Suggestion Box
The NYPL Labs is an R&D space for everyone who comes in contact with the Library (staff and users alike). If you’ve got an idea for a tool, process or hack that would improve your interactions with the Library or enhance our user experience, describe it here and we’ll be in touch to talk further.
(In the interests of keeping this thread focused, please limit comments to distinct project suggestions; commentary may be yanked at our discretion)
Have any surveys/focus groups been done on the use of library terms on the website? Have you considered using terms other than “circulating” and “non-circulating” to distinguish between LEO and CATNYP? It may be somewhat more awkward-sounding, but perhaps “Materials You Can Check Out” or something to that affect? I’ve run into so many patrons who don’t understand the difference between circulating and reference books.
This came in from Helice Koffler:
I’ve been wondering how difficult it would be to mashup the information tag of an EAD finding aid, the 544
regarding archival collections about the same person or corporate entity
that are held by different repositories (or, in the context of NYPL, they
may be scattered across several divisions), which already is represented in
online finding aids or other online descriptions. This information should
be available in the
of a MARC/AMC record, or even found as an element of finding aids that
repositories are making available online as HTML, pdf, and Word files.
One example is the collection I have been working on recently (although the
finding aid and the cataloging record are not yet available). There is
already material about Joseph Borome in Schomburg and this additional
collection will be part of the Music Division.
Our current AMAT tool can show the user that NYPL related collections are
there (when the related materials field has been included in the finding
aid), but the search results can be a bit confusing and inconsistent. For
example, the AMAT display shows that the Bowne family papers and Edmund A.
Stanley, Jr. collection relating to Bowne & Co. (both held by Mss. and
Archives) are related collections. But another example is Edward Albee. A
small collection of his papers is held by Mss. and Archives and a
collection of scripts is held by the Billy Rose Theatre Collection. You
can find out NYPL has both collections by doing a keyword search on AMAT,
but it does not show that they are related because that element has not
been included in the finding aid.
I think it would be great if we could somehow pull all this information
together (across divisions, as well as other institutions) and use it to
create comprehensive resource sites on specific individuals or
organizations that attempt to provide the best information we have on
holdings of primary resources. Ideally, the public could also contribute
comments, revisions, or some other additional information to those sites.
Why not just use a subject search?
http://catnyp.nypl.org/search?/dAlbee%2C+Edward%2C+1928-/dalbee+edward+1928-/-3%2C-1%2C0%2CB/exact&FF=dalbee+edward+1928-&1%2C24%2C
that’s, http://www.shortenurl.com/3jqcz
In the process of “merging” the reference activities of the Music Division and the R&H Sound Archives, we are trying to better organize the list of websites, bookmarks, databases, and other utilities (web-based and local) that we use daily in the process of providing reference services to our public. We find that merely creating bookmarks in the browser, or shortcuts on the desktop is inefficient, because not all computers from which reference services are given are “synchronized.” We are currently playing around with several del.icio.us sites (see: del.icio.us/NYPLPA and del.icio.us/RHAlinks) and have thought about utilizing Google bookmarks, Firefox bookmark synchronization, or perhaps something such as Squidoo lenses. But we thought we should find out if others have done this sort of thing already (and how), or if the Digital group is working on an “all NYPL” solution.
Our foremost purpose is to provide a single, usable, and useful way to coordinate and update links to useful content for internal use. A resultant external “subject guide” for the public would be an additional benefit. Key to any implementation would be NYPL control of end content (i.e. vetting of websites included), but with the ability for people to contribute possible links for inclusion (similar to del.icio.us for: syntax) Some form of organization other than only chronological with tags would also be desirable for a true subject guide.
Tom C,
Delicious, wow, that is some heady 2.0 stuff.
Did you intend to add your comment here:
http://labs.nypl.org/delicious-links/
Because it seems more appropriate, if you think about it?
No, not really, as this is more about creating a comprehensive tool (or set of standard tools) for collecting, collocating, and maintaining the links rather than the links themselves.
