Project proposal status

Brief Proposals

Full Proposals

2/22/2011

1. SIMILE Exhibit Timeline

(wufoo #10)

The MIT150 Timeline needs to live on after 2011. The timeline currently uses a vendor service, Dipity. Our contract with the service is scheduled to run out at the end of CY2011. The Dipity software is based on programming created through the SIMILE project. The current timeline content is exportable in XML.

We want to learn to use SIMILE and see this as a good experimentation project. Also, as part of MIT150 activities the Archives have been given historical “timeline” information from the School of Engineering and the Council on Diversity, chronicling their histories. We want to create timelines for that information, as well. It had been an original intent to create the MIT150 Timeline by using the SIMILE Exhibit/Timeline software. But lack of understanding of the software and uncertainty of the deliverables made it more prudent for us to use an established vendor option (which we had reviewed with Nicole Hennig).

Tom Rosko

Yes

Yes

2/23/2011

2. Cataloging and processing of the Industrial Relations pamphlet collection

(wufoo #11)

The project represents completion and extension of a project begun in 2007. It has been on hold for several years.
This collection was developed 1938-1963. It consists of historic and unique materials on labor unions, labor-management relations, human resource management, and other topics related to the world of work. In 2007 the MIT Libraries contracted with AEL Data Co. in Chennai, India, for retrospective conversion of the collection records, using the shelflist. The card catalog is gone and the pamphlet collection is inaccessible until records are processed. There are approximately 27,000 records in this database; they have been added to Barton as suppressed. Approximately 3600 items have so far been barcoded, linked to records, and stored in OCC. This project will have three major facets: to finish linking items to records already in Barton; to apply the same level of cataloging to the remaining titles in the pamphlet collection, process and store them; and to process the intellectual content of the shelflist (original annotations and abstracts have been captured by AEL Data ) as an annotated online bibliography.

Anita Perkins

Yes

Not approved

3/1/2011

3. Add E-books to new book RSS feeds

(wufoo #12)

E-books do not get classified in LC, so they don't show up on our new book RSS feeds. There must be some way of getting them into the feeds are perhaps establishing parallel feeds of new e-books.

Michael Noga

Already in process (AMES)

3/10/2011

4. Maps in Barton

(wufoo #13)

The goal of this project is to put more specific location information about items in Barton search results, similar to what O'Neill Library at Boston College (which also uses Aleph) does with Locate It! links in its OPAC: http://arc.bc.edu:8080/FloorMap/explain6b.jpg

Some have suggested that a map system like this for the MIT Libraries would require RFID or other technology to implement. However, part of the solution may already exist in the form of a FileMaker Pro (FMP) database that ID&LA already uses at Barker, Hayden, and Rotch to create consistent aisle tag/stack signs. Among other information, the database includes the library, floor, collection (stacks, reference, browsery, etc.), and start and end call numbers of each stack. The stacks information is quite accurate---minimally a library-wide check of stack signs is done each semester at Barker; during shifting projects or whenever staff or student workers notice a sign is inaccurate, the database is normally updated within a business day, if not immediately.

The Maps in Barton project would use a database similar to the existing FMP database to provide a link to the specific stack location (library, floor, and stack number), as well as a map of the appropriate floor pointing out the stack where the patron can locate an available item at Barker, Dewey, Hayden, Music, and Rotch. For other library locations (including LSA and Archives) and for non-available items (items that are checked out, missing, on order, etc.), instead of displaying shelf location, the link would display information about how the patron can access the material--e.g., placing a hold request, or using alternate services (PDF Article Delivery through WebDocs, BLC, Harvard Reciprocal Borrowing, BorrowDirect).

Roshni Gohil

Yes

Yes

Yes

3/14/2011

5. Local Document Delivery Service (from campus libraries)

(wufoo #14)

Provide PDF document delivery service from collections in Barker, Dewey, Hayden and Rotch libraries. This service would be based on the model in use at the Library Storage Annex, providing free PDF delivery of article-length documents from print-only collections for MIT faculty, students and staff.

This service could be implemented using technology already in place in the Libraries, routing users from Barton to our ILLiad request system via SFX. This service would require training of IDLA staff in library units in the use of scanning equipment and ILLiad request processing, and may require additional staff hours for request fulfillment. This service would also require purchase of scanning equipment and software for each IDLA service location.

Melissa Feiden

Yes

Resubmit in a year

3/14/2011

6. URMS (Universal Request Mgmt. System)

(wufoo #15)

Develop a unified interface for patrons to track all library requests, whether the requests originate from Barton, ILLiad or another request management system. This URMS interface would have links back to the native interface of each request system, so that patrons could return to that interface to place requests, etc.

