Talk:Library Card platform/Design improvements

Archives /Archive 1

My Library update deployed and August/September roadmap

Hi everyone - I’m pleased to let you know that the first version of the new My Library UI has now been deployed! This is a stripped-down version of the mockup we showed earlier which we’ll now be iterating on to implement the rest of the features we’ve talked about. Further details below, along with a request for feedback!

August 2021 My Library MVP.

New UI

With this update, My Library is now the first place you’re sent after login. Instead of dropping you into an intermediary page, you’ll now go straight to the page with the content you came for without any further clicks. The page has been redesigned and now incorporates collection descriptions, tags, languages, and filtering options. You can also quickly switch to the list of collections available to apply for without navigating away or re-filtering. For this first version we wanted to get to a point where we had matched the functionality currently available in My Library and deploy it for testing, and we’ll now be building on this base.

Roadmap

From here, we have a fairly well scoped roadmap for the next 2 months, which I’ve outlined below:

August

• Rework user experience for eligibility (eligibility criteria will apply to the entire library) - T285929
• Add EBSCO Discovery Service search bar - T240128

September

• Begin rollout of Echo notification - T288070
• Implement new My Library filtering options and favouriting system - T285671, T285675, T285676

As always with software development there’s a chance for things to be delayed as unexpected issues arise, but I’ll keep everyone updated as we progress.

Feedback

We’d love to hear what you think of the new UI - whether that’s positive experiences, bugs and technical issues, or things you’d like to see changed, please share your thoughts here! Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 13:08, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

@Mirer, Schazjmd, SusunW, Bruce1ee, Redwidgeon, Temp3600, and Aschmidt: Courtesy ping about the above - I'd love to hear what you think :) Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 13:34, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

Bravo! It is so much more useful now that I can't really get into a critical frame of mind, but if I see any glitches as I start using it, I'll let you know. I'm seeing all sorts of useful resources that I wasn't aware of. This is such a helpful update. Thank you! Schazjmd (talk) 14:09, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

• I like it. Am really, really happy that the OUP access came back, but note Cambridge is now via subscription? (My current Core is still working, but it isn't listed in my subscriptions?) Observations: There are no dates listed for when subscriptions to newspapers.com and newspaperarchive.com expire. Since mine are always expiring without me knowing and then I am without access for at least a month, it would be helpful to know the date of expiry. Fiddled around with the filters and noted that multidisciplinary sources are not listed in various tabs, i.e. under law, no Cairn, no De Gruyter, no Foreign Affairs, no Oxford Scholarship, etc. that I would expect to be there. Under social sciences, there are only 3 items listed, but clearly any collection that contains "humanities", "history", "social sciences" I would expect to find there. I get that it is early days, so possibly not enough time has passed for the multidisciplinary sources to be listed but it would be helpful, as researchers cannot know all of the various databases available unless they are listed.
• One other issue I am having. There is a bot author, who keeps taking out links to the open access materials in the library. He said he was instructed to do so by the library. Is that accurate? If we are a movement based on open access, why would we remove open links and replace them with paywalled doi identifiers? Anyway, overall, I like it and appreciate you and your team's work, Samwalton9 SusunW (talk) 14:23, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

• One other just discovered issue. I did not renew my Oxford Reference because I was told it was included in the bundle, but every thing I have tried to access today returns "Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter without a subscription. Please subscribe or login to access full text content". Meaning I get only the 1st sentence, which is the same info I get in a google search. If this is all we get through the bundle, am I able to reacquire access via a WPLibrary subscription or is this now all we can access? SusunW (talk) 16:37, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

• @SusunW: I'm glad to hear you're finding it useful! Cambridge access is provided via proxy, and an application is required. It doesn't look like you've applied since we moved Cambridge over to the proxy. You'll need to renew that application to get access via My Library.

• Hey Samwalton9, thanks for answering. I'm scared to touch it. It works and you know, rule 1, if it ain't broke, don't mess with it. Maybe I just keep using it until it doesn't work. ;) SusunW (talk) 13:59, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

Tracked in Phabricator:
Task T289253

• Ah, the multidisciplinary filtering is a great point - we incorporated your feedback onto the homepage for this but forgot to do so in My Library. Do you think that this will still make sense here? There are 15 Multidisciplinary collections available by default, and I worry that they'll drown out the other content when filtering for e.g. History. Perhaps it would make sense to pull the History collections to the front of the list in this case, but I'm concerned we'd run into the kind of confusion highlighted by Bruce1ee below where collections seem to be out of order. I'll give this some thought and any other thoughts you have would be appreciated.

