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Library Mashups for the Virtual Campus: Using Web 2.0 Tools to Create a New Current Awareness Service Linda Absher, Adriene Lim and Kerry Wu Portland State University – ACRL 2007 History/Overview • Inspired by Web 2.0 functionality • Automated • Customizable • Modular • “MyPortlandState”: Campus Portal – Desire to integrate library/selected web resources and content within the campus portal Mashups Definition: New Web applications or sites created through the combination and re-use of data and/or functionality from two or more disparate and usually third-party Web sources (Wikipedia, Jan. 2007) Current Awareness Services (CAS): The Library Literature Definition: “system…for reviewing newly available documents, selecting relevant items…and recording them so that notifications may be sent...” (Kemp, 1999) CAS: The Library Literature • Historically paper-based and labor-intensive • Online Services • Alerts mostly available via e-mail or electronic lists • World Wide Web: some news/content pushed via RSS feeds or blogs • Still library specific (i.e., via library Web site) • Not customizable Topic Watch: The CAS Mashup • Building Blocks: RSS feeds and more • Chosen Subject Areas • Business • Film Studies • What’s Different? • Not intended to be used solely within a library context • Planned from the beginning to be integrated within MyPortlandState Portal Topic Watch: Technical Overview • Presentation framework using HTML, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) • RSS feeds polled and displayed, grouped by type (news, podcasts, etc.) • New titles gleaned and cached via “screen scraping” from canned reports Technical Overview (cont’d) • PHP scripts used for retrieving, caching, and parsing of data • Data stored in mySQL database • Mouseover balloons using AJAX • Central Search XML-based API • OpenURL links offered • Other APIs being considered Close-up view of the podcasts/videocasts channel with “play” buttons Challenges • Customization and personalization not yet possible • Lack of filtering of keywords • Few licensed databases offering RSS feeds • Copyright concerns – Example: YouTube, holding off on using this API • Non-Romanized characters Initial Reactions to Pilot Project • Initial comments very positive • Faculty admitted they had little time to subscribe to feeds • Many had never encountered RSS feeds before the CAS • Subject area of “Business Research” too broad for at least one respondent Future Enhancements and Ideas • More customization – User-submitted RSS feeds for adds and deletions • Identifying and pulling in more Webinars and videocasts if possible • Sharing of OPML file for users • Flag already read items • Possibly share framework and scripts Next Steps • More topics covered - Work with subject librarians and faculty • More marketing – Introduce tool into Library instruction sessions • More integration – Integrate tool with Research Guides and Learning Management Systems, (i.e., Sakai, WebCT) Thank you – Questions? • Linda Absher – [email protected] • Adriene Lim – [email protected] • Kerry Wu – [email protected]