Several years ago, the Document Delivery Task Force approached this topic, noting that an URMS doesn't have to accomplish all of the request and circulation tasks of the various systems it represents and will not be a single interface that controls request functions. Rather an URMS may be a system that aggregates and displays data related to requests and routes users to appropriate forms and services.

The task force created a mock-up of a potential URMS interface -- see:
[http://web.mit.edu/feiden/www/index.html
]
The "home" page of this mock-up shows an account that lists a variety of requests -- ILB articles, Barton book loans, even Ask Us! requests -- in a single user interface. We can now imagine new sections in this mock-up for WorldCat BLC borrowing, Borrow Direct and more.

This task force report also noted: As an example, North Carolina State University (NCSU) brands its ILL/DocDelivery/Storage services under a single banner: “TripSaver.” A user who is looking at their account in NCSU’s library system sees a combination of their requests (ILLiad requests for books, articles), satellite shelving (ILS requests) and distance learning requests (ILLiad requests), as well as local circulation transactions (ILS requests). This is accomplished through scripting behind the scenes that pulls ILLiad data into the NCSU integrated library system, and routes users back to their ILLiad account to make adjustments to these requests as needed.

Melissa Feiden

Yes

Yes

Yes

on hold (per note from Rich 2/23/12)

3/30/2011

7. More Transparent Shelf-End Labels

(wufoo #16)

I propose that we add labels to the end of our shelves that, in addition to specifying the LC Call number range contained in the shelves, include information about which subjects those LC Call numbers cover. We could simply take the information from the LC Classification Taxonomies and match it to the call numbers on the shelf, thereby allowing our patrons a bit more browsing ability in the stacks.

Margaret H. Willison

Yes

Not approved (could be pursued by  IDLA)

3/30/2011

8. Vending Machines for USB drives and other patron needs, including candy

(wufoo #17)

Description: Selling our USB drives through vending machines, along with candy and other small, technological accessories our users might need for their studies. Such additional accessories are to be determined.

Jim Eggleston

Yes

Not approved

3/31/2011

9. Remote book drop expansion

(wufoo #18)

The Stata book drop is a successful expansion of a remote book drop location outside of any MIT library area. In light of this popular program, we suggest expanding book drop locations to include W20, the Student Center and possibly other places where students are.
A suggested book drop location would be to the left of the two computers on the first floor of the Student Center, located behind the stairs and near the telephone booth and entrance to the MIT COOP. I believe there's enough space for it. Book drop construction should be similar to Stata. This should be clearly marked as an MIT Libraries book return. Offering countertop space adjacent to the computers would be an extra benefit. Perhaps a sign advertising this book drop could be posted somewhere prominent, as well as a directory listing.

Just as delivery services picks up books from Stata M - F, and Hayden Access Services does this on weekends, we envision delivery services driving their van to the Student Center M - F, so they'd need approval to drive the van up the walk across from 77 Mass. Ave. like campus police, construction, and Facilities folks do. We suggest the library closest to the new book drop location would be the best staff to manage this on weekends when delivery services is not working. Staff at that library would need one of those gray covers to be kept behind their desk so that during inclement weather, they could cover a mail bin when picking up any returns. At Stata, library staff have the option to walk outside or take the tunnels if it's raining or snowing. Because the Student Center location requires walking outside, perhaps there could be a posted delay of pickup for items during inclement weather, but staff could backdate returns to the inclement weather day.

We'd need to get permission by Facilities or someone in the Student Center to construct the book drop. If the lock could be keyed alike to the lock for the Stata book drop, this would greatly facilitate managing remote book drops since delivery services would only need one key.

If another campus expansion location is identified for a remote book return, I still recommend the Student Center location since students frequent this location for relaxation, food and study options. When the Student Center is closed, our book return would not be available for pickup or drop off.

Joe Hankins

Yes

Referred to IDLA

4/4/2011

10. Search/Request Webpage

(wufoo #19)

It would great to have one page on our website where users can go to see all of the different options we have for searching and requesting items. Right now they seem to be scattered about and as we add on more services like BLC Worldcat and BorrowDirect, it would be great to lay them all out in one place. Each method would need to have a brief description for it's appropriate use to guide the user. This project would cross the lines of UX, IDLA and perhaps CSM.

Another suggestion as part of this project would be to add links to this new page to Barton or other resources when a user's search returns no results. I found recently when I initiated a search and found no results in Barton that it would have been convenient to have a link to a search/request page with a message like "If you received no results in Barton, try searching via these other options......"

