By Ellen Meltzer, CDL Information Services Manager

How will the Next Generation Melvyl Pilot be evaluated, and how can users provide input?

There are several ways the pilot will be evaluated, including the following:

1. End user assessment during the pilot will be a key piece of the evaluation process.  Two rounds of assessment with faculty and graduate students will take place in May at UC Berkeley and UC Irvine conducted by UC’s End User Assessment Task Group and OCLC’s well-established assessment team.  Participants will be observed and recorded, and their screen moves and audio will be captured for future viewing.  Lessons learned from the assessment will be folded into upcoming versions of the interface.

A second round of testing with end users will take place in the fall to evaluate other features or interface changes made since round one.

2. Users, including librarians, have several other ways of providing input on the pilot:
1. They can provide input using the Feedback link at the bottom of the screen or in the pulldown menu marked Home in the upper left of the screen.  Comments go to both OCLC and to the CDL.  Checking the box “I am a librarian or library employee” ensures the comment goes directly to OCLC first.
2. They can use the Ask a Librarian link under “Get Help” in the Web banner.  As per the recommendation of the Help & End User Support Task Group, the Ask a Librarian links go to the local campus library service.  Those staffing these services are welcome to send any questions to the CDL Helpline for assistance in answering them.
3. There will be a Survey link (coming soon) in the Web banner.  The purpose of the survey is to assess user satisfaction, gather information about ease of use and provide users the opportunity to tell us what features they like and dislike about the service.

Remember, some improvements are already in process.  Don’t forget to read the list of Known Problems to see what OCLC is already working on.

The Next Generation Melvyl is in perpetual beta, and we expect to see enhancements throughout the pilot.  User assessment is key to providing the information that will drive improvements.  Please be sure to encourage users to use one of these mechanisms to tell the UC and OCLC teams what you think.

For more information on the pilot, see http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/uc_oclc.html

Increased security for Request service
In order to make the transmission of personal data and other information more secure within UC’s Request (interlibrary loan) service, Request began running under https (a secure version of http) on December 12, 2007.

Some users did not use the online Request service due to data security concerns.  The use of “https” removes the barrier to the Request service for these users.

The change to “https” for the Request service is essentially transparent to the user and does not require the user to change the way Request is accessed.  At the time of the change the campus proxy service contacts were asked to add port 4502 as an allowable SSL port.  In some cases, this new port may be blocked, making it difficult for users in some non-library campus buildings (such as labs) to access Request. If faculty or students in one of your campus departments are having trouble accessing Request, please ask them to check with their computer support service that port 4502 is allowed on their server.

January 15th, 2008 access to “My ILL Requests” limited to UC IPs.
Users must come in from a UC IP address from on campus or via their campus proxy or VPN service to access My ILL Requests, a service that allows users to view and manage their interlibrary loan requests online
 <http://ucill.cdlib.org:8082/zportal/zengine?VDXaction=LoginPage>

My ILL Requests enhancement
April 1, 2008 the “Sort by due date” option was added to My ILL Requests. 

Request service statistics
Statistics for My ILL Requests < http://www.cdlib.org/inside/assess/protected/ill-zportal/zportal-usage-2008.html> became available on February 21, 2008.

VDX statistics < http://www.cdlib.org/inside/assess/protected/vdx/> were changed from Crystal Reports to a web based product on with the February 2008 statistics reports posted on March 25, 2008.  The statistics reports are now posted in HTML on the Inside VDX pages, instead of PDF.  ILL staff members have access to a web tool to generate tab delimited reports.

In January and February, behind the scenes work of a different nature has been occurring for the pilot.  Earlier the ball was primarily in UC’s court to define our requirements within the context of OCLC’s WorldCat Local service.  Now, OCLC is building the pilot catalogs based on these requirements.  The Implementation and Executive Teams, along with the University Librarians continue to make decisions as we progress from the planning to implementation stage of the pilot.

Campus and union catalog configurations
The Implementation Team, in coordination with the Systemwide Operations and Planning Advisory Group (SOPAG) and campus experts, has been filling out detailed OCLC questionnaires that will make the construction of the catalogs possible.  The questionnaires were modified from the original versions to recognize UC’s complexities and idiosyncrasies (e.g., two regional library storage facilities, thousands of records for mass digitized items, use of Z39.50 to extract circulation information; UC’s Request system).

