Organizing, Reorganizing and Maintaining a Library Web Presence
Anne C. Moore, Electronic Resources Librarian, New Mexico State University

Libraries of all types are creating Websites to present an image of the library to the world, to promote their services, to provide current and accurate information and to integrate their systems and services. Increasingly, users want to access library services and systems from remote locations. The quality of the library Website will determine whether or not patrons will use its resources.

Ms. Moore discusses planning, budgeting, organizing, designing, and evaluating a first Website for all types of libraries. She offers suggestions for designing and creating an effective Website to support the purposes and audience the library identifies for its Web presence. Steps are outlined for reorganizing a library Website that has been in existence for some time to correct problems with organization, design, graphics, purpose or changes in technology. How to prepare a long-term maintenance plan to keep the Web site functioning efficiently is also described.

Evaluating Library Web Pages: An Interactive Activity
Virgil Blake, Thomas Surprenant, and Bobby Brody, Queens College, Graduate School of Library and Information Studies

Yes, librarians are all madly creating, maintaining, and updating Web pages. Quality ranges from the awful to the awesome. Are these pages doing the job for which they are intended? Are they really worth the time and effort?

Feedback from users is critical to any evaluation, but it is only one part of a complex process. One of the best ways to ensure your Web page is adequate is to become competent in Web page evaluation. This can be best achieved through an interactive process with fellow professionals where actual pages are presented and evaluated using a common set of criteria. This melding of theory and practice will help sharpen critical evaluation skills and assist in developing a common language of evaluation that can be utilized at the local level and in communicating with other professionals.

This presentation uses the basic elements of visual literacy and Web page design to examine a variety of Web pages. Small group activity utilizing an evaluation checklist will reinforce the lessons learned and provide each participant with the opportunity to interact with other professionals.

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
A-2 Session:
Digital Libraries via the Web

Moderator: Pamela Cibbarelli, Cibbarelli's

Serving Olympic Documents Via PDF Files
Wayne Wilson, Library Director, Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles

Historic Olympic documents, photos, and files from the two Olympics held in Los Angeles in 1932 and 1984 are now available on the Web. The Amateur Athletic Association of Los Angeles has created access to these extensive files in PDF format. The project, decisions regarding formats, and overall planning and implementation are discussed.

Project Whistlestop: A Retrieval Evaluation
Thomas Kochtanek & James Laffey, University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Library & Informational Science

This session has been cancelled.

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Lunch Break - A Chance to Visit the Exhibits

1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.
A-4 Session:
Web OPACs

Moderator: Pamela Cibbarelli, Cibbarelli's

Crafting the Library Home Page: Creativity, Consensus, and the Customer
Dennis Brunning and Philip Konomos, Arizona State University

Arizona State University Libraries went public with its new Innopac Online System in July 1997. January 1997 saw the debut of its first library home page on the World Wide Web. Although this first version worked well, integrating Innovative's Web interface, a BRS OnSite Web interface to local and commercial databases, and a Windows interface to SilverPlatter databases, a general feeling emerged that we could do better.

This presentation discusses the why and how of a major revision of a library's home page. Topics include a technical decision to switch from Netscape to Internet Explorer, public services issues and concerns on the look and feel of a Web page intended to service the various user groups of the library and the practical and creative steps of design through consensus.

SIRSI's Development of the WebCat Interface: Observation and Anticipation
Greg Hathorn, SIRSI Corporation

Observation and anticipation of industry trends has motivated SIRSI to develop and incorporate new technology. An intense evaluation of SIRSI's WebCat interface and the future of Web interfaces to online integrated information systems is currently underway. Surveys are going out to every WebCat customer, inviting discussion and comment on the current and new interface, as well as the future of library information systems on the Web. In addition to product-specific evaluation, including preferences on the inclusion of Java and JavaScript elements, SIRSI hopes this review process will serve as a mechanism for community-wide brainstorming on the future of Web catalogs. Industry discussion on topics such as ADA workstation elements, encryption of user data, implementation of Java-version staff workstations, html-bookmarks to catalog records, and others will be encouraged. It is our hope that this endeavor will result in an in-depth profile of the ideal interface for a library Web catalog. This presentation will detail a vendor's perspective on the development of a Web-user interface, an evaluation of SIRSI's efforts, a report on the results of SIRSI's industry analysis regarding this topic, and a conclusion on the future trends of the Web catalog.

