WST Minutes

Date: June 13, 2000

Location: Helm 05

Members Present: Jonathan Jeffrey, Sandy Staebell, Donna Parker, Rosemary Meszaros, Rose Davis, Haiwang Yuan

1. Announcement and Report
   
   
• Haiwang announced his upcoming TIP presentation at the 10,000-member China Society of Library Science in Hailar, China this summer.
• Sandy and Haiwang took a trip to Versailles May 17 ^th to meet with KHQS' Karen Riggins. Haiwang assisted Karen with some technical difficulties, but both found that all problems could not be solved due to hardware/software incompatibilities. They did implement use of FreeSpace.com to upload images, which Sandy could then download for Website development. David Runner installed Access, Microsoft's database software, on a PC in the Kentucky Building so that Sandy could read files sent by Karen. Searchability of KHQS database was discussed. Haiwang explained the technology and it appeared that we lack the necessary server and its software, and to purchase such was very expensive.
• Donna reviewed her update to the Online Exhibit page
  
  
2. WST viewed the redesigned University Libraries and the Kentucky Museum (UL&KM) Homepage. Haiwang presented changes such as rotating images of "What is new" which take users to respective event pages images point to, and user-friendly drop-down menus that save users from clicking on a "Go" button and always default back to the first item on the list that is not a link. The technology of Cascading Style Sheet (CSS) was used to clean up cluttering on the UL&KM Homepage by eliminating text underlining.

   Upon further review of the UL&KM Homepage, it was noted that the "Index" and "Sitemap" links were not active. Also an item was out of alphabetical order. The list was fixed during the meeting along with an additional link to Collections and Connections added under the "News & Events" pull down menu. WST finalized the new UL&KM Homepage. Since the CLDH has also reviewed it, the new page will be released soon after the Dean's approval.

   WST reviewed and finalized the new version of TIP. It was agreed to keep the three yellow tabs along with the two buttons to the right ("Research Guides" and "Other Library Resources"). WST plans to make the current "Research Guides" page a gateway to both a "Departmental Research Guides" page and a prospect page of Research Guides by Subject, using the same interface. Items on the current http://www.wku.edu/Library/dlps/guides/findinfo.htm page will be incorporated into the subject guide page and the current "Other Library Resources" page on TIP.

   WST made the decision to change the title of the "Research Guides" main page from "WKU Departments Research Guides" to "WKU Departmental Research Guides" to conform to the heading on each guide.
   
   

3. TIP maintenance was discussed. Three measures will be adopted:
   
   
   • Use link-checking software to monitor the vitality of external links
   • Enlist volunteer help to suggest new sites. The request for volunteer help will be added to "TIP Feedback" form and mailing list will be used to seek help from WKU faculty and staff at Western
   • WST will go over TIP twice a year - in the first summer term and in January. WST members will divide lists to review sites for content.
     
     
4. Haiwang announced that it was time to update the Index to the UL&KM Website again. Link-checking software will be used to identify broken links. Haiwang will have his assistant compare the Index to the file list of sites to identify sites not included in the Index. Rose suggested that one check the Index every time he/she updates or creates pages. WST decided that as people create new pages they would add those to the index if applicable or at least alert Haiwang so he could take care of the Index.
   
   
5. WST discussed a library page devoted to the Bowling Green-Kawanishi Sister City Library Exchange program. WST brainstormed what would be included on the new site, based on Brian's ideas:
   • History and background about the program
   • Geographical locations of Bowling Green and Kawanishi
   • Fact sheets on the cities
   • Copy of agreement signed by the mayors
   • A few selected photos
   • Links to the current Sister City pages on the Bowling Green Government Website
     
     
   WST also had a discussion on where it would be found on UL&KM Website and the consensus was that the new site would be listed under "Bowling Green" in TIP and "News & Events" on the UL&KM Homepage. It will also be added to the UL&KM Website's Index.
   
   
6. Haiwang suggested an intensive Dreamweaver 3.0 training session for WST and other UL faculty and staff interested. Rosemary will coordinate time and place with team members. Four 3-hour sessions are needed for this in-depth training.
   
   
7. The next meeting time is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. on August 15 ^th in Helm 5.

For WST
Donna Parker & Haiwang Yuan