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For those of you unable to make it - you missed a great evening - the first in what is hoped will be a series of joint events held with the European Chapter of the SLA (The US's Special Libraries Association) chaired by David Mort. The generous refreshments (sponsored by brightstation (fomerly part of Dialog) who provide the NEON customised online news clippings service to the BBC) set everyone up for a fascinating demo of the BBC's Intranet site Research Central - -but if anyone turned green during the demo it was from pure envy.
AUKML's Chair Annabel Colley introduced the evening (and modestly omitted to say that the Research Central site was based on work she started while on Panorama!) and David Mort spoke for the SLA.
Kate Arnold Project Manager for Research Central (and long-time AUKML member), gave us the context and short history of the project.
Then it was over to Linda McCabe, Web Research Expert on the Research Central team to talk us through the site's facilities while her colleague Matthew McDonnell, also a WRE, provided the technical backup.
Research Central is a one stop research site accessible via the front page of the BBC's Intranet (called Gateway). It goes far beyond just acting as a portal for all the databases both in-house and external which Information and Archives offer to users. It is aiming to lead Greg Dykes' crusade to create 'one BBC' and a culture of sharing knowledge (not an easy task when programme makers have always jealousy guarded their projects and ideas).
The project to create Research Central kicked off in October 1999 - the team, headed by Kate Arnold, was recruited from I & A staff and was assisted by a technical wizard and designer brought in from outside. Feedback from interviews with 60 users and visits to other organisations' Intranets (including some AUKML members and others in the US) led to a soft launch in March and an official launch at the start of May. A team of 4 'floorwalkers' trained 600 users in under two months (3 are still floorwalking -hard on the feet is the general verdict!) and the site now gets 5 thousand hits a day.
So what does it offer?
The aim has been to work in collaboration with users so their ideas are always welcomed - for instance tips and sites for film research have been provided by the Film 2000 team. The emphasis is on giving lots of guidance on the site so people really can do it for themselves. With 15 thousand of the 23 thousand BBC staff with desktop access to the Internet and Intranet, that's a lot of users!
The front page of RC carries a top news story, a website of the week and access to search tips plus a listing of all the sections on offer. A 'personalise' button allows user to set up a bar giving direct access to their favourite parts of the site and gives valuable feedback to the team.
There's too much on the site to detail everything - so what impressed most?
The annotations for all websites (arranged in 19 subject directories) - which give summaries of content and guide users to the best parts of the sites. (It's three of the team's full time job to do this).
News alert - which emails daily updates with new stories on requested topics.
Search manager - I & A staff attend the morning news conferences and prepare ready to click searches on the day's hot topics.
The online training demonstrations for databases - very useful for anyone who only uses them occasionally. The main databases are:
NEON (online stories from national; regional and international press including exclusive feeds from such essential reading as Hello; Time Out; The Big Issue and many others)
ELVIS - BBC photographs stills database with a traffic light system to indicate copyright status
INFAX - a catalogue of film, VT & sound output (soon to have an online ordering facility)
KNOWUK - Chadwyck Healeys' Internet collection of 65 essential reference works
TALIS - the book catalogue
The Future Events and Anniversaries databases.
The 'Finding people' pages: 27 tips on how to find the right contacts via newsroups, mailing lists, ExpertNet; plus MPs, agents, audiences, crews even direct action groups. Plus a guide on protocol for unwary users of online forums etc.
Soon to come: Speakeasy a great pronunciation guide which will have an online audio coach!
And last but not least the essential 'help I need a human!' button giving numbers & emails for I & A departments and staff.
So who pays for this? It's free to users (departments have service-level agreements with I & A). And now that Greg Dyke has announced that charges won't be made for borrowing items from I & A (but research will still be charged), if a user does their own research on RC then it's all free.
And the hot question at the end of the evening - is the BBC going to make it available to outside organisations on a commercial basis? The answer: well they may be open to persuasion and an Extranet could be feasible but there are issues such as the IP rights of publishers who supply feeds to NEON so we will have to wait and see.
It was obvious from the questions that there lots of areas of common interest and concern for the SLA and AUKML and we look forward to more joint events in the future.
Contacts: Research Central Team. Room LG065 BHXX Broadcasting House, Portland Place, W1A 1AA 020 776 50720 centrar@main.bbc.co.uk
Environmental Data Services (better known as ENDS) began as an offshoot of the employment policy specialists Incomes Data Services (known as IDS, not INDS), back in the late 70s. ENDS is now an independent publisher providing in depth reporting on environmental policy in the UK and Europe. Its flagship monthly journal, the ENDS Report, has more recently been joined by a European focused daily news service delivered entirely electronically (via email and the web), and there are also a number of other information products in the stable, aimed at businesses and policy makers. Like our illustrious neighbours the Guardian and the Big Issue. A relatively small company (around 30 in-house staff plus numerous freelancers), ENDS made its home in Clerkenwell long before the area became the capital of dot com chic (Freeserve and EMAP online are about to move in a couple of streets away) and hangout of trendy media types. However like many media organisations, we have been busy learning how to adapt to the new e-publishing environment, whilst keeping our feet firmly on the ground.
