My next library catalog needs…
Head for the Edge, Library Media Connection, February 2008
Our library automation system sales representative is always after me to upgrade our current circ/cat system to the latest and greatest version. Sure, our libraries have been using this one for quite a while, but I just can’t get excited about the current update. It just isn’t a revolutionary leap in function and features.
I want to wait for at least some of these features in our next major circ/cat system upgrade:
1. Federated searching of our own holdings - print and electronic.
With a single simple search engine, our students and staff should be able to search everything in our libraries - think of it as Google for everything that Google doesn’t search. My student researchers could compile a list of potential resources ranging from magazine articles to book chapters to encyclopedia entries –high quality materials that have been professionally edited. Making such information as easily found and accessed as the junk that too often pops up in a Google search would be sweet .
2. Concordance searching.
Google’s “Book Search” and Amazon’s “Search Inside the Book” allow users to search by term or phrase the entire texts of books. Why should my catalog not allow internal searching of books in my local collection? As I remember, scanning an entire book for the Book Search project costs Google about three dollars. For my unique titles, spending a couple bucks to make them accessible is a reasonable investment.
3. User defined tags.
The ability to add personal descriptors of items stored on websites like del.icio.us and Flickr have made the Dewey Decimal System and Library of Congress subject headings look rigid and antique. Students and staff should be able to define materials in the library in ways that have personal meaning to them. (Similar to Harry Potter. Jane recommends. Good for Mr. Smith’s physical science class rocks and minerals unit.)
4. User reviews, readers’ advisory service and online book discussions.
Even the most dedicated library media specialist can read and recommend a finite number of titles. Online sites like Shelfari <www.shelfari.com> “make it easy to see what your friends are reading, what others with similar tastes have enjoyed, and even get and give book recommendations.” Amazon, of course, encourages reader reviews and makes recommendations for future reading based on an individual’s past reading history. As Jacquie Henry suggest in her Wanderings blog, should her catalog be asking:
How about……. “people who checked out this book, also checked out these other books….”
How about …. “let us know what you think about this book”.
How about ….. “join a chat/discussion group about this book.”
5. Ready-made citations.
Why not have the functionality of the NoodleTools <www.noodletools.com> bibliography composer built into your catalog? For those of us who never really got the hang of APA or MLA or whatever, it would be a blessing. It would take away some of the suspicion that academic research is best left to the most anal-retentive of society.
6. User networking tools.
Customizable social network spaces like Ning and tools like wikis make online collaboration on projects made simple. When offered in-house as a part of the library automation system or in a stand-alone application, such tools allow students to continue working and learning 24/7.
7. Seamless interface with student information system to facilitate data mining.
Allow searching and sorting by NCLB “student groups” to track circulation. Can I demonstrate that my efforts to get more books in the hands of our ELL students have been successful?
8. No cost to our libraries.
Perhaps we need to reexamine the financial model for how we pay for our library automation systems. Most of us are accustomed to web resources that come at no direct expense to us. They may be supported by advertisements or by premium subscribers wanting more features. While this is not my favorite idea, being able to apply more of my library budget to purchasing materials rather than on automation software or annual maintenance is appealing.
We are indeed starting to see some of these features in current library systems. But are they coming fast enough?
Our students are accustomed to having these tools and features on web sites they already use. If their library resources are to remain relevant to them, shouldn’t we offer these things as well? How do we make authoritative sources as easy to find and access as the questionable materials? And how to we appeal to the social natures of our Net-Gen patrons and help develop their collaborative skills?
We as school library media specialist need to be more vocal, more demanding of our circ/cat providers. Now - before we become completely irrelevant to our students.