Library Portal Experiences

1
Library Portal Experiences

• Barbara Burton
• Factiva Knowledge Learning Programs
• NJSLA, October 29, 2001

2
Agenda
Definition of A Portal
Why Create a Portal?
Development of Factiva.com/Infopro
Challenges Faced
Looking Ahead
3
Definition of a Portal

• Systems which gather a variety of
• useful information sources into a single,
• one-stop Web page, helping the user to
• avoid being overwhelmed by infoglut.
• Michael Looney and Peter Lyman, Portals in
  Higher
• Education, EDUCAUSE, Review 35, July/August 2000

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Why Create a Portal?

• Consolidate your efforts
• Create visibility
• Move from paper to electronic

5
What are the specific characteristics of a
portal?

• Content
• Community
• Commerce

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Content

• The Easy Part!
• Libraries have content
• So does the InfoPro Alliance
• Content includes items such as
• InfoPro Resource Center
• White Papers
• Product information

7
Community

• It is starting to get tougher
• Value of community well understood
• Creating and nurturing it has challenges
• Getting Peoples Attention
• Getting Peoples Time
• Ways to create community
• Facilitate Two Way Interaction
• Discussion
• Polls

8
Commerce

• Now it is really tough!
• Amazon.com has not reported a profit yet!
• InfoPro Alliance has link to Dow Jones
  Publications Library for customers and
  non-customers
• Success difficult to measure but it enhances our
  mission within the organization

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What It Looks Like
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Development of the InfoPro Portal

• InfoPro Alliance Program 1996
• InfoPro Alliance Site on Ask Dow Jones 1998
• InfoPro Alliance Portal on Factiva.com 2000

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Challenges Faced

• Working with different departments to get
  resources
• Living with corporate design standards
• Keeping it Fresh
• Editorial Calendar
• Keeping People Returning
• Trying new ideas
• Keeping Track of Who is Using What and Why
• Keeping Management Informed

12
Where We Are Headed

• Web portals and their next of kin will be with us
  for the future
• Keep it in Managements mind
• Getting customer feedback is key