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Accessing Millennium from your VLE. Issues, Aims, Requirements Chris Awre EIUG 11th Annual Conference University of Stirling September 2005. Introduction. Why? Background to providing access What? Access that could be provided When? Current and future possibilities. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Accessing Millennium from your VLEIssues, Aims, Requirements
Chris AwreEIUG 11th Annual ConferenceUniversity of StirlingSeptember 2005
Introduction
•Why?
•Background to providing access
•What?
•Access that could be provided
•When?
•Current and future possibilities
Access to the library catalogue•Users come to the library catalogue website
•Link prominently displayed on library website
•URL widely distributed
•Access through the VLE changes this
•Taking Millennium to the user
•Access where the user is, not where the user has to come
•Bringing more users to Millennium
Purpose of providing access
•Locate items
•Check user record
•Books out
•Holds status
•Fines
•Discover items
Type of access
•Access to search functionality
•Catalogue access, ERM access
•Access to user functionality
•User record access
•Access to additional service functionality
•e.g., inter-library loan request, link resolver
Level of access
•Surface integration - embedding URL links within the VLE
•Links to the library catalogue front page or MyMillennium login
• e.g., http://library.hull.ac.uk/ or http://library.hull.ac.uk/patroninfo
•Links to specific search types
• e.g., http://library.hull.ac.uk/search?a
•Links to encapsulated searches
• e.g., http://library.hull.ac.uk/search/t=orienteering
Level of access (2)
•Third party integration - linking the VLE and Millennium through another system
•Embedding OpenURL links (calling up WebBridge etc.)
• http://www.mysrv.org/menu?id=doi:10.111/12345&genre=article&aulast=Weibel&aufirst=Stu&ISSN=35345353&year=2001&volume=14&issue=3&spage=44&pid=2829393&sid=OCLC:Inspec
•Reading list software
• e.g., Sentient or Talis
• Acts as link between the catalogue and VLE
Level of access (3)
•In-depth integration - presenting Millennium services within the VLE
•Embedded search box
•Embedding the search form only
•Iframes/HTML fragments/HTML templates
•Embedding Millennium native website within VLE
•Look and feel may be Millennium-based or VLE-based depending on route taken
Level of access (4)
•Portlets
•Encapsulated presentation of Millennium functionality
•Proprietary methods
• e.g., Blackboard Building Blocks, WebCT PowerLinks
•Open standard methods
• JSR 168 and WSRP standards for use in conformant frameworks (e.g., uPortal/Sakai)
•Look and feel can be defined according to need
•RSS feeds
Subsequent access
•After initial access, where is the user taken next?
•Surface integration
•User is transferred back to Millennium website
•Link acts as re-router back to native service
•In-depth integration
•Embedded search box transfers user back to Millennium
•User remains within VLE for other routes
Authentication
•For authenticated services (e.g., MyMillennium) the relationship with VLE authentication needs clarifying
•No relationship
•User will have to login to MyMillennium separately
•Simplified or Single Sign-On solution
•Permits login to VLE to automatically login user to MyMillennium
•More seamless
Linking to additional functions•Once integrating access to Millennium,
how much is this replicating existing interaction?
•Can the user place requests (hold or ILL)?
•Can the user link to related resources using link resolution?
•User expectation management
•Can provide less, but user needs to be clear about what they are getting
User requirements
•User expectation can be managed in part by gathering user requirements
•What would users want from accessing Millennium within a VLE?
•Do they want it?
•CREE Project investigated these questions
CREE
•Contextual Resource Evaluation Environment
•Part of the JISC Portals Programme
•Evaluating the use of Internet search tools in portal and non-portal contexts
•Two strands
•Technology development and testing
•User requirements gathering and analysis
Search tools in context•Usually accessed via home website
•CREE examined access in different contexts, away from home website
•Access via a local, e.g., library, web page
•Access via a virtual learning environment
•Access via an institutional portal
•Taking search tools to the user
CREE: a partnership
•e-SIG, University of Hull
•OUCS, University of Oxford
•EDINA, University of Edinburgh
•Archaeology Data Service, University of York
•Newark & Sherwood College
•instructional media + magic, inc.
