[WEB4LIB] Re: library marketing was RE: Google Mail

[Elizabeth Thomsen]

Gimon, Charles A wrote:
> Actually, you can link to Innovative catalog systems with an ISBN pretty
> easily, just as easily as you can to Amazon:
> 
> http://mplwebcat.mplib.org/search/i?SEARCH=156584792X
> 
> This is an example of the sort of Amazon-ish, Barnes-and-Nobleish service
> that many of us already have, we just need to get out the word more...

True, and we certainly should promote this to local groups, for schools 
to use for summer reading lists, etc.  Many of us have also done a lot 
of work with bookmarklets, Firefox search plugins, etc.  For example, 
the following page, which is obviously a little light on content at the 
moment(!), has a link that will install a Firefox search plug-in that's 
a keyword search of our library catalog:
http://www.noblenet.org/firefox/ff_search_plugin.shtml

If people use this, it at least puts us up on the dropdown search box in 
the browser, up there with Amazon, Googles, etc.

But for the links from blogs and other webpages, it's only really local 
groups that are likely to link to our library catalogs.  On my own 
personal projects, I link to Amazon, not for the kick-backs, but to 
provide users with more information, including the basic bibliographic 
information they can use to find and/or request the book from their 
local library.  Plus, of course, all that added content, including 
reviews, related books and my new absolute favorite feature, the 
citations (this book cites 38 other books, this book is cited in 22 
books, with links to see those citations in context-- amazing!)

It's really hard to link to library resources!  I have the same problem 
with articles.  A couple of times I have posted citations to a relevant 
article to a literary, non-library e-mail list.  I find myself writing 
lengthy explanations about which databases I know have this article, 
suggesting that people contact their local library to see if they have 
access to any of these database...it's complicated!

-- 
Elizabeth Thomsen, Member Services Manager
NOBLE: North of Boston Library Exchange
Danvers MA 01923
et at noblenet.org