STAFF RESOURCES |
Econlit and Social Work Abstracts are transitioning from OVID to EBSCO.
The Philosophers Index will also likely migrate to EBSCO.
Hartman will ask Womack to review and update the Econlit description.
Core functionality has not changed. Perhaps something like browser requirements are different.
WAC members will scan EBSCO and OVID databases and send changes and observations to Au. Au will work with McDonald to
carry through the necessary updates.
This project is slightly delayed in its rollout because the CJK font package was not included in the new public PC image. McDonald will ask Womack to provide PDF's of the Chinese welcomes to link to for the interim period before the public PC's are able to natively show CJK fonts. Womack will test the welcome pages on Alex PC's and Au will test them on Dana PC's. The intent is that the Welcome box will appear above the news box for the first four weeks of a semester and then be shifted below the news box. This decision will be reviewed by WAC after statistics and feedback are available. For fall semester, the welcome box will be going up late and will left there until WAC decides otherwise.
WAC discussed the large size of the chat box on the front page. It was noted that the front page is notably slower on some PC's because the browser needs to start up its Flash plugin and make extra connections. WAC asked McDonald to make a demo of the front page that placed a smaller box (during AAL-Live hours) with a link to the large Meebo chat box page. The idea that this would be a prominent alert without the Flash overhead. Added benefits are the content doesn't get pushed down so far and user get a larger text box to type/read in.
ISC wants to rename the site section "Library Instruction" to "Leaning Tools." The content that they wish to be placed there (and in front-page mouse-over block) is quite long (and of a different format than other brief sections.) WAC asked McDonald to prepare a demo for the next meeting so it could be viewed and evaluated. In reviewing the proposed content and the other instruction pages WAC noted that the connections between various pages was unclear. WAC suggests that the "Get Help link" near the top be moved down under "Other Resources."
Not discussed.
Server environment being configured for Drupal. Expected to be ready in late September. Future projects in development: Library Who's Who and Research Guides.
McDonald doing usual updates. Working on Drupal projects.
No report. Hoover not available.
No report. IPAC didn't meet last month.
WAC discussed its role and reporting relationship to the councils. The charge indicates that WAC reported to Public Services Council. ("The Web Advisory Committee is a subgroup of the Public Services Council, and members are appointed by the Associate University Librarian for Public Services and Communications.")