the lay of the land: libraries at the crossroads roy tennant california digital library
Post on 02-Jan-2016
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More Specifically… I will focus on our primary and most shameful
failure: our inability to provide an easy and effective information locating tool
Remember: only librarians like to search, everyone else likes to find
However, we are failing even to do things we have explicitly tried to do
Let’s take a look at the evidence…
260 Berkley, CA : Library Solutions Press, [c]1993 300 [vii,]134 p. : ill., maps ; 28 cm 500 Includes bibliographic references (p. 32-35) and index 650 0 Internet
250 1st ed 260 Berkley, CA : Library Solutions Press, c1993 300 viii, 134 p. : ill., maps ; 29 cm 500 Includes bibliographic references (p. 32-35) and index 500 "An earlier version of this book was published as a workbook in support of hands-on Internet training workshops." 650 0 Internet
250 1st ed 260 Berkeley, CA : Library Solutions Press, c1993 300 viii, 134 p. : ill. [,maps]; 28 cm 504 Includes bibliographical references (p. 32-35) and index 650 0 Internet -- Handbooks, manuals, etc 650 2 Computer User Training 650 2 Computer Communication Networks
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Typical Searches: Known ItemThe good: searches can be limited to a
particular field: author, title, etc.The bad: limiting to a particular field
doesn’t always act the way you expectThe ugly:
Typical Searches:“A Few Good Things”The one type of search we have so far
ignored in library system designA type of search that we can do
something about todayBring Google-style relevance to library
catalogs
Typical Searches: Comprehensive Most library catalogs hide many things
available via regional cooperative or ILL It is difficult, if not impossible, to search all
appropriate journal databases Most libraries do not provide good access to
gray literature and web sites Subject headings are often unintuitive, and
catalogs give no guidance Catalogs give no chapter-level access to
book content
Some of the Things Most Users Care AboutWhat information resources are accessible to
themWhat they have to offer, in more detail
(contents, index, cover copy, etc.)What others think about themHow much pain they must endure to get themWhat they can expect when they show upWhat they must do with them when they’re
done
Some of the Things Most Users Do Not Care AboutMany of the things we care aboutWhere the information comes fromWho is responsible for providing itQuality, if it means spending a lot of
time and effort to get itDifferences between printings of the
exact same bookThe height of a book (in centimeters!)
What Many Users ExpectA simple search boxAutomatic filters, sorts, and groupings,
and/or some that they can apply Fault-tolerant search systems (“If you
can’t give me exactly what I asked for, do your best to give me what I want”)
Let’s see how fault-tolerant we are…
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -- Africa Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -- epidemiology -- Africa Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome -- transmission AIDS (Disease) -- Africa AIDS (Disease) -- Africa AIDS (Disease) -- Etiology AIDS (Disease) -- Public opinion AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects AIDS (Disease) in mass media Arts and society -- History -- 20th century Culture -- Philosophy Ethnic arts Marginality, Social -- History -- 20th century Mass Media Minorities in art Prejudice Public Opinion Race Relations Racism
Recap on Library Catalogs We cannot claim to support any of the top
three main types of searches well Our systems work inconsistently and
demonstrably incoherently Other bibliographic search systems (e.g.,
Amazon) demonstrate how pitiful our systems are to our users
We have taken very few steps toward fixing our broken systems
What We Have A computerized card catalog focused on inventory
control Non-standard database records Systems that don’t interoperate In union catalogs, multiple catalog records for the
same book An A&I database Tower of Babel Haphazard attempts to provide access to web sites Limited experiments providing access to gray
literature
What We Must Do We should design our systems for 80% of our user
needs, not 20% We must design the public view of our catalogs for
searching, not inventory control We should stop worrying about things that don’t matter
(e.g., book measurements) and start worrying about things that do (e.g., our inability to use one record per book)
We must think imaginatively and critically about how to design useful search systems
We need to design systems to integrate access, not fracture it
The Road Not (Yet) TakenCreate effective methods to put users in
touch with what they need, wherever it can be found
Design fault-tolerant, multi-purpose systems
Build for interoperabilityStrive for the Holy Grail of Librarianship:
one-stop searching for everything
How We Can Give it To Them
OAI-CompliantArchives
GoogleWorldCat on
SteroidsSerial
Databases
DigitalLibrary
Collections
The Integration Engine
The UserInterface
OnlineReference
Local Circulation Systems
The Integration Engine Requirements:
Parse the query for each database Sort, organize, and de-dup the results Rank according to perceived relevance Be fault-tolerant (do the best it can with what it’s
given)
Targeted search engines may be better: Specific topic areas “A few good things” vs. Comprehensive
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