Happy 10th Birthday, GALILEO

Dear GALILEO Users,

Today we celebrate GALILEO's 10th Birthday! ...

When GALILEO was launched on September 21, 1995, it was an early leader in providing centralized access to a specialized collection of full-text resources. Today, users' expectations have increased along with the volume of information available on the Internet. GALILEO users want
GALILEO to be simpler to use --- this message comes through in user comments, survey results, usability tests, and in feedback from librarians. "Why can't I search everything in one search?" is a common refrain. The Google experience has shaped user's expectations for accessibility and convenience.

Georgia librarians have been involved in a variety of product review,
investigation, and discussion activities over the past several years in
order to determine how the GALILEO infrastructure should be changed to allow multiple approaches for libraries to position content and access in the most effective way.

Specific goals and technologies have been identified to upgrade
GALILEO's existing functionality. Additional product review, approval by participating consortial communities was received and a final proposal was then presented to and approved by the GALILEO Steering Committee in June 2005. and the approval of a three year implementation and cost proposal by the GALILEO Steering Committee in June 2005.

The planned GALILEO Upgrade will use four new products:
* EZproxy (http://www.usefulutilities.com/)
* WebFeat (http://webfeat.org/)
* SFX (http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/sfx.htm)
* MetaLib (http://www.exlibrisgroup.com/metalib.htm)

The Upgrade will provide the following enhancements:
* A single search box to search across multiple databases simultaneously
* The ability to link from a citation without full text to an
article in another database that does provide full text
* Journal lists for all the titles in GALILEO databases
* Interfaces with a customized look and feel for each user community
* More customization of menus
* Access to content and features from library websites, online
courseware, campus portals, and other environments that better
meet user needs
* Enhanced opportunities for user personalization

The GALILEO Upgrade is a complex project that will be implemented in phases over the next three years.

Federated searching will be provided first within the existing GALILEO system through the WebFeat federated search service, followed by linking through the SFX product and additional remote access support from the EZproxy product.

These initial deployments will be made available first for review and feedback
by the GALILEO Reference Committee and then for general review in the GALILEO demonstration system via announcements to the GALILEO listserv
prior to being moved into production. Subsequent phases will involve
community working groups in the development of customized interfaces,
also involving an additional product, MetaLib, for the academic library
community infrastructure.

You can keep up with the projects and plans for the Upgrade through the
GALILEO listserv as well as the project website http://www.usg.edu/galileo/about/planning/projects/upgrade/. As features become available, training sessions will be offered to assist librarians and library staff in understanding and utilizing new tools and techniques. GeorgiA LIbrary LEarning Online was named for GALILEO to evoke the concept of learning and discovery. As this project evolves, we will all learn about targets and sources; users perceptions, expectations, and use; and integration with other technologies. These tools are not perfect, but they will support our efforts to better connect the user with the information needed at the time of need. Because GALILEO represents so many different type and size libraries and user constituencies, vendors will be very interested in GALILEO's experiences, as they work to improve these tools.

As in the past 10 years, GALILEO will continue to grow and change to
meet user needs and to complement the services provided by Georgia's
Libraries. Thanks for your support, encouragement, and for all the
feedback and work you will do over the next years to effectively serve
our users.

Happy Birthday GALILEO!!!!

Merryll

P.S. Information sessions are being scheduled that are open to anyone
in the GALILEO communities who wants to learn more about this exciting
new project to "Upgrade GALILEO for the 21st Century." These sessions
will be offered via webconferencing and conference calls given the
desire to limit travel because of the high cost and potential shortage
of gasoline. Announcements about the projects will be made to this list
as well.



--
Merryll S. Penson
Executive Director, Library Services
Office of Information and Instructional Technology
Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
2500 Daniells Bridge Road
Building 300
Athens, GA 30606
706-583-2007 (voice)
706-583-2294 (fax)
Merryll.penson@usg.edu
http://www.galileo.usg.edu
http://gil.usg.edu


The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.