• Personally, I do. For example, I am working on a series of articles on women's loss of nationality. As with many women's topics, it's pretty obscure, even though it was a world-wide phenomenon. I knew Hein would have legal articles. I did not realize that I could access law articles in Cairn, De Gruyter, etc. until I saw them in the Bundle for those types of information. Having them all in one place definitely makes it easier to search for a topic. Were it me, I'd just run them in alpha order. If someone knows a specific source, they'll find it. If they don't, they will be happy to see the breadth of offerings. SusunW (talk) 13:59, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• Do you have an example of the open access link removal? That would be helpful to understand what's happening.

• Here is the discussion and here is the edit which made the information non-accessible. (I have many dozens of these, as I have so far written about 1/2 the countries of the world (+/- 90) and most have multiple links to Wiki-Library articles.) Here's another and you can see that the bot is bleeping out "-org.wikipedialibrary.idm.oclc" which then takes you to a paywalled version of the article. So say you are taking it to GA or FA, no reviewer can access the free link without going to the library and searching, adjusting the link itself (if you know to add back that text), or having another way to access it. SusunW (talk) 13:59, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• @SusunW: Ah, yes, we did ask for this feature to be implemented. The proxied links are useful to experienced Wikipedia editors, but any reader or ineligible editor who clicks the links will be unable to access the link and may be confused about why they've ended up on the Wikipedia Library. We figured that we should prioritise readers over editors on this. Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 14:41, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thanks for the explanation Samwalton9. I find it really inconvenient, but I can live with it. SusunW (talk) 14:55, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• With regards to Oxford Reference. Are you going to https://wikipedialibrary.wmflabs.org/users/my_library/ and clicking 'Access Collection' under Oxford Reference? It looks to me like we have most of everything we expect to have access to. Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 09:40, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• Yes, and what I get is locked content. Okay, weird, yesterday when I searched for Djibouti the only two options I got were this and this both locked and I had to access them through the resource exchange. Today when I search the same thing, I get a lot of both locked and unlocked content? Maybe just a Mexico thing. You know I have that as an ongoing issue. I can work with it. SusunW (talk) 13:59, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• It's looking good so far, easier to access than before, and I like the filters. I know this is a work-in-progress, but I have a couple of observations. 1. I can't work out how My Collections are ordered? Looking at mine, there are some of my out-of-bundle subscriptions (not sorted alphabetically), followed by the library bundle (sorted alphabetically), and then some more of my out-of-bundle subscriptions (not sorted alphabetically). 2. It would be nice if the library bundle collections could be flagged with that book-bundle icon you guys used to use. 3. The favourites button in some of the previous mockups is missing. If these points are to be addressed in future releases, that's great. —Bruce1ee^talk 15:32, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

• @Bruce1ee: That's a great catch - My Library should be alphabetical, I've filed T288608. We weren't sure of the value of the bundle icon - how does it help you use the library? In terms of favouriting, that's right, we're planning this feature for September; I gave a brief overview of the roadmap above :) Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 09:31, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• @Samwalton9 (WMF): OK, the bundle icon is more of a nice-to-have. I think it would make it easier to identify those resources I don't have to worry about renewing. Of course the "Extend" button tells you which resources aren't part of the bundle, but I feel it's not as prominent as that bundle of books. Also, the icon would help at WP:RX. When a user requests a source at RX that is available in the library, the first thing I do is check if it's in the library bundle so I can tell them that they have immediate access to it. Of course the user will see from their "My Collections" page what they have access to, but often they don't know to look there. But, as I said, it's a nice-to-have. If it's going to be a lot of work, don't worry about it. —Bruce1ee^talk 11:28, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• @Bruce1ee: We think we've solved the collection order issue - can you double check and let me know what you're seeing now? :) Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 10:34, 12 August 2021 (UTC)

• @Samwalton9 (WMF): That's much better. All the collections (bundled and application based) are ordered alphabetically. Thanks for fixing that. —Bruce1ee^talk 11:08, 12 August 2021 (UTC)

