Already a member?
Sign in
| Version | User | Scope of changes |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 19 2008, 3:16 PM EDT | erindowney | 26 words added |
| Mar 19 2008, 3:15 PM EDT | erindowney | 56 words added |
Changes
Key: Additions Deletions
Our fearless leader is Josh Neff! Live "blogging" on the wiki by edh.
Josh has an epic hatred of library catalogs because they are severely non-user-friendly. Most of the JoCo users go straight to the catalog which is not designed as our actual "website" is.
I make the confession that I only use the Book Burro plugin with Amazon and Firefox because I find books faster that way - NOT our library catalog!
Josh follows us up with a story about trying to find a book on pyramids in Sirsi-Dynix. Is this our employment security? Being necessary to help patrons work through broken technology called the OPAC?
The point is made that there are no "dead ends" in Amazon as final as those in the OPACs. How do you respond to patrons who complain that our own OPAC isn't as good as Amazon?
Jim points out that it doesn't matter how great we think it is, it's all about the user experience and how they search, what they want to find.
Talk ensues about Koha and moving on to open source. LibLime does offer hosted solutions and help with maintaining the catalog. People feel like they have a monopoly in the cataloging industry with proprietary software and that it works against librarians trying to serve their patrons.
Kathy talked about how CKLS pitted four catalogs against each other in a "shoot-out" so that they could decide which catalog was best. Ended up really testing three - one open-source and two proprietary. The trials from the vendors enabled them to have librarians come in and run searches and tests on them so that they could decide which was best.
Kevin observes that patrons search and browse as two main functions of the catalog - and obliquely brings up how everything is miscellaneous - catalogs online are not bound by the laws of physics. Serendipitous experiences mentioned - being able to find more than what you were looking for, and other things that relate are important to patrons so that you preserve the experience of discovery? Josh shows us this article.
Then we do a try with TSCPL's catalog - when you cannot find a search result it gives you a screen with the Meebo widget so you can ask a librarian right away for help.
The elephant in the room seems to be the MARC record and how it shouldn't be the only access point. AquaBrowser and how it sits on top of a catalog - as an analogy for how you can create multiple points of access.
Kevin observes that we seem to have lifted the concept of print into an online form - that online is about manipulation rather than passive consumption, and Josh follows that up by explaining more about how he developed the Kids' page on the JoCo site. That you go to the library website to do the things that you would do at the library, not to read about the library or other semi-unrelated things.
We compare the OK State AquaBrowser overlay with the Drupal platform of the AADL catalog. Josh points out where he used their cool card images function to comment on Terry Pratchett's Hat Full of Sky. Kathy makes a comment on Marley and Me - they are unmediated and allow anyone to comment - providing a platform for people to connect in different ways over catalog items, bringing them to life.
Josh mentions that you do need enthusiasts who are encouraged to dabble in the web - to have knowledge, to share knowledge, to build on knowledge.
Josh has an epic hatred of library catalogs because they are severely non-user-friendly. Most of the JoCo users go straight to the catalog which is not designed as our actual "website" is.
I make the confession that I only use the Book Burro plugin with Amazon and Firefox because I find books faster that way - NOT our library catalog!
Josh follows us up with a story about trying to find a book on pyramids in Sirsi-Dynix. Is this our employment security? Being necessary to help patrons work through broken technology called the OPAC?
The point is made that there are no "dead ends" in Amazon as final as those in the OPACs. How do you respond to patrons who complain that our own OPAC isn't as good as Amazon?
Jim points out that it doesn't matter how great we think it is, it's all about the user experience and how they search, what they want to find.
Talk ensues about Koha and moving on to open source. LibLime does offer hosted solutions and help with maintaining the catalog. People feel like they have a monopoly in the cataloging industry with proprietary software and that it works against librarians trying to serve their patrons.
Kathy talked about how CKLS pitted four catalogs against each other in a "shoot-out" so that they could decide which catalog was best. Ended up really testing three - one open-source and two proprietary. The trials from the vendors enabled them to have librarians come in and run searches and tests on them so that they could decide which was best.
Kevin observes that patrons search and browse as two main functions of the catalog - and obliquely brings up how everything is miscellaneous - catalogs online are not bound by the laws of physics. Serendipitous experiences mentioned - being able to find more than what you were looking for, and other things that relate are important to patrons so that you preserve the experience of discovery? Josh shows us this article.
Then we do a try with TSCPL's catalog - when you cannot find a search result it gives you a screen with the Meebo widget so you can ask a librarian right away for help.
The elephant in the room seems to be the MARC record and how it shouldn't be the only access point. AquaBrowser and how it sits on top of a catalog - as an analogy for how you can create multiple points of access.
Kevin observes that we seem to have lifted the concept of print into an online form - that online is about manipulation rather than passive consumption, and Josh follows that up by explaining more about how he developed the Kids' page on the JoCo site. That you go to the library website to do the things that you would do at the library, not to read about the library or other semi-unrelated things.
We compare the OK State AquaBrowser overlay with the Drupal platform of the AADL catalog. Josh points out where he used their cool card images function to comment on Terry Pratchett's Hat Full of Sky. Kathy makes a comment on Marley and Me - they are unmediated and allow anyone to comment - providing a platform for people to connect in different ways over catalog items, bringing them to life.
Josh mentions that you do need enthusiasts who are encouraged to dabble in the web - to have knowledge, to share knowledge, to build on knowledge.
