Important Next Generation Melvyl Pilot Enhancements – May, 2011
Please read the following notes very carefully—there are several important pieces of information that will impact our Melvyl WCL service now and in the future. Those items which impact the UC Libraries immediately are marked with an asterisk (*). Please also note that some of these do not apply to UC’s service.
These items are discussed in the same order as they are listed in the PDF (http://libraries.universityofcalifornia.edu/about/oclc_docs/MayInstallNoticeWCL_3.pdf).
*Locally Held Editions
Melvyl supported by WCL will now display other locally held editions on the detailed record when an item is either not available or not held. This is an effort to reduce ILL costs incurred for items when the Library happens to hold another copy. Note: this feature appears only in the campus views of Melvyl, not http://melvyl.worldcat.org
Top 5 Relevancy
In an effort to both promote a Library’s holdings to the top of the search results and allow users to find items when they’re not held by the library, WorldCat Local is implementing the Top 5 Relevancy Sort.
This does not apply to UC’s service since we already have our default set to relevancy, which makes for a better user experience.
Course reserves
The OCLC Course Reserves feature provides a means to assign library items to one or more academic courses taught during a scholastic term so that the items are discoverable by users searching WorldCat Local. Library staff with appropriate privilege can create course records and add to each course any number of affiliated items, including temporary items that do not exist in WorldCat. Students searching WorldCat Local may discover courses by name, code (prefix, number, and section), instructor and department. Items assigned to courses must still be managed appropriately by the methods appropriate to the underlying ILS (e.g., assigning items to the “Reserve Room” location, changing the item type to “Course Reserve,” etc.).
CDL is not prepared to facilitate activating this service at this time; however, if a campus would like to try a pilot, please contact us.
Advanced Search Changes
Currently in Advanced Search, if you search multiple databases we only display two limiters: limit to library and limit by year. Now we also include the format limiter.
This does not apply to UC’s service since we have not yet activated searching of multiple databases.
*Changes to Content Facet
Thesis/dissertation is no longer in the Content Facet. Instead, users select Thesis/dissertations in the Book format facet. OCLC’s usability studies have shown that this is where users look to make such a selection.
OpenURL link resolver
An OpenURL link resolver has been implemented for WorldCat Local libraries that will handle in-bound OpenURL requests. The resolver queries the WorldCat knowledge base for full text links based on the data contained in the OpenURL.
UC will not be activating this service. We already have this capability in our use of UC-eLinks.
Resource Sharing and purchase options available when no full text is found
When no full text is available for the article/book queried the link resolver will display a resource sharing link (Request a copy from another library) and purchase options dependent on the library’s Service Config settings.
UC will not be making any changes; we already have the Request service in place.
EasyBib Library Edition
OCLC and ImagineEasy Solutions, LLC have collaborated to create a customizable library version of ImagineEasy Solution’s popular EasyBib.com service. The EasyBib Library Edition service will offer a variety of features that are not available in the basic, premium or school editions.
EasyBib can be found in the Cite/Export feature of Melvyl WCL.
*Suggested searches
The keyword search box now features Suggested Searches which use an ever-growing data set of millions of real user searches, ranked by popularity, to provide users with suggestions based on what they’ve typed.
*Preview of new WCL Mobile
OCLC is previewing a pre-release version of a new Mobile Local view. This mobile-optimized Web site is included in our current subscription to WorldCat Local. You can temporarily access a preview of your institutions’ Mobile Local view at http://[domain].worldcat.org/awsm. This preview URL will change as OCLC retires the current beta site. When the preview period is over, the new Mobile Local view will be moved to http://[domain].worldcat.org/m. At that time, the beta mobile Web site will be retired. OCLC anticipates making that change in mid June 2011.
WorldCat Local subscribers will have access to a new Service Configuration module providing customization options, including:
- Contact information maintained in the Registry module; allowing you to maintain your contact information in one location
- Hours of operation maintained in the Registry module; research has shown the most frequent question of the mobile patron is whether the library is open
- Option for a mobile-optimized landing page for your library or a search box for your catalog
- Customizable “Home” link; to get your patrons back to your institution’s mobile Web site
- And in the future mobile links too additional resources within your institution and mobile-specific branding options
Please contact the CDL if you wish to make any of these changes.
Local Bibliographic Data & Local System Number Enhancement for WCL
Local System Number
WorldCat Local now proves the ability to search the local OPAC by the library’s Local System Number (LSN). Contact a WorldCat Local Implementation Manager (WorldCatLocalIM@oclc.org) if you would like to use this functionality.
Local Bibliographic Data.
We have heard from the WorldCat Local community about the need to give users access to valuable local bibliographic data within the WorldCat Local user interface. As you know, we have been working over the last year on the following objectives and are delivering on two of these projects at this May 15th install:
- Display local holdings record (LHR) data for all formats, including but not limited to volume, issue, call number, location, etc. (Released November 2010)
- Load, search and display local data, including but not limited to local subject headings, uniform titles, notes, etc. (Ability to load and display as of May 2011 install. Searching the local data will be available as soon as reindexing of all stored local bib data is completed – targeted for completion sometime in June 2011. We will notify everyone via Listserv when reindexing is complete)
- Load local system number to use as the unique identifier between WorldCat Local and your ILS/LMS to retrieve real time item availability. (Released this May 2011 install)
Search local holdings record (LHR) data (Targeted August 2011)
Local data (see PDF for a complete list) such as local subject headings, uniform titles and notes now displays to users in WorldCat Local. This additional data complements the full bibliographic data from the WorldCat database already available in the service.
Searching the local data will be available as soon as re-indexing of all stored local bib data is completed – targeted for completion sometime in June 2011.
Important note: To take advantage of expanded access to your library’s local data, you need to first add this content to WorldCat via a batchload reclamation project. The batchload order form in the Online Service Center now accepts the addition of local data to your existing batchload project. You may add your local data via a one-time batchload at no charge. In your batchload order you will tell OCLC you want to access your local data through WorldCat Local.
More information about the batchload process can be found at:
http://www.oclc.org/us/en/support/documentation/batchprocessing/using/guide/default.htm
When the batchload is complete, please contact the CDL to have this feature activated.
Shibboleth-based authentication to licensed electronic resources
Following the 15 May 2011 install, institutions who are members of a Shibboleth-based trust federation will be able to authenticate their users for access to licensed electronic resources via WorldCat Local using their federation-registered institutional identities. This gives users single sign-on access to resources, allowing them to use the same credentials across a range of services, including WorldCat Local. This approach has already been tested within the UK Access Management Federation for Education and Research and can be extended to other federations are required. WorldCat Local libraries may elect to use Shibboleth-based authentication for all users or may combine it with IP-address authentication for ‘on-site’ users.
This does not impact UC at the moment, but will in the future.