About
How do students locate books on the Main Library shelves? Based on the high number of enquiries received at the Main Library helpdesk, we know that the answer currently is, 'with difficulty'.
The Main Library has six floors, contains over 3 million books, uses several classification systems and has a central staircase that stops on the second floor.
This project will address this issue by building on the successful implementation of Primo and Alma. It will integrate DiscoverEd search results with an application showing the location of the item within the Library. An item's shelving bay will be pinpointed on an interactive map. The application will also highlight facilities within the Library on maps e.g. printing, study spaces, toilets, and computers for study.
The application will be easy to update with new maps and location information, to adapt as buildings change. The Main Library will be the first location to be mapped with the other libraries made available in due course.
The application will improve the student experience and free up time for helpdesk staff. It will also enable the collection of usage statistics for items before they are issued. The application will be developed by the Library Digital Development Team in consultation with the helpdesk staff in the User Services Division.
System set-up: MySql Ruby on Rails Apache
Geolocation: To enable uncomment line 3 of map_display.js