HOLLIS Plus Today: Garden of Delight or Jungle of Disorder?

1. HOLLIS Plus Today: Garden of Delight or Jungle of Disorder? By Michael Fitzgerald, Lydia Ievins, Julie Wetherill, Kathleen Donovan, Ruth Haas, and Jeffrey Beall Professional Development Committee 3rd Spring Technology Workshop Tuesday, March 24, 10-11:30 AM, Lamont Library

2. Overview • HOLLIS Plus Working Group • Proposing a resource • Resource sponsorship • Evaluation: financial support, content appropriateness, technical issues • HOLLIS Plus statistics • HOLLIS Plus production cycle • Cataloging HOLLIS Plus resources • Using HOLLIS Plus

3. HOLLIS Plus Working Group • Barbara Burg • Kathleen Donovan • Elaine Fadden • Michael Fitzgerald (Chair) • Lydia Ievins • Michael Leach • Deborah Kelley-Milburn • Mary Sears

4. Proposing a resource • Who can propose a resource? Libraries and individuals within Harvard; individuals/organizations outside of Harvard • How to propose a resource? Send an e-mail message via the HOLLIS Plus comment facility • When to propose a resource? Preferably before licensing or other access arrangements are made final.

5. Resource sponsorship • New resource needs library sponsor • Responsibilities of a resource sponsor include: • arranging for access to the resource • providing descriptions • providing administrative information • cataloging the resource (in coordination with the CONSER Office)

6. Evaluation: financial support • Financial sponsorship required If there is a cost involved in acquiring a new resource, one or more Harvard libraries must provide financial sponsorship. • Models of financial sponsorship Financial sponsorship may involve a department, a single library, or a group of libraries.

7. Evaluation: content appropriateness • Is the resource research-related? • Is it produced/supported by a recognizable and reputable organization? • Will the resource appeal to a wide community? • Is the resource "user friendly?"

8. Evaluation: technical issues • Basic types of access restriction • Types of access in HOLLIS Plus • Evaluating a new login resource • Login vs. IP: some numbers • The problem with IP restriction • Solution: proxy the connection • Evaluating a new IP resource • Current proxy costs

9. Basic types of access restriction • IP address ranges • vendor keeps list of IPs that identify institution • easiest to implement • user accounts with login and password • user (institution or individual) must enter ID • many different ways to implement

10. Types of access in HOLLIS Plus • telnet resources • scripted login (expect) • web-based resources • direct access to unrestricted sites • direct access to IP-based sites • scripted login for login-based subscriptions (perl cgi) • proxied access to IP-based sites (perl cgi, C)

11. Evaluating a new login resource • is it a scriptable mechanism? • (+) session information in predictable location • (+) single stable session ID for single session • (+) username/password hidden from final URL • (–) cookie-based session information • (–) login via basic authorization • (–) Secure Socket Layers (SSL) • (how) can we script to needed level of site?

12. Login vs. IP: some numbers • login-based accounts (our preference) • 81 web resources from 6 sources • IP-based accounts (their preference) • 167 titles from 22 sources • of our restricted resources, these represent 62% of our titles 73% of our vendors • (cf. 89 unrestricted titles)

13. The problem with IP restriction • doesn’t map well to our population • some Harvard IPs don’t represent valid users • some valid users don’t have Harvard IPs • unmonitored access = lack of usage stats • reliability of site • amount of use • identity of users (by faculty/department)

14. Solution: proxy the connection • proxy first moved to production 8/97 • we are now proxying 107 titles from 11 sources • 64% of our IP-restricted titles • 50% of our vendors who offer only IP-based accounts • all new IP-restricted resources added with proxy access

15. Evaluating a new IP resource • does it work through our proxy server? • look for problem cases • Java, JavaScript, SSL,… • http headers needing special handling • ??? - new cases discovered regularly • check multiple levels of site • modify proxy code if necessary

16. Current proxy costs • huge maintenance/development time drain • new code for many/most resources • can’t rely on stability of current resources • browser-related &/or inexplicable bugs • some cases insoluble (SSL) or problematic (JavaScript) • …so we’re investigating other options

17. HOLLIS Plus Statistics • Hits per month • Hourly access pattern • Usage indicators • Users of scripted resources

18. HOLLIS Plus traffic: hits per month

19. HOLLIS Plus hourly access pattern (01/98)

20. Types of resource on HOLLIS Plus

21. Usage indicators for HOLLIS Plus resources

22. Users of scripted HOLLIS Plus resources (01/98)

23. HOLLIS Plus production cycle • Information gathering • The Alpha phase • The Beta phase • The Production phase

24. Information gathering • Analyze the resource • Content • Performance • View/printing special requirements • Gather descriptive information from sponsor • text for an abstract and a longer description • keywords • Administrative information

25. The Alpha phase • Add resource data to the HOLLIS Plus data file • Perl script generates entries for new resource • Testing

26. The Beta phase “Beta” is a separate region of the HOLLIS Plus test machine, intended to mirror the structure present in the production service. Move changes from alpha to beta • Final testing • Staff preview period (3-5 business days)

27. The Production phase • Moves to production occur approximately monthly • New enhancements announcements on HULINFO

28. Cataloging HOLLIS Plus resources

29. Using HOLLIS Plus • Keeping current with HOLLIS Plus resources • Finding a resource • Keeping users current

30. Keeping current with HOLLIS Plus resources • Information on HOLLIS Plus • "New & Notable” or "News" • "New Electronic Journals" • Other sources of information • HULINFO discussion list • Harvard University Library Notes (monthly) • HOLLIS Newsletter (bimonthly)

31. Finding a resource • Help available on the HOLLIS Plus homepage • Subject list of resources • "Search" button • Links from HOLLIS records • Resource cataloging • The "Networked resource” location

32. Ways to keep users current • Eye-catching signs (Be creative where you place them!) • Promote and link to HOLLIS Plus resources off your library homepage • Feature in beginning of semester/orientation programs