The University of Texas at Arlington went live with the Tomcat WebVoyage interface in August [1].  We did extensive customization of the user interface, with the main goal being improvements in usability.  For example, we repurposed one of the default search tabs in order to offer a Google-like one box, one button default search, while retaining (and adding to) the more advanced searches.  We also did extensive de-cluttering.  

A presentation at the recent Ex Libris Southcentral Users Group meeting illustrates some of the changes we made and provides step-by-step instructions for repurposing a search tab for a Google-like default search [2].

Because we made many more customizations than could be covered in a one-hour presentation, I have made our UTA "opac" skin available as an attachment to the listing of Tomcat sites on EL Commons [3].  This skin is provided purely for informational purposes.  Please read the README file that is included.

Our Tomcat interface redesign represents many, many hours of work by members of our WebVoyage Advisory Committee.  For our Tomcat customizations, committee members included Joshua Been, Brad Gulliford, Ava Nell Harris, Helen Hough, Derek Reece, Heather Scalf, and myself.  Although I manage to grab most of the attention, this has truly been a cooperative effort.

-- Michael

[1] University of Texas at Arlington's Tomcat WebVoyage: http://pulse.uta.edu

[2] "Extreme Makeover: Tomcat WebVoyáge Edition"
    Ex Libris Southcentral Users Group, Wichita Falls, TX, Oct. 8, 2009 
    download PPT from http://rocky.uta.edu/doran/presentations/

[3] "Voyager sites that have gone live with Tomcat WebVoyáge"
    http://www.exlibrisgroup.org/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=13764440
    (requires login)
    click on the "Attachments" button

# Michael Doran, Systems Librarian
# University of Texas at Arlington
# 817-272-5326 office
# 817-688-1926 mobile
# doran@uta.edu
# http://rocky.uta.edu/doran/

This link can also be placed into the Action Box using Paul Asay's code for passing MARC tag data, in this case the 035.  Laura Guy published a method at http://www.voyagerwiki.com/index.php?title=New_WebVoyage:_Adding_Links_to_the_Action_Box

We have this working in our catalog (http://library.usi.edu/vwebv/searchAdvanced?sk=en_US), we are using the “Tomcat” version 7.0.4 of Voyager. We were able to get this setup due to invaluable assistance from Steve Watkins, Coordinator of Technology Development at CSU Monterey Bay Library.  I would suggest contacting Steve first.  Then if you want to look at some of our files let me know I will be happy to send you copies.  Rose >   > Rose Scruggs, Electronic Services Coordinator > Library Systems > phone: 812-464-1828 > email: rscruggs@usi.edu

This is our "work in progess" version of Tomcat for the new Franklin catalog

voyager classic version:

http://ils.lib.mtu.edu/

SMU's "voyager classic" interface is atill available at:

https://poni.smu.edu/

 

Some notes and tips on configuring the tomcat skin

Nothing like a framework to ease your burden.  Check it out, more than 50 java development frameworks are described and linked.  Of course the usual suspects are here: Cocoon, Struts, and Java Server Faces.  But also includes Tapestry, RSF, ZK and JAT.  Wow, glad we are finally moving into this space...

The OAICat Open Source Software (OSS) project is a Java Servlet web application providing a repository framework that conforms to the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) v2.0. This framework can be customized to work with arbitrary data repositories by implementing some Java interfaces. Demonstration implementations of these interfaces are included in the webapp distribution.

The OAICat Open Source Software (OSS) project is a Java Servlet web application providing a repository framework that conforms to the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH) v2.0. This framework can be customized to work with arbitrary data repositories by implementing some Java interfaces. Demonstration implementations of these interfaces are included in the webapp distribution.