If we define the IR as part of the library website, then maintaining the
scholarsbank front page could become a responsibility of Joshua Kielas and
library systems. That group will be overloaded for the next 6 months due to
upgrades to the portions of the library website that are currently on
libweb, but will probably have spare capacity when the libweb redesign is
completed. We might also be able to take advantage of some CET:IM design
services.
I think it would definitely be in our interest to conceptualize scholarsbank
as part of the library web site.
We have a similar situation with blackboard. Again, a large external system
that we don't have the resources to customize as much as we'd like, but
again a library service that we want to integrate as much as possible, at
least on the opening screens. Scholarsbank and blackboard are also similar
in that deeper levels of the site are intentionally NOT "library website"
but rather are materials provided by/owned by other members of the UO
community. By the time we get to those levels it's vital that the
contributor (e.g. the faculty member who is teaching the blackboard course)
feel a sense of ownership over the appearance and functionality of the web
presence. It's a hard balancing act.
Specifically on the T-Space front end: we already run a customized front
page for scholarsbank. My guess is that there would be a moderately large
up front cost in redesigning that page, either on the Toronto model or some
other, but that after that redesign our maintenance costs wouldn't go up
much. On the other hand, we don't have anybody except Cory (Tim, Duncan,
Joshua, Roy, and I all have some expertise, but no recent hands-on exposure)
with the needed technical understanding of the way DSpace is structured
internally, so it's not just having to assign staff time, but having to
assign very scarce staff time or alternatively having to invest in training.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-lib-ir@lists.uoregon.edu [mailto:owner-lib-ir@lists.uoregon.edu]
On Behalf Of Carol Hixson
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 8:32 AM
To: lib-ir@lists.uoregon.edu
Subject: Re: lib-ir: IR - U of Toronto site
What it would take is some actual formal assignment
of staff time to modifying the code and keeping it
current with new releases. In our current model where
we have just absorbed the work onto existing positions
without giving anything up, I don't consider it feasible. However, I am
working on a more formal business plan for the IR and I have already
communicated some long-term needs to Admin informally.
It does look great, doesn't it?
Carol