In March 2003, Dan Marmion, Associate Director for Information Systems and Digital Access, charged Tom Lehman and Trudie Mullins with redesigning the Libraries Intranet. Tom and Trudie were later joined by Melodie Eiteljorge (subsequently replaced by Elaine Griffen), Elaine Savely and David Williams, who together make up Team Intranet, the group managing the redesign process.

The impetus for redesigning the intranet was to make information easier to find. The intranet had grown over a period of years without a review of its original design, consequently many persons in the Libraries found it difficult to find needed information.

Team Intranet articulated three goals for the redesign:

• Make it easier to find information in the intranet.
• Add needed features and content to the intranet.
• Make the intranet a vehicle for improving communication in the Libraries.

Team Intranet’s work was carried out in phases:

• Project planning.
• Holding meetings with Libraries staff to determine what people wanted from the new Intranet.
• Preparing and testing two prototypes illustrating alternative designs for the intranet.
• Selecting and implementing the preferred design.

Team Intranet recommends

• The intranet follow web standards which are included in this report.
• Team Intranet continue to manage the Libraries intranet for the first year in order to fine tune it after the roll out, and to develop procedures for maintenance and updating content. At the end of a year, Team Intranet will submit a report to Dan Marmion outlining recommendations for future maintenance of the intranet, based on its experience.

Introduction

Tom Lehman and Trudie Mullins, working with Melodie Eiteljorge, Elaine Savely and David Williams, who together make up Team Intranet, have been charged with redesigning the Libraries Intranet. This document outlines the Intranet redesign process we've followed and presents our recommendations.

Redesign Goals

Our goals for redesign have been to:

• Make information easier to find, by:
  – applying principles of information architecture to the organization, labeling and navigation of the Intranet;
  – adding the ability to search the Intranet;
  – making the Intranet the place where all libraries related information such as minutes, reports, statistics, policies, forms can be found;
• Make the Intranet more useful by adding needed content and creating a database driven directory;
• Improve communication in the Libraries by adding sections for news and ULONs, a Libraries FAQ and an online Libraries bulletin board .

The Redesign Process to Date

• Tom and Trudie met with a number of LAM members to share the plan for how the intranet would be redesigned and to get their input into the process.
• All current Intranet pages were inventoried.
• Two usability tests on the current Intranet were done to create a baseline for comparison with the new Intranet.
• Tom and Trudie read up on design and redesign of intranets.
• They looked at examples of other library intranets.
• They held meetings with library employees to learn what content and features were desired in the new Intranet.
• Team Intranet prepared two prototype intranets, incorporating features suggested in the meetings.
• DAIAD developed a database library employee directory.
• DAIAD developed a search engine for the Intranet.
• Team Intranet did usability testing on the two prototypes and selected one based on the results of the testing and on input received from Libraries employees.
• Team Intranet met with groups and individuals in the Libraries to demonstrate UL@ND and gather input.

Topics Discussed in Meetings with Libraries Employees

The meetings with Libraries employees brought out many useful comments and suggestions, summarized below:

• The current Intranet suffers from a variety of defects:
  
  – It's hard to find information in it.
  – It's poorly laid out. Organized by type of document or organization. Should be organized by audience or task.
  – It doesn't have a uniform design.
  – Has no search feature.
  – Has outdated content.
  – The design is outdated ("faceless and bland").
  – Doesn't highlight new resources.
  – Links are poorly described--you don't always know what you'll get.
  – Links to PDF and Word docs not always described as pdf or doc files.
  – Needs a "What's New" page, and a "Most Used" section.
  – Much of the content isn't written for the web (too wordy).
• The ability to search the Intranet would be useful. Use metadata so "periodicals" and "journals" retrieve same results.
• Content should be reliable, consistent, concise, and up to date.
• Pages should list page owner and contact info.
• Should include "Who to contact for ..." section, and "Libraries FAQ."
• Should tell how to get payroll and HR to change employee information.
• Include a messaging component similar to "Ask a Librarian."
• Include an online collaborative function such as LiveLink.
• Look into using uPortal.
• Restrict access to the Intranet to Libraries employees. Duplicate public content elsewhere.
• Intranet should not be passworded. People resist having to sign in. It is useful for other libraries to see our procedures, be able to look up contact information.
• Would be helpful to have a calendar with the main library meetings (LAM, etc.), due dates for annual reports, evaluations, etc.
• The Intranet can improve communication in the Libraries. For example:
  – News
  – NewFlash (timely news such as "resource down," "can library employees attend X event on work time?")
  – ULONs (official announcements from 221, etc.)
  – Dates and Events (what's happening, calendar of main library meetings)
  – Online newsletter (son of Mosaic, Rockpile)
  – Bulletin Board (build community by letting employees post notes – "couch for sale," "tickets wanted," "open house for my graduating senior")
  – Birthday calendar
  – Place to find all libraries' related information such as minutes, reports, policies
  – Include model CVs, job descriptions, collection development policies, etc.
  – Should include who does what and expertise (yellow pages)
  – Checklist for new employees
• Finding people's phone number, etc. important.
• Finding forms important – put all forms together in one place.
• Include photos of employees.
• Ability to customize important. Use MyLibrary?
• Ability to post questions online.
• Ability to work collaboratively
• Have fun – include recipes, jokes, etc.
• With budget cuts we have to work smarter, stop doing some things. The Intranet should help us work smarter by making information easier to find.
• It will be important to maintain the Intranet by getting information in it, and keep the design from getting cluttered.
• Include links to frequently used resources; e.g. WorldCat, BIP.
• Put most used resources at the top.
• Live cam to outside to see the weather.
• Include core statistics (ND ARL, fund info.).
• Add a "Library Conferences" link.
• Include due dates, deadlines.
• Include link to Libraries hours.
• Aleph should be a link on the main page.
• eProject could be used as the basis for the Intranet.
• Add campus lectures, movies, etc.
• Make sure includes Branch content.
• Post library event photos (banquets, parties, renovation, etc.).

