*** Apologies for cross-posting ***
Further to the release of the October issue of D-Lib
(http://www.dlib.org) containing an article describing the work of the
CREE (Contextual Resource Evaluation Environment) Project, the Project
itself is pleased to announce the availability of the full collection
of reports and results from the work undertaken.
The CREE Project was funded by JISC to explore the user requirements
for the presentation of Internet search tools within institutional
environments (e.g, a local web environment, a VLE/course management
system or an institutional portal). Technical investigation of the JSR
168 and WSRP portlet standards was also carried out to examine their
potential for enabling such presentation.
All reports and results are available through the project website at
http://www.hull.ac.uk/esig/cree/, together with a range of
presentations and publications describing the work. The reports newly
released are as follows:
A. Summary Overview of the project, its work and conclusions
B. User testing report and results spreadsheet
Over 70 people across three institutions took part in a series of user
testing sessions with three fully functional interactive demonstrators,
based on one of the institutional environments listed above. The
results provide feedback on the use of search tools within each of
these environments (generally very positive) as well as providing
valuable comments on the role of searching to back up findings from
earlier reports on the survey and focus groups carried out.
Screenshots of the demonstrators are also available.
C. Final reports on the investigation of JSR 168 and WSRP portlet
standards
The final reports from the technical partners in the CREE Project
capture much of the experience gained from the adaptation of existing
search tools for use within a portlet, as well as provide tips and
leads for others wishing to explore these technologies. An article in
the next issue of Ariadne will provide an overview of the technical
development to complement the D-Lib article.
D. Literature Review
A wide-ranging literature review has informed the work of the Project
throughout its lifetime. It addresses the functional aspects of
searching as well many of the technologies behind searching.
E. Communications and Collaboration Tools Feasibility Study
To complement the investigation of the presentation of search tools
within institutional environments, a survey and series of interviews
were carried out to investigate user requirements for the presentation
of communication and collaboration tools within the same environments
and the capability of JSR 168 and WSRP to enable this, respectively.
F. The Final Report of the Project
Chris Awre
CREE Project Manager
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Chris Awre
Integration Architect
e-Services Integration Group
Brynmor Jones Library
University of Hull
Cottingham Road
Hull HU6 7RX
t: 01482 46 5441
e: [log in to unmask]
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