Adding Mackin VIA To Destiny's Visual Search Brings Success and Fun To The Library!

I love finding ways that will make all of our resources within the libraries and online more accessible to our students, teachers, and families.  

Over the last few weeks, I have created several places for this to happen.  

One of my favorite places to share resources is within our new Symbaloo webmixes.  The VM Library Resources Symbaloo holds links to all of our resources such as the Iowa AEA Online resources, several Web 2.0 tools, our eBooks in Mackin VIA, the Van Meter School website, and of course the Van Meter Library Google sites and blogs.  

Symbaloo even has this amazing new app that you can pick up for free in the iTunes Store.  They love using the Symbaloo app on our iTouches in the library and their own devices that they may bring each week too.  

We are finding all kinds of apps and creating widgets from other websites to add to our devices and put "the library in our pockets." As I said in the post, "By suggesting to our students apps and resources that they could add to their own personal devices, we are giving them access to tools that they may need to be productive and successful collaborators, creators, and connectors." 

Then I started thinking about giving everyone even more access within Follet's Destiny, our circulation system at Van Meter.  Last May I added all of the MARC records for the eBooks into Destiny making them searchable along with all of the print resources we have in our collections.   

                              

I even added a scrolling marque to the front page of our Destiny to announce this to everyone.  

What else could I do? 

How about adding a Mackin VIA widget inside of the Visual Search feature within Destiny?  I had never modified or added anything to the visual search, but I was pretty sure I could figure it out and that it would be a success.  

And I was right!  

I logged into Destiny as the administrator.  I went to the "Catalog" tab, down to "Search Setup."  I was within the "Visual Search" tab. 

Once I was there, I filled in the fields it was asking me to such as "Name" and "Website URL."  

                            

I was even able to add an image, so I added a screen shot I took of Mackin VIA.  

After I saved the information, I checked to make sure Mackin VIA was saved within the "Visual Search Home" list.

 It was!  From here, I could always "Edit" the Mackin VIA search if I needed to.

Now within the middle of the icons there is also a Mackin VIA icon, which takes our patrons straight to the Mackin VIA website into our eBook collection.

I was so excited to check out both places to conduct a visual search within our Destiny...Destiny and Destiny Quest.

Our students find the visual search feature FUN within Destiny....anything to encourage reading and bring excitement to learning.  By adding Mackin VIA to our visual search today I have given everyone at Van Meter one more way to be successful at finding the resources that they want and need.