Description: This paper discusses applying user-centered design principles to redesign The Portal to Texas History. Abstract: The IOGENE project at the University of North Texas Libraries applied user-centered design principles to redesign the interface to a unique digital library of cultural heritage materials, The Portal to Texas History. Since its launch in 2004, the interface had become dated and implementation of new functionality was constrained by the underlying technical infrastructure. Genealogists, a significant and under-studied class of digital library users, participated in the redesign of the Portal's interface. At the outset of the project, focus group discussions provided insights regarding genealogists' information needs as well as their research practices in relation to online information systems. In large part, these insights informed the functional requirements for the redesign of the Portal's user interface. Subsequent to each of two public releases of the redesigned interface, genealogists were engaged in usability testing. An online survey measured user satisfaction prior to and after the new interface was released. Results determined that satisfaction with the Portal significantly improved after the final release of the redesigned interface. The project's process and findings will be of interest to archives and digital libraries facing similar challenges in regard to ...

Description: This handout discusses the development of the architecture to build The Portal to Texas History through the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries' Digital Projects Unit.

Description: This article discusses archiving web-published materials. Abstract: The Web-at-Risk project is a digital preservation project funded by the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. The project is developing a web archiving service to enable curators to build, store, and manage archived collections of web-published materials captured largely from US federal and state government agency web sites. In 2005 the project‟s 22 curators, as well as librarians and archivists working primarily in academic libraries (N=43), university researchers (N=7), and content providers (N=7) participated in a study to identify their needs in relation to web archiving. This paper summarizes the issues and challenges these groups face and discusses the need for collaborations among libraries and government entities for preserving web-published materials.

Description: In this article, the author discusses the American Society for Indexing (ASI) conference presentations. The ASI holds annual conferences to keep members informed of new developments in indexing technology and the expanding role of indexing (ASI, 2012). Conferences also facilitate communication among members, provide educational opportunities, and raise awareness of quality indexing. The purpose of this article is to identify major topics discussed at ASI conferences from 1997 through 2012 and to explore how the topics have changed over time. ASI conference programs reflect topics of interest to indexers, and thus provide insight into concerns of the profession at large.

Description: This presentation discusses assessments of library support for distance learning at the University of North Texas (UNT). The methods used include LibQUAL+ surveys, focus groups, and ethnographic studies.