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Elaine Allard and I will be presenting on Library Portal Integration at the IUG 2005 in San Francisco, CA. The session is scheduled for the 1:30 to 2:30 time slot on Wednesday. From the program description:

Portal Integration: What Works at Plymouth State University

Lamson Library began its portal integration in 2002 with the launch of Plymouth State University’s first portal, MyPlymouth. Within this single point of service students can register for classes and check their grades, faculty can review their rosters and post grades, staff can review benefits and vacation time, and, of course, everybody can use the library. We presented our early efforts at IUG 11 in San Jose, this presentation briefly reviews that past work, including our MyMillennium and WAM integration; discusses how the library’s presence in the portal has changed its relationship with its patrons and how changes at the institution effect the integration; and describes new features, including patron billing and targeted recommendations that combine XML server with patron information available in the portal. The presentation will include both technical details and a discussion of the politics and philosophy of integration.

Separately, I’ll be presenting my work on XML Server on Tuesday in the 4:30 to 5:30 slot. Again, from the program description:

XML Server Applications: The Catalog Breaks Free of the Box

If an item is cataloged in the library, but nobody knows it, does it really exist? As the number of information resources grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to understand the purpose and content of each. Library catalogs compete with other library resources, including full-text databases, and resources outside the library, like Google.

Using XML server, Plymouth State University is experimenting with presenting library catalog information outside the WebOPAC context, and targeting specific items to patrons based on their academic major or course schedule. These “targeted browse lists” can be displayed within the campus portal, or patrons can subscribe via RSS. Other applications of XML server will also be discussed.