Website, Discovery, Collections
Special Collections Registry, focused on the Ohio Congressional archives
Much of the software and systems are now in place for the Website Redesign and we’ve started experimenting with navigation systems, revising the data models that we will use to build out the system, and have been integrating the work with the Discovery and Library Systems API, particularly in the Special Collections Collections registry. Each of these are in a beta mode, available to library staff and faculty and to some degree the public. Much of our work has been breaking out of the discrete boxes we had described them in and blended with our other projects so that they are behaving more like one large multi-faceted project.
Proof of concept of simultaneously searching across multiple indices.
To this end we are going to be coordinating efforts on these projects between team members. In the coming third quarter, 2017Q3, we are looking to build out more of the website project, including Library locations and units, services and some initial static content, e.g. the About Us section. For the Discovery system we are going to be evaluating and improving the relevance the search results, and building a more advanced user interface for the search. For the Collections registry we will be adding a bit more information and then introducing to the general public. For all of these efforts we are asking for feedback and trying to identify and meet the expectations of online visitors.
Room Reservation
We have been working on two tracks for the Study Room Reservation System. We have been working towards improving performance on the existing system, as it is at points terribly slow. We have also been rewriting the system to use more modern programming and systems techniques — it is now several years old, so it is time. We want to have the new system ready for patrons by the end of the year. That said, we’ll be rolling out more iPad display rooms in Thompson (like are currently in Research Commons) by the end of summer.
Digital Collections & Exhibits
The Digital Collections system hasn’t had much of our attention this quarter, but we do have a few things planned for the next. We are investigating an upgrade to the latest software version and working on improving the image server and preparing to implement an Image Manifest endpoint. This will allow images to be easily re-used by researchers for things like collections combined across institutions and use of collection materials within our own exhibits program. We’ve been slowly migrating legacy digital projects to modern systems and exploring other tools that we might use to create new exhibits.
