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MnPALS ConsortiumMembersVision StatementMission StatementGovernance and PoliciesDeans/Directors/CoordinatorsExecutive CommitteeUser GroupsUser CouncilTask ForcesFundingCalendar |
Access Task Force Report - April, 2005MnPALS Access Task Force Report
MnPALS Consortium Spring User Groups, April 26, 2005
MnPALS Access Task Force Membership:
The current members of the task force are:
The task force is set to sunset by the Spring 2005 MnPALS Consortium User Group Meetings.
MnPALS Access Task Force Charge "The MnPALS Access Task Force shall consist of Reference and Cataloging Librarians from a wide variety of institutional types and sizes. The Task Force will evaluate indexing and limiting capabilities via the Aleph OPAC and suggest improvement and/or enhancement to the database indexing and interface which would better meet user needs and expectations. Recommendations will include, but not be limited to – types of limits, names of limits, changes in indexing, and layout of search options. The Task Force will be convened April 2005. The need for the continuation of the Task Force will be reviewed by December 2004. Recommendations will be forwarded to the MnPALS Consortium User Council and Reference User Group for approval." The Task Force has met via conference call on the following dates: November 10, November 30, and December 14 during 2004. During 2005, we met January 24, February 11, March 11, and April 12. This is the third set of recommendations from the Task Force. Full minutes of the meetings of the Task Force are available on the WebBoard. Recommendations from the MnPALS Access Task Force:
1. Pop-up window / Related Search Window
1a. Find vs. Browse Search
The Task Force recommends that choices between FIND and BROWSE searches be removed, and that all linked searches invoke a FIND search only. This would happen automatically behind the scenes and result in a Brief Results Display list. This would be true for author, title, subject, and series links that are clicked on in a catalog record.
1b. Searches on the Names Indexes
Names may exist in author fields, added entry fields, subject fields, and series fields. The Task Force recommends that searches on name indexes (i.e. names as both an author and a subject) will not be performed. Instead, searches linked from an author field will only search the author index, and name searches from a subject field will only search the subject index.
If the record you are looking at does not have the name as a subject, you will need to do a new search on the name as a subject.
The option to search a name as both an author and a subject will continue to be available on the Advanced Keyword Search page in the drop down choices.
1c. Series Find Searches
The searches activated by clicking on a series link will be referred to the MITF (MnPALS Indexing Task Force) to review.
1d. Uniform Titles and Pop-up Window
Currently there are linked searches for uniform titles entered as a main entry (MARC 130). These links only search the uniform title index.
For Uniform titles in MARC 130 fields, the Task Force recommends that linked searches also include the title index.
There are no linked searches for uniform titles entered as title (MARC 240). An example of a currently unlinked uniform title (MARC 240) is “Sonatas, violoncello, continuo” (PALSN: 34969117 in GAC catalog).
For Uniform titles entered in MARC 240 fields the Task Force recommends that
1) linked searches be activated from this type of uniform title.
2) that the link for this uniform title searches both the uniform title index and title indexes.
1e. MARC 76x-78x fields and Pop-up window
The Task Force recommends that none of the MARC 76x-78x fields be linked as they are not access points. These include fields for translations, supplements, host items for analytics, proceeding and succeeding titles for serials, and issued with entry for serials. For further information on these fields see http://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/ecbdlink.html
2. Search Page Buttons
The Task Force recommends that Basic, Advanced, Command, and Browse search links be available on the Basic Search page. The Results List and Current Searches links will be moved down into the white space and on the same line as “You are searching….,” and placed over on the right side. Basic and Advanced Searches will be changed to singular.
3. ISSN and ISBN
The Task Force recommends that only currently valid ISSN and ISBN numbers be displayed in the OPAC (022 $a and 020 $a).
4. Sort Order of Items
Currently, items for monographs and serials are displayed in the same order – highest to lowest. This is appropriate for serials because the most recent serials are listed first. However, for volumes of a monograph and other non-serial formats, this display is not desirable. Volumes of a monograph currently display as v.6, v.5, v.4, v.3, v.2, v.1.
The Task Force recommends that the sort for serials remains the same (in descending order), but that a new sort order be developed for non serial formats (in ascending order). Thus the volumes of the monograph above would instead display v.1, v.2, v.3, v.4, v.5, v.6.
5. Implementation of Changes to the OPAC
The Task Force recommends that no major changes be implemented in the OPAC in the middle of a semester because of the effect on library instruction.
6. Task Force Process
The Task Force recommends the adoption of the document: MnPALS Access Task Force (MATF) - Process of recording and reviewing problems and implementing recommendations to the MnPALS OPAC.
7. Search Limits Added to Basic Search Page (v.17)
For version 17, the Task Force recommends that limits on the Basic Search page be retained as delivered out-of-the-box, and that the Filter button (which is to be renamed Limits in v. 15) be eliminated when v. 17 is implemented. The Task Force further recommends that the limits on the Advanced Search page of our v. 15 NOT be moved forward, as it would be too labor-intensive to implement in v. 15.
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