Building the catalogs
Staff at OCLC are now working intensely on building the UC catalogs, beginning with the 4 lead implementer campuses (representing all 10 campus integrated library systems [ILS]): UC Berkeley for GLADIS/Pathfinder; UC Davis for Ex Libris Aleph; UCLA for Ex Libris Endeavor; and UC San Diego representing the Innovative Interfaces, Inc. (III) Millennium campuses.  UC Santa Barbara also has an Aleph system, and the remaining campuses have Millennium. 

More decisions make the project real
“Buy it from Amazon”: The University Librarians supported the decision to have links to “Buy it from Amazon” in the pilot catalog.  As a result, the catalog will also contain other Amazon features such as reviews from Amazon and others, and about 2 million cover art images.   (Per Amazon policy, those features will only be available to sites which implement the “Buy It from Amazon” link.) 

UC affirmed our desire to enable links to other bookstores, especially local and campus bookstores.  In the Implementation Team planning, we agreed that expanding link options is a goal for production, and OCLC confirmed that they are still committed to that goal.

Logos: With the help of the End User Communication Task Group, and staff at UCLA, logos have been created for the pilot.  

Web banner links: From the Help & End User Support Task Group report recommendations, there will be 3 links in the web banner: Get Help, Off-Campus Access (proxy or VPN help), and a link to the local catalog.  In addition, there will be a link to a user survey.  New survey questions will be created by the Assessment Task Group (nearly formed).

Get Help: Get Help will be the same for all campuses, and each campus will have a link to ask a librarian, going to their local service.

Feedback links: Feedback links will be sent to CDL and OCLC so that we can evaluate the value of the service to our users and identify any issues that are raised.

Scoping of the catalogs: WCL has added the ability to limit search retrieval by means of a dropdown box, so the user only sees items at the local campus or in the University of California.  The catalog default will still be set to search all of the WorldCat holdings, with local campus and University of California holdings listed first, so we can evaluate the value of this broad retrieval to users and identify any issues that it raises.  Within a session, though, our users will be able to change the setting to limit their retrievals to only the local campus or University of California holdings.

Customized URLs: Customized URLs have been created for each campus catalog and the UC-wide union view of the pilot.

Harvested metadata: Harvested metadata will be included in the pilot from CDL’s eScholarship Repository, the UCLA Archive of Popular Music and more.

Assessment: Two kinds of assessment are being planned.  First is to assess the readiness for UC to move into the pilot (and later, whether to move from pilot to production).  Second, assessment with end users is moving into place with the formation of the End User Assessment Workgroup, and a Joint UC-OCLC Workgroup on User Assessment, Communication & Help/Support.  UC will be working closely with OCLC’s robust and long-established assessment team.

Campus Visits: Round 1 of campus visits by members of the Implementation Team have been completed.

Launch packet: The communication team is creating a “Launch Packet” with suggestions for placement of the catalog on campus web pages, language, and handouts for the launch of the pilot projected for April 2008.

For more information on the pilot, visit http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/uc_oclc.html.
Use the Comments? Feedback? link at the bottom of the page for questions or comments.

CDL recently conducted an assessment concerning existing and potential service options for the UC-eLinks service menu. This assessment was conducted at UCSC and UCLA in November 2007. The scope of the assessment was broader than last February’s assessment and the modest redesign that was completed last summer: it covered such issues as how users enter the service menu, whether want to go directly to full text items (bypassing the service menu entirely), and the "UC-eLinks" name.

The report is available for your review at: http://www.cdlib.org/inside/assess/evaluation_activities/docs/2007/UC-eLinks_report_nov2007.pdf

The most significant recommendation is to “explore the potential for changing the service menu window to feature direct linking in a frame”. Another significant recommendation is to retain the existing UC-eLinks name and orange button.

Pending the blessing of our campus partners, CDL will begin a design and development effort to implement direct linking in a frame. If users validate that they prefer this implementation over the existing service menu, we plan to implement the change in production.

While Request functionality will be accessible from the UC-eLinks service menu at the start of the Next Generation Melvyl pilot, easier and more intuitive access to the current Request system has been postponed from June to early fall.  The delay is due to the complexity in building UC Request (Interlibrary Loan) into OCLC WorldCat Local (WCL) and the desire to have as successful and robust a system as UC currently has.

What will this mean for us?
The pilot will still be launched in April.  Each campus will have its own local version of Melvyl (e.g., ucla.worldcat.org) with its local records displayed first, followed by other UC records, followed by global WorldCat records.  The union catalog view will not preference any one campus; it will display UC libraries records followed by global WorldCat records.  