Information has always been highly valued by editorial staff, and an in-house library was developed early in the company's life. Unfortunately this was a mixed blessing as the classification system has had 20 years to evolve into a truly Byzantine subject structure with no notation or apparent logic. Another problem is an ingrained reluctance to discard anything, just in case it turns out to hold some crucial nugget of information for a future story. These pressures coupled with the sheer volume of incoming material meant that the incumbent solo librarian had little time (let alone space) to step back and make the changes which were desperately needed. Nearly 2 years ago it was decided to employ two information staff (Dianne Shepherd and me), one to run the library, the other to develop information and IT provision across the whole company.
Where possible we've tried to make appropriate use of technology to make life easier both for us and for the staff/users. Laborious manual logging systems have been replaced, and a catalogue database is being introduced to improve access to documents. As more and more of ENDS' published output appears on the internet, internal information resources as well as working practices are being adapted to the new medium. We've established an intranet as the focus for many new developments, allowing previously 'hidden' resources to be made readily available, for example, a searchable common bookmarks database, well used by staff; details of external information enquiries; a bulletin board (the Exchange) which enables people to post internal discussion documents and minutes; a search form for the library catalogue; and access to a number of other internal databases. We've also developed a story list system on the intranet for the ENDS Report editorial team to help plan their work on the monthly issue. Of course, AUKML visits have been invaluable in inspiring some of these ideas, such as a 'research portal' to the most frequently used information sources.
Some projects have had only limited success so far despite our best efforts we still have a vast and unwieldy press cuttings archive, and the classification system still leaves much to be desired (although a simpler 2 tier structure has now been agreed to meet the needs of our new web based services). Knowledge is the journalist's stock in trade, and they don't always take easily to sharing it systematically with others, or giving up tried and tested manual research methods. However the overall reaction to the changes we've made so far has been positive. And a senior journalist has even been spotted furtively weeding out boxes of archived journals!
AUKML visits the Home Office
A report from Dianne Shepherd
Big thanks to Nigel Owen for organizing AUKML's visit to the Home Office's Information and Library service. The Information Service comes under the Internal Communications of the Communications Directorate. The visit was organized into three parts: David Critchley, Senior Librarian of the Intranet Team presented the intranet, Horizon; Terry Morgan Head of the Press Office provided an insight to the Press Office's workings and information needs and David Owen, Librarian gave an overview of the library and information service. As one who uses government information services, the visit provided a useful insight to their workings. I am sure that many of us in AUKML will relate to some of the management issues that were raised.
Horizon - The Home Office's Intranet
Horizon was set up approximately two years ago and today receives 8,000 hits per day. Initially the intranet was structured around the 11 directorates and staff passed information to the intranet team to publish. Today the intranet is structured around five core areas. The team has tried to use meaningful names for the core areas. Each department is now responsible for publishing their information. All directorates now have the responsibility of auditing their information assets in line with the Information Asset Register and publishing information according to the Crown Copyright paper 1999.
The intranet team run specific training programmes for those who publish the information and for the publishing department, to encourage them to incorporate the intranet format in their thinking. New employees are introduced to the intranet as part of their desktop training. There are extra courses for those who require it. A lot of staff notices are now only published on the intranet, which reinforces the intranet as an important information source and the need for staff to familiarize themselves with it. To encourage intranet use a "take a break" page has been created through which the staff can access the daily newspapers. Home office staff can access the Government Secure Intranet, which receives 15,000 hits a day.
A forum of web-site managers for intranet development has been set up to encourage intergovernmental liaison, facilitate software integration and the sharing of information. A product of this forum is BARD: Briefing and Reference Database which is accessible by all government departments via the intranet. Horizon is project that will have to be continually reviewed to ensure it meets changing information needs. The intranet team feel that to develop and maintain an effective intranet they need to assess how it is being used. The team is very much aware that the intranet is undermined by limited technology, for example with a more sophisticated search engine SDI (Selective Dissemination of Information) services could be offered. If security issues could be overcome desktop access to online services and the internet could be provided.
Press Office
Head of the Press Office, Terry Morgan oversees the work of seventeen press officers. The office deals with approximately 15,000 media enquiries per year. The majority of the press officers are ex-journalists themselves. The office is organized into four teams: police, commons, immigration and constitution. The Press Office needs to be able to respond to enquiries twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week. If more finances were available the press office would like to be able to track some of the media enquiries i.e. trace the stories written as a result of an enquiry. The press officers are reliant on the library and policy experts as they have to be able to follow policies, trace what ministers have said and glean an understanding of public feeling on a particular subject.
