You've got personalised library mail!

a personalised current awareness service for library and information staff

Robin Yeates

NewsAgent for Libraries c/o LITC (Library Information Technology Centre) South Bank University

Agenda

       Introduction From Search and Browse to Alerting Description of Service Collaborative Effort An Open Solution Issues and Opportunities Conclusions

From Search to Alerting

      Start with Search Move to Browse Growth of Email Communities need Alerting Moves to Customise, Personalise Libraries must provide remote user support

Description of Service

   Scenario 1 - Irina, Librarian Scenario 2 - Robin, Researcher Scenario 3 - Andrew, Web newsletter publisher

Collaborative Effort

      LIS Academics, librarians, publishers, developers LITC, South Bank University CERLIM Fretwell-Downing Informatics Ltd UKOLN, University of Bath UWA/DILS, University of Wales at Aberystwyth

An Open Solution

      OLIB7 DC.dot / metadata User study - electronic alerts popular Email main focus for info delivery Attention to exploitation planning Need for widespread standards support

Architecture Web site with metadata Web site Web site with metadata DC.dot tool Web Browser Alerts Harvest robot Parsers - HTML/NA NewsAgent Metadata Store / Profiles Email HTML Client NewsAgent Admin client Email System Email Text Client

First prototype

Joining or entering to update a profile

Choosing Topics to store

Checking current Topics

Testing current Profile...

...and viewing results

Examine metadata

Control alerts

Receive HTML email...

…or plain text emails

Amend your profile...

…or create/modify Topics

Issues and Opportunities

     Authoritative and significant content Free to users Business model uncertainty User focussed current awareness service Contact us !!

Conclusions

     Portals Aggregation --> Users Librarians can assist Individual service Address user confidence

Website

  http://www.sbu.ac.uk/litc/newsagent/ Contact:    Robin Yeates, Senior Researcher LITC, South Bank University email: [email protected]