Whew! I feel overloaded already :-) An Über Index as you describe it would probably make me throw
up my hands is dismay at too many sources at once. While the resources you suggest incorporating
into the retrieval set could provide comprehensive content, I don't think that is always
appropriate. The UI would need to be designed such that links to the actual content are organized
in logical ways, so that the user may select the desired type or granularity of resource.
In your example about cancer, for example, we might choose to rely on search engines and content
organization provided by other portals or services, such as MedlinePlus in this case. Our
libraries really do not have the resources to be all things to all people; rather, collaboration
and partnerships are necessary. It's a question of balance (hasn't it always been thus?)
Louise Ratliff
--On Friday, June 09, 2006 12:01 PM -0400 Eric Lease Morgan <emorgan_at_ND.EDU> wrote:
> 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/.
____________________________
Louise Ratliff
Social Sciences Cataloger
UCLA Library Cataloging & Metadata Center
(310) 825-8642
Received on Sat Jun 10 2006 - 09:59:40 EDT