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
A-4 Session:
Libraries Without Walls

Moderator: Pamela Cibbarelli, Cibbarelli's

The Remote Reference Room
Fred Nesta, Director, Saint Peter's College Libraries

Just as the Library at Saint Peter's College in Jersey City has a mission of service, so does its Web page. It serves as the Reference Room for off-campus users and for all students when the library is closed. With over 900 direct links, the Web page provides students and faculty with some very powerful tools. Providing this Web service has meant intensive collection development and collection maintenance, not unlike that involved in dealing with print and other media.

This presentation looks at page design, collection development, cataloging and classification, and avoiding "link rot" by maintaining currency.

The Development of a Course Resource Guide
Mary A. Doyle, Systems Librarian & Assistant Professor, Eastern Connecticut State University

Design of a Course Resource Guide for a Colonial New England seminar at Eastern Connecticut State University is described. The Course Resource Guide has links integrating it to the university's Innovative Interfaces WebPAC using hypertext links from keyword searches and specific titles. It also has an Electronic Reserve Room area which will be integrated with the Reserve Room of the III system which contains scanned documents for use by class students.

4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
A-5 Session:
Web Design & Research

Moderator: Pamela Cibbarelli, Cibbarelli's

It Takes a Team: Designing an Effective Library Web Page
Annette LeClair, Schaffer Library, Union College

Library Web pages have evolved dramatically from their beginnings as a convenient index to electronic information sources. Many now serve as an electronic representation of the library itself. They have become — not "virtually" but truly — the doorways through which library clients discover what a contemporary library and its services are all about.

The creation of an effective library Web page therefore requires a grasp of total library services as well as new technologies. Including representation from a wide variety of library units in the development of the library's Web site is one way to meet this challenge.

Union College's award-winning library Web page was created by combining the talents of librarians from its public, technical, and administrative units. Team work began in 1995 with a mission statement that mandates a continual focus on the concepts presented as well as on the practical details of how the site should look and work. All development decisions are still made in context of the library's commitment to instruction, to the utilization of all information formats, and to supporting student research activities. Team members contribute expertise in reference, instruction, collection building, systems, license management, cataloging, electronic resource development and graphic design. The resulting site both represents and serves the library's full range of informational and pedagogical programs. By coordinating the way the entire library responds to the opportunities provided by Web technology, a library can create a home site as rich and far-reaching as library services themselves.

The Old Complements the New: An Online Vendor RANKs Library Publications about the Web
Jane Bambrick, William Paterson University, Sarah Byrd Askew Library

When one reflects on the World Wide Web and online datbases, many relationships come to mind. Searching database vendors via the Web is the most obvious. All database vendors strive for a Web interface which parallels search engines. Some companies have been more successful than others in achieving this goal. In DIALOG one can use the guided search Web interface or use standard search commands. This paper will demonstrate the latter method by using the RANK command to determine when coverage of the Web began in library professional literature. Subsequently, the RANK command will be used to analyze the literature by description, journal name and author. Taking the data a step forward, one can determine the most frequently cited librarians and information scientists writing about the Web. The databases used will be LISA, LIBRARY LITERATURE, and INFORMATION SCIENCE ABSTRACTS. The results are interesting, thought-provoking, and in some cases surprising. This study is an example of how one must use standard search commands to analyze the burgeoning information about the Web. The old complements the new and we gain further insight into the online world and the Web. Undoubtedly, in the future, searchers will be using the RANK command via the Web interface with merely a point and click. When we stop to reflect on the past and the present, nothing seems out of reach.

Track B
• Regent Parlor •
Expanding Methodologies

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
B-1 Session:
Alternative Approaches to Software

Moderator: Richard Boss, Information Systems Consultants, Inc.

