[Web4lib] MyLibrary-LIKE: Who, What, Where?

[John Fereira]

At 02:06 PM 10/16/2005, Charlie McNeil wrote:
>All -
>
>
>
>We are about to undertake a library web redesign. Over time we have seen
>people discuss uses of MyLibrary-like applications to provide better
>user-centered library services. Some focus on the MY part and allow users to
>build there own resource pages; some focus on being able to push content in
>context such as reserve reading lists and subject guides to courses in an
>LMS such as WebCT. User centered and reusability/adaptability seem to be the
>key features.


Greetings,

About five years ago I was one of two developer that created a MyLibrary 
system here at Cornell.  In our case, we separated the MyLibrary system 
into a set of services, initially just a virtual bookmark manager with 
linking into the networked resources (i.e. online databases, journals) and 
a Current Awareness service which provided patrons a list of titles based 
on subject criteria via email.  We subsequently added a Table of Contents 
service (which aggregates feeds from multiple vendors and provides the TOC 
in multiple formats (i.e. text, html, endnote, refworks).  Just prior to 
the release of that system the other programmer left the library so I've 
had responsibility for all of the services ever since.  All that said, if I 
were to create a new MyLibrary system I would first look at the work that 
Eric Lease Morgan did with his open source version 
(http://dewey.library.nd.edu/mylibrary/).


>What we are wondering is who is actually using these applications and to
>what purposes? Is it just a few with larger tech staffs or are there many
>that just do it with little fanfare. We have a small systems staff, but we
>too want to create an environment that is user-centered and enables the user
>to get their work done in the best way possible.

We've done some user statistics collection and found that the services are 
mostly used by faculty, staff, and graduate students.



>We have such a mix of systems that there is an obvious need to somehow pull
>it all together better. For example, like many others, we have a library
>website, an OPAC (Endeavor), an eReserve system (Docutek), SerialsSolutions
>for journal management, consortia Virtual catalogs, RefWorks and Ezproxy
>authentication. We are also about to implement metasearch and OpenURL
>resolver systems (Endeavor).  How do we make it all work together as whole
>and how do we prepare for interfacing our systems with others such as WebCT
>or a university portal.

While there are frameworks that will help you're likely going to have to do 
a lot of "customization" work to tie all your different applications 
together.  One approach might be to use something like uPortal 
(http://www.uportal.org) which will provide a framework for aggregating 
your content as a collection of portlets, each of which will provide a 
different service.  The portal can take care of 
authentication/authorization (single sign-on) and provide a common user 
interface to each of the services.

You might try putting both MyLibrary and uPortal in a google search to see 
some approaches that have been discussed, including a presentation that 
Eric and I collaborated on in 2003 at a LITA conference.
for the wordiness, high anxiety lessens my efficiency.