Minutes of November 3, 2004 TERMinators meeting

In attendance: Kathie, Tom, Laurie, Mark, Linda, Nastia, Alan, Mary

There were 4 facets left to discuss: EJournal Collections, Notre Dame Libraries, General and Local Information, Resource Types

We passed the following definitions for EJournal Collections and Notre Dame Libraries:

EJournal Collections: Lists of e-journals the Libraries license, grouped by publisher or provider. Some collections allow you to search all the ejournals in the collection, via a single search interface.

Notre Dame Libraries: Information about the University Libraries of Notre Dame and their services.

We then began a discussion about the facet "General and Local Information". We considered the terms that were left after removing terms from this facet that weren't used anywhere in the DDW. It seemed that many of the terms from this facet that were actually used somewhere in the DDW could easily fit under the research tools. We had a good discussion about whether or not terms like "weather," and "travel" fit in the "Research Tools" facet. The group discussed this issue at length. If the terms under this facet could fit under another facet, we may be able to get rid of the "General and Local Information" as a facet.

We talked about some of the confusing aspects of the DDW, with particular focus on how "research tools" is used throughout the website and how the "reference shelf" is constructed. We also discussed how resources appear throughout the DDW. We talked about the virtue of having a "local" facet and its potential utility to patrons. In this instance, it wasn't just the definition that was important, but whether such a facet displays or not. While patrons may not read the definitions of facets, they will certainly see facets in the website as headings for collections of resources. In the end we weren't sure if we would get rid of the "general and local information" facet, modify it, or keep it as is.

The group's task in preparation for next week's meeting is to look at the terms from the "General and Local Information" facet that are actually used in the DDW. We will consider whether or not they make sense as a group. Could some of them move over to the "Research Tools" facet or some other facet? If so, would we then rename the "General and Local Information" facet or perhaps get rid of it?

Mark Dehmlow