As part of KYVL’s Strategic Plan 2010-13, we continue to streamline our work, address inefficiencies and offer the best possible service to you and the Commonwealth. We believe that the services we provide should be as high quality as possible. This standard applies to the organization and content on our website in addition to our research databases and other services. To maintain a high standard of service to our users, we will be making two significant changes to the KYVL web site.
First, and after long debate, we have decided to discontinue the Internet Research Guide (formerly known as the Virtual Reference Desk) and remove those pages from our site. The IRG requires constant vigilance and a level of upkeep inconsistent with priorities defined by the current strategic plan. We also feel that we should not duplicate the efforts of the many talented librarians who are already creating LibGuides, bibliographies and custom Google searches that serve a similar purpose. KYVL is deeply indebted to all the subject matter experts who have contributed to these pages during the last 10 years.
Second, we will be discontinuing our use of the MetaLib federated searching tool and SFX link resolver. For the foreseeable future, the blue search boxes will be replaced with custom search boxes linking directly to our EBSCO resources. In the short term, we believe this change will result in easier access for our users and more efficient administration for our staff. We will be investigating discovery (or search) options to encompass all our licensed resources as part of the strategic plan.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions about these changes. We look forward to putting the time saved into new initiatives for the benefit of all.