From June 14–17, 2009, the lovely University Park, PA campus of Penn State University was the setting for the sixth annual meeting of the SirsiDynix Northeast Regional Users Group (SNRG 2009). Approximately 125 library professionals attended the three-day event, and were offered a wide variety of presentations. Sessions fell into six broad categories: Access Services, Business Intelligence, General, Systems, Tech Services, and User Experience. As an attendee with an interest in technical services, systems, and user interface, I found each time slot to have worthwhile options. Additionally, there were many opportunities to learn from SirsiDynix representatives about their latest offerings.
The opening reception on Sunday afternoon was a chance to register, pick up welcome packets, and greet colleagues, but things really got underway Monday morning. We were warmly welcomed by Penn State’s Nancy L. Eaton, Dean of University Libraries and Scholarly Communications. Terry Jarnagan, SirsiDynix Vice President of Client Care and Education Services, gave the first keynote address, outlining the company’s vision for supporting current products and offering new solutions. Following that, I attended two presentations on SirsiDynix Enterprise, their newest discovery interface <http://www.sirsidynix.com/Solutions/Products/portalsearch.php>. The presenter for both sessions was Jared Oates, SirsiDynix Director of Product Strategy. First, he stressed the user experience, emphasizing the simplicity of the interface, faceted search, added content such as book covers and reviews, and federated search. Unfortunately, the product is not yet capable of article-level discovery. In his second session, Jared gave a more technical, behind-the-scenes look at Enterprise, showing how an institution could customize its own iteration of the web-based product.
Later on Monday afternoon, there were two sessions on OPAC customization offered by Tun Chin, the Lead Research Programmer for the Penn State Libraries. Both of his sessions were packed with attendees; it was a testament to the almost universal dissatisfaction that librarians have with their OPACs. He explained, in relatively simple terms, how anyone with server access and a little imagination and care can make changes to the user interface.
The conference dinner was held at a Penn State landmark, the Nittany Lion Inn. Our gracious hosts provided many door prizes and entertainment was provided by a group of local singers. It was a very nice event.
Day two started off with a keynote address by Kevin Marooney, Penn State’s Vice Provost for Information Technology. He used stories about and quotes from baseball great Satchell Paige to challenge us to think about higher education in new ways. Rather than give suggestions, his intent was to provoke conversation. It was an excellent talk.
The sessions that I attended that day were more varied. First was WorkFlows Improves the Work Flow: Creating Shelf List Cards for a Special Collections Library by Timothy Babcock, Library Assistant III at Penn State. He outlined his use of the ILS to dramatically improve efficiency in a formerly time consuming process. Later, Carolyn Blatchley, Training Services Coordinator; and Barbara Leach, Automated Services Coordinator from the Cumberland County Library System, presented a session on creating and implementing a user-centered web site. They shared their experience in modifying their website to include many self-service features, from basics like renewals to readers’ advisory tools and online payment options for fines, fees and donations. The day ended with a treat—a quick tour of the labyrinthine Pattee and Paterno libraries, and an hour-long tour of the Special Collections.
Sessions were only offered in the morning on Wednesday, the final day of the conference. One of the best attended and, in my opinion, most interesting, was the first of the day. Presenters from Penn State’s Department of Geography (Ph.D. Candidate Rui Li and Assistant Professor Alexander Klippel) and the Libraries (Associate Librarian Paige Andrew), examined wayfinding issues throughout the library building. As part of the project, Rui had six students look for particular books in the stacks, and tracked them using GIS technology. He integrated the movement data with a floor plan of the stacks, and analyzed the decision making process of the students. Additionally, the group looked critically at existing signage throughout the libraries, assessing confusing discrepancies (such as “basement” vs. “ground floor”) and places where signs were inadequate or lacking entirely. Finally, they showed us examples of library catalogs where simple wayfinding information was included with records.
Those of us who stayed for the closing session were rewarded with one more Penn State specialty—a double pack of sticky buns from the Diner on College Avenue to take home and enjoy with ice cream. Overall, it was a successful, informative event. Many of the concepts from the presentations, such as the wayfinding talk, covered much broader issues than just SirsiDynix use. Selected slides are available at the SNRG 2009 website <http://www.libraries.psu.edu/snrg09/presentations.html>. The only thing you’ll miss out on is the trip to the beautiful Happy Valley!
Dorothy Berenbrok
Collection Organization Librarian
Scott Memorial Library
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pa.
dorothy.berenbrok@jefferson.edu
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