For the April release, the Request option in UC-eLinks will be used for interlibrary loan purposes, as is now the case when using licensed resources.  Until Request is improved in early fall, users will have an extra step in borrowing books.  Currently in Melvyl, users can find books in Melvyl and click directly on the Request button to get the item. In the pilot, from April to fall 2008, they will have to use Request option within UC-eLinks.  After direct access to Request is implemented in WCL, borrowing books will be easier, involving fewer steps and a better end-user experience.  The look and feel of these services may be different from the way they currently appear.

All in all, it’s good news.  The takeaway message is this: users will be able to borrow books and other items throughout the life of the pilot; in fall 2008, it’ll be easier by a step or two.  But the best news is that OCLC, after having worked with the UC libraries, is changing its strategy concerning interlibrary loan delivery.  Influencing OCLC’s research agenda was one of the goals of the UC-OCLC collaboration…mission accomplished.

A survey was undertaken to learn from the campuses 1) their preferred methods for learning about the Next Generation Melvyl Pilot project; 2) their desired format for the content of communications; and 3) the frequency and timing of reports.

In brief, the majority of users chose email updates as the preferred method of communication. Respondents primarily want overviews with potential impacts, digests, overviews, and links to detailed reports of the pilot.  When asked how often they would like to receive information about the project, respondents expressed an equal preference for 1) monthly reports and 2) when milestones are reached.

Detailed findings and recommendations are available at:  http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/NextGenerationMelvylPilotFindings.doc

Zotero is an innovative citation manager that works in tandem with the Firefox web browser.  One of the enhancements to the software underlying Melvyl, which went live recently, made it possible to have Zotero import citations from the Melvyl interface.  [Note: if you are still seeing the previous behavior in which Zotero was unable to import citations from Melvyl, do the following: in Zotero’s preferences, go to the “Advanced” tab and select “Rebuild Translators Table”.]

Like EndNote and RefWorks, Zotero is able to collect citations from many databases.  Some of the features that Zotero has that EndNote and RefWorks currently lack include:

1. Ability to index PDF files, enabling full-text searching of articles in your local collection.
2. Ability to store image files and archived web pages.
3. A full-fledged research tool, not just a citation manager; it is possible to include freeform notes as well as highlight and annotate archived web pages.
4. Intuitive user interface.
5. Integration with Google Docs and OpenOffice.org (in addition to Microsoft Word).
6. No purchase cost to the library or the user.

However, Zotero only works in tandem with Firefox and it outputs to far few citation styles–eight at the moment, including APA, Chicago, and MLA–compared to the hundreds of citation styles supported by EndNote and RefWorks.

If you are new to Zotero, the introductory screencasts provide useful tutorials that demonstrate Zotero functionality.

Separately, CDL updated the Melvyl Catalog and UC Libraries Edition of the LibX browser toolbar.  This release includes the ability to search WorldCat.org and a version of the toolbar for Internet Explorer.  More information on LibX, including instructions for installation are available at:
http://melvyl.cdlib.org/F/?func=file&file_name=help-libx-uc-cdl90

CDL is interested in your feedback about both Zotero and LibX. Send your comments and questions to Steve Toub (steve.toub@ucop.edu).

Ongoing work
The early Next Generation Melvyl Pilot (supported by the WorldCat Local [WCL] Service) task groups focused on back-end services, such as how records, holdings and circulation information will be displayed in WCL, as well as Request (interlibrary loan), linking via UC-eLinks (the SFX service) and how to handle the mass digitized content from UC’s collections.  Intense planning with the OCLC teams is ongoing.  Several OCLC staff members flew out to Oakland from Ohio in late October for a packed series of meetings with task group members from several UC campuses and the California Digital Library (CDL).  These face-to face meetings moved the project on considerably.

New task groups formed
Two recently formed task groups have begun to focus on public service directions.  A Help and End User Support Task Group is tackling questions having to do with onscreen links, help, and feedback issues in the new environment.  Work the task group has already completed is available on UC-OCLC Implementation Web site.  As with other groups, their work has been fast and furious.  In addition, an End User Communication Task Group has been charged and has begun its work.  Coming soon — an Assessment Task Group.