Jenn Morris

Yes

Already in process (Discovery Promotion Team)

4/8/2011

11.  Consolidation of Microfiche collections

(wufoo #20)

The MIT Libraries continue to maintain large, varied collections on microfiche, from old journals, to technical reports and MIT Theses. These collections are housed in all of our libraries with a wide variety of equipment, some that are difficult to use and output poor quality images, some that can only print and others that allow users to scan to a pdf.

Microfiche/film is a difficult collection for staff to support. Due to its extremely low use, the collections and the necessary equipment are located in remote areas of each library, far from where the service desks are situated. Current students have often never heard of microfiche, never mind used it, and require 10+ minutes of assistance before they get underway, often abandoning the resource when they realize how time consuming it can be.

I think we should consolidate our microfiche and film collections at one library location. It would require an inventory of current collections; determining a Libraries' location that could bear the weight of heavy microfiche cabinets; a survey of current microfiche and film readers in the library to determine which equipment is worth maintaining and research into new readers that are far more functional than the equipment we currently maintain.

Cassandra Fox

Yes

Referred to CSM and IDLA

4/21/2011

12. Tablet signage
(wufoo #22)

Similar to monitors located at each location, the devices could show slides that advertise library events, collections, and services. They could show maps of floors with highlighted equipment locations, special collections., restrooms, etc. They could also be used to solicit feedback from customers via quick surveys, or simply the Tell Us form. This would likely increase user input and aid in collecting data for assessment.

Patrons would be able to browse the Libraries’ website and search Barton via these tablets hanging on several distributed stack ends across floors. The devices would effectively multiply and distribute look-up stations while minimizing their geographical footprint, and minimizing excessive use by outside patrons (since they wouldn’t have any chairs).

In retail stores such as Target, customers can page staff to help answer questions. If a patron can’t find an item or is lost, they would be able to call staff, via IM, FaceTime or some other means, who could then help the patrons where they are. (At Rotch, there used to be phones on each floor except for the one where the service desk is located. Once the receiver was picked up it would ring the circ desk. The phones were removed around the time VOIP was installed.) The kiosks would save patrons trips up and down several floors to seek assistance.

The tablets would be the face of the Libraries when and where there are no human faces nearby. They would improve the user experience by making the lookup stations more multi-faceted than our existing ones. Moreover, they would serve to support the image of the MIT Libraries as an innovative, technologically advanced, and forward-looking institution.

Kevin Sheehan

On hold for a bit while they do more investigation. A small version of this may become a beta. (Kevin S. and Jenn M. to meet with Nicole & Remlee about that in August).

6/10/2011

13. Digitization of MIT-related Film/Video/Sound Recordings at the Annex
(wufoo #23)

On the first floor of the Annex is a cabinet containing over 140 film reels and videos, with a smattering of audio recordings mixed in as well. As part of a project for Simmons, I created an inventory of all the materials in this cabinet.

In light of the Libraries' stated desire to manage MIT-created content, it seemed to me that it might make sense for some of the MIT-related films ,videos and sound-recordings to be converted to digital form, or at the very least stored in a better environment (cold storage at Harvard Depository) until they can be assessed. As it stands, these films and videos are not getting any use at all, largely because most of them are not in the catalog (the fact that many of them are either film reels or strange videotape formats probably also contributes to their not getting any use).

Last summer, I presented my inventory to Ann Whiteside, Jennifer Friedman, Jolene De Verges, Patsy Baudoin, and Ann Marie Willer. At the time, the consensus was that though many of the films/videos could be discarded, there were some interesting items within the bunch. Among the items of the most interest were some 8mm films of Kevin Lynch (titled "Public Garden"). If memory serves, there was talk in the meeting of Rotch/RVC using Kevin Lynch-related funds that they had on hand in order to do something with these 8mm films.

Some other potential items of interest:

Rachel Strickland's A Form-of-Inhabiting Movie (which she submitted along as part of her MIT M.Arch Thesis in 1976). She is now a professor at California College of the Arts and a filmmaker.

"Color in Art and Science" (lecture by artist Stuart Davis). Summer session 4.049. July 30, 1958. Audio recording. Acc. to Barton , there is a cassette recording available at Rotch, but it strikes me as the kind of thing it might be good to convert to digital form.

Rebuilding An Old Japanese House by Rachel Strickland and Richard Leacock (made in collaboration with the Boston Children's Museum).

Claes Oldenburg: Slide Presentation/Lecture in Conjunction w/ Exhibit in Hayden Gallery 1976 Jan. 13"

Analysis of the organization of an alternative school using film...(Christina Barnes, M.C.P. 1972).