As I understand it, the delicious links page (cited above) is more for submitting actual links of interesting/cutting edge/2.0 solutions for the labs’ review and vetting than the technology involved in capturing/storing/dynamically updating those links… or am I wrong?
If there’s an institution that has solved this problem in a particularly great way that you know of, I’d relish the chance to discover it by having it be submitted to the delicious links page.
Hello Tom C,
Yeah, the del.icio.us links are so that we can get a feel for what’s important and to keep our network fresh. For example, we just got a link from Thomas Lannon that gave a great example of a complementary approach to community blogging.
As for the subject guide request, there are a number of open-source toolkits that I’ll investigate and get back to you about.
Appreciate your well-described request, too.
Hi there, I have a question about the new calendar on the nypl site. Why have the sorting capabilities for type of event been limited to just program, class, or exhibition? For example, it used to be so great to filter out films only. Now our patrons have to weed through a much longer list of programs to find what they are looking for.
Just wondering…
Okay, this is embarrassing, but I only finally got off my dead rear to get a library card last week. Which also means I only just finally started really digging into the site.
The good news is that there is all sorts of rad stuff. The bad news is that I can’t always find it! I was mortified when I just read mmisner’s post (Who who who) pointing out links to all the various resources on the site. I hadn’t even found half of these!
A few thoughts on why:
1) I am a dumbass and lazy
2) More accurately – I am in a hurry to get to the good stuff, which means I don’t fart around for a full day on the site the way I actually should when confronted with a new resource. I consider myself an intermediate level researcher – advanced enough to know that I should spend time with a new resource of this magnitude, but green enough to not always do it methodically.
3) Once I use the top-level navigation (horizontal, Home, Hours, Books, etc), I can’t tell where I am. Like if I click on Books, why doesn’t the books link stay dark on that page to indicate it is the active page? There’s nothing else on the Books & Materials page to indicate that’s where I am. I have to actually read the page and remember what I just clicked.
4) Clicking on a sublink within those pages really magnifies the problem from #3. Now I don’t remember the first link I clicked on, and I don’t remember the second one, either. If I go to, say, Materials > Databases – a very involved section that I could spend days in – I will never remember that there was other stuff under Materials waiting for me to go back to it.
I think 3 & 4 this could be solved with a title above the sidebar that maintains the same name as the initial click, along with making the first click a different color, and then having (yuck) flyout menus on the side nav, so that the first set of choices never goes away, reminding the user of where they are and not allowing them to lose choices along the way. Or, if not flyout, expandable nested lists, so you get something like this:
* is active
Books and Materials*
Cards
Borrowing
NYPL Recommends*
Using
Features
eNYPL
….
NYPL Pubs
I was thinking of building a little scraper to make this list myself, but then it occurred to me that I can just suggest it to you guys and maybe you would make it for everyone!
Anyway, I am trying to methodically collect my own database of “who has what.” Like if I know I want to search Facts on File, I need to remember which of the libraries I have access to has Facts on File.
I hadn’t come up with the exact way I was going to do this yet, but I was thinking something like use a scraper to go through your list of databases page; pluck out the name, link, access (on or off site), subject areas, description, etc; dump it into a database; search database when I need a particular resource.
Then I thought, but what if they get a new database or get rid of one? So then I started thinking of RSS to somehow keep track of revisions, but haven’t gotten much past that point.
So, yeah. Totally an incomplete thought. Maybe a flat text file of databases and their metadata that can be exported to various formats?
Idea:
Virtual Vertical File of Branch Libraries in their various neighborhood setting.
I’m not sure if you’re aware that a lot of the branch libraries use to keep a “vertical file,” of local and national newspapers and magazine clippings specifically about their neighborhood, any mentions and photos of their
particular branch.
