Tisch Library Newsletter

	BiblioTech Connections Newsletter of the Tisch Library of Tufts University Fall 2000 No. 29
Tisch Homepage Tufts Catalog Tufts Homepage	In This Issue: Redesign of Tisch Library Website Web Catalog Enhancements Summer Improvements	Library Learning Options Library-Use Policies Authors Talks Dates of Interest
	Tisch Webpages Redesigned TULIPS users will notice right away the brand new appearance of the Tisch Library homepage, which they may choose to bookmark. The new webpages have been designed to be more responsive to user needs. Terminology has been changed to reflect actual user language, and navigation has been simplified so that fewer steps are needed to reach important resources and services. The web redesign is based largely on usability testing conducted with Tufts faculty, staff, and students. The Web Editorial Board (Lyn Condron, Charlotte Keys, Laura Walters, and Amy LaVertu) researched, designed and conducted these tests in October of 1999 with the assistance of Institutional Research, gathering valuable data that highlighted the need to "de-libraryese" the site, as well as to improve category labels and navigation. Though users within the library building have reference assistance readily at hand, library staff must make an extra effort to facilitate use of resources by patrons accessing the Tisch web from other locations. The new site incorporates the needs of remote users and has something of value for users at all levels, from novice to expert, while facilitating library research for undergraduates. While the Web Board worked on categories and navigation issues, the entire Tisch staff was involved in contributing to the reformatting and content of the pages. In addition, Kristen Barrett and Sarah Lennon of ITS (Arts, Sciences, & Engineering Information Technology Services) designed the graphics and code for the new website. They drew on the latest available technology coupled with web research to determine how best to serve as many Tisch users as possible. In place of complex graphic animations, which usability studies have shown are often distracting, a simply styled homepage was chosen. Mouseovers allow for the presentation of a few concise categories, while still offering users immediate access to lists of more detailed categories. Unveiled for the beginning of the Fall 2000 semester, Tisch's redesigned site has a fresher look, with more user-friendly categories and navigation tools. The Web Board plans to conduct further usability tests on the site at the beginning of the spring semester. In the meantime, suggestions and comments are welcome. A "feedback and questions" link on every Tisch webpage provides an e-mail connection to the assistant web manager. Additionally, Web Manager Lyn Condron welcomes any feedback directly to her at lyn.condron@tufts.edu. Please try out, and enjoy, the new Tisch Library website! Return to Contents Web Catalog Enhancements Along with the Tisch website, the Tufts Web Catalog has also been improved in design though its basic look will seem quite familiar. Essentially, the design enhancements have made the catalog easier to find from the TULIPS homepage and more self-explanatory in the functions it performs. These improvements can easily be noted through a few sample searches in the "Search the Tufts Catalog" and "BLC Catalogs" modes. Although the Web Catalog is now much closer to being fully satisfactory, since it has yet to offer the level of individual holdings detail provided by the Information Gateway catalog (e.g. precise location of periodical issues, due dates of borrowed books), both the web and text versions of the Tufts catalog remain available. Return to Contents Summer Improvements Stack Lighting Things are looking brighter these days in the Tisch Library stacks. In partnership with the Facilities Department, Tisch upgraded 650 light fixtures on the lower level of the building. Betsy Isenstein of Facilities coordinated the renovation, enlisting the services of HEI, a lighting engineering and design company, for the overall design. Microfilm Scanners and Printers Four microfilm scanners have been purchased for the Microforms Service area at Tisch. These updated replacement models, which provide a sharper image, are networked to two new laser printers. The best news yet is that patrons will receive improved print quality at the same old price. Also noteworthy is the addition of two large tables, greatly increasing the workspace available. Researcher Eben Miller tries out the new microtext equipment. Return to Contents Opportunities to Learn About the Library Start-of-Year Occasions Tours intended especially for entering students but available to all and an open house for new faculty are orientation activities hosted only at the beginning of the fall semester. Other opportunities for becoming better acquainted with Tisch Library include the following: Workshops Offered each semester are workshops designed to facilitate use of TULIPS (Tufts University Library Information Processing System), the Tufts Catalog, and various bibliographic and full-text databases, along with Internet resources. These workshops, held in the Electronic Resource Center, give participants the chance to have their specific questions answered, gain new or improved skills in the use of important resources, and update their awareness of what the library offers. Course-Related Sessions Throughout the semester, faculty are encouraged to bring their students to the library for instruction in resources relevant to class assignments. Students may certainly suggest to instructors the help they feel they could gain