Newer Operating Systems: An Analysis of their Utilization and Potential in Libraries
Sharon Yang, More Library, Rider University

Until recently most library products were based on UNIX, DOS, Windows 3.x, and Mac OS. Although Windows NT and Windows 95 have not been around very long, their many new features are revolutionary such as multi-processing, multi- tasking, and platform independence. Four categories of library products are:

1. Integrated library systems based on mainframes and minicomputers and micro-based client/server integrated systems. In 1995, few vendors provided NT and Windows 95 based systems. In 1996 and 1997 almost one third of the vendors added an NT or Windows 95 version of the same systems on their product list in addition to UNIX and DOS.
2. CD-ROM databases. Many vendors in this field are far behind schedule. Many still use DOS. A few have just developed search software for Window 3.x. Only a few big vendors who have the resources provide NT and Windows 95 based CD-ROM searchware. A lot of government CD-ROM databases are still DOS based.
3. Online databases. The vendors in this field are quick to develop software based on new operating systems.
4. Library application software. There are still a lot of DOS based products there as well as products for Windows 95. Very few products for the NT client exist.

The newer operating systems meet the demands of librarians better than their predecessors. The future will see a lot of NT based server products and Windows 95 based single workstation products in libraries. It will take a long time for vendors to develop products based on the NT client. This is because the design of Windows 95 makes it easy to use many traditional library products which in most cases will not be compatible with the NT client. Nevertheless the new operating systems will bring revolutions to libraries in terms of traditional job descriptions and library functions.

Collection Development Policies in a Web Environment
Nancy M. Bolt, Colorado State Library

As more and more Web sites become available, libraries are faced with reactive and proactive options. Most libraries make the Web available to their patrons. This is the reactive approach. In the proactive approach, libraries actively seek out Web sites of use to their patrons and list them on the libraries Web page, or, in some cases, catalog the Web site and include it in the library's PAC. What policies are in place in libraries to select web sites for inclusion on the Web page or PAC? How closely do they follow the libraries print selection policies? What processes are in place to verify that links remain stable over time? Do libraries that employ filtering software use collection development policies to accept or reject filtering software decisions?

The Access Colorado Library and Information Network (ACLIN), a statewide library and government information public network, developed an ACLIN collection development policy to guide its decisions about which Web sites to include on ACLIN's homepage. This will be used as a prime example. The presentation explores similarities and differences between print and web selection policies and issues related to implementing them.

11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
B-2 Session:
Knowledge Management, Intranets, and Extranets

Moderator: Richard Boss, Information Systems Consultants, Inc.

Knowledge Management: Taking Advantage of What You Know
Carol Knoblauch, Information Dimensions

Corporate Intranets have generated a new interest in knowledge management. As a convenient method for organizing and sharing an enterprise's information assets, the intranet may seem to manage knowledge. In reality knowledge management involves far more than providing controlled access to information. It is a multi-disciplinary practice that draws from the theory and technology of artificial intelligence, expert systems, library science, document management, cognitive science, organizational dynamics, and business analysis. Knowledge management involves evaluating, classifying, and structuring information so that others may benefit from its prior application or easily apply it to a current problem or situation. An analysis of knowledge management as interpreted by various disciplines will clarify this complex and compelling field. A survey of projects will evaluate library participation in knowledge management activities, identify opportunities for adding value to existing practices, and demonstrate appropriate technologies for knowledge management.

Interfaces to Multiple Systems: Partnership Search Center
Selena Ramkeesoon and Aline Martinez, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, Information Services

The Partnership Search Center is an Internet site of a pool of over 50 Web sites developed by partner organizations offering a wide array of information — from banking activities, to resident services, to state and federal legislature. These organizations range from financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies, to government agencies, educational institutions and other nonprofit organizations and foundations.

The Partnership Search Center has been developed by indexing relevant Web sites using a commercial indexing engine. The goal is to simplify access to multiple systems, providing a specialized subgroup to interested users. The objective is to develop an easy to navigate site where the user can customize their inquiries to their required level of specificity.

The Partnership Search Center is part of the NeighborWorks Network Website. The latter site serves both as a network and corporate information tool for the community development field. The site is developed and maintained by staff at Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, a nonprofit, congressionally mandated organization.

12:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
Lunch Break - A Chance to Visit the Exhibits

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Workshop
Planning for Library Technology
Marshall Breeding, editor, Library Software Review

This workshop focuses on planning issues related to library technology. The implementation of new integrated library systems, networks, and other automated systems requires significant attention to resource allocation. Initial capital costs, ongoing maintenance, training, and personnel costs are but a few of the important considerations. Marshall Breeding will present information on some of the important aspects of library technology and the management and planning issues they raise.

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