Terry describes himself as a "luddite", but if appropriate online services were available he would use them. Dialog and FT Profile can be accessed in the library from stand alone PCs, but access via their desktops would make for more efficient use of the press officers time. The Home Office web site is a key information dissemination point. There is a separate public enquiry team.
Library and Information Services
During the last fifteen years the service has undergone many changes. The majority of the enquiries were internal (60:40), but today there are more enquiries from external government departments. The library is promoted in line with present ethos, that government services should work more closely together and share information. The library needs to hold information resources on a wider array of issues and subjects, for example monitoring policies from varying sources and perspectives, current information technology manuals, meeting the needs of lawyers.
Despite having to meet a more diverse range of information needs space has been drastically reduced over the last few years. The Library has been forced to become more reliant on electronic sources: CD-ROMs, gateways to web-sites and commercial online services. There is little room for sentimentality. Information resources which do not meet a practical information requirement are consuming valuable space and have to go. An example of this is a collection of antiquated books that have been passed to the library from various home secretaries. The books are too valuable to be on open display and are kept under lock and key. As soon as a more suitable home is found they will go.
In conclusion I think I can safely say that we were shown an evolving Library and Information Service that is successfully endeavouring to meet burgeoning information needs, overcoming the problems space and financial constraints inflict and making the most of new information technologies.
Dianne Shepherd
Information Officer
ENDS (Environmental Data Services) Ltd
dshepherd@ends.co.uk
Teaching The Internet In 50 Minutes: Top Ten Tips
Sarah Bassey visted Librarian International 2000 and, for those of you who did not manage to attend D. Scott Brandt's free workshop on Teaching the Internet in 50 mins: Ten top Tips at she has slected the best bits.
I arrived just in time to see the previous workshop close. The attendance was poor for such an important subject - Adding Value to Information - but then lots of people are so busy doing it at work. Brandt was not embarrassed by the same problem. The eighty seats were filled as were the sides and middle isle. This indicates the very high interest librarians have in the Internet.
The lady beside me, belonging to the Danish contingent, explained that Brandt is something of a guru, being the first librarian to embark on technology training which he sees as very much part of the librarian's role. I had never heard of him before but recommend you visit him if you ever get the chance.
The Top Ten Tips
The first five are directed at the teacher. The second five the learners.
Teacher
Analyze
Design
Develop
Implement
Evaluate
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Learners
Rule of Thumb
Good point: Expertise
When in Doubt
Ring of Truth
Etiquette
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Five Tips for the Teacher
1. Analyse
The teacher must always start by analyzing the learners. Who is out there in the audience? What is their level of expertise if any? What type of people are they? Remember a bunch of journalists are going to be totally different to a bunch of solicitors and must be treated accordingly. Inform them of what skills they must bring with them to the session. What ARCS will you use on them?
A is for attention, how to grab theirs and keep it. Maybe a song and dance is what is required and if that is what it takes you must do it.
R is for Relevance: if the lecture is not relevant to them then they won't take it on board. They are busy people. Talk to the group as individuals. If a general group, keep the examples general, if doctors, don't introduce them to AskJeeves. Instead be prepared with search engines that do carry good medical sites or better still have a few examples of good web sites pertaining to their speciality. Give one example in the lecture and two in a handout.
C is for Confidence. If you know your stuff they will have confidence in you and what you are saying. Practice your lecture until is sounds totally unrehearsed and off the cuff. Research their subject using the Internet. It is impossible to be an authority on every subject, but learn enough to show them what you as a lay person gained thus demonstrating that they as experts on their subject can gain a lot more.
S is for Satisfaction. Don't overload them. Give them enough to want to go out there and start learning themselves. If you give them too much too quickly you risk the chance of loosing them or even boring them. Give them enough to thrill them.
2. Design
Define the terms you are using. Don't use jargon. The terms 'search engine' or 'URL' don't make sense to everyone. Explain what you have to say in a way the particular audience will understand. Describe specific objectives. Exactly what are you going to teach them. When you analysed the audience you learnt how they are going to be using the Internet so only teach them what they need to know. Remember lots of people out there do not know how to locate the search box, and that typing in a word and just clicking will get results. Design the lecture to teach them how to find the search box. Tell them they can type in more than one word and how they can join them. They do not need to know anything about Boolean logic as long as they can use it.
3. Develop Delivery
Have strategies to get through to the audience whether it be a demonstration, a lecture, a hands on approach, tutorial or a combination of all. Move about the room, use a foil guy in the audience: someone who will start asking questions and encourage others to do so. Let the audience tell you what they think and keep them involved. The lecturer should talk 60% of the time and the audience 40% but this can be reversed. Remember timing, make sure you do not run out of time before time runs out on you.
