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CDL Database Transitions

March 28, 2002 Author: CDLCategories:

a. Usability Testing Begins on the CDL Interface of Melvyl-T

The campuses will begin conducting interface usability tests on an early prototype of the Melvyl-T database beginning the week of April 1.  The tests will concentrate on basics of the customized CDL interface to the Aleph system. Evaluation Liaisons at six UC campuses (UCSB, UCSC, UCSD, UCLA, UCSF, UCI) will test the search and display functions, and the terminology used in the CDL interface.  UC student participants at these campuses will be provided with a series of tasks to perform and will be observed and listened to by the usability test administrator and observer.  After working with three to four students at each campus, Evaluation Liaisons will then be reporting their results to the CDL.  Fixes for identified problems will be folded into the next iteration of the interface.

A second round of usability testing is planned for May, with Evaluation Liaisons from UCR, UCB, and UCD testing profile, registration, update, email, and fixes from the first round of testing, if possible.  A third round is set for June to test the changes made in the interface following the first two rounds of testing. There may be a fourth round of testing.  A roster of the campus Evaluation Liaisons is available at [http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/education/evaluation/evaluationliaisonroster.html].

The CDL depends upon this crucial collaboration with the campuses to improve the interface of UC’s union catalog, and is very grateful to the Evaluation Liaisons for their participation in this important venture.

Wider release of the Melvyl-T prototype catalog will follow these initial usability tests and implementation of the priority changes that they suggest.

b. MLA Update

It was announced in the February 28, 2002 issue of CDLINFO that the Ovid version of the MLA Bibliography would have an overlap period with the SilverPlatter version of MLA through March 28, at which time the MLA Directory of Periodicals via Ovid was expected to be available.

Ovid’s timeline for incorporating the Directory has slipped, so we have asked Ovid to continue running the SilverPlatter version of MLA through the end of finals at all campuses–June 18, 2002.  (Ovid Technologies and SilverPlatter have merged into one company.)  There will also be a Z39.50 CDL-hosted version of MLA running through June 18.  After that date, the Ovid (native) version will be the sole interface of MLA.