Search tools
•CREE examined examples of different types
•Library catalogue (University of Hull)
•Bibliographic resource (zetoc, GetRef)
•Subject resource (Archaeology Data Service)
•Reference resource (Dictionary.com)
•Web resources (RDN)
•Internet search engine (Google)
CREE User Testing
•Three fully-functional search interface demonstrators built
•Library web page
•VLE
•Institutional portal
•Included access to Millennium using embedded search form (direct access) and portlet (access via Z39.50) routes
Demonstrator interface: portal
Demonstrator Interface: VLE
Searching whilst using a VLE
Every time9%
Frequently30%
Not very frequently
30%
Never31%
Every time6%
Frequently28%
Not very frequently
32%
Never34%
Internet Search tools Catalogues
Searching whilst using a VLE
•Users with greater familiarity of using a VLE showed a higher frequency of using search tools
•Large proportion of users do not use search tools whilst using a VLE
Searching from within a VLE
10.564.7
24.8
0 20 40 60 80
Searching fromwithin a VLE Always
Depends on searchNever
Would youfind it useful?
Searching from within a VLE
•Focus groups had a strong preference for multiple windows
•Allows control of the search tools used
•Considered to be as quick
•Access to quick reference tools considered useful, though
•Dictionary, thesaurus etc.
From theory to practice
•The survey and focus groups offered theoretical feedback and information
•User testing with demonstrators offered feedback on the basis of seeing and using search tools in context
What type of resources?Resource VLE Portal Web
page
Library catalogues
86.9% 82.2% 93.5%
Search engines
71.8% 64.5% 84.8%
Bib. databases
78.2% 82.2% 84.8%
Subject resources
86.9% 82.3% 82.6%
Ref. resources 84.8% 71.1% 76.1%
Web resources
76.1% 66.7% 73.9%Access to resources as useful or very useful
What type of resources?Resource VLE Portal Web
page
Library catalogues
86.9% 82.2% 93.5%
Search engines
71.8% 64.5% 84.8%
Bib. databases
78.2% 82.2% 84.8%
Subject resources
86.9% 82.3% 82.6%
Ref. resources 84.8% 71.1% 76.1%
Web resources
76.1% 66.7% 73.9%Access to resources as useful or very useful
Will they use them?
Resource VLE Portal Web page
Library catalogues
73.4% 56.6% 67.4%
Search engines
51.1% 39.1% 46.8%
Bib. databases
75.5% 71.8% 73.9%
Subject resources
80.0% 71.8% 78.8%
Ref. resources 75.6% 65.2% 65.2%
Web resources
66.7% 63.0% 62.2%Likely or far more likely to use them in these contexts
Will they use them?
Resource VLE Portal Web page
Library catalogues
73.4% 56.6% 67.4%
Search engines
51.1% 39.1% 46.8%
Bib. databases
75.5% 71.8% 73.9%
Subject resources
80.0% 71.8% 78.8%
Ref. resources 75.6% 65.2% 65.2%
Web resources
66.7% 63.0% 62.2%Likely or far more likely to use them in these contexts
Using resources
•Greater interest is in search tool types that users do not know how to access elsewhere
•Not necessarily the library catalogue
•Greatest overall preference is for access to search tools via a VLE
•Highest demand is for access to search tools relevant to subject
And where should they go?
•Users preferred access to a single screen containing a range of search tools
•A single place they can remember
•Where search tools are a part of the VLE or portal, they should not be mixed in with other functionality
•Clear distinction of roles
Forward steps
•Look to serve library catalogue through portal
•Partly driven by practicalities and licensing
•Plan to surface selected search tools within library web pages
•Starting with library catalogue
•Play results into ongoing review of e-learning systems
•View to long-term incorporation within VLE
Current possibilities
•Surface integration
•Can be done now!
•URLs can be embedded within VLE documents etc.
• Does the link open a new window or not?
•Underused functionality - needs selling?
•Not limited by VLE system
Current possibilities (2)•In-depth integration
•Possibilities often depend on VLE system
•Search box - should be OK, but need to check
•Iframes/HTML fragments/HTML templates - unlikely to be possible without some work with vendor
•Portlets
• CREE portlet will be available soon for Z39.50 access via a portal
• No VLE systems are JSR 168/WSRP conformant yet (Sakai?)
III and VLEs
•Blackboard Building Block
•Specific solution for this VLE
III and integration
•Single Sign-On
•Via Apache front-end server
•Makes use of open source CAS (Centralized Authentication Server)
•RSS feeds
•“patron-specific RSS feeds of timely personalized information”
•“automatically updated RSS feeds of new titles or other record groups”
Thank you
