Resource Discovery Meeting Minutes

NOTE: The following minutes are unapproved and will be formally agreed at the next meeting of the working group.

1. Welcome, Apologies for Absence and Membership Update

Present: William Marsterson (Chair - WM), Gavin Beattie (GB), John Gilby (Minutes - JG), Robert Hall (RH), Rosemary Lynch (RL), Marion Peulevé (MP), Maureen Wade (MWa).

Apologies: Stewart Brownrigg (SB), Sarah Crofts (SC), Marcus Woolley (MWo).

2. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

The minutes from 5 March 2008 were approved.

3. Action Update and Matters Arising

Progress on actions from the previous meeting held on 5 March 2008 and earlier meetings are summarised below.

Previous meeting:

• Action 5.1 Complete - JG had spoken to ULCC regarding the possibility of their assistance with programming effort on InforM25 for the AIM25 linking project. ULCC had limited capacity for the existing AIM25 work and it was also considered that the learning curve for the bespoke InforM25 software to be too great.
• Action 5.2 Complete - JG reported that the way in which Google Analytics works excludes web crawlers/spiders automatically and that any that did register in the statistics would be easily spotted because of their regular nature.
• Action 5.3 Complete - JG had summarised his new idea for an M25 cross-discipline collection description service - see Item 5 below.

Earlier meetings:

• Action 3.1 Continues - JG to progress InforM25 'Landscaping' document.
• Action 3.2 Continues - JG to look into the Talis Directory further and also about the feasibility of using the existing Find-a-library data/system with Google Maps.
• Action 4.1 Continues - MWa & JG to draft letter to RCN about the addition of their Z-server to InforM25.
• Action 5.1 See following action - WM/MWa to clarify with Chair of C&P group their ideas for closer links with RDWG/The Systems Team and London Health Libraries.
• Action 5.2 WM to also discuss matter further with Richard Osborn of London Health Libraries. For these two actions, the group agreed that it would not be appropriate to pursue the matter further at this time. Actions superceded.

4. M25 Systems Team Manager's Report

JG briefly highlighted issues from his report (No.19).

There are currently two versions of the M25 content management system supported by the software supplier - the version used on the M25 websites and a newer, enhanced version. While the supplier has not announced any plans to stop supporting the version currently in use, it may be sensible to consider moving to the newer version, which would require a few days work by the web designers. It was agreed that JG would look into the costs of migration and what advantages the newer version has, and that the upgrade would be factored into the 2008/09 work plan.
Action 4.1 - JG to summarise key differences between Joomla versions 1.0.x and 1.5.x and to estimate costs in migrating the two websites.

AIM25 Linking Project

JG reported that the testing of the AIM25 Z-server was now completed and an anomily with subject searching on names had been identified. The next stage will be incorporating the linking process in the "Search catalogues" software as and when possible. The group queried whether there were any dissemination plans for the project, especially as M25 were funding the linking work. One suggestion was to write a follow-up article to the original article in Vine.
Action 4.2 - JG to talk to AIM25 Steering Group regarding dissemination plans.

5. Possible New Collection Descriptions Service and External Review of InforM25

JG had distributed a short paper summarising his ideas for somehow combining the data currently held in a number of services describing collections held within M25 libraries. The group discussed the idea in detail and also considered the planned review of the existing InforM25 services due to take place during the next academic year. Key points of the discussions are:

• There was a clear need for an external review of InforM25 to ensure it benefits members as they are paying for it.
• Attendees at the recent M25 Steering Group planning day considered that some form of collection description service was a good idea and that RDWG should develop it further.
• The group agreed that there was a definite overlap with looking at the new idea and the review of InforM25.
• There was support from the group for 'thinking bigger' and considering the amalgamation of all existing collection description services.
• For the M25 Action Plan for 08/09 the review of InforM25 should be associated with the new idea.

The group agreed that the following sequence of tasks would be appropriate to take the ideas forward:

• Hold informal talks with identified individuals to help RDWG define the best way forward
• Engage a consultant for a short period (nominally 2-3 days) to further define the subsequent stages and develop a roadmap of how to proceed
• Involve other services and stakeholders in the idea and write brief(s) for consultancy to review InforM25 and investigate the feasibility of a collection description service

Action 5.1 MW/JG to arrange informal discussions to start this process off.
Action 5.2 WM to edit the RDWG contribution to the M25 Strategic Objectives and Action Plan for 2008/09.

6. Reporting to M25 Steering Group

Action 6.1 JG to forward his report to the M25 Administrator.

7. AOB

There was none.

8. Future Meetings

Action 8.1 JG to arrange future meetings in July, September and late November 2008.

Minutes by JG