4. Implement Teaching
It is very important to practice and be prepared. Think about the content and the audience you are delivering it to. Maybe you may need to talk slower than normal. Pronounce words better. Is English the first language. Solicitors are always impatient to get to the search. Be customer focused. Learners usually do best when visual aids are used to compliment an aural presentation.
5. Evaluate Learners and learning
Evaluate learners for a particular session but also evaluate them for the course in general. Use different methods be it direct/indirect, formal /informal. The more data you can collect the better the evaluation and the better the next course will be.
Five Tips for the Learners
1. A Rule of Thumb: Try, Try and Try again.
So many people give up because they can't find what they are looking for or they receive an error message. When you phone somebody, weird things can happen before eventually you get through. Well the Internet is no different. Apparently the hardest site to get through to is Nasa.gov only because more people want to access this site than any other so why is it a surprise that the server is busy and bounces the signal back? The weather can stop people from cooking for days but it is not a good enough excuse for denying one access to the Internet.
2. Point and click your way to expertise.
Options, bookmarks, tools etc show the audience where they are so they can become experts. Exploration is a learning style. Children learn this way but adults need to be given permission to explore. Give them the permission they so desperately need, remember customization is power.
3. When in doubt go to the right click.
Right clicking should be as natural as left clicking to enable one to use the shortcut menu for copying link location etc.
4. A Ring of Truth to It
Anyone can put anything on the Internet.
Demonstrate how more trustworthy subject directories are than search engines. Always check the information you find. Is it real or would it turn your finger green if it were a gold ring. In God We Trust, for all others we must check IDS.
5. Etiquette
Teach the audience some manners when using usernet groups etc. Share well with others and others will share with you. Be careful when making jokes. The Internet is global and we all do not have the same sense of humor. We want people to help us so be careful what you say. Using capital letters in E-mails is the equivalent of shouting. TIA means thanks in advance. LOL means laugh out loud.
This he says is just a little advice and (perhaps) some inspiration.
I hope it is helpful.
Worse than having a baby: Or how to raise £1500 for Leukaemia Research
Dave (Father) Webb forsook his cassock for an all-in-one lycra number and took to the streets to run the London Marathon
Thank you everybody who sponsored me for this year's London Marathon on behalf of Leukaemia Care. To date the grand total stands at £1,560.00
For those interested I finished the course in 4 hours and 19 minutes. Much slower than when I first ran it in 1987 On that glorious occasion I finished in 3 hours and 40 minutes. A lot of beer has flowed under the bridge since then though.
At the start I positioned myself with the three hour runners (Well I can always dream.) and found myself between two very lean and fit looking athletes going through the most impossible torturous yoga looking exercises. I thought I better join in and did a few running on the spot steps. One of them then looked across to the other and said "Has your training been successful? Have you done a lot of fartleks?" This stopped me in my tracks and I was about to say that it was nothing to do with me, and perhaps it was the bloke dressed as a hamster behind me when I remembered it was a running exercise.
"What time are you looking at?" .
"Well, I was hoping for under three hours."
"Oh yes, I am sure I can do that." .
They both looked at me and said "How about you.?"
Exhausted already from my on the spot jogging I replied "Probably Tuesday."
"Blimey" said the hamster " I thought Wednesday was optimistic."
At exactly 9.30am. the gun sounded to loud cheering and waving and we were away - and then we all bunched up and stopped after ten paces. Eventually clear of Greenwich Park we managed to get into jogging mode
Later as the race progressed I saw runner after runner go past. Experience has told me how easy it is to be taken in by the occasion and go too quickly at the start.
At one point I was overtaken by a one legged runner and later a blind person.
This is no disgrace. I am full of admiration for people who overcome severe disabilities and compete on equal terms. This is what the London Marathon is all about and is a great leveller.
After eight miles I was feeling pretty good. Still the runners were passing me. My only encouragement was a voice behind me which every so often angrily shouted to the crowd "I'm not a sodding panda. I'm a hamster."
At twelve miles and still feeling O.K my theory was proving correct and a lot of the early fast runners were now walking or receiving treatment.
On reaching Tower Bridge I felt a twinge in my left calf muscle. I knew that if it were to get any worse I would be finished.
I slowed down even further and distributed all my weight on my right side. Somebody later told me I looked like a wounded crab.
I hit the wall at around sixteen miles. Someone once told me that this was " worse than having a baby." I am still unable to verify this. Usually you overcome this pain barrier. I did not and it hurt from that point onwards.
The crowd were fantastic and really helped.
Eventually I saw the finishing post. It was like an oasis in the desert.
The medal was put around my neck and I vowed
"NEVER AGAIN"
At least I beat the hamster.
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