I like the idea that you have elaborated on and described so well - this would be my dream for a library "catalog" as well.
Do you think we are (technologically) at a point where this type of endeavor is easily accomplished? Since none of us can agree amongst ourselves on much of anything (type of catalog...type of searching...etc) does this picture of a catalog offer greater commonality for us? Something that we could share?
Are you envisioning a product that would be individually produced by libraries? Or something a vendor with deeper resources would develop and sell?
Steven L. Carr
Bibliographic Services Manager
ARLINGTON COUNTY LIBRARY
1015 North Quincy Street
Arlington, VA 22201
703-228-5972
scarr2_at_arlingtonva.us
-----Original Message-----
From: Next generation catalogs for libraries [mailto:NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu] On Behalf Of Eric Lease Morgan
Sent: Friday, June 09, 2006 12:02 PM
To: NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu
Subject: Re: Content [looking for a search engine]
On Jun 9, 2006, at 7:49 AM, Steven Carr wrote:
> As far as the catalog fits in...Given this extremely broad (and
> broadening) picture of who the users are (and what languages they
> speak), is it a "catalog" we are looking for, or a search engine that
> does what the catalog has traditionally done, plus the ability to do a
> whole lot more?
Yes, I believe we are looking for a search engine -- index -- that does what the catalog has traditionally done, plus the ability to do a whole lot more.
Given the information environment we are increasingly living in, I suspect most libraries are not really looking for a catalog as much as they are looking for some other sort of index. While a catalog is a necessary library tool, it does not contain the content nor the functionality people increasingly expect. For the most part, library catalogs are inventory lists -- specialized indexes to the things a library owns (or licenses). In an environment of digital and networked information people don't feel limited to the content within a specific space. Nor do they want to go through the process to retrieve a book.
A patron might ask this sort of question, "I have a family member who has developed cancer. What content can you give me describing the effects of chemotherapy?" The answer may involve content that is not located in the library, but that does not mean a library can not provide such information. It is quite possible for libraries to collect (read "harvest" or "mirror" and then index) content regarding the cancer or other topics and include it in a tool used to address this need.
I don't advocate throwing away the catalog. Instead I advocate creating an additional index made up of traditional catalog content supplemented with other content relevant to the needs of a particular library's users. This supplemental content could be metadata, such as the data from EAD files or CIMI files. It could also include descriptions of journal articles.
Moreover, I would advocate this "Über Index" contain as much full text as possible, not just pointers. This full text would include ebooks, articles from open access literature, theses & dissertations if they were appropriate, (Wikipedia) encyclopedia articles, the definitions of words, biographies, images, data-sets, etc. I would add these full text things to save the time of the reader and reduce the number of links they must go through to acquire their information. I do not advocate meta-search to facilitate this index because it is not practical, holistic, nor scalable. While Z39.50 can search multiple targets, it can not do this well because of different indexing schemes and the existence of duplicate records. Did you say, "Screen scraping?" Ick. Furthermore, not only would I add this additional content, but I would also provide additional services against the content such as but not limited to: download, review, annotate, suggest, get email address of author of, save, !
trace idea backwards & forwards, find more like this, purchase, authenticate, print, share, tag, compare to other selected items, summarize, create citation for, email, etc. After you find the thing you want to get it, and once you get the thing you want to do something with it.
By creating such collection/service combinations libraries would build on their ability to collect and filter information for specific audiences and distinguish themselves from the more general Internet indexes.
--
Eric Lease Morgan
Head, Digital Access and Information Architecture Department University Libraries of Notre Dame
(574) 631-8604
I'm hiring a Senior Programmer Analyst.
See http://dewey.library.nd.edu/morgan/programmer/.
Received on Fri Jun 09 2006 - 12:13:46 EDT