We’re nearing the end of our last few months in the project timeline. In the last update, we had anticipated a December, 2012 release; however, due to unforeseen project and resource demands we have had to re-assess our timeline and are now targeting an end of February, 2013 release.

What has been completed in the last quarter of 2012.

• All content has been migrated from old site to new site. All told some 1,000+ new HTML pages were created and entered into the CMS. 2,000+ non-HTML documents were migrated and metadata was assigned to each document so that our new search functionality could be optimized.
• New search functionality was created.
• We mastered a new CMS and learned all the ins and outs of bringing over old content into a new system.
• Tested the CMS and are making changes according to the test findings so that our content contributors can have as good a user experience as our website users.

Timeline for the next few months…

December, 2012: Create user documentation and training modules for use of new CMS web editing process, clean up content consistencies, test and conduct search functionality fixes.

January, 2013: Refine visual design, refine CMS user interface, review content with content owners, make content updates, freeze content until release.

February, 2013: Archive old site, QA and testing, announce rollout of instructional sessions for CMS users, announce release of new site.

For those who took part in the content review for the UC libraries website, a big thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to give us feedback. We’re excited about the progress we’re making on putting together the new site.

Timeline for the rest of the year…

September, 2012: Building out new web pages, continue to build and test new search engine.

October, 2012: Evaluate and usability test new CMS upload process with select UC library website contributors, plan and create user documentation and training modules for use of new CMS web editing process.

November, 2012: Lightweight usability testing of website, content freeze for UC libraries website, synchronize any new content that has been added to site since content review in August/September, QA test search functionality and announcement mechanism.

December, 2012: Proposed release of new UC libraries website.

Here at CDL, we have embarked on a major web design and content migration effort for the UC libraries website.

Please take a moment to help us test out our site navigation!

(Thanks for your participation in our survey and your very useful feedback. We have since closed the survey. Updated 8/20/12.)

Project Background

The UC Libraries  website is an informational website that conveys how the UC libraries from all ten campuses work together in a systemwide capacity to plan, strategize and collaborate on activities that serve all UC library constituents. The website was first conceived and developed in 2003. Since then web technologies and designs have advanced, thus we felt that it was time for a major overhaul of the website and its content.

A project team at CDL has been formed to conduct the design and implementation of the revitalized site:

• Project Manager: Rachael Hu
• Web Production Manager: Eric Satzman
• Senior UX Analyst: Jane Lee
• Web Producers: Craig Thompson and Robin Davis-White
• Technical Lead and Development: Brian Tingle and Mark Redar
• Project Consultant: Joanne Miller

Based on a needs assessment conducted with a sampling of UC library staff in late 2011, we decided to target the following areas for improvement:

• Clean up and transition content
• Implement content management system for easier update process
• Add new search functionality
• Modernize page layout and site navigation
• Create new visual design

We have been working with designated content owners from the various UC systemwide committees and groups to review and revisit the content in their areas of the website. All told we’re working to transition 1000 web pages and over 2000 documents.

In the upcoming months, we will be working with each group and committee to review the new page layouts and content organization. We will also be testing the new content management system, developing new search functionality, and creating user training information to help content contributors use the new update process.

Stay tuned for more information!

Photo Credit: DaveBleasdale

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidelong/246816211/)

Our colleague, Martin Haye, a Senior Developer who is the mastermind behind some of CDL’s most important open source contributions, such as the XTF search and display framework and the eScholarship back-end systems , has engineered a user-friendly robot that pretty much puts him in our offices without physically having to be here.

Here’s what he told us…

Q: How long have you been working virtually?

A: About four years now. I’ve worked at a distance from the beginning of my time at CDL but at first it was just by email and phone.

Q: You’ve been through a couple of different iterations that I’ve seen- could you tell me how the idea for a virtual you got started?

A: Well, it started out because we moved to an office space that had a really nice counter space and I wanted to take advantage of it. …I wanted to put myself using Skype on a laptop on the counter, plus be portable enough for people to carry me to meetings. But no one actually ever did that because there were too many cords to deal with.

Q: Have you noticed a difference in how people are reacting to this iteration of virtual Martin over any of the other iterations?

A: Lots and lots of people have been talking to me about it. I really like that I’ve been able to achieve the level of personal interaction that I have dreamed of. Before people had to walk in to [my office space] to see my video self or have a specific question to ask me. But now I have a chance for hallway encounters. For example, I encountered a colleague in the hallway and had an ad-hoc conversation that led to a 15-20 minute meeting. But during that encounter laughs were exchanged and a relationship was renewed.

Q: Do you have an official name for your new virtual self?

A: Well, I’m actually just going to say that I’m Martin and if you want to call my medium something then you could say that it’s Martin’s robot. I got the librarian cataloguing stamp of approval for this naming convention. A colleague of ours offered to look up the proper naming convention for such a setup in the AACR2 (Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, Second Edition) and we came away with the rule about spirits that channel through a medium. Since I am the spirit of this virtual setup, the main name or entry should be my own name and if someone wants to put a name to the robot medium it would just be a secondary name or entry.

Q: Can you tell me a bit about how you built this robot?

