WAC: Home > About WAC > Minutes > January 10, 2005

Web Advisory Committee Minutes, January 10, 2005

Attending: Irwin, Jones, Murdock, Trkay, Wellvang
Absent: Alvarez, Beckett, Howser, Spitzenberger
Minutes: Sarah Jones (for Beckett)

Agenda:

1. Topics from previous meetings:
   
   
• Inclusion and placement of system downtime announcements -- Are we ready to proceed? If so, where should it be located on the page
• ACTION:
  • Links to system downtime announcements will be placed on the Site Index and Research Help pages and as the bottom-most entry in the Research subnav panel
  • The label for the link will be: Catalog & Database Downtimes
    
    
• Proposed revision of layout of UTALO home page -- Is this revision ok or not? Or does it need work/discussion?
  
• ACTION:
  • Move the rotating ads to the top left column
  • Leave out the system downtimes panel
  • Leave out "A to Z Database Title List" from the "Research by Subject" panel
    
    
• "Today in the Library" -- Is this a concept we want to develop for the site? (for these, see http://brie.uta.edu:7001/Main/testPage.uta )
  
• ACTION:
  • Proceed with the concept
  • Address related issues (types of events to list on the home page, responsibility for events listings, etc) as they arise
    
    
2. Staff feedback session on the Library Catalog and Research portions of the UTALO main navigation
   • Gretchen and Suzanne will preview the document they'll be sending out to us. Fuller discussion will be on the agenda for our Jan 24th meeting.
     
     
3. Brainstorming and discussion session: "What is the purpose and what are the goals of the UTA Libraries Online web site?"

   Before we (as WAC) get too far along with considering and making decisions on issues and priorities for the web site, I would like for us to discuss and come to consensus on what we think the overall purpose and goals of the web site are. With that consensus in hand, we will be better equipped for making decisions, and we'll be better able to avoid unintended shifts or changes in the site goals.

   The closest thing we have to an existing goals document is the goals of the web site redesign project. This document dates from about 2 years ago, and I'd recommend it as a point of departure for the purpose and goals statement(s) we develop.

(see: UTALO redesign goals -- PDF | FlashPaper)

NOTES FROM THE BRAINSTORMING/DISCUSSION SESSION:

• Gateway to library resources
• Promotion for libraries Services
• Publishing medium for libraries
• Meet needs of diverse segments (faculty, staff, students)
• Inform people about what we do.
• Make activities successful in an Online environment
• Strive to have virtual equivalents of library services
• Use online environment to prepare for onsite visit
• Easy to use
• Meet user expectations
• Balance implementation costs with impact on users.
• Communication about larger library-related issues: institutional repository, scholarly communication
• Building online community with our users