My two cents on naming: "LibraryThing" was a joke. To be precise, it
was a joke on Lovecraftian prose—"The Thing in the Library!" (hence
the logo font). Initial reactions were all negaive—what a stupid name!
Then it turned. Now we've even spawned other "thing" names.
So, names are irrelevant. You could call the catalog "pickle" and it
would work. Or take the art-tagging project "Steve"
(http://www.steve.museum/). It doesn't mean a damn thing. But if it
succeeds, we'll all be "steveing" right and left.
The thing that doesn't work about OPAC is that libraries still behave
as if they were in charge of delivering an "Online [sic] Public access
[sic] Catalog."
Tim
On 8/17/07, Wade Guidry <wade_at_beachbooks.org> wrote:
> Seems like the stickiest new terms, some of them quite good, are "brand"
> names.
>
> I like "LibraryThing", "WorldCat", and even "iTunes", as they seem
> self-descriptive and catchy, but they are still proper names.
>
> If such services become overwhelmingly popular, maybe the names of one or
> two will become established in the way of xerox or kleenex. ("Did you look
> in the amazon?")
>
> Or, maybe one such term is already established ("Did you look on the web?")?
>
>
>
>
>
> Wade Guidry
> Systems Manager, CRSN
> ofc / cell: 503.801.2073
> fax: 503.815.8194
> wade_at_beachbooks.org
> http://www.beachbooks.org
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "William Denton" <wtd_at_POBOX.COM>
> To: <NGC4LIB_at_listserv.nd.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 8:12 PM
> Subject: [NGC4LIB] Ceci n'est pas une catalogue
>
>
> > Will the next generation catalogue be called a catalogue? What do you
> > call your conception of what should replace your OPAC?
> >
> > I've mentioned before on this list how I've been inspired by Wendy Newman,
> > who first told me about the One Big Library, and Dan Chudnov, himself a
> > believer in the One Big Library, who decided his mission in life was to
> > help people build their own libraries.
> >
> > I phrase it like this: I want to help people build, manage, and share
> > their personal branch of the One Big Library.
> >
> > My short form for this is "catalogue." But where I work, when I talk
> > about a catalogue, people take it as the OPAC. (And we don't have a very
> > good one.) The OPAC is separate from the online journals and electronic
> > resources, so there's some confusion. In my head, it's all the same big
> > crazy goddamn thing, but the word means something different to other
> > folks.
> >
> > I've been thinking that "resource discovery tool" might work, but that's
> > kind of dull. "NGC" sounds like something non-governmental. Do you have
> > a word for it? Maybe "platform" could be worked in somewhere?
> >
> > Bill
> > --
> >
>
Received on Fri Aug 17 2007 - 18:05:15 EDT