Library Integration--5000 Courses at a Time
Description
In an academic environment, students and faculty think in courses. And they should since they are the measurable units that Universities and Colleges are built around. Overall, the Library is not organized in courses and too often, provides users with an overwhelming amount of information. These barriers result in frustration for students and faculty visiting the libraries--both in-person and virtually.
The University of Minnesota Libraries recently spent time exploring how the Libraries can be integrated into the "courseflow" of students and faculty. In this session, attendees will learn about our discoveries and efforts to build a Library Course Page system (LCP). The LCP automatically generates a page for each of the 5000+ courses at the University. This page brings together disparate Library systems such as print reserves, electronic reserves, librarian-created resource guides, the library catalog, subject-specific databases and more. The LCP is built using a variety of APIs, widgets, a systematic, predictable URL structure and U of M affinity strings. We are currently working towards default integration into the University's course management systems, WebVista and Moodle. Attendees will take away ideas and strategies that can be used to build a similar resource at their own institutions.
Start Date
18-3-2010 10:00 AM
Library Integration--5000 Courses at a Time
In an academic environment, students and faculty think in courses. And they should since they are the measurable units that Universities and Colleges are built around. Overall, the Library is not organized in courses and too often, provides users with an overwhelming amount of information. These barriers result in frustration for students and faculty visiting the libraries--both in-person and virtually.
The University of Minnesota Libraries recently spent time exploring how the Libraries can be integrated into the "courseflow" of students and faculty. In this session, attendees will learn about our discoveries and efforts to build a Library Course Page system (LCP). The LCP automatically generates a page for each of the 5000+ courses at the University. This page brings together disparate Library systems such as print reserves, electronic reserves, librarian-created resource guides, the library catalog, subject-specific databases and more. The LCP is built using a variety of APIs, widgets, a systematic, predictable URL structure and U of M affinity strings. We are currently working towards default integration into the University's course management systems, WebVista and Moodle. Attendees will take away ideas and strategies that can be used to build a similar resource at their own institutions.
Comments
Presentation materials available online at: http://prezi.com/548izqahwwmb/library-integration-5000-courses-at-a-time/