W. Frank Steely Library

[Skip to Navigation]

Systems Annual Report 2005-6

Overview

The Systems Division was active in various projects this year. The primary responsibilities of the division are maintenance of NKUIRE, the library website, various library servers, troubleshooting library PC and microfiche/film hardware, software and networking problems, and planning for the introduction of new technologies into library operations. The division works with other library and campus departments as needed for various issues to carry out these missions. The division also assists other areas of the library in making recommendations on various library-wide technological initiatives. The team balances these needs with budget and staffing constraints. The division also contacts various agencies outside the university (primarily Endeavor, Kentucky Endeavor Work Group committee, and other vendor representatives) as needed for consultation and resolution of issues. The following are brief position descriptions for the division. The Systems Manager is responsible for overall operations of the division and representation on APAG. The Systems Librarian is responsible for overall operations of the Endeavor Voyager system and various related products. The Web Librarian supervises the Web Assistant and is also responsible for overall operations of the library web site and proxy server. The Systems Engineer is responsible for networking, coordinating server operations, PC troubleshooting and special projects. The Web Assistant assists both the Web Librarian and Systems Engineer as needed. The Library Specialist II is responsible for microform reader/printer operations, miscellaneous OPAC operations, and works 15 hours/week in the Archives area. The division also maintains an average of 9 hours/week of a student worker.

During the year, a total of 296 requests were resolved, up from 222 the previous year. These requests are summarized as follows: 91 printing problems, 55 software problems, 54 hardware problems, and 94 other or “I’m not sure what to choose” problems. The Division is continuing to use the campus Infra request system to track these requests although requests are still coming through via individual emails or face-to-face contact. These requests are not counted in the above summary. A software upgrade to an improved system should help track requests this coming year.

Activities for the Division can be subdivided into four broad categories: Voyager operations, web initiatives, departmental operations, and service improvements/innovations. These categories are addressed below.

VOYAGER OPERATIONS

The Systems Manager assumed most of the responsibilities of the Systems Librarian after her retirement in July. Bibliographic file loads during the interim were assumed by the Extended Collections Librarian. During the interim, the Voyager software and associated system software was upgraded immediately prior to the beginning of the fall semester. This transition went rather smoothly and corrected some outstanding issues. The Systems manager restored OPAC files after this upgrade. Most operations were kept “as is” until the replacement librarian was named in February. The Voyager Team was reinstated and held its first meeting in March. The group decided that a task force was needed, to work on the complex issue of improving the NKUIRE interface. The OPAC Workgroup was formed and made several changes to the NKUIRE system which would affect public display. Websites were created for both Voyager/NKUIRE related committees. These sites house the agendas and minutes, testing interfaces, links to other Voyager sites, statistics, other committee documents, etc. Other work has been done on the underlying structure of the Voyager system which affects internal operations. The Media Matrix was rebuilt to better reflect Media Collection policies and procedures in anticipation of the implementation of the Medianet system. In addition to the above changes, an alternate interface to NKUIRE was built. The OPAC workgroup is using this interface to test changes before they are implemented in the "real" NKUIRE. RSS feeds of new materials added to the Chase and Steely Library collections were created. These feeds allow users to receive updates on selected call number ranges or subject areas. These feeds are still in the testing phase.

WEB/PROXY SERVER OPERATIONS

W. Frank Steely Library’s proxy server continues to serve the university community by providing off campus access to IP restricted databases and journals for Steely Library and Chase Law Library. Over the course of the 2005-6 academic year no major updates were carried out. New subscriptions are added to the server as necessary when subscriptions such as ARTstor or the Oxford English Dictionary are purchased. Early in 2006 several attempts to hack the server led to new controls and security measures being installed and activated. Overall, the proxy server ran without problems and continued to provide access to a growing number of resources.

Over the past year Steely Library’s Web site had streamlined templates applied and an increased use of server side includes. For the most part, however, Steely’s Web site has served as an example of the use of Web standards and accessibility applied across a large site. The demonstration of the use of standards and accessibility proved influential in the direction of the University’s Web redesign project which, based on our example, has adopted standards and accessibility as a fundamental component of the project. Looking forward, this is important as the University’s Web redesign will fundamentally alter Steely Library’s Web presence in the coming year.

DEPARTMENTAL OPERATIONS

Several events occurred during the year which helped improve overall internal departmental operations. After the Systems Librarian vacated her office, the Systems Engineer moved in. This provided for him and the Web Assistant to have offices next to each other – which greatly improved communication. These two positions coordinate activities for resolving computer issues. It also helps keep the Systems Manager apprised of activities, since his office is the third in the Systems suite of offices. During the year, 22 PCs were replaced resulting from the yearly replacement plan. The division also placed orders for over $40,000 worth of computer related equipment and supplies. Microform reader/printer operations were also improved. The first year of maintenance operations from a new vendor was implemented. This has worked well and improved service has resulted. Equipment was moved from the 3rd floor to the 4th to consolidate operations and one reader/printer was donated to the Chase Law Library. When the campus moved to a different campus card system, the result meant that expensive equipment would need to be installed on each machine to charge for printing. After a cost/benefit analysis, it was decided to provide free printing on the machines. To date, there haven’t been any problems with this solution. This division will continue to seek ways to improve its operations. The Web Librarian continues to work in R&IS on the information desk, participates in their chat sessions and performs class/individualized instruction as needed. The Systems Specialist II spends 15 hours per week in the Archives area working on the following: encapsulation of documents, transcription of documents in digital format, book repair, and displays.

SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS/INNOVATIONS

The Systems Division has sought not only to maintain library computer-type operations, but also to improve those operations and seek out innovative solutions. This focus led to the following initiatives:

FACULTY SCHOLARLY/SERVICE ACTIVITIES

As part of their job requirements, library faculty members perform activities in the scholarly and service areas. The Systems Manager edited The Southeastern Librarian, a quarterly publication of the Southeastern Library Association, presented at two state and one regional conference, produced an article published in Tennessee Libraries and served on various regional, state and campus committees. He also performed on clarinet with 4 campus ensembles, 4 community ensembles and the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra. The Web Librarian is on the Editorial Board and is a reviewer for Information Technology and Disabilities, presented at two state and one regional conference, chaired the KYVL Web Committee, and served on various state and campus committees. He also served as photographer for various library events, redesigned a campus web site, served as a web accessibility consultant for a public library, and was a guest lecturer for a web design course. Since arriving in February, the Systems Librarian has presented at a regional conference, served as Chair-elect for the Kentucky Voyager User Group, served as Chair of the Resource Sharing Round Table of KLA, was a faculty senator, chaired the campus Learning Systems Advisory Committee, and also served on various other library and campus committees.

updated: Monday, 02-Oct-2006 14:25:49 EDT

This message is only visible to text browsers and non-standards compliant graphical browsers. If you are using a graphical browser, you may want to consider an upgrade. While layout and styles are hidden from non-standards compliant browsers, content is available to all. To learn why we do this, view our Accessibility Statement.