We are very happy to make audio files of our library events available on our Web site and via PodCast. The library is piloting podcasts with IT and Marketing and Creative Services. Basically, no one on campus was podcasting yet, but everyone was talking about how they wanted to. So, the library wrote up an objective to give it a try. Officially, this is a pilot project from which we are hoping to learn about the possibilities that this technology offers. There are a couple of features that others may find worthy of note.

We always try to match an existing need with technology. We do not use technology just for technology?s sake. The library has a number of public events each semester, and these podcasts are a great way to make these events available to a wider audience. We have tried to clearly state our purpose and to tie this to our library?s larger mission and vision.

We have several directions we still want to explore during this pilot in this academic year. Our current MP3s are out there for download. They are the raw files (but they sound pretty good, none-the-less). We are going to be trying some audio software that will give us the ability to clean up the files. We are hoping to record some intro and outro sound clips (maybe with music?) that will add a little polish to the files. At some point soon, we are going to try to create our first video podcast of these events. We are not sure about this, but we want to give it a shot. Our plans also include a nicer presence in iTunes. Presently, our PodCasts are listed in iTunes (search for ?Moraine Valley? in the power search), but it would be desirable to have a nicely designed page.

Even though we are at an early stage in the process, several needs have become apparent. We are currently using the digital recorder from the Center for Teaching and Learning to record our events. We hope to be able to get a recorder that is owned by the library that can be added to our sound system. Along these lines, we also need to add a mixer to better be able to handle multiple microphones. Right now we only have one mic input, and we have the lavaliere mic. When we have panel discussions and we need multiple tabletop microphones, our multimedia staff rig up one of the campus mixers. If we had our own setup, we could record all of this on our own without scheduling their time.

As we weigh our software needs, we are trying to decide what sorts of tools could be used. The current RSS feed for our podcasts was originally created using a trial version of FeedForAll. Then, I?ve been hand coding the feed as we?ve added new events. We will need to decide if we should purchase FeedForAll (or other software). Right now, it?s not that big of a deal to hand code one feed, but if we add additional feeds, it would be worth the expense.

The ?new? library Web site has been live for a couple of years at this point. We had some delays as we moved to our homegrown CMS. This site was a nice step forward as it incorporates our blogs into the site. This site is also easier to manage than the old FrontPage-driven site in the past. Yet, as this site is used each day, there are several factors that are already building pressure toward our next site redesign.

Naturally, the largest force pressing for further redesign is the growth and needs of the content itself. If a site is living, then this should always be the place where pressure comes first. One factor that really spurred this along was the research done by Dominican University graduate students Dan Powers, who did a content review and interviews with library staff to capture needed content. (Congrats to Dan who was got a job!) The organic growth of organizations and the information needed to run these organizations outgrow the ?molds? (templates, designs, whatever) of the site.

An additional force has arisen from our help sections of the library site. Most of these tools were migrated over from the previous site, and they are become less applicable to our current site. I would also say that this is one weakness of our usability study. We did not place our focus on how these help sections work, since we really focused on searching for content. On top of this, we have our held spread around in different areas. We are considering putting all of this together in one place. So, what is most logical, putting them together or trying to lace them where we think they should go.

One of the exciting changes coming down the road in our library is a new effort to serve our distance and remote site students. Our distance education librarian is completing a needs assessment and working on online tools to serve these students. This work will have impact on all of our students, since, to some degree, all of our students commute and share some of these characteristics. The more we can learn about our students the better we can meet their needs.

As we upgrade our OPAC, we will have federated searching available. This will greatly impact how we organize our research tools. Actually, this is a part of a larger pressure that is related to RSS feeds from our catalog, databases, or blogs. How do we work to pull content and local expertise into the public sphere using our Web site? How does this look on our site?

Our library Web site is not really new anymore, but is not old. Yet, the Web landscape is shifting beneath us. There are a number of pressures building that will push our site in new ways. The next redesign process must work to balance these pressures, prioritize needs, and prepare for the future.