OCLC SiteSearch users exchange ideas, provide feedback

The OCLC Distributed Systems team hosted the third OCLC SiteSearch User Meeting at the OCLC campus in Dublin, Ohio, March 22-24.

Approximately 40 OCLC SiteSearch users from 26 institutions attended the meeting to exchange ideas with their colleagues, learn about future product enhancements, and give product feedback to the OCLC SiteSearch staff.

"Beyond the obvious value of sharing information between OCLC and the SiteSearch users, the meeting allowed the SiteSearch libraries to share information among themselves," said Brenda Bailey, director, OCLC Distributed Systems, which includes OCLC SiteSearch. "These libraries are developing some of the most innovative and exciting digital applications, and the opportunity for them to learn from each other is the most important result of the meeting."

A planning committee made up of five OCLC SiteSearch users was assembled to provide feedback and ideas on the presentation topics, training sessions, and overall meeting agenda.

The following four presentation topics were selected for the meeting based on feedback from the planning committee:

Formatting Class Forum

Presenters: Larry Baerveldt, PALNI library systems specialist, INCOLSA/PALNI; Sandy Card, library systems specialist, Binghamton University; Stan Furmanak, systems and reference librarian, Lebanon Valley College; and Tim Prettyman, programmer, University of Michigan.

These presenters led panel presentations discussing how their institutions have extended, customized, and implemented the OCLC SiteSearch WebZ software formatting classes to display record results in the Out of the Box Interface. They also discussed how networking with each other and sharing development code helped each institution customize the OCLC SiteSearch toolkit to meet their needs.

Creating Your Own Access Client

Presenters: Phil Boyer, manager of systems, Washington Research Library Consortium and Tod Olson, programmer/analyst, University of Chicago.

This presentation showcased two OCLC SiteSearch sites that have created and implemented their own Access clients that communicate between the WebZ Access Component, which provides user authentication and profiling, and a library user database. Mr. Boyer and Mr. Olson demonstrated their institutions’ sites, facilitated discussion concerning the topic, and provided the participants with detailed explanations of how to implement this functionality at other institutions.

Performing Usability Testing with Your WebZ Interface

Presenter: Vicki Mills, undergraduate services librarian, University of Arizona.

Ms. Mills reviewed how the University of Arizona staff performed usability testing on their customized WebZ interface, the user feedback they received from the test, and how they have implemented the feedback into their interface. Ms. Mills showed the development phases they went through while creating their interface and demonstrated how she interviewed users to discover useful information about the interface during the test.

Innovative Projects with the OCLC SiteSearch Software Toolkit

Presenters: Brad Baxter and Alan Horne, information analysts, University of Georgia; and Ben Wallberg, systems programmer, and Lily Wee, systems librarian, University System of Maryland.

This presentation highlighted how the University of Georgia and the University System of Maryland have created and implemented unique projects with the OCLC SiteSearch WebZ and OCLC SiteSearch Database Builder software. Mr. Baxter discussed how the University of Georgia created its own WebZ 4.0 interface using JavaScript based on their previous OCLC SiteSearch 3.1 interface. Mr. Horne demonstrated a Web-based interface to the Access Component that he created from W3-mSQL. The OCLC SiteSearch WebZ software uses Hughes Technologies’ Mini SQL (mSQL) software to store user information for authentication. By using Hughes Technologies’ embedded WWW scripting language (w3-mSQL), Georgia Library Learning Online (GALILEO) customized the WebZ implementation of mSQL to create a Web interface for mSQL database administration.

Mr. Wallberg and Ms. Wee described how the University System of Maryland staff has customized WebZ to meet their needs. Maryland’s customization ranges from providing a full text indicator that distinguishes between complete full text or partial full text within a record to enhancing interface navigation to user authorization between WebZ and their CARL integrated library system user database for authentication.

Users also were given a preview of the new OCLC SiteSearch 4.1 version. OCLC SiteSearch staff presented the following new features, which will be included in the 4.1 version scheduled for release this summer: merged result sets with duplicate record detection, vocabulary-assisted searching, online update capabilities, and a non-frames WebZ interface. As part of the new 4.1 version, OCLC SiteSearch is introducing a new collection building support package, which will be included in the Database Builder software. This component will allow users to create metadata records that link multiple digital objects into an information package.

During the meeting, users had the opportunity to discuss specific topic areas related to the OCLC SiteSearch software in round table discussions. The following topics were discussed: interface design, formatting classes, access component, Database Builder, access to non-Z39.50 resources, and resource sharing issues.

"The OCLC SiteSearch staff is very interested in how users are implementing the software," said Victoria Miller, manager, OCLC SiteSearch Product Support and Custom Service. "We are always listening to our users’ comments and trying to find ways to implement that feedback into our product."

OCLC SiteSearch training classes were offered prior to and after the users meeting to help reduce travel costs for participants attending both events. The classes covered specific topics regarding the OCLC SiteSearch software. The first class, "Understanding and Using the Access Component," discussed how to plan the Access component’s role in a site’s WebZ implementation. The second class, titled "Implementing Interface Gadgets," reviewed the role of WebZ interface gadgets and the steps for creating customized gadgets.

"I would encourage all SiteSearch users to attend the next meeting," said Mr. Baxter. "I am still reeling from all of the information that came out of all of the presentations, both user presentations and those by OCLC staff. I can’t even remember what exactly I expected before I went, but what I got was a whole lot more."--Kara Byerly is product support specialist, OCLC SiteSearch, and Meredith Dean is marketing communications/promotional coordinator, OCLC Distributed Systems.