Thursday, March 31, 2005
12:45-1:45

Create Once, Reuse Many: XML-Based Metadata Schemas

Sponsor: Amigos Library Services

XML has become the preferred standard for the transport of metadata between communities and repositories. This session will begin by defining XML schema and then explore several new metadata schemas, including MARCXML (MARC over XML), MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema) and MIX, an XML Schema for encoding the NISO Technical Metadata for Still Images. Finally we will discuss the OAI-PMH (Open Archival Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting), a standard for harvesting metadata from other repositories.

Of interest to academic librarians, library managers, and support staff.

Table Talks Are:
Fun, interactive discussion groups intended to stimulate conversation and allow discussion among all of those attending. Participants are encouraged to enjoy visiting with all those attending while participating in informal discussions centered on topics of current interest to our profession, sharing ideas, concerns, best practices, and questions they may have.

Table Talk-- Selling to Children Through Literacy

Sponsor: SRRT

There has been a rash of businesses who, through literary programs, have used their products for educational benefits. This table talk will look at whether some of these businesses have crossed the line from literacy to hard sell of children and tweens.

Table Talk-- One Book-One Conference

Sponsor: Centennial Ad Hoc Committee

Join this discussion of the 2005 Oklahoma Reads Oklahoma winning book. A humanities scholar will provide a brief overview of the book and then will lead a group discussion.

Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Kidney

Table Talk--Mountain Plains Library Association

Sponsors: MPLA

Come and visit with MPLA President Beth Avery and with OLA members who are active in the Mountain Plains Library Association. Learn how to get involved, hear advice on applying for continuing education grants and other professional develop opportunities, and ask whatever questions you may have.

Facilitator: Wayne Hanway, MPLA Representative

Of interest to all librarians.

Table Talk—What's a regional meeting?

Sponsor: Career Recruitment & Retention Committee

Participants will discuss why regional meetings are held, what happens there, how to arrange for one, and how attendees have followed up.

Of interest to all librarians.

Student Papers/Presentation

Sponsors: Membership Committee and Library Education Division

User Assistance Features In OPACs
Abstract: Research indicates that individuals are first turning to the internet for their information needs. Google, Amazon, and other commercial web sites offer ease of use and assistance features that attract users. The OPAC, the library’s primary internet portal, has gone through two periods of study, beginning with a look at essential bibliographic features in the 1980’s and then usability studies in the 1990’s. Since those studies, little research has been done on OPACs. This paper looks into the user assistance, or help features, offered by commercial web sites and their level of implementation at selected academic libraries’ OPACs. The study found that OPACs frequently offer instructional user assistance, but fail to effectively implement the interactive performance user assistance features found on commercial websites. The development and implementation of interactive performance user assistance features may improve the effectiveness of the OPAC.
Presenters: Roy Degler, Kathleen Kelsey and Miguel Morales-Arroyo, University of Oklahoma.

Challenges to Privacy and Confidentiality Rights Presented by Virtual Reference
Abstract: As virtual reference services garner an increasing presence in libraries around the world, librarians who implement them are faced with the sometimes daunting challenges of applying the traditional best practices of their profession to a foreign environment and of addressing the unique challenges that that environment raises. The nature of the technology of virtual reference is such that a record will always be created and is easily preserved. This permanence of record poses a potential threat to the confidentiality rights of the patron, as records of her or his reference needs are or can be preserved and retained, sometimes with personally identifying information attached. The privacy rights of the librarian are also placed in some jeopardy.
Presenter: Amalia Strothman, University of Oklahoma.