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MyLibrary@CDL Prototype Now Available

August 2, 2000 Author: CDLCategories:

The Tools and Services Working Group identified the need for a customizing tool to help users manage frequently used information resources in a meaningful way and integrate other personalization services.  They issued a call for ideas in December 1999, identifying several existing services as examples.  Of these, MyLibrary@NCState elicited the most favorable comments from library staff in campus visits by the TSWG and through online feedback.  CDL obtained the software from North Carolina State University Library, adapted it and spent the last few months creating the prototype version of MyLibrary@CDL.

A link from the July 2000 Release page [http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/july2000] to the MyLibrary@CDL prototype version has been added.

IMPORTANT: Notes about the current status and future plans for MyLibrary are at [“http://www.cdlib.org/libstaff/july2000/mylibrary/”>].  Please read them carefully and share them with your colleagues.

MyLibary@CDL will undergo an extensive period of review, testing, focus group evaluation, and campus coordination before going into full production, currently scheduled for July 2001 if it proves to be a useful tool.

The version you see today is only the first iteration.  Some things to keep in mind during the prototype include:

  • Any accounts you create may not carry over to the production version.  Although we hope to avoid replacing the underlying database, it may be necessary to rebuild it as we discover changes that need to be made.  In that case, existing accounts will disappear.
  • It will NOT be ready to link to your library web site or promote to users until it moves to production.  It’s fine to let users try it out, but they should understand it is in an early test phase and has limitations.
  • It may not be available 7×24. We hope to make it available as much as possible, but since it is not yet a production service, we may need to bring it down during regular hours.
  • It has only a limited set of features. Others will be added as we know more about what users want, and we can prioritize development activities.

We welcome all feedback. Please send your comments to cdl@www.cdlib.org.