[Web4lib] Role of the OPAC (was: library automation vendors)

[Elena OMalley]

David Walker wrote:
> I think the essential mistake we make with the OPAC, or library catalog,
> is to treat it as a single system.  This is problematic on two levels:
>
> (1) Our users don't know what a "library catalog" is.
> 
> How do I find books in a library?  Through the library catalog, of
> course.  But you can only say "of course" because you already know that.
> The freshman walking thru the doors of our library this fall don't have
> that knowledge. (It's amazing to me that the word "books" doesn't appear
> on many library home pages.  If it's not easy to find books in a
> library, you know you're in trouble!)

Dave,

Your point about metasearching and grouping by subject/content rather than
by format is well-taken. I'm just going to nitpick a side point.

User populations vary. Ours, year after year on usability tests, immediately
clicked on "library catalog" when asked "find a book about blah." So, we
don't use the word "books" in our link, and it doesn't seem to trouble our
users. For us, "library catalog" is "good enough," and we focus more about 
the terminology of other things. 

I'm not that amazed that many library home pages don't include the word "books." 
The patrons of one of our consortium's libraries do most of their research 
in journals not books, and most of the music library's patrons want scores, 
librettos, CDs, etc. "Book" can have a narrower definition to a music student 
than it does to librarians. If those libraries used the word "books" for their 
catalog links -- students might never click them. :)

Cheers,
Elena O'Malley
__
Head of Library Computer and Internet Services
Emerson College Library, Boston, MA 02116