Web-based training thesauri (was RE: Do we want a .lib or .library domain?)

Jenny Levine levinej at sls.lib.il.us
Thu Dec 21 09:25:54 EST 2000


	First of all, apologies to Steve Garwood, as I did not mean to 
imply that his own Web site was not filled with "good stuff."  It was 
aimed more at the generic "you" of small libraries that don't have the 
time or resources to make their site do what it should.  It's a difficult 
but predictable spot they are in.
	I still maintain that marketing and therefore budget and staff 
are the biggest obstacles for libraries, but I haven't found a really 
good solution for this yet.  Collaboration is definitely one piece of the 
puzzle (and only one piece), so my Library System and three others have 
been awarded a grant by the Illinois Secretary of State to build LibraryU, a 
centralized, online repository of Web-based tutorials for librarians and
patrons.  The modules will be based on WebCT software and they will all
be written by librarians on topics such as how to use FirstSearch, how to
use some of the new State of Illinois online services, how to use
government documents, how to research your family history online, and 
more.  We expect to go live with 13 modules this spring but the intent is
for libraries across the State to contribute models on a continuing basis.
	Therefore, we know we need to determine how to index and present 
them in a logical way from the beginning.  I know others have worked on 
similar projects, so I am curious if anyone knows of a distance education 
or Web-based training thesaurus.  We're not affiliated with a college, so 
using a course catalog won't work.  There will be modules for academic, 
public, school, and special librarians, as well as the full range of 
the general public so whatever we use must cover a broad context.
	Any and all suggestions are welcome!  TIA,

----------------------------------------------------------------
Jenny Levine					125 Tower Drive
Internet Development Specialist			Burr Ridge, IL 60521
Suburban Library System				+1 (630) 734 5141
http://www.sls.lib.il.us/			levinej at sls.lib.il.us


On Wed, 20 Dec 2000, Garwood, Steve wrote:

> 1. Personalized Portals - Of course, what I'd really love to see though is a
> site viewable on a Computer/Palm/Webtv/InternetAppliance/ScreenReader
> 2. I get 12,000 hits a month on our website, with about 85% of those people
> going straight to our catalog. I've designed small business websites which
> get many more hits than that. Even with our stupid URL www.camden.lib.nj.us
> I don't think we're that difficult to find. Not getting to defensive, but
> it's filled with "good stuff" :-P.  It's just that we aren't even close to
> the first place people think of going for information (Of at least the
> people I know). After a few years on the reference desk one trend I think
> I've identified is "Whew, high school/college is over now I don't have to go
> to the library anymore"
> 3. You know I never thank Amazon, but then again I have clicked on Ad's from
> their site, therefore generating revenue for them, I've probably purchased
> about 50 books in the last couple of years, and I was also there about 5
> times today verifying titles and isbn's as their site is faster than
> BIP...Which do you think they'd prefer?
> 4. I totally agree with communicating more effectively, I just don't think
> 10,000 little libraries can do it. I'd rather see 10,000 little libraries
> all pushing one big thing which uses all the work of the 10,000 little ones.
> 
> Well enuf of my rant. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
> 
> Steve
> P.S. anyone else sick and tired of getting the response "I like to read"
> when you introduce yourself as a librarian? (no need to reply to the list on
> this one)
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jenny Levine [mailto:levinej at sls.lib.il.us]
> Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 2:16 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: Do we want a .lib or .library domain?
> 
> 
> On Wed, 20 Dec 2000, Garwood, Steve wrote:
> > To be quite honest I'd like to see us all work together on a
> > www.library.com, which of course would be accesible via library.org .net
> > .lib .info, etc.
> 
> 	With a way to customize it to my state, region, etc., right?  I may
> not 
> care about California's election process versus my home state's (Florida
> being 
> the exception, of course!).
>  
> > I kind of think that people don't really care that libraries are online.
> > Yahoo is easier and to be quite honest it can often be a pain in the butt
> to
> > find your local libraries website (if it has one).
> 
> 	If your people don't care that your library is online, then you 
> don't have a good online presence and you certainly haven't filled it 
> with things that are useful to them.  Online catalogs are a wonderful 
> example of people caring, and I can tell you from my experience with the 
> Virtual Illinois Catalog (VIC) that a lot of people *do* care and quite 
> deeply.  They really, really, really appreciate this service because no 
> one else offers it, including Amazon.  Granted it has a long way to go to 
> truly serve people's needs, but already it's having an impact and a lot 
> of everyday folks care enough to send us comments of appreciation.  
> When's the last time you thanked Amazon?
> 	Finding the Web site is a separate issue from caring about your 
> online services.  If my library's site was located at the URL amazon.com 
> I'd sure remember it much better, but it's not my fault it's gone and 
> they have a big marketing budget to publicize it.  For VIC, we did the 
> "right" thing and registered it at http://www.vic.lib.il.us/, which no 
> one is going to remember.  We're trying to implement several new URLs 
> such as  http://www.findvic.org/, which should help, but I'll never be able
> to 
> publicize it the way Amazon could.  Although, to be fair, can you tell me 
> the little memory rhyme Amazon is using in their current holiday ads?  
> The one that uses the first letter of each of their store names?  I'll 
> remember the VIC URL before that crazy ditty, so it's always good to 
> remember that sometimes they aren't all that great at marketing either.
> 
> > I'd rather see a site that can "compete" with the Yahoo's out there. We
> are
> > the info "gods", why do we have the marketing of the Edsel?
> 
> 	I'd advocate that the Librarians' Index to the Internet comes 
> pretty close.  They just need a national marketing push (ALA?).  You know 
> the annual competition between search engines to find relevant hits?  We 
> need a librarian searching LII to prove our superiority!  We have 
> the marketing of the Edsel because our budgets haven't gotten much better 
> in this area than they were when the Edsel was introduced.  While I like 
> a lot of Steve's ideas about competing with Amazon and why we're better 
> than they are, I think we're already doing some of this stuff.  We just 
> need to tell people about it more effectively.  Who's with me to design a 
> librarian sock puppet?!  Personally, I think the Librarian Avenger has 
> great potential since Xena is waning....
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> Jenny Levine                                    125 Tower Drive
> Internet Development Specialist                 Burr Ridge, IL 60521
> Suburban Library System                         +1 (630) 734 5141
> http://www.sls.lib.il.us/                       levinej at sls.lib.il.us
> 
> 
> > From: Peter Murray [mailto:PMurray at law.uconn.edu]
> > Sent: Wednesday, December 20, 2000 1:16 PM
> > To: Multiple recipients of list
> > Subject: [WEB4LIB] RE: Do we want a .lib or .library domain?
> > 
> > 
> > --On Wednesday, December 20, 2000 4:36 AM -0800 tdowling 
> > <tdowling at ohiolink.edu> wrote:
> > > Did libraries stop being information services without anyone telling
> > > me?    I'm happy with .info.
> > 
> > True, but a library-specific TLD would raise the visibility of 
> > libraries on the net, and that can't do anything but help us.
> > 
> > At least until there are a gazillion TLDs...
> > 
> > 
> > Peter
> > --
> > Peter Murray, Computer Services Librarian              W: 860-570-5233
> > University of Connecticut Law School             Hartford, Connecticut
> > 
> 


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