custom versus standard : the inforum case

Dublin 8 september 2005

European Unicorn Users group meeting

The presentation scheme

The legal database inforum The goals of the new version (4.0) The results from an user point of

view The technics to achieve the goals Custom versus Standard The drawbacks

Who are we? Inforum is a legal database for local

entities We gather regulations, serial articles,

books, court decisions, parlementary question etc ….

Each document is a record We are specialized in a specific public :

the local authorities Wa abstract, catalogue and link

documents We are self-supporting : the

municipalities are paying a subscription fee to consult the database

Type of library

We are a special library

Very pragmatic approach If our customer are not satisfied,

they will not pay us anymore We have competitors on the market

place The information we work with is

time sensitive (our SLA is 4 hours maximum downtime in a year)

The goals of the new version

New look The right information faster A step toward personnalization Easier to use To mature from a document

database to a knowledge database

To make things easier for the client who is overwhelmed with information

New look : Ilink did it great!

Main Customization for the look : the icons

The right information faster : the dilemma

2 languages (at least) 3 libraries 6 typical usertypes 1 internet + 1 extranet type of access

24 environments

Because the knowledge database so labour intensive was, we decided to focus on 2 gateways and to personnalize the information in another way

Faster to the important documents : each type of user has his information

Faster : the essence of each document

Personnalization : not yet the best it could be

Based on user profiles We don’t use MyILink or MyIBistro

because it focuses on authors and subjects

We have to refine cataloging first before trying the standard features

OR we could customize the MyILink feature otherwise (choice not made yet)

Easier to use : Standard iLink + some customization

www.google.be

Based on classification

Shortcut to today’s official journal information

Easy : the print button + the 2d button bar!

The knowledge database

From knowledge to encyclopaedia

definition

Technics we used

Lots of possibilities of Unicorn self

Html and java

Some tricks

API

The possibilities of Unicorn self

Cascading style sheets for colors, printing, display

Language possibilities and an extensive use of variables used in Unicorn/Language/Custom/French/labels and messages

Order of entry list (to put the essence first)

Find it fast for the knowledge database You found titles Profiling System.env, iLink.env , etc

Html

Adapt the « feeling » of the pages and add icons

Add a definition for each « cupboard » of Find it fast in gatelist_table.h the a href must be changed 3

times<td valign="top" align="<SIRSI_Data

Session="ALIGN_HEAD">" class="defaultstyle"><a href="<SIRSI_Data Gateway_URL="LIST">"

TITLE="$<<SIRSI_Data List_DC="mE">>"><SIRSI_Data List_DC="Ma"></a></td>

Where mE and Ma refers to a variable name (paragraph) and content

Button bars added twice in each state page

Some tricks (1) : the environment title

By organizing the environments by usertype, we restricted the types of personnalization to 4

– Municipalities– Welfare organization– Police– Local entities (everything – ourselves)

So, 4 titles x 2 languages = 8 types of information to show

Some tricks (1) : the environment title : exemple

<SIRSI_Conditional IF Environ="TITLE^Inforum pour les COMMUNES">

<td class="enrichheader" width="25%">$<E10></td>

<td width="25%" rowspan="2" class="enrichcontent">

</tr> <tr> <td width="25%"><SIRSI_Include

File="ti_communes"></td> </tr> </SIRSI_Conditional>

Some tricks (2): Cascading style sheet

Very interesting feature but why is it integrated in each page?

Outside css make things go much faster because the style sheet it than cached

Used a print.css and a normal.css to implement the print button

Some tricks (3): Sirsi_Conditional

Change the content of the item information : the use of the SIRSI_Conditional– <SIRSI_List Listcode="LT">– <SIRSI_Conditional IF List_DC_Comp="NH^521"> <!--

Print the essence, if one exists -->– &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<SIRSI_Data

List_DC="NE"><br>– </SIRSI_Conditional>– </SIRSI_List>

Some tricks (4) : to divert functions

Icon name = user type information

Paragraph name = definition

API

API was used to change massively profiles

Custom versus standard

It’s a wrong discussion Standard is great as long as it upgrades Custom is a necessary front-runner

pain/joy Keep it as much standard as you can Study standard thoroughly before to

decide to go for custom Sometimes Standard solutions exist but

are too heavy to maintain (e.g. gateways). The directions you want to take and your own people environment can plead for custom.

Custom versus standard

The great think to Sirsi is that custom or standard is a personal choice that each library continuously does

How more you go custom how more you got ideas concerning further developments

Everything is possible and the most difficult is to limit yourself because paradise is not affordable

The drawbacks

Not enough information is passed through the state page (e.g. profile or environment of the user)

Moreover, ID and password information is passed through!

Drawbacks : documentation

The information gives is often not really practical although a little bit of creativity would make it easier (e.g. the datacode information)

The great think is that there is documentation

Forums are a terrific way to keep in touch with what is going on and to give ideas, but it’s almost a full time job

Drawbacks : accents

Accents is the big problem. Most of the time I type directly in html in order to avoid translation problems, but it isn’t a good solution. Unicode please!

Not to mention that typical bibliographical american standards (ANSI) are often even unknown to computer people

Drawbacks : html treatment

There is not enough visibility about the way Unicorn handles html and java. Sometimes Unicorn does things « behind » the scene

The Mozilla stuff is not that clear either

Drawbacks : very public

For a special library, the way personnalization is handled by Unicorn doesn’t match the needs. Unicorn is designed for public and academic libraries and oriented author and title. Couldn’t it be possible to customize the awareness features (MyBistro) like we did with the « You found titles in » feature?

Drawbacks : halt and run

The halt and run must take place before any change in several cases. We work with a test server, so that’s all right. But for the ones who don’t have a test server ….

However, html changes doesn’t need a halt and run. Two possibilities : to work quickly or to work with a Sirsi_Conditional so that the changes are only visible to you …

Drawbacks : Charachter based versus Workflows in Opac manager

Discrepancy between Opac manager character based and Opac manager in Workflows : you can’t do the same things in both systems.

If you use them without being very carefull, everything got mixed up!

We chose to create all elements and move them in character based Manager and to modify existing ones in Workflows (e.g. for accents or adding paragraph names)

Drawbacks : staff training

Everything we do while cataloging has an impact

The training level must be high The gap between computer people

and cataloguer is hard to fill.

Mandatory : keep track

Keep track on everything you do Sometimes, customizing is so easy

that you don’t remember what you have done

Unicorn is complicated, so if something goes wrong and you are not there, have pity for your colleagues and the helpdesk!

A case for the pleasure : Adding sort options

Search The Unicorn literature Ask if things are

planned/announced for coming updates

Have a look at the policies Look for places where things are

sorted (reports?)

And try things out!

Conclusion

Unicorn = the world of the possible you can almost do whatever you want if you have time

We appreciate at most the possibilities that are offered but have always to be aware of the problems customization brings

In a small team, I regret not to be enough aware of the capabilities of the standard Unicorn