A: Well, it all started at Christmas a year ago when I got a robot kit as a Christmas gift. It had an aluminum base with a motor and wheels. But it took me over a year to design and implement the setup that you now see. I wanted the robot to be tall enough so that I could talk with people at a conference table and I wanted it to have a pretty substantial base so that it wouldn’t tip over.  To make it tall enough I created a shape like an oil derrick so that’s what you’d see if you took the jacket off.  The power system was the most challenging component and I had to experiment with a couple of different solutions.  I wanted something that would allow me to be mobile, reliable, and safe. One system design would have been too much of an electrocution hazard. I finally settled on a hefty uninterruptible power supply (ups). Next, I included a plain old monitor on the setup, and a Mac Mini to run the video software that allows you to see me. Finally, I have two cameras attached in front and back. The front camera has a fish eye lens and can see 180 degrees both horizontally and vertically. The back camera is pointed down and helps me when I want to back into my work space where I connect the plug to the electrical outlet for charging in between my little forays around the office.

Also, the video conferencing system is something that I’ve programmed myself based on open source software.

Q: What’s been the most challenging part of the robot? Have you had any accidents?

A: Maneuvering is definitely a challenge. Sometimes I can’t see very well and I bump into a lot of walls. One time I brushed a postcard off of someone’s wall when they weren’t there and I couldn’t pick it up. I drove back later to apologize and that was fun.

But for the most part it’s been an enormous success and a really great way to interact with my colleagues.

Next time you’re at the CDL offices, be sure to stop by to say hello to Martin.

Photo credit: Craig Thompson

Since the launch of our new web presence in January, 2010, the User Experience Design team has continued our commitment to finding new and timely ways to serve our users’ needs. In the summer of 2010, we embarked on a mobile user research project that culminated in our creation of a new mobile version of CDL’s website. We want to support our users whether they are at their desks or on the go in a mobile context.

We have enabled an auto-detect feature to recognize when certain mobile devices are trying to access the CDL website; the auto-detect automatically sends users to the mobile site. We’re providing quick hits of information geared specifically for mobile use– things like contact info, directions, system status, CDLINFO news.

Learn more about the process we used to arrive at this first iteration of the mobile site.

We hope to continue to grow and develop our site by monitoring use patterns, incorporating more features and content as needed. So stay tuned and visit us (http://www.cdlib.org) when you’re on the go…

Here at CDL, we’ve been working hard all summer immersing ourselves in all things mobile. And we’re excited to share with you our findings and next steps for mobile support and development for some of CDL services.

To re-cap, our mobile investigation was conducted as a three part harmony:

1. Rachael Hu, User Experience Design Manager, and Alison Meier, UC Berkeley iSchool intern, conducted a user research inquiry to understand how UC students, faculty and staff were adopting and utilizing mobile devices in their academic workflow. The final report and detailed project findings and comprehensive resource listings as well as other project deliverables can be found on the CDL mobile research wiki project page (https://confluence.ucop.edu/display/CMDUR/Home ). In addition to the main report are separate reports on Discovery and Delivery and Digital Special Collections.
2. Holly Eggleston, Electronic Resource Analyst and Resource Liaison Coordinator, with the cooperation of the Resource Wranglers Team, drove the effort to test, investigate, and formulate CDL’s mobile activation and support strategy for CDL Licensed Resources.  For details about supported resources, known technical issues and considerations for campuses who are implementing mobile, please see http://www.cdlib.org/services/collections/mobile.html .  
3. Lena Zentall, Discovery and Delivery Project Manager, spearheaded an effort to develop Discovery and Delivery mobile strategy for their services, such as UC-eLinks and Request. Findings from the user research inquiry as well as a detailed mapping of the inter-relation of these services with CDL licensed resources helped to formulate next steps for mobile accessibility.

We plan to communicate our harmonized findings and next steps to UC campuses and beyond throughout the fall. Stay tuned for more information. But in the meantime, please take a look at the CDL mobile research wiki.

We hope you find the information as illuminating as we did…

CDL is beginning a formal exploration and investigation into mobile device use on the UC campuses and how that impacts our services. We will be:

1. Studying mobile device user patterns to inform CDL service development
2. Using the Discovery & Delivery Program as a case study for CDL’s mobile readiness
3. Assessing licensed database and e-journal vendors’ mobile functionality and campuses’ readiness to access this functionality

Rachael Hu, CDL’s User Experience Design Manager, is leading the mobile device user research component with the assistance of an intern from UC Berkeley’s School of Information. Coordinating the Discovery & Delivery Program’s case study is Lena Zentall, Project Manager, and Holly Eggleston, CDL’s Resource Liaison Coordinator and Electronic Resource Analyst, is leading the assessment of the mobile functionality of licensed resources and campuses’ readiness to adopt and deploy this functionality.

Our goal is to gather user-based evidence to help formulate guidelines in developing mobile compatible versions of CDL services, as well as aid in the mobile discovery and delivery of licensed resources. We also hope to hear about and coordinate with UC campuses and their work surrounding mobile service development.

Work is beginning now and will continue through the summer. CDL will be conducting literature reviews, comparative analysis of mobile application and service functionality as well as talking to library and IT staff, students, faculty, and researchers. We will also be conducting a survey of end-users and in-person interviews as needed. We are sensitive to our campus colleagues’ time and work priorities so will coordinate our campus communication efforts. The ultimate goal of our exploration will be to provide services that better support campuses in their role as facilitators for meeting UC patrons’ growing mobile-based information needs.