ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C&RL News ■ July/August 1999 / 527 C o l l e g e & R e s e a r c h L i b r a r i e s news From public relations to information gateway by Norm M edeiros A cadem ic library W eb sites have com e a long way. Early sites generally consisted o f a few pages containing m inim um conten A large heading o r banner usually greeted those w h o stum bled across the library’s splash page. These initial sites sought little more than a pres­ ence on the Web. A hom epage was seen mostly as inexpensive advertising for th e library and its p aren t university. While creators an d users struggled to learn the hypertext m edium , issues such as naviga­ tion an d data structure w ere p assed over dur­ ing the W eb’s infancy. In short, th e prim ary catalyst for early library Web developm ent w as public relations. Many of today’s developers understand the W eb’s expanded mission. A quick look at Web b o o k s p u b lish ed since 1994 exem plifies th e trend tow ards m ore cohesive, navigable, con­ tent-rich sites. W eb d ev elo p m en t b o o k s in the cu rren t m arket address “information architecture” and “know ledge m anagem ent.” This transition can b e considered second generation Web design, that is, a m ove from reactive to proactive site design, from a concern for attention to a focus o n the u ser’s inform ation needs. Java, XML, an d plug-in applications p u sh th e limits o f w hat is capable on th e Web. Over th e last five years, w e have seen technological and ideological waves, which have spurred the library W eb site from a m ere advertising agent to the inform ation ep ice n ter o f academ ic li­ braries. Although W eb sites have assum ed this prom inent role slowly, there is no denying the im portance librarians b esto w u p o n th ese in­ t. form ation gatew ays today. Reliance by librar­ ians o n th eir o w n W eb sites is driving this change. The early vision T he U niversity o f M innesota G o p h e r system w as created in 1991 in response to an informa­ tion need. The university w anted to develop a netw orked, multi-platform application capable o f delivering inform ation resources th ro u g h ­ o u t the cam pus com m unity.1 Since G opher was predom inantly a charac­ ter-based system, the emphasis from the begin­ ning w as o n content. A typical G o p h er m enu lo o k ed like this: . 1. G o p h er at N ew York University 2. More ab o u t G o p h er (D ocum ents & Navigation T ools)/ 3. K eyw ord Search o f Titles in NYU’s G o p h e r 4. A bout N ew York University/ 5. NYU Cam pus Events/ 6. News & W eather/ 7. P hone B ooks & O th er D irectories/ 8. Inform ation for th e NYU Com m u­ n ity / 9. C om puting & Technology Services/ 10. Libraries/ 11. NYU Services & Facilities/ 12. O utreach / Extension / Comm unity Affairs/ 13. N etw ork & D atabase R esources/2 About the author Norm Medeiros is technical services librarian a t N ew York University School o f Medicine, e-mail:medein01@library.med.nyu.edu Academic library Web sites mailto:medein01@library.med.nyu.edu 528 / C&RL News ■ July/August 1999 Since graphical expression was limited in Gopher, the only aesthetic decisions in­ volved th e o rd er an d w ording o f th e o p ­ tions. The W eb’s graphical user interface and glitz factor stym ied this m enu-based system. N onetheless, the principles that g u id ed G o p h er d e v elo p m en t during its short-lived reign have m anifested th em ­ selves in today’s second generation W eb design. Second generation Web design O ne o f th e m ost telling signs o f th e n ew d e v elo p m en t principles is th e m ove to ­ w ard s library W eb com m ittees. Initial A f la t ly designed, second-level page th a t o ffe rs navigation aides, a section-specific search engine, and im m ediate access to a broad spectrum o f resources. W eb-page creation w as often an ad hoc effort by o n e o r tw o enthusiastic librar­ ians.3 Since tim e a n d abilities w ere lim­ ited, early W eb dev elo p