Portals in Libraries Symposium:
Current State of
Portals in Libraries
Robert H. McDonald
Assistant Director of Libraries for Technology
Florida State University rmcdonal@mailer.fsu.edu
June 26, 2004
Orlando, FL online at: http://www.rmcdonald.info/presentations/portal2004

Current State of Portals

Agenda: Environmental Scan
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2
Overview
Portals in Libraries
Portals in Higher Education
Summary
Questions

Overview
• Portals in Libraries
– Higher Education – Accenture Survey
Definition
• Gateway that provides a single point of entry to information and tools.
• Web-based aggregation point.
• Targeted User Groups.
• My “homepage” or “library”
• Easy to use.
• Accessible from anywhere anytime.

Overview
• Portals in Libraries
– Higher Education
• Information Channel within a University Portal
• Stand Alone Customizable/Personal EResource
Portal
• Set of personalized Web Services Provided by a
Library to interact with any or all of the above.

Agenda: Environmental Scan
3
4
5
1
2
Overview
Portals in Libraries
Portals in Higher Education
Summary
Questions

Library Portal
Information
Channels
Web
Browser
Customizable Library EResources/Services
EJournal Lists, New Book Lists, Indexing and
Fulltext Database Links, Book Renewal
Course Management Integration
Integration of specific Eresources/Services with
Course Management Systems ex. WebCt,
Blackboard, Desire2Learn
MetaSearch Services
This can be tied to a MetaSearch Service that includes relevance ranking and de-duping or can be a drop down of web based search services.
University Web Services
Web Services tied to course registration, financial services, documents on demand or extracurricular associations such as sports ticketing.

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User Identity Institutional Identity
Web Search of Campus and Departmental Web Pages
Student/Customer Ecommerce Web Services
Course Syllabi Course Grades Transcripts Course Fees
Institutional and
Departmental
Announcements
Individualized
Announcements
Customizable News Feeds
Library Portal Feeds/Links
Library MetaSearch Tools

Portals in Libraries
• Customizable EResource Portals
– MyLibrary (NCSU)
• Discipline Based Organization
– Scout Portal Toolkit (Internet Scout Project)
• Collection Based Organization
– phpWebSite (Open Source)
• Web Content Based Organization

Portals in Libraries
• Integrated Web Services
– Integration with Campus Portal
• Royal Holloway University - London – New Books
RSS Feed/SCT Luminis
– Integration with Course Management Systems
• University of Maryland – WebCT/Metalib
– Integration with Course Reserve Systems
• University of Rochester – HTML/MyLibrary

Portals in Libraries
• MetaSearch Systems with Portal Features
– Iowa State University
• ZPortal
– Kansas State University
• Encompass
– University of Maryland
• Metalib

Agenda: Environmental Scan
3
4
5
1
2
Overview
Portals in Libraries
Portals in Higher Education
Summary
Questions

Portals in Higher Education
• Customizable Institutional Portals
– UPortal (Open-Source)
• Cornell University
– SCT Luminus (Proprietary)
• Royal Holloway University
– Locally Developed Systems - MyUW
• University of Washington

Agenda: Environmental Scan
3
4
5
1
2
Overview
Portals in Libraries
Portals in Higher Education
Summary
Questions

Summary
• More Libraries are working with portal type features – Not just for the interested
10% but for all customers.
–The “KillerApp” Idea must be rethought with this integration.
–If we force all constituents through a portal?
• ex. Need=Use
• Needing Access to Grades will drive use of easily available library EResources.

Summary
• Many Parent Institutions –
(Universities/Municipalities) are starting to work with portal concepts for their customers who expect ecommerce web services.

Summary
• Work must be done with integrating library portal systems as Web Services within Institutional Portals or via other standards yet to be named.
• Early Adopters will ensure that the Library has a channel within the parent institution portal.

Portal Working Groups
• ARL Scholar’s Portal Project
– http://www.arl.org/access/scholarsportal/
• ARMPIG (ARL Metalib Portal Interest
Group)
– http://www.smugnet.org/2003na/presentations/armpig.ppt
• Java Architectures Special Interest Group
(uPortal)
– http://www.ja-sig.org/

Agenda: Environmental Scan
3
4
5
1
2
Overview
Portals in Libraries
Portals in Higher Education
Summary
Questions