Libraries: DEDCC : 2009 Annual Report

Meeting Notes > Annual Reports

08/19/2009
2009 Annual Report
by:David Podboy

TO: Five College Library Directors
FROM: David Podboy, Chair DEDCC
DATE: June 2009
RE: DEDCC Annual Report 2008-2009
The 2008-2009 academic year was another productive year for DEDCC. We finished our Next Generation Library Catalog project and started another project surveying Federated Search/Discovery Interface products. We had two educational events for the Five College Libraries’ staff, the conference brown bag and Diane Hillmann’s presentation. DEDCC also undertook several review projects relating to user services.

Membership: As in previous years, this year saw some changes in DEDCC’s membership. Emily Ailing (UMass Amherst) joined the committee in July to replace Anne C. Moore. In September, David Podboy became the chair of DEDCC. Kelcy Shepherd (UMass Amherst) replaced Marilyn Billings in November.
Next Generation Library Catalog Project: DEDCC continued to explore NextGen Catalog options for implementation at the Five Colleges by evaluating both AquaBrowser and WorldCat Local. We surveyed our colleagues for their feedback on both products after information sessions from both vendors. After receiving mostly favorable comments on AquaBrowser, we interviewed four institutions that have or were implementing AquaBrowser. The project hit a bump when UMass Amherst and Amherst College, along with the rest of the BLC, decided to use WorldCat Local for resource sharing. There was also some concern that we should be looking at tools that searched beyond just the Five College Catalog. Therefore, we decided to watch how the WorldCat Local implementations went at UMass Amherst and Amherst College and put this project on hold.
Diane Hillmann Presentation: In May we hosted a presentation by Diane Hillmann entitled “Crisis or Opportunity? Cataloging, Catalogers, RDA, and Change.” This event was cosponsored with the Five College Cataloging Committee. Diane is a well-known expert on cataloging, metadata, and RDA. Her presentation described the development of RDA, the rise of the Semantic web, the need for bibliographic data to be shareable and reusable, and how these forces are influencing librarianship. The event was well attended and provided an excellent opportunity for staff to catch-up on the latest developments in cataloging.
Syndetic Solution Review: As asked by AMC, DEDCC reviewed our current subscription to Syndetic Solutions. In consultation with RIO and after a review of our current subscription, statistics, costs, and other options, we recommended reducing our enrichment options to three. This will save the Five College Libraries approximately 10,000 dollars a year. We also recommended that RIO and/or AMC continue to explore other options for enhancing the catalog.
Federated Search/Discovery Interface Project: During DEDCC’s Next Generation Library Catalog project, there was some concern that none of the Next Gen products integrated all of our different resources into a single search. DEDCC decided that we should begin surveying federated search/discovery interfaces. We continue to feel the need for significant improvement to our current OPAC interface and want to find a discovery product that offers better end-user search tools such as relevancy ranking, faceted browsing, etc. Our goal is to find a product that will achieve that improvement and also provide undergraduate users with a simple search interface, will remove the layer of having to know the “right” resources to use, and searches a variety of resources, including the catalog, library databases, images, video, audio, special collections, etc. We have begun making a comprehensive list of products and a list of desirable features.
Other Projects: DEDCC hosted a brown bag in October, which provided staff an opportunity to share information about recent conferences they attended with their colleagues. We had four presenters covering ELUNA, New Media Conference, Code4Lib, and Computers in Libraries.
As asked by FCLC, DEDCC reviewed its charge and its role in the Five College Libraries committees’ structure. We sent recommendations to FCLC. As part of this process, we had a joint meeting with RIO to discuss how both committees could work and communicate better.
The Five College Libraries’ website was out of date. We reviewed the site and asked the appropriate committees to update and send changes to Five Colleges Inc.

In the upcoming year, we are looking forward to continuing and finishing our Federated Search/Discovery Interface Project, having a one day conference in the fall, and continuing to scan the horizon for new digital initiatives that might be of interest to the Five College Libraries.


