Monday, October 25, 2010

Call for Proposals: ALA Midwinter Discussion Forum Hosted by RUSA MARS

Call for Proposals: ALA Midwinter Discussion Forum Hosted by RUSA MARS

The MARS Local Systems & Services committee is seeking panelists for its discussion forum at the 2011 ALA Midwinter meeting in San Diego on Sunday, January 9th, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The topic of the discussion forum is “Designing Around a Single Search: How Discovery Layers are Changing Library Websites.”

Panelists are asked to describe their experience incorporating discovery systems (such as Summon, Encore, EBSCO Discovery Service, Primo, and Primo Central) into the library’s website. Proposals might address some of the following questions: Where do we put a discovery system search box on the library’s website? What tools or lists does it replace, if any? Should it replace the main website search box or remain separate? What content is included or left out? How do we teach our students and patrons about what it does (and doesn’t do) and when to use it?

If your library has implemented a discovery system and studied its impact on user website experience, please consider sharing what you’ve learned with your colleagues.

Each panelist should plan to speak for no more than 20 minutes and participate in a general Q&A at the end of the session.

Please e-mail proposals to: Matt Lee / Minitex-U of MN / leems001@umn.edu

Proposals should include a title (including name of discovery system) and brief summary of the talk, as well as the names, positions and e-mail addresses of the presenters.

Deadline for proposals: November 19, 2010