from a library session, and faculty are invited to explore this option with librarians. Reference Service Reference Desk service provides a means of learning as questions arise and can definitely go beyond immediate need to larger questions of how best to investigate what the library has available and make good use of its resources. Inquiries may be sent by e-mail as well as made in person and by telephone. More extended individual assistance is available through appointments with reference staff. Departmental visits can also be arranged. Guides Copies of the Tisch Library Guide, which sums up basic factual information about the library, are available from racks in the library lobby. A variety of information leaflets are stocked at the Reference Desk and accessible online. The "About the Libraries" choice from the Tisch Library homepage is another important information avenue, with its descriptions of library departments and services; the "Catalogs and Library Resources" link devotes a section to collections. Print and online issues of this newsletter aid in keeping up-to-date with new developments. Is there some other way the library can help you refine the navigation skills that make library use an understandable process? If so, the instruction coordinator (laurie.sabol@tufts.edu) welcomes your suggestions. Return to Contents Library-Use Policies Tisch Library has two new policies to add to existing building-use policies. {NEW} E-mail is permitted only at designated stations. In response to requests for e-mail use in the library, eight designated e-mail stations will be set up this fall in the main lower-level stairwell. All other library computers are intended for the use of library, Internet, and course-related resources only. {NEW} Turn off portable phones before entering the library. Portable phone use is limited to public telephone areas only. A place has been provided for portable phone use, allowing owners to enjoy this benefit without distraction to others. Food is not allowed in the library. Beverages are allowed in spill-proof mugs and water in plastic water bottles. Library users Peter Kassa and Peter Wilson rejoice in Tisch mug refreshment. The Tisch Library mugs given out at tours and workshops have been a hit with library users and an aid to making this policy known. Please use spill-proof containers: no paper containers, no beverage except water in plastic bottles, other beverages in spill-proof mugs only. The library is a smoke-free building. Each policy has been formulated in response to patron requests, communicated by the Suggestion Board and in other ways. Patrons have asked to have some provision made for e-mail, but also to have most computers free for library-related use, so as not to be delayed in this purpose. They have asked to have no cell-phone distractions while studying and doing research. Students have also asked that the former "no food or drink" policy be modified, and it was. (Surely students, faculty, and staff yet to come will be glad of a library largely protected from what food and spills can do.) The library staff count on and truly value the consideration of our patrons in cooperating fully with our policies. On behalf of all who use the library, we thank you. Return to Contents Authors Talks Inaugurated The Friends of Tufts Libraries are inaugurating talks by Tufts authors this year. At least one author talk in each of the Tufts Libraries will allow the Friends to hear readings by faculty members and alumni who have recently published books and also to learn the stories behind them. The goal is to offer entertaining, educational and social opportunities for the diverse group of Friends to learn through books and each other. Exhibits of each author's books will appear in the library the month before the talk and, if the book is in print, the campus bookstore will sponsor a book signing in the library. Tisch Library Authors Talks for Fall 2000 include: Jonathan Wilson on October 5, 2000, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Austin Room, Tisch Library. Wilson is the author of *The Hiding Room* and chair of the English Department. An exhibit of Wilson's books will be in the Tisch Library lobby from September 1 to October 27, 2000. Andre DuBus III on November 30, 2000, 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Austin Room, Tisch Library. Dubus is the author of *House of Sand and Fog* (a finalist for the National Book Award) and a member of the English Department. A book signing sponsored by the Tufts University Bookstore will follow the talk. An exhibit of DuBus's books will be in the Tisch Library lobby from October 30 to January 12, 2001. Members of the Tufts community are also invited to the author talks and encouraged to join the Friends. Founded in 1996, the association works to expand and enrich the collections of the university through gifts from individual members. In 1999, the 437 members of the Friends raised $133,376 for the libraries. Return to Contents Upcoming Dates of Interest Banned Books Week -- September 23-30 Children's Book Week -- November 13-19 As in past years, exhibits in the library lobby are planned for these weeks as well as for National Library Week, April 9-15, 2001. Return to Contents BiblioTech Connections is published three times a year: in the fall, winter, and spring. It is also available at bibliotech.htmBibliotech.htm. Contributors to this issue: Lyn Condron Laura Walters Jo-Ann Michalak Stephanie St.Laurence Kristen Barrett (web-site image) Pauline Boucher (photography) Editor: Margaret Gooch Return to Top
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