A newsletter for patrons of the Galter Health Sciences Library

Fall 2005
New Series #38

Inside this Issue:

Director's Report: Responding to LibQUAL+ Survey Comments

Meet the Staff

The Health SmartLibrary: Better than Ever

Collections: Current and Future Directions

Linking from Databases to Full-text Articles

Computing @ the Library

Library Services: Document Delivery, Hours, and More

Study Space: Meeting the Needs of Groups and Individuals

This Issue

Previous Issues

Credits

Galter Library Web Site

Contact Us

The Health SmartLibrary: Better than Ever

Michelle Frisque, MLS, Head, Information Systems, mfrisque@northwestern.edu

The LibQUAL+ survey revealed that many of our users are thrilled with Health SmartLibrary (HSL), the Web site we launched in the Fall of 2003. Such comments as "the ability to personalize the website has been very helpful" and "I love the way electronic access to e-journals has developed and simplified my academic life" typified the responses we received about the Web site. We thought we'd use this opportunity to summarize what the Health SmartLibrary is and what it can do for you.

The HSL and how it works

The HSL is a Web-based system designed to provide easy access to library services and resources. The HSL included our user’s favorite features of our previous Web site including the ability to:

• Access full-text resources from any location
• Request Document Delivery, including interlibrary loan for resources not available from Galter and photocopy service for print resources available in the library
• Register for library classes online
• Request literature searches performed by medical librarians (expert searchers) for in-depth research
• Quickly search library resources

It also includes new tools that help our users receive, organize and manage the electronic information they need when they need it. The tools, which are customizable, include:

• Quick Search: enter a keyword search and select several resources to be searched.
• My E-Resources: lists journals, books and websites according to your personal or specialty profile.
• File Cabinet: store and organize your favorite links. Links may be to websites, journal articles, or any other resource that has a URL.
• Stay Current: designed to alert you to the most current journal literature in your field of interest, and provide a link to the abstracts or the full-text, if available, of those articles.

These tools allow you to:

• View specialty interest profiles for various disciplines (pediatrics, emergency medicine, etc.) that were created by the Library staff
• Customize your own personal profile (add/delete resources)
• Review timely articles in your discipline
• Store and organize your favorite web sites in your personal file cabinet

For more information on all of the features of the HSL go to our Health SmartLibrary Guide.

Recent changes to the HSL

Over the last year library staff reviewed a list of comments and suggestions from emails, usability tests, surveys and focus groups. Based on the information gathered, we made some changes to the Web site this summer and fall. Here are some of the highlights:

• The Quick Search is now in the banner of every library Web page.
• The home page has been rearranged to improve the readability and usability of the page. The three-column design that we used previously has been reduced to two columns and some of the items on the page have a new location. We also added darker borders around each section of the home page to make each section stand out more.
• If you are not sure what something is on the home page, click the   for more information.
• A Comments and Suggestions link has been added to the footer of the page and will now appear on every page of our Web site.

We are continually striving to improve the functionality and accessibility of the HSL. Please let us know what you think - we need your input to keep us on track!