• I agree, it is looking good, but I recommend you add a notice to the interdisciplinary portals so as to make it clear that deGruyter etc. also comprise legal and economic, etc. resources. Thanks! Regards, Aschmidt (talk) 20:24, 10 August 2021 (UTC)

• Today I was greeted by the new interface. I'm sorry to report that my reaction is negative. It requires much more flipping around to find the resource I want. I could not understand its organization. It seems less organized. And there is way too much text. If I were looking for resources as a beginner, yes, but all I want is a single screen (not a page with multiple screens you have to scroll) with links to my active resources, one line per resource. I don't like to criticize, but you asked for feedback. If something was improved, it did not jump out at me. Deisenbe (talk) 09:23, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

Tracked in Phabricator:
Task T289254

• Thanks for the feedback @Deisenbe:! It sounds to me like the primary drawback you're experiencing is in terms of screen space? i.e. the tiles, descriptions, etc. each take up a large amount of room, and therefore it takes you a long time to find the content you're interested in? What do you think about an alternate view, which you could opt to turn on as a default, where the collections are presented in a table? Something simpler like:

Caption text

Name	Description	Languages	Tags
Al Manhal	Al Manhal is a major Arabic provider of full-text electronic journals ...	English, Arabic	Multidisciplinary	[Access Collection]
Annual Reviews	Annual Reviews is a publisher of review articles in the sciences ...	English	Life Sciences, Health Sciences	[Access Collection]
...	...	...	...	...

• And so on. Would that be helpful? Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 09:47, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

Can not speak for Deisenbe but while I think the tile view is attractive and I like the clustering I really would like a compact view which is just the facts. Jessamyn (talk) 17:46, 13 August 2021 (UTC)

I like this table view and agree with Deisenbe. Calliopejen1 (talk) 20:19, 13 August 2021 (UTC)

• Hello, thanks for this design update. Could you add a tab which displays the "recently added/discarded/in_talk" partners (otherwise it is difficult to know)? Also, do you forecast to add in Ebsco options, the (previously available) EBSCO/ « Publication Finder Interface » ? Thanks in advance --Jurbop (talk) 15:53, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• I like a lot of the new changes, just a few things :)

Tracked in Phabricator:
Task T289255

• • The "My collections" tab button has a little line to the right, is this intentional? (the text is also a bit big) [1]
    • That looks like the right-hand edge of the "My Collections" tab; when you click on "Available Collections" the line becomes the left-hand edge of the "Available Collections" tab. —Bruce1ee^talk 05:56, 12 August 2021 (UTC)
  • The font of the logo is a bit small (and it doesn't really look that nice) [2]
  • A bit too much whitespace in the header [https://i.imgur.com/EFdkWkM.png
  • This may be intentional, and if it is it's fine, but due to the different descriptor lengths, there is often empty space between the cards, maybe they could be stacked? [3]
    • I'm inclined to agree, the page would look neater if all the resource boxes were of the same depth, with vertical scroll bars if the text won't fit. —Bruce1ee^talk 05:56, 12 August 2021 (UTC)

Tracked in Phabricator:
Task T289256

• • On my 1920 by 1080 monitor, there is a scroll bar at the bottom [4]
  • Finally, and this is very nit picky (and so are my previous notes), the sidebar is just a bit... empty? Maybe it could be populated with something such as useful links...?
    • @Berrely: This is a nice idea - what links do you think would be helpful? Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 13:55, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

      Samwalton9 (WMF), this may be hard as they're wiki specific, but I know on enwiki there could be a link to the resource request, the other parts of WikiProject Resource Exchange like Shared Resources that lists free to use resources, en:Wikipedia:Book sources for looking up ISBNs, etc. There's quite a few useful links at en:Wikipedia:WikiProject Resource Exchange#Resources. I'm sure there are similar pages for other languages (see the bottom of wikidata:Q5525106) — Yours, Berrely • ^Talk∕_Contribs 14:18, 18 August 2021 (UTC)

• Otherwise looks great :D

— Yours, Berrely • ^Talk∕_Contribs 18:59, 11 August 2021 (UTC)

• Something I've just noticed: The ProQuest logo is quite small compared to the other logos. Can it be blown up a little? —Bruce1ee^talk 08:40, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• @Bruce1ee: You're right - I've just updated that so it's bigger :) Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 16:25, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• Thanks. That looks much better. —Bruce1ee^talk 17:16, 14 August 2021 (UTC)

