[WEB4LIB] Re: Coughing up Coffman

[Dan Lester]

At 07:38 AM 8/25/99 -0700, Laura Cohen wrote:
>One thing that strikes me about Coffman's proposal is that it is infused
>with the ethos of the public library, rather than the academic, special or
>other type of library.

One would hope that the ethos of the academic library, special library, 
etc, should have the SAME ethos for ITS CONSTITUENCY.  No public library 
serves all people in the world.  Same for academic, special, etc.

>2) With local OPACs taking on more and more electronic items (including the
>freebies on the Web), I see the ELL as quite a challenge to navigate. I
>hope this catalog would have the capacity to limit a search to an index,
>say, for books only.

Of course.  Any well done catalog allows you to qualify your search by 
language, format, location, and so forth.

>3) I can envision us getting inundated with requests from people who have
>not read the ELL record carefully and are requesting ILL for reference
>books, books in our special collections unit, building-only books, and
>other types of materials that don't circulate.

Again, a proper system will indicate to the user that those things will not 
circulate.  I don't mean just a display saying that, but that same data 
element blocking the request for such an item.

>This sort of thing happens
>now, but the floodgates would really open if the catalog of the ELL is all
>that anyone had access to.

I wonder if some of the Illinois librarians will comment on this.

>4) Many people just want to see the holdings of their local library, the
>one they are  in at this very moment. They simply want to go into the
>stacks and get a book off the shelf. Let's not forget the needs of these
>folks. How easy will it be to identify these items in the ELL?

Once again, any decent catalog ALREADY allows that.  For examples see 
http://catalyst.boisestate.edu/    That catalog isn't perfect, but it 
allows qualification by location, format, language, date, as well as the 
usual searches by author, title, subject, word, and so forth.  I don't 
really think this catalog is that unusual.  If it is, it shouldn't be.

>In other words, I keep thinking about the fact that libraries are:
>
>         - local institutions

Only if they so limit themselves.

>         - providing access to an increasing number of electronic products 
> that are
>available to (local) affiliated users only

This too can change.  Even Idaho now has statewide database licensing.

cheers

dan

--
Good, Fast, and Cheap: Which two of the three would you like?
Dan Lester, 3577 East Pecan, Boise, ID 83716 USA 208-383-0165
dan at 84.com   http://www.84.com/  http://www.postcard.org/