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ERIC Number: EJ960049
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1542-4715
EISSN: N/A
Moving Forward: The Next-Gen Catalog and the New Discovery Tools
Weare, William H., Jr.; Toms, Sue; Breeding, Marshall
Library Media Connection, v30 n3 p54-57 Nov-Dec 2011
Do students prefer to use Google instead of the library catalog? Ever wondered why? Google is easier to use and delivers plenty of "good enough" resources to meet their needs. The current generation of online catalogs has two main problems. First, the look and feel of the interface doesn't reflect the conventions adhered to elsewhere on the web, and the functionality may fall short of current expectations. Second, the online catalog doesn't index the complete array of library collections, so students have to use other tools to access other types of material, such as magazine and journal articles. This article explores two emerging solutions--next-gen catalogs and discovery products. A next-gen catalog provides an intuitive interface designed in accordance with current web standards. It incorporates features such as visually rich displays, virtual shelf browsing, a spell-check function, auto-completion options, and search-term suggestions, as well as social features that encourage patron participation, such as tagging, ranking, and reviews. The discovery products are a new type of software--an interface that layers on top of the library management system (LMS). It provides the capability to simultaneously search for material in the library's local collection, articles in subscription databases, and digital collections managed locally. However, these new products have not been developed primarily for school libraries.
Linworth Publishing, Inc. 480 East Wilson Bridge Road Suite L, Worthington, OH 43085. Tel: 614-436-7107; e-mail: linworth@linworthpublishing.com; Web site: http://www.linworth.com/lmc/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A