Panel session on “Avoiding Portal Wars” given at the IWMW 2002 event.
See http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2002/talks/panel/
Beyond the EU: DORA and NIS 2 Directive's Global Impact
IWMW 2002: Avoiding Portal Wars - View from the Library
1. University of Leeds Academic Services
The academic library is...
…”the intellectual commons for the community
where people and ideas interact in both real
and virtual environments to expand learning
and facilitate the creation of knowledge”
Kathryn J. Deiss, “The Keystone Principles”, ARL Newsletter (Dec 1999),
http://www.arl.org/newsltr/207/keystone.html
2. University of Leeds Academic Services
Why should the Library run the
institutional portal?
Portals are essentially about offering
seamless access to information resources
and content.
The Library is best placed to manage
information most effectively.
3. University of Leeds Academic Services
Libraries have expertise in...
Organising access to academic information
and scholarly knowledge.
Empowering the users of information.
Bringing information together with the
communities that need to use it.
Creating customer-focused web
experiences.
4. University of Leeds Academic Services
Examples: the Hybrid Library Project
Leeds University Library project which aims
to:
– increase the usability and relevance of library
and information resources to taught course
students.
– develop tailored information portals for
students at the course and modular level.
6. University of Leeds Academic Services
MyLibrary
Used by various libraries in the US
Ability to create a personalised library
environment
Updates on new developments relevant to
subject area
Enhanced links for contacting library staff
Library support for assignments - tailored
to subject area.
8. University of Leeds Academic Services
Conclusion
Academic libraries are surviving and
thriving in a constantly changing
information environment.
The academic library is at the heart of the
‘learning organisation’.
Library-based portals can leverage the
expertise of librarians in facilitating
seamless access to information.
Hinweis der Redaktion
This statement places the Library at the heart of the university, as a powerhouse of ideas and learning; offering both information and the community in which ideas can develop and flourish.
Academic libraries help students to become independent, lifelong learners. They also help academics and researchers maintain and develop superior research activities. All of this is central to the business of the University.
This quote could also be used to describe a successful university portal. The Library already forms a physical portal to knowledge and is expanding it’s role into a virtual portal as well.
These images are taken from the hybrid library project at the University of Leeds. A personalised environment has been created for students on an MSc module in Computing. The students are working in groups on a literature search for information on specific topics. The Librarian has created a portal to support the students through their literature search. Students are guided to the most relevant sources for their topics. The can also contact the librarian using Microsoft Netmeeting for a conference session. Students used this for advice and guidance on how to get the most out of the various databases; the librarian took over their screens at a distance to ‘walk-through’ a search on a database.
The 2nd screen shows the students own personalised working area, where they could record progress, share tips with the rest of their group, keep a diary etc. Over the course of the project students built up their own group libraries of useful readings, web sites etc.
Importance of the ‘human face’ of the portal; environment where contact and support is promoted.