VIVA Outreach Committee

VIVA Outreach Committee Meeting

Report to the Steering Committee

October 8, 1999

The VIVA Outreach Committee met on Friday, September 10, 1999 in Charlottesville.

Items for Approval

  1. VIVA in Action – The committee recommends that VIVA in Action change its format and name. The committee also recommends that the primary access path to VIVA in Action should be changed. The committee agreed that the content of VIVA in Action needs to be updated frequently and that the current approach of profiling faculty use of VIVA resources does not lend itself to frequent updates. The committee also felt that the primary audience for this service should be faculty and students and that the current access path through the main VIVA web site does not encourage faculty and student traffic. The committee will be responsible for updating VIVA in Action on a monthly basis. Jack Bales, from Mary Washington, has volunteered to be the first editor. Each month a different VIVA resource will be highlighted; the emphasis would vary from month to month but could include useful database features, faculty success stories, search tips or a brief story on the relationship of database content to topics of interest that month. The committee will develop editorial guidelines for content, recommend a new name for this service and solicit content from librarians and faculty at VIVA institutions. Content will be archived and accessible from the Outreach Committee web site. The committee would like to develop a fast loading graphic that member libraries could insert on their web sites allowing students and faculty to access VIVA in Action from their home sites.
  2. VIVA Brochure – The committee looked at the VIVA Brochure (last updated, 9/97). The committee recommends that the brochure be updated and redesigned and that a graphic designer be employed to assist in the process. The committee would like to a budget of up to $800 for this project. Berna Heyman, from William and Mary supervises a graphic artist who might be employed to assist with this project. The committee agreed that the primary audience for the brochure consists of external constituencies including the general public, legislators, academic administrators, and other libraries and that faculty and students at member institutions are not the primary audience. The purpose of the publication is to describe VIVA and promote its benefits. The committee would like to retain the VIVA mission and logo, streamline the publication by eliminating dense text and adding white space, and add graphics to emphasize key points. It was also proposed that a list of VIVA databases be developed as an insert and that more information on member libraries should be included.

For Information and Discussion

  1. Outreach Committee Charge and Responsibilities – members of the committee agreed that the committee’s role in VIVA assessment should be that of publicizing assessment outcomes and that the assessment process is more appropriately managed at the Steering Committee level. The committee will be reviewing its charge and making recommendations for changes in the future. Members of the committee agreed that the primary responsibilities of the committee include promotion of VIVA and VIVA resources and developing materials that enhance the usefulness of VIVA resources for faculty and students at member institutions.
  2. Press Releases – Members of the committee have prepared press releases on Ovid, HarpWeek and CIAO. Press releases will be revised to conform to a standard format that includes boilerplate about VIVA. Press releases will be archived at the Outreach Committee web site and announced on the VIVA listserv. Member libraries may retrieve press releases from the Outreach Committee web site and distribute as appropriate within their local communities. In the future, press releases will be developed to coincide with announcements of new VIVA services. Members of the committee will share responsibility for developing press releases. Press releases will be reviewed by the Steering Committee Chair and Project Director before being made available to member libraries.
  3. Outreach Committee Web Site – The committee will develop a web site. The web site will be hosted at JMU and linked to from the main VIVA Web site. Ralph Alberico will manage the Outreach Committee web site. The web site will include:

The web site is available for preview at: http://www.vivalib.org/viva/outreach/

4. Outreach Committee Goals and Project Recommendations – The committee brainstormed about goals and projects to recommend to the Steering Committee. The committee agreed on the goals listed above. Goals will emphasize development of print, online and multimedia sources to promote VIVA and assist users of VIVA resources. Suggestions for projects included development of streaming video tutorials on VIVA databases and working with the Cataloging Committee to enhance user access to full-text journals available from VIVA. The committee will continue discussion about possible projects but does not have specific projects to recommend at the current time. The committee will also continue discussion about possible subcommittees and methods for involving broader participation from librarians at VIVA institutions in the work of the committee.

Submitted by Ralph Alberico, VIVA Outreach Committee Chair, 10/8/1999

 

Last updated February 18, 2000