[CODE4LIB] A/B Testing Catalogs and Such
There's a lot of resistance in my institution to A/B or multivariate testing any of our live production properties (catalog, website, etc...). I've espoused the virtues of having hard data to back up user activity (if I hear one more well, in my opinion, I'll just go blind), but the reply is always along the lines of, But it will confuse users! I've pointed out the myriad successful and critical business that use these methodologies, but was told that businesses and academia are different. So, my question to you is, which of you academic libraries are using A/B testing; on what potion of your web properties (catalog, discovery interface, website, etc...); and I suppose to spark conversation, which testing suite are you using (Google Website Optimizer, Visual Website Optimizer, a home-rolled non-hosted solution)? I was told if I can prove it's a commonly accepted practice, I can move forward. So help a guy out, and save me from having to read another survey of 12 undergrads that is proof positive of changes I need to make. Thanks! *Sean Moore* Web Application Programmer *Phone*: (504) 314-7784 *Email*: cmoo...@tulane.edu Howard-Tilton Memorial Library http://library.tulane.edu, Tulane University
Re: [CODE4LIB] ILS short list
Voyager, as of 7.0, does now have Bib and item level data through api access. http://voyager.tcs.tulane.edu:7014/vxws/GetHoldingsService?bibId=1840071 On Thu, Apr 8, 2010 at 1:32 PM, Ryan Eby ryan...@gmail.com wrote: It would probably be worth putting your findings on the code4lib wiki if you end up getting very far. I had started a list awhile ago but never got around to getting more info/completing it. Here's what I have so far based on talking with people. The information may be out of date: Evergreen and Koha both have database access and various API's. Not sure on the hosted liblime koha. Voyager *Export Built in. Can export Marc with bib, holdings and authorities records, though marc is often mangled (from person i talked to). *Database Access Built in. Uses Oracle and also provides entity-relationship diagrams and some pre-build views to help in development. Believe the oracle license is also included in the base price. Access is read-only. *API's and Web Services Built in. z39 access, however with SQL access you could likely build the API you need. Unicorn * Export Built in. MARC21 or flat file formats. Unicode support is available as an extra. * Database Access Mixed. No access to the embedded Informix database by default; API training is necessary for read-only access. Oracle is an extra option, but that only gives you a read-only license. For write access, you need a full Oracle license. SQL schema is supplied if you purchase API training. * API's and Web Services Mixed. Z39.50 is offered (not sure if it's an extra). API access is an extra - basically you pay for docs of Unix-like commands and the ability to pay for API support if you screw up. API training also gives you some access to the client/server wire protocol so you can roll your own. No Web services. Utterly unusable XML API (it basically wraps the wire protocol with no abstraction). Innovative * Export Built In. Can dump Marc or CSV files of specific field data * Database Access Extra. There is a Oracle option with an additional cost with the default being a proprietary database without access. From what I've heard the Oracle tables are not documented overly well. There also appears to be mysql used for some data as well. *API's and Web Services Extra. Z39 is offered as a product. There used to be an XML server but this appears to have been discontinued. There appears to be more web services in the works though they also appear to be additional products. XRecord is built in but doesn't easily allow access to attached items given a bib eby Anna Headley wrote: I am looking to find or create a shortlist of ILSes, open or proprietary, that provide API access to bibliographic and item-level data. I am really only looking for ILSes that are used by academic libraries. Do you know of any resources that might be helpful? I started with Marshall Breeding's 2009 Perceptions report, but it doesn't include much information about a given ILS. Or, do you use such an ILS in your library? So far my list is: Evergreen Thank you!! Anna
Re: [CODE4LIB] PHP bashing (was: newbie)
I remember watching a show once where they tested various tapes for suitability of duct patching. Duct tape actually came in quite low on the list. To provide lab data about which sealants and tapes last, and which are likely to fail, research was conducted at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Environmental Energy Technologies Division. Their major conclusion was that one should not use duct tape to seal ducts (specialty tapes are available for this purpose). (They defined duct tape as any fabric-based tape with rubber adhesive.) The testing done shows that under challenging but realistic conditions, duct tapes become brittle and may fail.[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#cite_note-5Commonly duct tape carries no safety certifications such as ULhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwriters_Laboratories or Proposition 65http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_65_(1986), which means the tape can violently burn, produce toxic smoke, ingestion and contact toxicity, irregular mechanical strength, and low life expectancy for the adhesive on the tape. Its use in ducts has been prohibited by the state of California http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California[7]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#cite_note-6 and by building codes in most other places in the U.S.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States However, metalized and aluminum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum tapes used by professionals are still often called duck/duct tapes. - Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#Usage_on_ductwork So ... there you go. However, according to the Mythbusters, it is good for building sail boats and cannons. -Sean http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#Usage_on_ductwork On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:55 AM, Bill Dueber b...@dueber.com wrote: Also...it's pretty good for plugging leaks in ducts. On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 11:51 AM, Nate Vack njv...@wisc.edu wrote: On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 10:00 AM, Joe Hourcle onei...@grace.nascom.nasa.gov wrote: You say that as if duct tape is a bad thing for auto repairs. Not all duct tape repairs are candidates for There, I fixed it![1]. It works just fine for the occassional hose repair. At the risk of taking an off-topic conversation even further into Peanut Heaven, automotive hose repair is actually one of the things duct tape is least well-suited to. The adhesive doesn't bond when wet, it's not strong enough to hold much pressure or vacuum (especially moderate continuous pressure), and it fails very quickly at even moderately high temperatures. And it tends to leave goo all over everything, thus adding headaches to the proper repair you'll still need later. Duct tape is OK for keeping a wire bundle out of your fan or something, but if you try to fix a leak in your radiator hose with it, you'll still be stranded and also have gooey duct tape adhesive all over the place. Extending these points to the ongoing language debate is an exercise that will benefit no one ;-) Cheers (and just get that hose replaced ;-) -Nate -- Bill Dueber Library Systems Programmer University of Michigan Library
