I would like to echo what Emily Lynema has said: "Why don't we smarten
up the catalog back-end so that we can dumb down the front-end interface
and still have it work well?" Amen. Critics who complain of dumbing
down the catalog have it all wrong. We want smarter OPACS that will do
more of the behind the scenes work and make searching simpler for our
patrons.
This ties in well to what Dan Lester has said about "upgrading info
skills" and educating users about when to search different types of
sources. If the library catalog and online databases were truly easy
for our patrons to use, we could spend less time teaching the mechanics
of searching and more time teaching higher order information literacy
skills. As an instruction librarian, I would love to be able to spend
all of my time teaching students when to use various types of
information, how to evaluate information, how to use it ethically, etc.
Smarter catalogs would lead to better library instruction.
Thomas Arendall-Salvetti
Reference/Instruction Librarian
Langsdale Library
University of Baltimore
1420 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-837-4275
tarendall-salvetti_at_ubalt.edu
Received on Tue Jun 13 2006 - 12:54:24 EDT