At Golder Associates (Golder), Business Information Services (BIS) have a diverse user population of over 9,000 employees and consulting clients located worldwide. BIS provide support in multiple business aspects such as general administration, communication and knowledge management. As a result of the organization’s rapid growth, user experience has become a critical requirement of BIS. In our strategy project, we work with Golder End User Relations Function on mapping methodologies and staffing needs of user experience requirements. We made recommendations on how the areas of user analytics, system usability, and information accessibility can be improved within BIS. Our strategy document informs Golder with up-to-date methodologies through example processes developed on real scenarios. With our strategy document, Golder will be able to build a professional user experience function that effectively connects people and technology.

In 1997 the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas, acquired the private library of the institution’s founder, Dominique de Menil. Since then the library has been housed in an offsite location which makes staff access to it inconvenient and public access impossible. Consisting of about 1,500 items, the library had no formal list or inventory nor was the library publicized. Working with the Menil Collection Library I increased the usability and accessibility of the private library by conducting an inventory and creating searchable finding aid. Now Menil staff, scholars, and visitors will be able to discover what is in the founder’s library including many items found nowhere else in the U.S. This finding aid will also help the librarian manage the special collection.

CommunityConnect is an interactive application licensed by King County Library System (KCLS) that uses geographic information systems (GIS) technology to map market segmentation data, library circulation data, and census data in order to help librarians pinpoint areas of potential outreach in their communities. However, KCLS administrators determined that librarians have been struggling to apply it at their branches. We conducted a needs assessment, via an online survey, face-to-face interviews, and observations, to identify the obstacles preventing librarians from successfully using the software. Based on our findings, we produced an in-depth analysis of CommunityConnect’s uses at one KCLS branch to serve as a model for other branches in the future. We also developed a set of recommendations for future training on CommunityConnect.

LOCAL COLOR is a retrospective exhibit of watercolor paintings by Parker McAllister currently housed in the Seattle Public Library's Special Collections. My project is a comprehensive exhibit plan and handbook containing an interpretative checklist of the exhibit materials, including a selection of 17 paintings and other materials from the library collection; information about the artist and The Seattle Sunday Times Magazine series for which the paintings were created; painting conservation details; and marketing and programming suggestions. By contrasting the historical personages and events in McAllister's artwork with primary and secondary sources from the library's collection, this exhibit highlights the materials available to the Seattle public about the early history of the Pacific Northwest, and creates space for community dialogue about our history and its portrayal in interpretative art upon which the library can build.

The roots of Lost Sounds Montana can be traced to a Havre, MT, basement with the discovery of a box containing long-forgotten seven-inch records. These rediscovered musical treasures are cause for great excitement among music lovers, but it is not only aficionados who benefit from the unearthed gems. The recordings, posters, interviews, and ephemera of the Lost Sounds archive offer a glimpse of a bygone era and the cultural and regional happenings that informed it. My project creates a taxonomy and metadata schema that will benefit the people of Montana, cultural historians, and music fans alike. By facilitating the inclusion of the collection in multiple digital environments, as well as a dedicated Lost Sounds Montana website, the potential audience grows exponentially. This interoperable schema prepares the collection for future growth and will aid targeted finding, while encouraging and fostering serendipitous discovery.

As project manager for the Newspace Library Cataloging Project, I planned, organized and cataloged the Newspace Center for Photography’s growing library with the OPALS cataloging system.  The Library includes more than seven hundred physical objects from photography monographs, to anthologies, criticisms, histories, serials, and DVDs.  This process included using the MARC cataloging standard, creating a how-to manual, and a weekly blog post to highlight materials in the Library. The Catalog can now be searched either at the Center or online and the materials have all had subject listings added to make finding those materials much easier.  The blog is also continuing to draw online attention to Newspace Center for Photography and its Library.

Permazine, the Holdout Digital Zine Library Project, was born out of a collective desire to not only capture and archive valuable cultural information while maintaining the integrity of the zine medium, but also due to a significant need for increased accessibility to cultural and political information. Accessible on the web, its use is promoted through the center’s very popular free-use computers. A notable feature of this library built on the Drupal CMS platform is that its content is constructed not only by the Holdout Bookstore Collective and its volunteers, but also by a greater community of organizations and individuals who have something to contribute - its content is a reflection of community-wide interests. Paramount to the Holdout Digital Zine Library Project’s success is that it reflects an understanding the impact that the digital divide and information inequality have on the library’s significance, accessibility and use.

Permazine, the Holdout Digital Zine Library Project, was born out of a collective desire to not only capture and archive valuable cultural information while maintaining the integrity of the zine medium, but also due to a significant need for increased accessibility to cultural and political information. Accessible on the web, its use is promoted through the center’s very popular free-use computers. A notable feature of this library built on the Drupal CMS platform is that its content is constructed not only by the Holdout Bookstore Collective and its volunteers, but also by a greater community of organizations and individuals who have something to contribute - its content is a reflection of community-wide interests. Paramount to the Holdout Digital Zine Library Project’s success is that it reflects an understanding the impact that the digital divide and information inequality have on the library’s significance, accessibility and use.

The Department of Mysteries game addresses a twofold problem in information literacy instruction: 1) Instructors need new techniques to prepare their students for changing information needs and practices, and 2) students require encouragement to use information resources outside of their comfort zones. Addressing these elements individually is insufficient, as past efforts have failed to address the range of learning styles. Games provide structured play and social opportunities as internal motivation, allowing students to “mess around” as they explore concepts and skills that aid their critical development. The Department of Mysteries addresses these concerns through puzzles, skill challenges, and narrative segments, both online and face-to-face.