We’ve just added a new “Find a Subject Specialist” feature to our For Faculty page. As you begin typing the name of a subject in the input box, the search box will make suggestions to you.
For example, if you type sci into the search box it will suggest Computer Sciences, Geological Sciences, and others. This was made possible by using the jQuery javascript library and our existing subject database.
Our hope is that this new feature will enable users to more easily find subject-specific information.
In the past, the UT Libraries have had a variety of independent pages that list subject-related information. These pages include databases by subject, subject guides, subject specialists, and so on. TIS identified several issues with that approach:
- Subject names were not consistent. One page might list a subject called Children’s Studies, while another might call it Youth Studies.
- Subject pages were not integrated. If a user was browsing databases by subject, there was no easy way to view that subject’s bibliographer.
- Maintenance was difficult. If a specialist changer his/her office, that information needed to be updated in several places.
Our solution was to create a single database of subjects that contains all of the relevant information in one location. This database can be updated using a password-protected web interface. Now, if we decide to change “Theater” to “Theatre”, we make that update in one location and the change is reflected throughout our site.
Below is a list of pages that are currently using the new subjects database:
- Research by Subject – In the past, this page simply linked to research guides. Now, it links to guides, databases, and specialist information.
- Subject Detail pages – In addition to listing the information from the Research by Subject page, this page also provides links to related subjects.
- Specialist Profile pages – This page serves as a profile page for subject specialists. The contact information is pulled from the campus directory, which prevents us from having to maintain that information. It also lists interests, publications, personal sites, degrees, and more.
- Databases by Subject – Previously, this page only listed databases for each subject. Now, it lists recommended databases and provides links to that subject’s detail page and the specialist profile page.
We plan on using the data from new database on several other pages in the future. For example, we will integrate it with our existing library2blackboard application and an upcoming mobile version of our site. The work invested in this project will hopefully pay dividends long into the future.
A few months ago, we announced that the University of Texas Libraries created an application that would integrate subject-specific library information into Blackboard courses. Finally, we’ve gotten around to sharing our code.
For the past several weeks we’ve been hard at work on a new project that will dynamically insert course-specific library information into each UT Blackboard course.
Students will access this new feature by clicking a “Research Tools” link in the menu bar, which is automatically added to all Blackboard courses at UT (see screenshot below). This new section will provide contact information for the subject bibliographer responsible for the course, a link to the subject guide for the course, search tools, and more research assistance.
The secret to doing this was to use Blackboard’s template variables. They enable you to create a URL that can pass information such as username, course prefix, course number, etc. In our case, we created a link that looked like this: http://www.ourlink.com/file.php?course=@X@course.course_id@X@ … which passed the course ID as a variable to our PHP script. We were then able to look up the course-specific information from our XML file. Click the thumbnail below to view a diagram that details the process:
The end result is a course-specific tool that students can use while conducting research in their courses. It also enables the library to make more students and faculty aware of the services that are available to them. Click here to view screenshots of the final product.
