Jim Weinheimer notes that the catalog was designed as an inventory system for specific physical collections that also allowed users to locate items in that collection by author, title, and subject. He says that the system has worked pretty well as it was designed, i.e., designed mostly for well-trained experts, and adds that "users were always more or less helpless." I think I can agree with that.
Basically a library's mission is to organize information and make the information easily accessible to users. I guess maybe I should revise my earlier "catalogs still suck" statement. Catalogs work well as an inventory system that organizes information for use by well-trained experts. But catalogs suck at fulfilling the second part of the library's mission: making the info easily accessible to users. So I guess it's possible for one person to say that catalogs work, and another to say catalogs don't work, and for both people to be right. Just depends on your perspective: are you a well-trained expert or a casual user?
Bernie Sloan
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Received on Wed Feb 06 2008 - 13:51:33 EST