The Web Advisory Group would like to hear your thoughts on the redesigned MUL website that launched in mid-August.  Ashley created a 5-question survey usi, and we hope you'll take a few minutes to respond.

In January a slightly updated version of the website will be launched.  You'll find a link to it at the beginning of the survey, but remember you will only consider the current version when answering the questions and giving comments.

https://missouri.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2sHogj4Cr5dw88B

Thank you,

Gwen & Ashley

The top 250 websites

• by Page Title
• by Page URL

are now available in an Excel workbook posted on the staff site for your viewing.  The glossary for the terms used in Google Analytics can also be found on the staff page on the lower right-hand corner of the screen under Administration/Statistics.

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/default.htm

Page URLs are case sensitive in Google Analytics so if a term in a URL is capitalized in one URL and not in its duplicate, there be two URLs listed for the same web page.

For example:

Journalism Library:

In the fall of 2010, the web browsers on the computers in Journalism were set to

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/Journalism as the home page.

The Journalism Library home page is officially http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/journalism with a lower case “j.”

Journalism will have two entries in the Page URL listing and one entry in the Page Title listing.  The workstation browsers were modified so they now point to the lower case “j” but there will always be two URLS for that period in time.

Gateway page:

The stats for http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/default.aspx are recorded separately from

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/ even though they refer to the same web page.

Test pages usually have not been assigned a Page Title and will be lumped together under (not set). Many new pages were created last year so there will be little or no comparison with the previous year.  The introduction of LibGuides naturally saw a decrease in the page hits for some of those guides in the Resource Content Management System.   LibGuide URLs are numeric so you cannot tell what the page is unless you search the site or add a prefix to the URL listed in the spreadsheet.

https://libraryguides.missouri.edu

LibGuide URL in Google Analytics:

/content.php?pid=92324 /

https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/content.php?pid=92324 / [J2100 News ]

LibGuides also has its own statistical analysis program as part of the service.

Last fall, the Web Advisory Group rearranged the content on the Gateway giving more prominence to the “Contact Us” feature as well as other services and collections.

“Contact Us” went up 141%.

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/showmehow/contactus.aspx  June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2011		13,644
July 1, 2009 – July 1, 2010		5,667
% Change		141%

Other notable changes:

MU Libraries Book Finder  http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/search/bookfinder.aspx June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2011		87,854
July 1, 2009 – July 1, 2010		48,106
% Change		83%

Collections Ellis  http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/collections/ellis.htm June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2011		37,877
July 1, 2009 – July 1, 2010		18,438
% Change		105%

 

This web page saw a decrease because now we have hours posted on the gateway pages:

Hours, Maps and Information http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/about/hours.htm   June 30, 2010 – June 30, 2011		1,963
July 1, 2009 – July 1, 2010		2,179
% Change		-10%

At the suggestion of Rachel Brekhus, the Web Advisory Group (WAG) has redesigned the database pages.  Special thanks go to a task group (Janice Dysart, Gwen Gray, Mathew Stephen, Rhonda Whithaus and Caryn Scoville) for putting together the first draft of these pages.  I also wish to thank Mathew for his programming skills and to those in WAG for their input throughout the process.  Mathew was  able to make use of the existing resource content management system by repurposing  the information in the system to create these pages.

Here’s a draft of the site; it’s a vast improvement over our current set of pages.  We will go live after finals unless there is a “hue and cry” for earlier adoption!

http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/Reference/databases/default.aspx

 

 

Mathew Stephen has set up a web feedback site for library staff.   Please use this form if you need to report a broken link, outdated information or any other problems you see with our web site.  We also require the URL of the site which contains the broken link along with a specific description of which link is broken.  This speeds up the process.  Thanks!

The link to feedback page is at the top of the staff web page: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/default.htm

The direct link can be found here: http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/staff/staffcomments/website.aspx

Thanks!

Judy Maseles

The Web Advisory Committee is working on a redesign of the MU Libraries web gateway page. You can see a test page (that is still being revised) at http://mulibraries.missouri.edu/defaultSubject4.aspx

The main changes in the redesign are:

• Reduction of tabs on search box
• “Information For You” header removed from top bar
• “Contact Us” and “About the Libraries” boxes moved to the right
• Addition of “Resources For” box to left side of page (will be renamed “Information For”)

These changes were made primarily because the use of the “Information For You” links had declined. This redesign will help highlight those resources.

Over the summer the MU Libraries have been working on a new Web site, putting the most used resources up front and improving navigation. The beta site will be up on Monday, July 27. The site address and our feedback blog will be posted in the announcements section of our current gateway. Let us know where we can improve things by commenting on our blog. The old web pages will be retired on August 2.

Thanks,
Judy Maseles

The Web Advisory Group welcomes Sheena Waggoner, Administrative Services, as the newest member of the Usability Group. We look forward to the addition of such a friendly and hard-working colleague.

Wayne Sanders
Chair, Usability Group of the Web Advisory Group

The Usability Group of the Web Advisory Group welcomes Sandy Schiefer, Government Documents Librarian, as a recent appointee to the group.

As you may recall, the Web Advisory Group is redesigning the MU Libraries gateway page to emphasize the most used library resources.

Based on input from staff members and the public, the Web Advisory Group has created six mockups for the new MU Libraries Gateway Page.   We are seeking feedback from staff members on each of these designs.  The six design options will then be narrowed to two choices, which will be subjected to usability testing with patrons.  There are two ways to share your thoughts on the new gateway designs:  An online discussion blog and two focus group sessions, which will be held during the second week of March.

Instructions for viewing the proposed designs and adding to the blog are at the end of this email.  Please comment on what you really like or really don’t like, suggest different wording, etc.  Since these sites are not finished products, comments on content and structure are most helpful, rather than suggestions related to color or appearance (such as font style or size). Please send in your comments through the Sharepoint Site (directions below) by March 13.

In making suggestions, please keep in mind the following elements, which have been deemed to be of key importance on the new site:
•    Avoid library jargon.
•    Focus on resources.
•    Include a more central search box.
•    Incorporate a comments/suggestions blog and report a problem button.
•    Promote eBooks and online reference works.
•    Post Ellis hours on Gateway with a link to more hours.
•    Make “Ask a Question” link more prominent.
•    Offer context sensitive help.
•    Include top 25 most-clicked-on links.

To view and comment on the Gateway Mockups:

1.    Go directly to the Sharepoint site or to the MU Libraries Staff Web page.  (On the left side of the staff web page, under SharePoint, click on “Web Gateway Mockup Designs”)
2. A dialogue box will pop up asking for a user name and password.
a. For user name, enter your entire email address (e.g., smithj@missouri.edu)
Your password is the same one you use for email or accessing your library account.
3.    To get to the mockup/discussion pages, click on the heading “Gateway Discussion and Feedback” (either in the center of the page, under the Announcements section, or in the site hierarchy on the left side of the page).
4.    There are six mockups listed.  To see one, click on the title to get to the main page for that design.  Click on the link to the mockup, which will open in a new window.
5.    (The UNC Mockup is best viewed using Firefox rather than IE as your web browser.)
6.    From the main page for each design, please also add your comments about that particular mockup by clicking on the “Reply” button in the upper right corner of the page. Replies will show up below the link to the mock-up.