Notes from 15 May 2015 meeting of the Library Technology Subcommittee
Location
Medgar Evers College library
Attendees
Mark Eaton (Kingsborough)
Stephen Francoeur (Baruch)
Greg Gosselin (CUNY OLS)
Tom Gubernat (Medgar Evers)
Qingguo Huang (Medgar Evers)
Karl Madden (Medgar Evers)
Tom Ostrowski (Medgar Evars)
Eric Pellerin (Medgar Evers)
Mariana Regalado (Brookyn)
Alex Rudshteyn (Brooklyn)
Allie Verbovetskaya (CUNY OLS)
David Williams (Queens)
Guest Printing
We discussed the plan to survey CUNY libraries to find out what guest printing looks like at each campus. Once we have the survey data, we’ll compile it into a report and share with the Council of Chief Librarians and with the CUNY Committee on Academic Technology (CUNY CAT). We looked at the survey draft, tinkered a bit with a few questions, and agreed that pending the final changes it would be ready to go out on CULIBS and the mailing list for the Systems Committee.
Federated Identity Management
To help support the efforts of CUNY CIS to build a federated identity management system, we agreed to survey libraries about all the systems and resources that require logins. We’re familiar with the CUNY-wide systems, such as the library catalog that has a patron account function, but we also want to document all the many other places that students and faculty might need to use authentication (remote access via EZproxy, “my folder” functions in various databases, RefWorks, etc.) Greg Gosselin said that CUNY OLS can take the lead on putting together the survey.
We also talked about the fact that half of the libraries in CUNY run their own EZproxy server and the other half rely on CUNY OLS to administer one for them. If all CUNY libraries let CUNY OLS handle their proxy server needs, then we’d have just one, CUNY-wide system of credentials used for remote access login (library barcode). Libraries that run their own EZproxy servers, though, would then no longer use LDAP for authentication, which might not work for every campus’s needs.
Stephen Francoeur mentioned Baruch’s effort to work with CUNY CIS to upload student account info so that library account activation will be automatic (i.e., students won’t have to stop by a circulation desk to have their accounts activated). The unique identifier that will make this work is CUNYFirst’s EmplID. Baruch will report back on how this pilot project works out. If successful, this project can pave the way with CUNY CIS for regular uploads of student ID data from any CUNY library that wants to work this way.
We also talked about how a single-sign on system might help us with the wifi access problem for CUNY students and faculty visiting other campus libraries. We wondered if there was some actual mandate we could track down that explicitly requires that wifi access be provided.
News and Issues to Share with the CUNY CAT
Attendees shared the following items to be shared with the CUNY CAT at the meeting later in the afternoon:
– Latest news about CUNY Academic Works and OneSearch can be found on the blog, What’s New @ OLS57
– Four members of CUNY OLS attended the recent ELUNA meeting
– CUNY OLS is working on the “Guide on the Side” project that will let CUNY libraries build database tutorials that sit on the same screen as the database they are designed for.
– LACUNY’s annual conference was held recently and focused on privacy issues.
– The availability to students of Microsoft Office software for free download isn’t CUNY-wide yet; demand from the students for this is an issue.
Next Meeting
We’ll meet at Brooklyn College some time in June. A Doodle poll will go out soon to determine the best date.
