TexShare Electronic Information Programs Working Group
Meeting Minutes
March 3, 1999
Members present:
Teresa Ashley, Austin Community College (Tier 1) ; Marianne
Bobich, Texas Christian University (Tier 1); Tracy Cuellar,
Lee College LRC (Tier 2); Don Dowdey, Sul Ross State University
(Tier 3); Linda Levy, University of Texas Health Science Center
at San Antonio (Tier 2); Elizabeth Norman, Hardin-Simmons
University (Tier 2); Todd Peters, Southwest Texas State University
(Tier 1); Tommie Wingfield, University of Texas at Arlington
(Tier 1); Beverley Shirley (Texas State Library Liaison),
Texas State Library and Archives Commission; Sue Phillips
(Coordinating Council Liaison), The University of Texas at
Austin (Tier 1); Mark McFarland and Rue Ramirez (Technical
Support Staff for TexShare), University of Texas at Austin.
History
Sue Phillips reviewed the history of TexShare for new
members. TexShare was funded six years ago, with the first
year devoted to planning. TexShare is now in the fifth year
of operations.
Current Status of primary TexShare databases
TexShare pays about 75% of the cost of the TexShare subscriptions,
which currently consist of ABI/Inform, PAR, and ERIC. Member
institutions contribute the remaining 25% of the cost.
TexShare Select Databases
A separate category of databases, called TexShare Select,
is offered to member institutions at consortially negotiated
prices as optional purchases. Subscribing institutions share
the full cost of these subscriptions.
Platform Upgrade
Mark McFarland sent a message to member institutions on
February 18th that the platform upgrade was complete and he
was "going live" with a test of the server. Performance on
the new Sun server is very fast and more secure. The server
has built-in redundancy so they will not need to bring the
server down for maintenance and upgrades. The new equipment
has capacity to triple the current number of users. The target
date for switching all users to the new platform is March
18. The old system will run parallel for a few months as a
safe guard against unexpected problems. TexShare has a license
for 140 slots now and will move to a license for 180 slots
with the switch to the new server. The turn-away rate is approaching
a 6.5% rate. The new equipment will alleviate this problem.
LDAP Question
Todd Peters asked McFarland: "Where does LDAP authentication
on this service stand?"
Answer: It is labor intensive. Some thought is being given
to rolling out a service for every institution in TexShare.
The member campus would handle authentication. With that
in place, the staff in Austin could provide authorization.
Certificates are not viable at this time. Any system implemented
will consider future use of certificates. By the end of
June we will know more about a possible solution. UT Arlington
will be a test institution for campus authentication and
centrally administered authorization. UT San Antonio is
running itĖs own LDAP, which was initiated with some UT
System support. The early solution seemed to be decentralization:
now we want to try centralization.
Follow-up Question
Could this be used for all remote access?
Answer: Probably for more than TexShare, but not for everything.
The solution under consideration would use cookies. We are
in the early planning phase of such a project.
Additional Money for Databases
Phillips reported that TexShare identified $55,000 in
the current budget that can be used for databases, an amount
which is expected to be available next year. The group agreed
upon three TexShare Select databases based on the priorities
identified in the TexShare Select Database Survey, May 1998,
compiled by Bonnie McNeely for this working group. The first
and third priorities, plus another highly ranked one are being
made available to the members.
Statistics for Britannica
Rue Ramirez asked the group how they wished to receive
statistical reports on TexShare use of Britannica. The decision
was to use the least restrictive method acceptable to Britannica,
with the preference being to post the statistics on the TexShare
web page and Fred GilmoreĖs web page.
TexShare Web Page for Students/Faculty
Tommie Wingfield suggested that a brief TexShare page
intended for students and faculty rather than for institutional
management be added to the web site. Ramirez agreed to add
the page.
Help Desk for TexShare
McFarland reminded the group that a Help Desk icon is
on each TexShare web page. You are encouraged to click on
the icon for help with TexShare technical problem. You may
also place the icon on your own staff web pages to make staff
aware of the assistance available to them.
Free Databases
It was suggested by Don Dowdey that significant free databases,
such as the Handbook of Texas and Agricola, be included on
the TexShare database page. Fred Gilmore already has them
listed on the UT Austin web page, and they could be linked
to the TexShare page. It was agreed that free databases would
be added to the TexShare page.
Survey for Input on Databases
In an effort to know which databases are most wanted by
TexShare institutions, a survey will be mailed to all library
directors. Wingfield will distribute it, compile the results,
and send a follow-up survey to gather information for the
July meeting. The survey will have the following sections:
- classification of the institution
- the top five databases to which the institution currently
subscribes that the institution would take through TexShare
if it were offered
- the top five databases to which the institution does
not currently subscribing but might if they were offered
through TexShare
- TexShare supplemental databases to which the institution
currently subscribes, such as Galenet, listing the specific
services within the group that were chosen
The meeting adjourned at 1:15pm.
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