Library Portal Research Articles

Library subject portals

PurposeTo examine and discuss the features of library portals and suggest further development of these research tools.Design/methodology/approachThe two categories of library portals (horizontal or public, and vertical) were examined to establish the characteristics of some of the portal software available in the marketplace. The study involved carrying out a literature search and visiting demonstration sites. Some library sites that have implemented this software were subsequently examined in order to establish features of their sites, and to see how these sites have handled the information literacy/research process.FindingsSuggests that a well‐structured subject portal should be based on the principles of the flow of scientific information, and an information literacy component should be embedded in the portal. Such a portal could assist learners to become familiar with the breadth and depth of information resources relevant to their discipline. It should also assist librarians and learning advisers to become familiar with the information literacy requirements of specific subjects and courses. In this way, libraries should achieve their objective of making the learner information‐literate with minimal effort, and thus contribute positively to student learning outcomes.Practical implicationsThe paper is a useful source of information for librarians considering investing in one of the commercial software tools and for those embarking on the development of subject portals. A pilot version of the subject portal implemented at the University of the Witswatersrand is shown.Originality/valueThe novelty in this work is the intuitive subject portal that is put forward; the elements and content of the portals are suggested.

Traditional bibliographic instruction and today’s information users

PurposeThis paper takes forward strands from “Evaluating the quality of library portals” by the author and places them in the context of different approaches to teaching students about information use.Design/methodology/approachAn opinion piece which examines the impact on user behaviour of traditional mechanical library skills training (such as “library orientation”, “bibliographic instruction”, or “information skills training” rather than true information literacy‐based teaching). The paper points out the similarity in the effects of such teaching to the effects of offering users a more powerful mechanical information retrieval tool (such as a library portal or internet search engine) without effective support on how the information retrieved should be used for significant educational outcomes.FindingsFor librarians to be custodians of the highest standards of intelligent information use, they must demonstrate a meaningful, rather than a mechanical understanding and application of information literacy in their everyday practice. Without this, information users will rightly turn to new, non‐mediated forms of information use such as internet search engines, which can deal with purely technical challenges of information retrieval superficially well. Both the users and the profession itself will be the poorer as a result.Research limitations/implicationsAn expression of opinion about the dangers of pedagogically underdeveloped user education on user behaviour.Practical implicationsThis opinion piece gives some clear and practical insights for the application of information literacy principles to library practice.Originality/valueThis piece points out the ironic similarities in the effect of a mechanistic or tool‐based approach to user education and unmediated user access to internet search engines or Library portals: above all, a “more is better” approach in the information user, marked by citing too much poorly digested, poorly evaluated data.

The Internet Public Library and the History of Library Portals

The Internet Public Library at the University of Michigan School of Information was one of the first library portals on the Internet. This chapter covers the history of the IPL and its current manifestation. The IPL's relationship to other important library portals is discussed.

Library Portal Technologies

The purpose of the library portal is to enable users to discover relevant information from multiple distributed information resources; to seamlessly, and directly as possible, access related content; and to effectively use the information. The library portal is not a single technology. Rather it is a combination of several systems, standards, and protocols that interoperate to create a unified experience for the user. This chapter describes the various technologies and the relationship among the technologies that combine to enable the user to move seamlessly through the processes related to discovery, access, and use of information. A framework that incorporates many aspects of the JISC Information Environment Architecture (Joint Information Systems 2002) and the IMS Digital Repositories Framework (McLean and Lynch 2003) provides a structure to facilitate the discussion of issues related to each of the many individual components while it depicts the interrelationship among the components.

Online Catalogs and Library Portals in Today's Information Environment

With the transformation of the card catalog into the online public access catalog came the expectation of its increased functionality. For the most part, today's online catalogs perform an expanded list of tasks quite effectively. Bibliographic utilities, system vendors, and individual libraries continue to improve bibliographic retrieval by providing new and better services through the catalog. In spite of these improvements, many observers believe that online catalogs have reached their maturity. Today's information environment includes a wealth of material to which online catalogs cannot provide universal and up-to-date access. Increasingly, librarians are turning to federated searching portal applications to find a means of managing the flood of digital information that threatens to engulf users. This chapter describes essential functionality of such tools, suggesting directions and strategies for improving them. The author concludes that, while the online catalog will continue to function as the principal tool for access control of the library's physical collections, the federated searching portal will ultimately serve as the library's principal Web gateway to digital resources.