I used to work in the Tompkins Square Branch in the East Village and we had such a file. Many have been tossed or just lost over time. The virtual file could be cataloged, posted with related links. I’m not sure if those files are kept up to date any longer, but they were fun to review, and we had a few patron’s coming into their neighborhood branch after years had passed.
I remember Martin Scorsese’s speech at the Tompkins’ Square 100th anniversery and he mentioned fond memories of TS when he was a young man. Anyway the point is that a Virtual Vertical File could link the library to the neighborhood both in cyberspace and in real time.
I thought it might be a cool project if each branch could somehow scan and catalog those articles and items and have a link available from their home page.
Patrons and staff could be encouraged to add to the file. Sort of a neighborhood library collaboration.
Just an idea.
I’d be willing to assist.
Thanks,
Jim
James Soucé
Branch Libraries Information Systems
The New York Public Library
(212) 340-0808
Strict XHTML and separation of form/content on the main site, please! And no inline styles!
Loving the new blog, hoping you can make it a bit more… bloglike with text wrapping around images and maybe fonts that are a little easier on the eyes, etc. It looks great and it’s wonderful how you’ve gotten so much participation. It would be good to try to emulat best [or good] practices and give everyone a tutorial in formatting in drupal and how to write for the web. I’ll happily come down if everyone’s too busy; looking good!
Any idea why this URL:
http://www.nypl.org/research/manuscripts/arc/arc6cory.xml
resolves to a NYPL Labs page?
Am I doing something wrong? I usually read blogs via Bloglines, but for some reason NYPL Labs only gives me the start of the article. I’ve changed my subscription settings, but can’t seem to get a complete article.
Is there a specific feed which provides the full post?
Tnx,
Richard – sorry for the truncation. I just toggled the Wordpress setting, so full posts should now show up in the main subscription feed…
[...] NYPL labs – electronic suggestion box [...]
oops, i just posted suggestions under your v-8 engines blog entry, thought i was in suggestion box, please look there, thanks…
There is nothing here on accessibility. None of your branches or research libraries provide workstations with voice recognition software for people with mobility impairments. None of your databases are accessible on site to people with such impairments (this is obviously a concern for people using material that is only available on site). Catnyp is not searchable in your libraries by people with such impairments.
I would like to advocate for the FULL rss feed for Labs to be published please. Otherwise, would someone kindly elaborate why only a truncated version is released into the wild? (or have I picked up the wrong feed???)
(anecdotally I can tell you that I tend to flick pass truncated feeds and am less likely to visit a site because of it; so it’s an incongruity, in my opinion, if the rationalisation is to increase the numbers actually visiting the site)
Unless I’m really missing something, the digital collections can be very frustrating to search, especially when I’m looking for periodicals or books. Example: I know that NYPL has lots of Czech modernist books and periodicals, and that many are digitized. Thus, it seems reasonable to suggest NYPL as a resource for my students to use for papers analyzing the design of these, especially since in most cases they can see the whole thing rather than just the cover.
But finding titles to recommend to them? Sure, I know how to do basic searches. So do they, I hope. But I could just tear my hair trying to find what’s here, and I’m an experienced researcher, while they’re undergrads.
“Czech” brings up way too much stuff, of course. “ReD” brings up anything with red. “Revue Devetsil” brought up about 3 images from which I was able to navigate and find that it appears you’ve digitized the whole run of the magazine but not keyed it consistently. Etc. Etc. Etc.
I could just let them flounder, since after all they’re supposed to learn how to research in this class. But I don’t think it’s exactly spoon-feeding to point them in the direction of specific good resources from which they could then discover other good resources. They’re beginners at art history and don’t know the names of all sorts of Czech modernist books and magazines yet.
Is it better to search these outside Digital Collections or what? And for my own research, it would be awfully nice if these things were searchable by their own texts. One could then try to find all the mentions of a specific artist or writer, for instance.
Love the work NYPL is doing. I clicked on the blogs here http://labs.nypl.org/labs-projects/blogs/ and got all dead links. Advice? thanks.