Analysis

Several high level issues needed to be considered for the Intranet redesign:

1. Who is the Intranet for?
2. What content should be in the Intranet?
3. What do its users use the Intranet for (context)?
4. What technology should be used to create the Intranet?

1. The primary audience for the Intranet is employees of University Libraries of NotreDame. Persons outside the Libraries may find useful information in the Intranet such as a policy or procedure, but their use is incidental to the main purpose of the Intranet.
   
   
2. The Intranet is designed to meet the information needs of Library employees. It contains Libraries content such as:
   – policies and procedures
   – committee minutes
   – reports
   – staff directory
   – forms
   – statistics
   – internal documentation

as well as links to non-Libraries information of value to Libraries employees.


3. Context. The purpose of the Intranet is provide information to its target audience and to facilitate communication in the Libraries. During the interviews and meetings, Libraries’ employees expressed the following sorts of desires for the intranet:
   – a way to get timely information (NewsFlash)
   – a Libraries newsletter
   – a bulletin board
   – a search feature
   
   
4. Technology:
   – The Intranet doesn’t have to support a wide variety of browsers, mainly IE5+, Netscape 7.
   – Adding and editing Intranet content can be distributed using Contribute, and databases with a web interface for the Libraries Directory and for dynamic intranet content (news, bulletin board).

Implementation

Based on what we heard in the meetings, our reading and other intranets, we’ve implemented the following features in the new Intranet:

• The ability to search intranet content.
• A database driven Libraries Directory including employees, departments, committees, and Collection Development funds and subject specialists.
• A NewsFlash feature to get out time sensitive information quickly. A number of people will be authorized to add messages to the NewsFlash section
• A bulletin board any library employee can post to.
• We articulated and implemented web standards for Intranet pages to make them more usable and easier to retrieve.
• A Libraries calendar listing library events and recurring meetings.
• We attempted to include all library reports, policies, committee minutes, most ULONs
  • A "Libraries FAQ & Whom to Contact" section.
• A section to highlight new and updated intranet content.
• Access to the Library Directory is restricted to the Notre Dame IP range and can be accessed off campus by entering NetID and password. The content of the intranet database (ULONs, NewsFlash, etc.) can only be accessed from Libraries machines (PCs with library machine names).

Issues raised in meetings not implemented

• A Library newsletter. This was attractive, but the team thought it would take a lot of time to implement. We did implement a “Did you know ...” section which will include human interest articles.
• A customizable Intranet, using MyLibrary. This had a lot of support, but needs to wait for MyLibrary to be rewritten.
• Ability to post questions online. This had moderate support (raised in 3-4 meetings) but was not implemented, as the expected payoff did not appear to justify it at this time.
• Base the intranet on uPortal. Once the Intranet is based on a database driven application (MyLibrary), it might be possible to make the Intranet be a tab on Libraries employees' university uPortal page.

Recommendation 1: Web standards for the intranet

Team Intranet advocates that all intranet pages (any page in http://libstaff.library.nd.edu) follow web standards designed to maximize usability, findability, accessibility and forward compatibility of intranet pages. These standards are compatible with national standards and Notre Dame’s own web standards. The standards are available at http://libstaff.library.nd.edu/about/standards.shtml.

Recommendation 2: Maintenance of the intranet

After the new Intranet is implemented, the first year will be critical for the success of the Intranet. Workflows will need to be set up. Content will need to be provided and refreshed. The use of the Intranet will need to be monitored, new features added and revised and unused features removed. Promotion, marketing and instruction will be vital. Team Intranet recommends that it continue to be responsible for the maintenance and development of the Intranet during its first year. By December 23, 2004, Team Intranet will submit a report to Dan Marmion, based on its experience, recommending how long term oversight and maintenance of the Intranet should be handled.

Team Intranet
Melodie Eiteljorge
Tom Lehman, chair
Trudie Mullins
Elaine Savely
David Williams

February 16, 2004