Usability Testing, Interface Design, and Portals

During the past decade, usability testing has become an integral component of Web design and development in libraries. Within the past five years, library portals allowing some degree of personal customization have established a presence on a number of library home pages. This chapter reviews some basic concepts of usability testing and then examines how usability testing has been employed to inform the design and use of Web sites and customized library portals at the University of Washington and at other institutions.

MyLibrary@NCState

The MyLibrary@NCState Web portal was created to help users reduce “information overload,” to allow them to create personal Web pages containing their most frequently consulted library electronic resources and services, and to provide a new avenue of communication between librarians and discipline-specific populations of users. This chapter will look at each of these goals and discuss how well the current product has managed to meet them. In doing so, it will also cover the relationships between library portals and course pages, the evolution of MyLibrary in the context of changes to the Libraries' Web site, and future directions for development.

If You Build It Will They Come?

Identifying and adding services to a library portal will add to its long term success in a market that pits libraries against commercial vendors such as Google and http://www.Amazon.com. The current focus on portals has been on selecting collections and developing the basic functionality of the Web site. We look at the added features needed in order to make this a product that is attractive to today's researcher.

Evaluating the quality of library portals

PurposeTo investigate ways of demonstrating how portal implementations positively alter user information retrieval behaviour.Design/methodology/approachAn opinion piece reflecting on existing evidence about the nature of portal implementations, which extrapolates trends in user behaviour on the basis of these reflections.FindingsAlthough portal technologies probably do offer a way for libraries to create information tools that can compete with “one‐stop shop” Internet search engines, there are likely difficulties in their pattern of usage which will have to be detected by effective quality measurement techniques.Research limitations/implicationsAn expression of opinion about the possible pitfalls of using portals to optimise users’ information retrieval activity.Practical implicationsThis opinion piece gives some clear and practical guidelines for the evaluation of the success of library portal implementations.Originality/valueThis editorial points out that, because the portal can be defined as a deliberate clone of a typical successful Internet search engine and may be presented to the naïve user in the same terms, the danger is that library portals might also clone the same information habits as Internet search engines, because of their ease of use. In trying to produce a tool that can meet Google on its own terms but with better content, we might reproduce some of the same educational disbenefits as Google: quality information retrieval is not purely a function of content, it is also a function of the user’s perceptions and information habits.

Library participation in campus web portals: an initial survey

PurposeTo determine the extent and nature of library involvement in campus portal development.Design/methodology/approachCampus technology staff from US colleges and universities participating in the JA‐SIG uPortal open‐source software project were surveyed.FindingsAll respondents indicated having an active campus portal. A majority of respondents had at least one library feature on their campus portal. Some library features included automated display of information specific to the portal user such as library account information. Collaboration between campus and library staff was a common theme among institutions successfully deploying library features.Research limitations/implicationsFindings are based on a small sample of campuses currently deploying portals. Recommended follow‐up studies include surveys of institutions using proprietary portal software and surveys of library staff and end‐users.Originality/valueWhile considerable research has been done on library portals, this paper is unique in its exploration of library participation in broader campus portal initiatives. Portal features discussed and illustrated in this paper might serve as models for libraries interested in developing a presence on their campus portal.

Library portals and enterprise portals: Why libraries need to be at the centre of enterprise portal projects

While librarians have been focusing on the transition from the Library OPAC to the Library Portal, through the addition of meta-search gateways, their parent institutions are starting to develop institution-wide portals (often called ‘enterprise port

Implementation of library portals for information resources: A case study of the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore (ISIB)

The explosion of the Internet and information technology in general has created challenges for information professionals to seek more efficient navigating tools for their users to locate their Web resources. One of the approaches is through implementing library portals. This paper briefly discusses metasearch, the technology of searching across multiple databases which is the key feature of a library portal. It analyzes the need for implementing a new library portal at the Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore Centre Library and introduces a new library portal, Library Search Aid, which performs metasearching across the Library's four online resource databases.

Implementation of library portals for information resources: A case study of the Indian Statistical Institute, Bangalore (ISIB)

The explosion of the Internet and information technology in general has created challenges for information professionals to seek more efficient navigating tools for their users to locate their Web resources. One of the approaches is through implementing library portals. This paper briefly discusses metasearch, the technology of searching across multiple databases which is the key feature of a library portal. It analyzes the need for implementing a new library portal at the Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore Centre Library and introduces a new library portal, Library Search Aid, which performs metasearching across the Library's four online resource databases.