	Meeting Notes > Annual Reports 08/19/2009 2009 Annual Report by:David Podboy TO: Five College Library Directors FROM: David Podboy, Chair DEDCC DATE: June 2009 RE: DEDCC Annual Report 2008-2009 The 2008-2009 academic year was another productive year for DEDCC. We finished our Next Generation Library Catalog project and started another project surveying Federated Search/Discovery Interface products. We had two educational events for the Five College Libraries’ staff, the conference brown bag and Diane Hillmann’s presentation. DEDCC also undertook several review projects relating to user services. Membership: As in previous years, this year saw some changes in DEDCC’s membership. Emily Ailing (UMass Amherst) joined the committee in July to replace Anne C. Moore. In September, David Podboy became the chair of DEDCC. Kelcy Shepherd (UMass Amherst) replaced Marilyn Billings in November. Next Generation Library Catalog Project: DEDCC continued to explore NextGen Catalog options for implementation at the Five Colleges by evaluating both AquaBrowser and WorldCat Local. We surveyed our colleagues for their feedback on both products after information sessions from both vendors. After receiving mostly favorable comments on AquaBrowser, we interviewed four institutions that have or were implementing AquaBrowser. The project hit a bump when UMass Amherst and Amherst College, along with the rest of the BLC, decided to use WorldCat Local for resource sharing. There was also some concern that we should be looking at tools that searched beyond just the Five College Catalog. Therefore, we decided to watch how the WorldCat Local implementations went at UMass Amherst and Amherst College and put this project on hold. Diane Hillmann Presentation: In May we hosted a presentation by Diane Hillmann entitled “Crisis or Opportunity? Cataloging, Catalogers, RDA, and Change.” This event was cosponsored with the Five College Cataloging Committee. Diane is a well-known expert on cataloging, metadata, and RDA. Her presentation described the development of RDA, the rise of the Semantic web, the need for bibliographic data to be shareable and reusable, and how these forces are influencing librarianship. The event was well attended and provided an excellent opportunity for staff to catch-up on the latest developments in cataloging. Syndetic Solution Review: As asked by AMC, DEDCC reviewed our current subscription to Syndetic Solutions. In consultation with RIO and after a review of our current subscription, statistics, costs, and other options, we recommended reducing our enrichment options to three. This will save the Five College Libraries approximately 10,000 dollars a year. We also recommended that RIO and/or AMC continue to explore other options for enhancing the catalog. Federated Search/Discovery Interface Project: During DEDCC’s Next Generation Library Catalog project, there was some concern that none of the Next Gen products integrated all of our different resources into a single search. DEDCC decided that we should begin surveying federated search/discovery interfaces. We continue to feel the need for significant improvement to our current OPAC interface and want to find a discovery product that offers better end-user search tools such as relevancy ranking, faceted browsing, etc. Our goal is to find a product that will achieve that improvement and also provide undergraduate users with a simple search interface, will remove the layer of having to know the “right” resources to use, and searches a variety of resources, including the catalog, library databases, images, video, audio, special collections, etc. We have begun making a comprehensive list of products and a list of desirable features. Other Projects: DEDCC hosted a brown bag in October, which provided staff an opportunity to share information about recent conferences they attended with their colleagues. We had four presenters covering ELUNA, New Media Conference, Code4Lib, and Computers in Libraries. As asked by FCLC, DEDCC reviewed its charge and its role in the Five College Libraries committees’ structure. We sent recommendations to FCLC. As part of this process, we had a joint meeting with RIO to discuss how both committees could work and communicate better. The Five College Libraries’ website was out of date. We reviewed the site and asked the appropriate committees to update and send changes to Five Colleges Inc. In the upcoming year, we are looking forward to continuing and finishing our Federated Search/Discovery Interface Project, having a one day conference in the fall, and continuing to scan the horizon for new digital initiatives that might be of interest to the Five College Libraries.