You can see charges and reports under Task Groups Charges and Reports on the UC-OCLC Pilot Implementation Web page:

• Help and End User Support Web Banner Links Recommendation describes the three links at the top right portion of the WCL screen will be, and includes a mocked-up image.

  http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/WebBannerLinks.doc

• Help and End User Support Task Group Progress Report discusses findings, and makes early recommendations about the type of Help necessary in WCL.

  http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/HelpTGProgressReport.doc

• End User Communication Task Group is charged to form a communication plan and other activities for the pilot.

  http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/Communications_Task_GroupCharge.doc

The Implementation Team asked you how you’d like to be kept informed    
The Implementation Team realized it wanted some concrete feedback from the campuses about how you’d like to be kept informed about this important pilot project.  We conducted a brief survey from November 1-30 that provided us with information about how to most effectively reach you, what kind of information you’d like to receive about the pilot, and how often you’d like to hear from us. 323 people responded from all 10 campuses and the CDL. Briefly, the top 4 desired methods of hearing from us are via

• Email updates
• Staff meetings with members of the Next Gen Melvyl Pilot team
• CDLINFO (http://cdlinfo.cdlib.org/)
• The project Web site (http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/uc_oclc.html)

(RSS feeds, staff meetings with campus senior library management, online videos and presentations, blogs, social networking sites followed.)

The top 4 types of information you’d like to receive are

• Overviews with a focus on potential impact
• Digest of reports
• General overviews of all topics
• Links to full, detailed reports. 

Dropping lower in the responses are “in-depth information one topic at a time”, and “news about only milestones and deadlines”.

Desired frequency of receiving reports was divided equally between “monthly” and “when milestones are reached”, and “immediately as information happens” following after.

A number of submitted comments are still to be analyzed, and a full survey report will appear in CDLINFO.

The Implementation Team made visits
Campus visits by Implementation Team members describing the pilot have been completed or are planned on the following dates:

• UCB – TBD
• UCD – June 18, 2007
• UCI – December 3, 2007
• UCLA – December 17, 2007
• UCM – November 16, 2007 LAUC Assembly
• UCR – December 14, 2007
• UCSD – November 30, 2007
• UCSF – September 17, 2007
• UCSB – October 4, 2007
• UCSC – TBD
• CDL – November 1, 2007

Detailed workplans and timelines
There are a number of actions that each campus will need to take in preparing for the pilot.  The Lead Implementers (UCB, UCD, UCLA, and UCSD) have the heaviest commitment but every campus will need to invest some time and effort.  The Implementation Team and its Task Groups will be working with each campus to complete these tasks between now and April 2008.  For each campus, a workplan (under Updates on the Web site) gives more detail about the tasks to be completed before the pilot.  Related documents can be found here:

• Preparation for the April Release
  

  http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/ReporttoULSOPAGmeetingNov27.doc

• Timeline 11/27/07

  http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/TimelinesULSOPAGmeetingNov27.xls

Again, thanks
UC librarians and staff participating on the task groups have displayed hard work above and beyond the call of duty, dedication, creativity, and flexibility in moving this Next Generation Melvyl search and discovery tool forward.  As one survey respondent said, “Go, team, go!”

Request uses simple rules to determine item availability and these work as intended the majority of the time. For example, the Request service checks journal holdings using “start year/end year” and assumes that everything between those years is available. For other materials, like books, Request interprets the circulation status “Circulation information is unavailable” obtained from the home campus by Melvyl as “available on campus”.  When the user clearly sees that her campus does not have vol. 17, issue 9, the Request message stating the item is available at the home campus is a roadblock.

The new button within Request, “Process as an Interlibrary Loan; this item is not available at my home campus” removes the roadblock for these items and allows users to get past the availability issue to continue with their Request.  Items in this category are currently sent to the home campus ILL unit for review. Request includes the home campus holdings in the information forwarded with the citation, to make it simple for the ILL staff to review the request and determine if it should go forward.

This is the first Request function to be available on a campus-by-campus basis. Eight campuses elected to participate in the November 27th rollout, with UCSD and UCSF opting to wait until 2008. The participating campuses have two options for handling these items, they can choose to have ILL staff review each item, or they can send these items directly to the first ILL lender with the rest of the ILL requests. At this time all campuses have chosen to review the items.

The new version of the Melvyl Catalog with upgraded software, which will be released on December 10, 2007, may display a UC-eLinks button on the Full Record display for online resources.  Melvyl will pass the user’s IP address along with the item metadata to the SFX (UC-eLinks) KnowledgeBase in order to determine if this user has online access to this item. If the SFX KnowledgeBase determines that the user has online access to the item, the UC-eLinks button appears.

For the display of the UC-eLinks button to work correctly for Tier 3 items (campus licensed resources), Melvyl will need the appropriate campus IP address when users are accessing from off-campus. Therefore, we are asking off-campus access mechanism (proxy or VPN) administrators to add “melvyl.cdlib.org” to their configurations, where needed.  Non-UC IP addresses will check the CDL (systemwide) instance of the SFX KnowledgeBase.

For campuses using proxy servers, patrons may be challenged for proxy authentication when they first visit Melvyl, if Melvyl is the first proxied web site they visit in a session.