m en t lack e d b read th and objectiveness. T he creation o f W eb team s solves m uch of this problem. Library staff m em bers represent­ ing various d ep artm en ts en su re a sufficient n u m b e r o f han d s to contribute to th e effort. Moreover, a greater objective view o f the Web site’s mission, theoretically at least, is realized through a small group rather than a p erso n or tw o. As a result o f th e team ap p ro ach , W eb com m ittees generally perform the task o f site design in a m ore holistic an d proactive m an ­ ner than a sole Webmaster. The splash page o f a second g e n era tio n W eb sit a t NYU’s Ehrman M edical Library. B eyond this b ro a d e r sco p e a n d com m it­ m ent is a concern for the orientation of users. Flatter structures that offer quick, logical navi­ gation th ro u g h o u t th e site have rep laced tra­ ditional sites that layer inform ation into deep, chasm -like sections. Additionally, site m aps, search engines, an d other navigation aides of­ fer to d a y ’s u se r a m o d e by w hich to hasten resource discovery. Page design has also b e e n simplified. In today’s best-designed library W eb sites, graph­ ics are used with discretion and only as enhance­ m e n ts. A c o m m o n “l o o k ” p re d o m in a te s th roughout th e site, w ith similar page layouts an d concise strings o f text to prom ote easy online reading. Most importantly, content reigns in second generation W eb design. W e must know w hich resources to m ake available before w orrying h o w best to express them. Creators as users “D o n ’t these Web site architects ever use their ow n sites?”4 D uring the W eb ’s early years, th e an­ sw er w as no. Yet today’s content-rich aca­ demic library W eb site is an oft-used infor­ m ation resource by patrons and staff alike. At m any institutions, including m y ow n, the splash page greets users of most library computers. It is the point from w hich many reference questions are asked and answered. It provides the gatew ay to all netw orked e resources, and is the library’s presence b e ­ y o n d its physical walls. Most im portantly, library staff are as d e p e n d e n t o n it— if not m ore so— than our users. T he ne e d for a qual­ ity site has never b e e n greater, an d it will only continue to increase as online resources prolif­ erate. A detailed look at successfully d eployed W eb-based services w ithin academ ic libraries C&RL News ■ July/August 1999 / 529 Early developers could never have im agined the m any uses that w ould develop fo r th e ir Web sites. Do w e have any idea w h at lies ahead? w ould highlight interlibrary loan modules, elec­ tronic reserve collections, and delivery of elec­ tronic journals.5 A m ore com plex utilization o f the W eb in­ volves bibliographic instruction. Pathfinders, “how to ” guides, an d interactive tutorials have all fo u n d a niche w ithin som e progressive li­ brary environm ents.6 Clearly th e library’s reliance on its W eb site as a provider o f these services has propelled the devotion o f hu m an a n d financial resources to this endeavor. Early developers co u ld never have im agined th e m any uses that w o u ld d e ­ velop for their W eb sites. D o w e have any idea w hat lies ahead? Resource discovery on the Web Relevancy o f information retrieval o n the W eb is at an all-time low. D espite the efforts o f aca­ dem ic librarians to provide access to credible Internet resources via W eb pages an d online catalogs, search engines are still heavily used by o u r patrons. T he frustration of countless “false drops” has affected each of us. Metadata, the catalyst for a third generation o f W eb developm ent, prom ises to bring som e sanity from the W eb’s psychosis. Large-scale p ro je c ts, su c h as th e D u b lin C o re (D C ) M etadata Initiative, are paving the w ay to e n ­ h anced inform ation retrieval o n the Web. The effectiveness o f this standard has yet to b e es­ tablished. Nevertheless, a m ove tow ards stan­ dardized data input w ithin W eb p ag es an d thro u g h contributed m etadata records should help boost relevant retrieval considerably. M etadata as savior Metadata cover stories have graced som e of the p ro fessio n ’s leading periodicals.7 O n ly re ­ cently, how ever, has m etadata b e e n strongly considered a “m ust d o ” by library W eb devel­ opers. T he ineffectiveness o f existing search engines, co upled w ith the grow ing am ount of scholarly co n ten t available o n th e W eb, has forced th e issue. Using m etadata to locate in­ form ation resources is n o t a n ew idea. As Jes­ sica M ilstead a n d S u sa n F e ld m a n n o te , “M etadata [is] cataloging b y any other n am e.”8 A lthough co m p etin g standards exist, m e­ dia p ro m o tio n o f DC, an d OCLC’s involve­ m en t in it, h as p o w e re d efforts to d e p lo y m etad ata o n a w id e scale. But will DC, an d m etad ata initiatives in general, live u p to th e hype? The players There are many players in the m etadata game. In F ebruary 1999, the W orld W ide W eb C on­ sortium (W3C) officially reco m m en d ed a Re­ so u rce D escrip tio n F ram ew ork (RDF) d e ­ signed to accom m odate em bedded metadata.9 This m etadata fram ew ork allows a m easure of interoperability am o n g m etad ata schem es. RDF’s base encoding construct consists o f Ex­ ten sib le M arkup Language (XML), a n SGML derivative th at is m alleable b y definition. In short, RDF a n d XML pro v id e a flexible struc­ ture for the inclusion o f o n e o r m any m etadata schem es w ithin online docum ents. C ontent p roviders also h o ld a key. Will they em b ed descriptive m etadata w ithin their docum ents? If so, will th ey follow the RDF construct a n d /o r use a d o cu m en ted standard su c h as DC? Clearly th o se in terested in p ro ­ m oting th e discovery o f their resources w ould b e inclined to dep lo y a strict an d robust stan­ dard. P erhaps the biggest wildcards are the exist­ ing search engine proprietors. W hat incentive d o they have to a d o p t th e W3C RDF? D o they h av e interest in th e q u a lity o f resources their users retrieve o r just th e q u a n tity ? A glim p se o f the fu tu re? If e m b e d d e d m etadata pro v es n o t to b e the great panacea, OCLC is covering its bets w ith th e C o o p erativ e O n lin e R esource C atalog (CORC), an OCLC research project aim ed at using m etadata record surrogates to enhance scholarly reso u rce discovery o n th e W eb.10 CORC h o u s e s MARC a n d DC m e ta d a ta records from contributing project sites. T hese records describe w h at is presum ed to b e qual­ ity Internet resources and allow users to search specific fields w ithin these records. At its best, CORC could provide searchers a m eans o f u s­ in g c o n tr o lle d s u b je c t v o c a b u la rie s a n d (continued on page 561) 530 / C&RL News ■ July/August 1999 Information Solutions… … from the Internet Database Service The only place you’ll find all these advantages in one search… • Link to Electronic Fulltext • Link To Holdings • Link to Inter Library Loan • Web Resources Database • Recent References Related To Your Search • Cross-Database Searching • Online Usage Statistics Site-wide access to databases in: • Aquatic Sciences & Oceanography • Biological & Medical Sciences • Computer Science • Engineering Specialties & Technology • Environmental Sciences • Materials Science & Technology • Social Sciences Visit our Web Site www.csa.com for more information or complim entary database access or contact us via e-mail at sales@csa.com Cambridge Scientific Abstracts • E -M a il:sales@csa.com Home Page: www.csa.com http://www.csa.com mailto:sales@csa.com mailto:sales@csa.com http://www.csa.com C&RL News ■ July/August 1999 / 567 • A rchives: to c re a te a g u id e to e x istin g archives. • C ataloging: to s tu d y lib rary cata lo g screens a n d th e ir display o f G reek-language a n d tra n s lite ra te d G re e k a u th o rity records; po ssib ility fo r