• Looks pretty good to me! I would echo Susun’s request for restoring the date of expiry on individually-requested resources. Thank you for your work on this! Innisfree987 (talk) 21:34, 14 August 2021 (UTC)
  • Oops, let me correct—it’s only gone for Newspapers.com, still there for Project Muse. Was it never there for Newspapers.com? I could’ve sworn. Innisfree987 (talk) 21:40, 14 August 2021 (UTC)
    • Some of my applied-for resources have expiry dates (BioOne, Project Muse, Rock's Backpages, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis), others don't (NewspaperArchive, Newspapers.com, ripm, World Scientific). —Bruce1ee^talk 22:57, 14 August 2021 (UTC)
      • Resources accessed by proxy have an expiration date, because the authorization expires in the Library Card system according to the length that was approved during the application process. Resources accessed by other methods do not, because the authorization happens on the publisher side and so the system doesn't know the exact date it will expire. Nikkimaria (talk) 00:06, 15 August 2021 (UTC)
        • @Nikkimaria: That explains it. Thanks. (@SusunW: FYI). —Bruce1ee^talk 07:32, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Thanks for the ping! I don't really understand why there is a difference, but totally get that there is and we have to live with that. My issue with the problem is of course that they expire without notice and I end up without access. But, I do have a work around. When ever my sources expire and I am waiting for access I post on the Resource Exchange and 99 times out of 100 Bruce1ee comes to my rescue. I suppose the few times someone else has to help he must be taking a cat nap, as honestly it seems he never sleeps and always answers within a minute or two. SusunW (talk) 13:40, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

@SusunW: Thanks, but I'm not the only one helping out at WP:RX. There are several other very active editors who do a lot of work there fulfilling requests. —Bruce1ee^talk 14:38, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

I totally get that, Bruce1ee and I appreciate everyone who assists. I in no way meant to downgrade anyone's help, but I do find your responsiveness exemplary. SusunW (talk) 14:49, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

Looks beautiful and is easy to navigate. Comtesse d'Autodidactica (talk) 18:41, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

Annual reviews and "filter"

Annual Reviews" is multidisciplinary. It includes magazines on social sciences, physics and so on. But when I use this tags it doesn't shows Annual Reviews.

Greetings, Kogge --Kogge (talk) 06:39, 15 August 2021 (UTC)

@Kogge: Thanks for this suggestion, which I missed at the time. You should find that this is now how My Library filtering works :) Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 16:56, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

OK, thank you! --Kogge (talk) 17:41, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Favoriting

Courtesy ping @Mirer, Schazjmd, SusunW, Bruce1ee, Redwidgeon, Temp3600, and Aschmidt:

We've just pushed an update to roll out the favoriting feature! You can now mark collections you are authorized to access as favorites - they'll then show up in the Favorites tab, which will become the default tab for you once you've got at least one collection favorited. We hope this will make it easier to get right to the collections you're most interested in without needing to search through a bunch of other options. Please take a look and let me know what you think! Samwalton9 (WMF) (talk) 16:59, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Thanks Samwalton9 (WMF), that's working nicely. —Bruce1ee^talk 17:10, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Very cool. Thanks! SusunW (talk) 17:47, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

+1. It makes it so much easier to navigate between the databases. Thanks! Regards, Aschmidt (talk) 18:43, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

This is great, Samwalton9 (WMF)! I've been looking forward to this feature. Really simple to use. It's especially nice that the library page is the default so my shortcut can take me straight to Favorites. Schazjmd (talk) 20:07, 7 October 2021 (UTC)

Seems great! No need to scroll down to find the collections I read most.--Temp3600 (talk) 10:06, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

This looks really good - just as I hoped. The other improvements from the last few weeks (searching, filtering etc.) look good too. These little upgrades really help in using the library. Thanks to the team! Mirer (talk) 03:13, 13 October 2021 (UTC)

This is a really great update! It took me some time to figure out how to favorite the publisher though (selecting the golden star in home page), and I would have expected a way to favorite it on individual partner pages like this page /partner/54 (jstor) Shushugah (talk) 14:28, 18 December 2021 (UTC)