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Access Task Force Report - October, 2004

MnPALS Access Task Force Report, October 26, 2004

MnPALS Access Task Force Membership:

The current members of the task force are:

Carol Johnson * (Chair) * Normandale Community College * Reference

Carol.Johnson@normandale.edu

Kathleen Ashe * Southwest Minnesota State University *

Cataloging/DBQMTF (Database Quality Management Task Force)

ashe@southwestmsu.edu

Polly Frank * Minnesota State University Mankato * Reference

Polly.Frank@mnsu.edu

Sheila Hatchell * Minnesota Historical Society

Sheila.Hatchell@mnhs.org

Jim Hewitt * Concordia College * Reference

hewitt@cord.edu

Anna Hulseberg * Gustavus Adolphus College * Reference

ahulsebe@gac.edu

Tess Kasling * College of St. Benedict/St. John's University *

Cataloging/DBQMTF

tkasling@scbsju.edu

Monica Ralston * Minnesota Historical Society

Monica.Ralston@mnhs.org

Julie Setnosky * Minneapolis Community & Technical College * Reference

Julie.Setnosky@minneapolis.edu

Edward Swanson * MINITEX * Cataloging/DBQMTF

swans152@tc.umn.edu

Mary Ann Greenwald * MnSCU/PALS

mary.greenwald@mnsu.edu

Perry Madden * MnSCU/PALS

perry.madden@mnsu.edu

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: April 22, May 6, September 23, and October 14, 2004. This is the second set of recommendations from the Task Force.

Recommendations from the MnPALS Access Task Force:

The Task Force recommended that non-format categories be moved to the bottom of the current Tab_Type_Config table so that they will not be picked up for display in the brief record.

The Task Force recommended adding the option of sorting results by date (ascending and descending), author, and title, possibly placing a drop-down menu below the “records 1-20 of ….” text.

Recommended moving the “browse call number field”, with the field appearing after the last added entry and before the system number.

Recommended adding fields for the ISSN and ISBN numbers after the “browse call number field” and before the system number.

Recommended that the tab_type_config table be as broad and expansive as possible, so individual libraries have more choices.

Recommended the MARC 310 and 321 fields should display after the 4XX fields.

Recommended changing text on Search and Browse Options screen from “Find other documents in the database” to “Find other records in the catalog”.

Recommended adding dashes to separate the elements in the 752 field, hierarchal place names.

Recommended placing the “call number prefix”, e.g. FOLIO, after the words “call #”.

NOT – MHS Library Atlas FOLIO Call #: G1524.A5 1874ba

BUT – MHS Library Atlas Call #: FOLIO G1524.A5 1874ba

Recommended adding the Aleph system number to the drop-down menu in the Advanced Browse search.