Wakeby Day, Wakeby Night (A Monotype Mural by Michael Mazur) Video documentation of an exhibition held at the Hayden Gallery at MIT

Videos by Thomas Piper (Urban Studies Principal Research Scientist, film/tv executive producer) having to do with local developments, planning.

short videos with Tim Johnson having to do with MIT Solar House.

Moses Carr

Yes

Referred to Diane G.

6/28/2011

14. Discovery Service
(wufoo #24)

Implement an easily navigable, "single search box" discovery tool. There are several products on the market and we have been approached by two of the leading vendors: ProQuest/Serials Solution (Summon) and Ebsco (Ebsco Discover Service aka EDS). Both of these services, as well as any other vendors we want to consider, should be evaluated by various parts of the Libraries organization (content, interface, technology platform and integration, etc.).
Implementing a discovery service would provide a significant improvement to the user experience. Improved, "Google-like" searching is something our users have asked for in suverys. Both Summon and EDS will search accross much of our owned and licensed content (including our OPAC and DSpace). Our content would be much more discoverable, including ebooks.

Many of our peers have implemented either a next-generation catalog, a discover service or both. MIT has neither. Its time for us to move forward!

Millicent Gaskell

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

7/22/2011

15.  Streaming audio through Variations

 (wufoo #25)

The Lewis Music Library proposes a pilot project that would stream a small number of compact discs from its collection to selected members of the MIT community. The library would use Variations, a digital software system designed by Indiana University that provides online access to streaming audio and scanned music score images. Variations also features pedagogical tools that assist with music instruction. The Variations3 Project provides open-source software which has been tested and installed by a small number of academic music libraries nationwide. See: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/projects/variations3/index.html
For this pilot project, library staff will stream a total of 25 CDs from the Lewis Music Library’s collection in order to test the software and determine staffing needs and other expenses. Critical to this project will be the support of the Libraries’ IT staff. We will need staff and resources to install and configure the Variations system. The audio ingest process will be examined and documented with an eye for the practicality of student assistants performing such work. Some kind of management for user access via Touchstone or perhaps from Stellar will also be needed to ensure our ability to administer this system.

Copyright is an issue that needs to be addressed with this project. Ellen Duranceau and Peter Munstedt recently talked to Philip Ponella, Head of the Indiana University Music Library, to discuss copyright issues concerning Variations. Indiana uses fair use to defend its distribution of streaming music through Variations. They limit access to those individuals taking a music course or those who are studying music in a non-music discipline. Under this policy, IU has received no legal challenges. Further investigation with MIT legal counsel would be conducted as part of this project.

Through this pilot project, the Libraries will determine the feasibility of initiating a larger project at a later time in which the library’s entire CD collection would be streamed to portions of the MIT community. This investigation will inform the Libraries about the issues involved with the Variations setup along with staffing needs and other expenses. Also to be examined will be the relationship between Variations and Stellar. At first, Variations will supplement Stellar, but we will inspect Variations to determine the extent to which it might be able to replace Stellar in the future.

Peter Munstedt recently talked to the music librarians at the New England Conservatory of Music and the University of Maryland about their experiences in implementing Variations for their sound recording collections. Both libraries reported favorable results and recommended Variations. These schools, along with Indiana University, will be available for advice and consultation concerning Variations.

Peter Munstedt

Yes

Yes

Yes

8/19/2011

16. Theater Arts Digital Archive

(wufoo #26)

The Report on the Arts at MIT describes the arts as being “essential to MIT’s mission to build a better society and meet the challenges of the 21st century.” It also praises an artistic culture at the Institute that achieves excellence through interdisciplinary efforts. Theater at MIT fits squarely within that tradition, as recent successes such as the MIT/Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Adriano Shaplin’s The Tragedy of Thomas Hobbes and Associate Professor of Theater Arts Jay Scheib’s Guggenheim fellowship illustrate.

Despite the world-class caliber of the theatrical work at MIT, there is currently no digital record of any of the performances that occur here. A member of the Theater Arts faculty, Anna Kohler, is interested in creating an online theater archive, and approached me about possible ways that the Libraries may be able to assist in preserving this work.

We are asking for funding to help develop ways of making faculty-directed productions available to members of the MIT community through an online archive. Performances would be recorded and then served through the Web. Given our expertise in digital preservation and digital recording, the Libraries and AMPS are uniquely positioned to assist in a project of this nature. We are not suggesting that the Libraries assume the entire cost of this project into perpetuity; rather, we are asking for assistance in establishing a proof-of-concept that we can use to secure stable, long-term funding from other appropriate sources.

Mark Szarko

Yes

Referred, Theater Arts Program is pursuing this