Discovery Interface Subcommittee Minutes

November 15, 2023, 9:30 am

Phone/video conference

Action Items:

None

Present: Tom Campbell (MAD), Jake Ineichen (MAD), Eric Norton (MCM)

Absent: None
Excused: Rachael Page (DEE)

Recorder: Michelle Karls (SCLS)

SCLS Staff Present: Amy Gannaway, Rose Ziech

1. Call to Order at 9:33 am

a. Introduction of guests/visitors

i. None.

b. Changes/Additions to the Agenda

i. None.

c. Requests to address the Committee

i. None.

2. Approval of previous meeting minutes: September 20, 2023

a. Motion: T. Campbell moved approval of the September meeting minutes.  E. Norton seconded.

b. Discussion: none.

c. Vote: motion carried.

3. Action Items

a. None

4. Discussion

a. Updates from previous meeting

i. Adding more ALA award lists

1. Schneider Family Book Award

a. A. Gannaway is working on this. 

ii. LINKcat Mobile App

1. A. Gannaway is still waiting for the new version of the Mobile App so she can begin testing. 

iii. Talpa search

1. We talked about this at the last meeting.  Talpa is an experimental AI-powered search available via our enhanced content provider, Syndetics Unbound.  It’s available on the LINKcat Help Page.  E. Norton reported that MCM staff have tried it and the reviews were mixed. 

iv. Translating LINKcat bookmarks into Spanish

1. A. Gannaway submitted the Searching bookmark for translation to get an estimate.  The funding for this wasn’t going to be available until 2024, but they ended up doing the first one for free.  Deb Haeffner has put the Spanish text into a bookmark.  A. Gannaway will work on getting this announced, posted, and added to the ILS form so libraries can request copies after the Thanksgiving Holiday.  She will work on getting the other bookmarks translated in 2024.

b. Other Bibliovation questions and/or discussion

i. A. Gannaway reported an anonymous SUN patron who submitted a form with several complaints about LINKcat (i.e. hard to use, text is tiny, etc.)  They also thought the blue hyperlink text was too light.  This might be something we can help with.  There are instructions for browser zoom options available online.  Smartphones have accessibility features that can be used to increase contrast.  Sometimes the contrast depends on the app being used.   E. Norton asked if we can’t make it darker, could we have it underlined.  The group felt that adding underlining on this page would be overwhelming.  J. Ineichen shared that the link text does meet WCAG AA guidelines but it doesn’t meet WCAG AAA guidelines.  R. Ziech said we can change the color.  It may end up changing the tone of the color.  R. Ziech could play around with it in the sandbox to see if we could meet AAA contrast guidelines.  It’s challenging to get AAA standards met. There is still time to register for the Discovery Layer User Group on December 12.  R. Ziech mentioned that the LINKcat Help website is a Drupal site and there are modules for adding translations to pages. We haven’t used it for library sites though many are interested in it.  However, you have to do your translations.  It’s more of a mechanism for storing the page as a separate entity.  We could look at this in the future.  E. Norton reported that this is the second meeting in a row where not many staff are participating and there are not a lot of topics on the agenda.  Is it worth looking at meeting less often or sending issues directly to the ILS Committee?  A. Gannaway reported that at the end of the year, ILS staff review subcommittee attendance and can start recruiting if necessary.   She will mention this at the Discovery Layer User Group to see if anyone is interested in joining this group.  MPL lost a representative this year.  T. Campbell will ask around about getting a replacement.

5. Plan for the Next meeting:  January 17, 2024, at 9:30 am via phone/video conference

6. Adjournment at 9:56 am

For more information about the Discovery Interface Subcommittee, contact Amy Gannaway.

SCLS staff are available to attend cluster meetings to share information and answer questions pertaining to this committee meeting and other departmental projects.

Discovery Interface Subcommittee/Minutes/11-2023