MetaLib and WebCT

1
MetaLib and WebCT

• Bringing Faculty and Librarians Together

Gretchen Hanson, Database Access
Librarian University of Maryland, College
Park Ghanson_at_umd.edu
2
Agenda

• Our set up and history
• Challenges we faced
• Integrations of Research Port and WebCT
• Promotion

3
Whats UMs set up?

• Part of a Consortia of 14 campuses, 16
  institutions USMAI
• ExLibris Environment
• ALEPH 15.2 (1 ADM)
• SFX 16 instances
• Metalib 2.16 Enterprise
• 16 institutes- using only one to preserve look
  and feel.
• Timeline for ML/SFX release
• SFX (Find It) released Jan 2003
• MetaLib (Research Port) soft release Sept 2003
• Research Port hard release Jan 2004

4
Authentication Methods

• EZProxy for Remote access
• Single sign-on (SSO) between Research Port and
  databases
• Between Research Port and SFX, EZProxy will place
  a cookie
• Multi-campus affiliation barcodes
• No SSO between WebCT and Research Port

5
E-learning System

• WebCT 3.8
• Migrating to 4.1 this summer
• 47 of campus is using WebCT
• Run by the University Office of Information
  Technology (OIT)
• Blackboard, WebTycho etc.

6
OIT and the Libraries
7
OIT and Libraries together at last

• Due to a librarian presentation, OIT contacted us
• Worked together on Tutorial for RP
• Started teaching classes in their curriculum
• Brown Bags
• Working together on a Library Module for WebCT

8
OIT and Libraries together at last

• Looks like the beginning of a beautiful
  friendship!

9
Challenges

• Two different shops
• Campus LDAP does not include Barcode
• Need to make it fool-proof
• Long links are a challenge
• On/Off Campus links
• Cannot do single-sign-on between WebCT and
  Research Port.
• Want to put a cookie onto some deeplink scripting
  to make this authentication easier.

10
Research Port and WebCT

• Deeplinking to databases and categories
• Links to individual articles
• Tear off quick searches
• Full Text Finder (citation linker)
• Save Citation and Link (citation_capture)

11
Deep Linking and WebCT

• Basic Deeplinks
• On Campus http//researchport.umd.edu/V?funcsour
  ce-locateF-IDNUMD01517
• Off Campus http//researchport.umd.edu/V?funclog
  in-continuecontinue_funcsource-locateF-IDNUMD0
  1517

• Additional Programming done to beautify links
• http//researchport.umd.edu/sourceUMDX

• Added IP recognition
• On/Off Campus http//researchport.umd.edu/source
  UMD01517

12
Deep Linking and WebCT
13
Links to Individual Articles

• Save Citation and Link can be used to get
  citations and persistent URLs
• Put into Reading Lists or Reserve Lists
• Discussion (Bulletin Board Postings)
• Guides
• Also added tear off search to guides

14
Library Module

• Direct Instructors to use tools like Citation
  Linker and Citation Capture
• Construct Reserves List

15
Getting Buy In

• Involve Subject Specialists in the category
  selection and database population.
• Visit Collaborative subject teams to demonstrate
  Research Port. Provide info about WebCT so they
  would have something to take to their faculty.
• WebCT people are on board.
• Specialized support through problem report forms,
  instruction classes, brown bag lunches etc.

16
Next Authentication Steps

• Barcode into LDAP
• Add cookie and additional lookups to make
  consortial login easier
• Shibboleth to handle hand off between two
  products (WebCT and Research Port)

17
Thanks!
Gretchen Hanson ghanson_at_umd.edu University of
Maryland, College Park Research Port
http//researchport.umd.edu