The first half the meeting today was talking with the people from ProQuest Databases systems. I was rather impressed by the interface of the database. They had some nice features that I have not seen done before. One was having different areas of the database (history, art, religion, etc) displayed as pictures on a sidebar so the user could switch between the areas easily. Another thing that they did that I was surprised to not see before was having YouTube videos demonstrating how to use the database. The libraries could also ask for copies of the videos to modify them to fit the individual library better. I think this with some way to have the students let the library know what they want for the databases themselves and the instructional videos would be a great boost for the library's digital use.
The other have of the meeting was about the coalition of community libraries in California. This coalition is getting a database for all the community colleges in California, paid for by the state. The database will cover newspapers and magazines only, but it is a database that a library will not have to buy on their own anymore. They have not decided on a provider yet, but they may be getting discounts on other databases from that provider because of the newspaper database.
Overall, it was really interesting to be in that meeting. It gave me a glimpse into what Librarians actually have to deal with, instead of just talking about it.
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