outlook for the library's STAP grant proposal to upgrade EZproxy is looking good, but it's not over yet. Grants will not be decided upon until Dec. 7th.
• If we get the grant, it will be possible to use EBSCO Discovery Service more often because then it'll work off campus. How we decide to integrate it into the site will change how the site is used.
• OmniUpdate is getting closer, and has been deployed on the home page and other pages like Residential Life. Because the library's website is more complicated that others, it and other like it haven't been changed over yet, and I haven't been given an OmniUpdate account yet. I have been thinking about how the library website will be set up, including making a few demo pages based on the new site template.
• Here is a very basic one:
• http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/new-site-2012-2013/test1.htm
• And a plain HTML page with a working EDS search box:
• http://www.ulm.edu/~niemla/new-site-2012-2013/hhhh.htm
• Unless there any any objections, a ULMLWPC meeting will be held on Mon., Jan. 14 at 10 am to discuss the upcoming re-design. Location TBA.

EZproxy, Counseling & Therapy in Video

• This week I submitted a STAP grant proposal asking for the EZproxy to be fixed. CR and I met with CE at the Computing Center, and we concluded that the best route to go was OCLC's EZproxy hosted service, since the CC doesn't have the time and personnel free to administer a new server. It was also recommended to us by SZ at LOUIS. If the grant is approved, this will become a recurring cost, which ULM will pay for every year.
• Counseling and Therapy in Video now works off-campus as of yesterday.  I've fixed the URL, posted news about Counseling and Therapy in Video remote access to our blog, Facebook, and home page. It will also be added to the databases by subject page. Hopefully the grant proposal will be accepted so it won't take so long anymore.
• The new OmniUpdate ULM website has been released on the ULM Home page, but  not the rest of the ULM site. RG has said via email that he'll give depts. access to the system fairly soon so we can see it and make design plans. The project was delayed a bit.
• So, the ULMLWPC will need to have a proper meeting at some point to decide which pages stay and which must go. But I don't know when just yet.
• For a while, our EBSCOhost hasn't been showing ULM logos. It didn't look broken, so I didn't know anything was wrong, but someone at LOUIS has informed me that it's not supposed to be that way. I've made some new ones which I might upload if I find a way to do so. 
  120x120px
  82x82px
  180x70px
  louis-test-200x60
• I'll also make some logo images for our version of EDS, which also doesn't have any. I've also offered to make more for other LOUIS member institutions.
• I've looked into getting Google Scholar for the library, which is free, but as ever, it would likely work better with a proper EZproxy.

EZproxy, Special Collections

• Yesterday the Computing Center added MarketLine Advantage to our EZproxy. I've change the link on the website and removed Datamonitor 360. Here is the URL: http://ezproxy.ulm.edu:2048/login?url=http://advantage.marketline.com
• News about this has been added to the blog and home page
• Last week, I added some Records Management things to the Special Collections/Archives page for CR
• There is still one more to be added, Counseling and Therapy in Video
• I am now working on a STAP grant and working with CR and the Computing Center to find a way to fix the ongoing EZproxy problem.

Hours, EDS, EZ Proxy

Since last time...

• The Fall Break hours were shown on the home page, and returned to normal after break
• Added direct links to ULM's Louisiana Digital Library collections on the Special Collections/Archives page
• Investigated EBSCO Discovery Service; assessments sent via email. Bottom line: EDS handles off-campus access better because it knows when you've connected to both EZ Proxies and puts them together for you, which EBSCOhost will not, but that doesn't solve our EZ Proxy problem. EDS doesn't allow users to see what databases are connected before a search. Since those connections can have errors, we need to see those.
• Found and report some errors in LOUIS' off-campus database list. LOUIS has fixed them
• Note: DS has given me (KN) the ability to open incident reports in LOUIS footprints.
• A request to the Computing Center to set up MarketLine Advantage to work on EZ Proxy instead of Datamonitor 360, which it has replaced, has been sent; no word yet on when it will be done.
• Idea: When the ULM website is redone, will anyone archive the old one? Should the library?