s ta n d a rd iz a tio n o f G re e k a u ­ to m ated systems; potential co o p erativ e cata­ lo g in g p ro jects; a n d stu d y o th e r ex istin g problem s. • T h o m a s J e ffe r s o n - A d a m ã n tio s K oraïs C orrespondence: to b rin g to g e th e r LC a n d H ios Library h o ld in g s a n d to c o n s id e r h ow , w h e n , a n d w h e re to e x h ib it m aterials. • Interlibrary Loan: to establish a co n so r­ tiu m o f A m erican a n d G re e k lib ra rie s th a t will len d a n d b o rro w G reek -lan g u ag e m ate­ rials free o f ch arg e am o n g them selves. • Periodicals: to create a union list o f Greek- language periodicals, including data such as ISSN, price, and publisher; to docum ent Ameri­ can h o ld in g s o f th e se periodicals; a n d to strategize th e acquisition of missing issues. ( “A cadem ic library… ” cont. fr o m p a g e 529) a u th o rized n am e head in g s to locate credible inform ation o n th e Web. C on clu sion Today’s academ ic library W eb site has matured m easurably from its early days. W orthw hile co n ten t an d ease o f navigation are becom ing co m m onplace. As w e m ove to w ard s an o th er generation o f W eb developm ent, our polished an d ro b u st W eb sites offer a solid infrastruc­ ture from w hich to build. W e should b e proud o f o u r efforts. Notes 1. R ich W ig g in s. “T h e U n iv e rs ity o f M innesota’s Internet G o p h er System: a Tool for Accessing Network-Based Electronic Infor­ m ation,” Public-Access C om puter Systems Re­ view, v. 4, no. 2 (1993): 4-60. Available o n the Internet at: h ttp ://in fo .lib .u h .e d u /p r/v 4 /n 2 / wigginsl.4n2. 2. Ibid. 3. Bruce Connolly an d Gail M. G olderm an. “Schaffer Library H om e Page: Structured Ac­ cess to Library an d Internet Resources.” Library H i Tech, v. 15, no. 3/4 (1997): 90-100. • G reek-A m erica n H oldings: to c re a te a g u id e to existing holdings a n d to assess cata­ lo g in g a n d acquisition pro b lem s. Each gro u p will analyze th e existing p ro b ­ lem s a n d offer suggestions for im provem ent. Reports will b e subm itted in S eptem ber 1999 to th e m ail list, th e n p la n s w ill b e m a d e for a follow -up c o n feren ce n e x t year in A thens, w h e re th e re p o rts w ill b e d is c u s s e d a n d projects su b se q u e n tly im p le m e n te d .2 Notes 1. The conference included attendees w ho d id n o t p re s e n t p ap ers. 2. F or fu rth er info rm atio n a b o u t th e c o n ­ fe re n c e o r a b o u t th e M odern G re e k C ollec­ tio n s W o rk in g G ro u p , c o n ta c t B eau D avid C ase, O h io S tate U n iv ersity L ibraries, Lan­ g u ag e & Area Studies D epartm ent, 1858 Neil A v en u e Mall, C o lu m b u s, O H 43210, USA; p h o n e : ( 6 l4 ) 292-2594, fax: (614) 292-1918; e-mail: case.42@ osu.edu. ■ 4. Louis Rosenfeld an d P eter Morville. I n ­ form a tio n Architecture f o r the World Wide Web. (Cambridge: O ’Reilly, 1998). 5. B eth Evans a n d W ilma Lesley Jones. “D em onstrating th e W orld W ide W eb as an academic research tool.” Jo u rn a l o f Computing in H ig h er E ducation, v. 9, no. 2 (1998): 113– 134. 6. C orinne Y.C. Laverty. “Library Instruc­ tion o n th e Web: Inventing O ptions an d O p ­ portunities.” Internet Reference Services Q u a r ­ terly, v. 2, no. 2/3 (1997): 55-66. 7. A m erican Libraries, v. 30, no. 1 (Jan. 1999) and Online, v. 23, no. 1 (J an u ary /F eb ru ary 1999). 8. Jessica M ilstead an d Susan Feldm an. “M etadata: Cataloging By Any O th er N am e.” O nline, v. 23, no. 1 (January/F ebruary 1999): 24-31. 9. Stuart W eibel. “T he State o f th e D ublin Core M etadata Initiative.” D-Lib M agazine, v. 5, no. 4 (April 1999). Available o n the Internet at http://w w w .dlib.org/dlib/april99/04w eibel. html. 10. T he Cooperative O nline Resource Cata­ log is available o n th e In te rn e t at h tt p :/ / corc.oclc.org/. ■ mailto:case.42@osu.edu http://info.lib.uh.edu/pr/v4/n2/ http://www.dlib.org/dlib/april99/04weibel corc.oclc.org/