A MAP for the library portal: through the labyrinth of online information sources

PurposeThis paper aims to describe the first year of implementation of the Innovative Interfaces Inc. Millennium Access Plus (MAP) portal at the University of Exeter Library, UK.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a description of the features of MAP and a case studyFindingsIn as little as 25 years, online information provision has been transformed. This has largely been uncontrolled, yet the resources now available offer rich returns for the data‐hungry end user. Increasingly, many users require their information immediately and really do not care where it is stored. Such demands, coupled with librarians’ natural tendency to apply order, have led to the development of library portals which aim to solve the problems arising from trying to navigate this labyrinth of information. The MAP portal is one such product. Using the NISO OpenURL standard, MAP offers three main elements – contextual linking via WebBridge, one step “multi” searching using MetaFind and resource authentication through Web Access Management (WAM). Use of this portal at the University of Exeter Library has made a considerable, positive impact on the recent use of online full‐text systems and services and the experiences undoubtedly point to a strong future for such interfaces everywhere.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper is limited to experiences at the University of Exeter Library.Practical implicationsThe paper will inform the information community on the experiences of this innovative productOriginality/valueThis is an original description of a new concept and provides evaluative material.

80 Miles from the Nearest Library, with a Research Paper Due Monday

This presentation reports the results of a project to extend the services and resources of Brigham Young University's Harold B. Lee Library to distance education students located in many areas of the world. Focusing on students enrolled in university-level English courses, the project team created a one-stop, integrated Web portal of library services and resources in Independent Study courses. This Library portal includes links to subscription databases, interlibrary loan, and personal reference services such as Ask a Librarian Live. The project team promoted faculty members' use of library research in the assignments for their Independent Study English courses. Finally, to ascertain the success of the project and make recommendations for further implementation and improvement, the project team tracked the students' use of library resources for their English courses and evaluated their experience with the portal. The ALA SIRSI's Leader in Library Technology Grant provided funding for the project.

Library portals and enterprise portals: Why libraries need to be at the centre of enterprise portal projects

While librarians have been focusing on the transition from the Library OPAC to the Library Portal, through the addition of meta-search gateways, their parent institutions are starting to develop in...

Developing an Electronic Resource Management System: Verde from Ex Libris

Rapid growth in the number of electronic resources and the complexity of managing e-collections has posed new challenges for libraries and hence requires the development of new tools. To meet this need, Ex Libris is developing a new product, an electronic resource management (ERM) system. The development process began in 2002 and has benefited from the company's 25 years of experience in providing libraries with various products - an integrated library system, digital asset management system, library portal, and link server. Working with an international focus group and development partners and interacting with the Digital Library Federation's Electronic Resource Management Initiative (DLF ERMI) committee, Ex Libris explored the various aspects of the e-resource life cycle. As a result, the Ex Libris ERM system was designed to address the issues raised through this collaboration and the DLF requirements. The interface of the system represents all of its components; it includes navigation options and facilitates workflows that support the various activities that librarians perform when dealing with electronic resources. This paper describes the development process of the Ex Libris ERM system. The emphasis is on the particular functionality required for managing e-resources and the ways in which existing systems in the library arena can handle specific tasks.

Portals in libraries. Portal vision

Portals in libraries. Portal vision

Portals in libraries

Portals in libraries

From the editor's desktop

As their environment is revolutionized by technology, libraries seek to expand their services and their relevance. This issue is about various aspects of their effort. Our primary focus, with the guidance of Guest Editor Amos Lakos, is on library portals as a solution to some of these problems. The authors review the goals of portals, their environment and their relationships to users as well as surveying issues related to technology and standards. Most papers in this section are based on presentations at a symposium on library portals, sponsored by ALA's Library Information and Technology Association (LITA), held in conjunction with the most recent ALA annual conference. A variation on this theme occurs in a paper from Senegal submitted last year for the ASIS&T SIG/III International Paper Competition, included in this issue although outside the library portals special section. The technology discussed is more modest, but steps to improve service to users and increase the utilization of resources address the same basic problems. In his information architecture (IA) column Andrew Dillon again reflects on the nature of the field, in this instance by considering whether there are distinctions among the content of the various lists he subscribes to that are of interest in the fields of IA, human-computer interaction and usability. Finally, Sam Hastings, in her final column as ASIS&T president, reports on the August meeting of the Board of Directors at which the Board made a number of important decisions to cope with the challenges of what continues to be a difficult environment for professional associations.