WAC: Home > About WAC > Minutes > November 15, 2005

Web Advisory Committee Minutes, November 15, 2005

Minutes-taker: Sarah Jones
Attending: Beckett, Suzanne; Irwin, Marie S; Jones, Sarah A; King, Burton; Spitzenberger, Cathleen; Stepanovich, Mitch; Trkay, Gretchen; Walter, Catherine; Wellvang, James K
Absent:
Guest: Josh Been

1. Hosting UTA Libraries Online web content on servers other than library.uta.edu or libraries.uta.edu. Specifically, granting exception to web applications developed by GIS for the magellan server. (Been) -- continued

Issues regarding external hosting of applications/web sites:

• Maintaining UTA Libraries identity on the externally hosted pages/sites/apps
• Maintenance of a matching or compatible look and feel on the externally hosted pages/sites/apps
• Content vs. application -- if an application is hosted externally but is meant to be integrated in UTALO, where is the boundary between content and application?
• What criteria must be met to allow a spinoff site?
  What is the process for requesting integration of an external application?
• What expectations will WAC have for authors/developers of spinoff sites?
• What expectations will WAC have for authors/developers of external applications?
• Who is responsible for related/attendent issues? e.g:
  • Usability
  • Labeling
  • Explanatory text
  • Page titles, headlines
  • Navigation and navigational integration with UTALO
  • Identification of stakeholders
    
    
• The characteristics of a spinoff site (using Tejano Voices as an example)
  • Digitization of a portion of the UTA Libraries collections
  • Collaboration with CMAS (a non UTA Libraries body)
  • Not editorial in nature
  • Contribution to the world of scholarship
  • Apart from adding additional oral histories, the site won't change (no redesign or significant additions to text, no significant changes to functionality or navigation)
  • Doesn't represent core library services
  • It wouldn't exist anywhere else (a unique resource/collection)
  • Targeted to a broad user population (beyond UTA)
  • Can stand alone
    
• The characteristics of integrated content (using Course Guides as an example)
  • Represents a core library service
  • Distributed authorship (although it is more or less template based)
  • Represent day-to-day communication with users
  • A lot of linking to other library services AND UTA licensed resources
  • Targeted to the UTA user population
  • Are best understood within the context of the UTA Libraries and UTA Libraries Online
  • Not a lot of bells and whistles
    

ACTION:

Re: GIS web presence:

Long term: DLS and/or GIS will employ someone (student or staff) who can ensure that new applications are available as web services or other portable, cross-platform technology

Short term: 1) content that Josh Been has already developed: he will give inventory with URLs to Sarah, Sarah will categorize and choose "templates" (in collaboration with Josh Dugdale) based on the type of content and which will meet the needs of the GIS web pages, Sarah will integrate the pages into the GIS subnav, 2) for new development, at the point of project conception Josh Been will check with Marie who will advise on whether or not WAC should be consulted before development and who will advise on which DLS staff are appropriate partners in the collaboration, 3) when new GIS applications are ready, Josh Been will send the URLs to WAC for WAC to review them for usability issues. 4) DLS will find a way to provide UTALO site navigation on GIS pages hosted on gis.uta.edu that maximizes the portability and minimizes the need for ongoing maintenance (for example: GIS hosted pages getting UTALO menus/navigation URLs from an XML file hosted on library.uta.edu).


2. Other:

From Jim: A question for the agenda: where are we in implementation of the content management system?

ACTION:

Unfortunately, it's on hold -- it's not in the strategic plan, and strategic plan activities have priority over projects that are not in the strategic plan.

WAC recommends that Marie talk to Gerald Saxon about the issue of the CMS and its place in the priorities of the library.

Next Meeting:  Tuesday, December 13, 2005, 1:30-3:00 pm, B-29 meeting room (back to the usual time and place)

Think of profile questions for the models pictured in the UTALO home page photos, and email to the group and/or bring the ideas to the meeting.