Library web presence (was Re: [WEB4LIB] Re: In defense of stupid users)

[Randy Norwood]

Well said.

Do you know of some good examples where this approach has been implemented
(even if imperfectly)? Would it be a portal-type front end?

One problem with federated searching, especially as it includes more and
more types of content under its umbrella, is that less-experienced users may
not understand the scope of the "information space" they're in. This
continues to be an issue in the simple situation of users searching the
library web site (the "pages", not the OPAC, databases, journals, etc).
Perhaps this would be overcome if the web site search results were included
and described or presented in such a way that their limitations were clear
to average undergrad level students.


-- 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Randy Norwood
Web  Manager
Texas Tech University Libraries
Office: 806-742-2238  x236
Fax: 806-742-8669
E-mail: randy.norwood at ttu.edu




On 05/06/05 1:33 PM, "William Melody" <w-melody at northwestern.edu> wrote:

> I think there's this assumption that the current library tools meet the
> needs of advanced users.  They don't at all.  I've seen library web
> interfaces that come close to being usable, but very, very
> few.  Researchers of all skill levels use Google because library tools are
> so atrocious.  Federated searching will help, but it's not the ultimate
> solution.  Apple doesn't try to pack all of the functionality of Final Cut
> Pro into an iMovie interface.  If librarians consciously recognized that
> library web interfaces as a whole are web /applications/ that need to have
> UIs that behave as expected, patrons wouldn't be turned off by
> them.  Google isn't going to go anywhere.  Therefore, the natural role of
> the library is as an advanced information retrieval system, and the
> interfaces should reflect that role.
> 
> The web presence of a large academic library (the only kind of library I
> know about) has become a web application to the users, but the user
> interfaces have not caught up.  That's probably the most fundamental
> difference between Google and libraries today: Google recognizes that it is
> an application and immediately provides you with the UI while libraries are
> still stuck in the mind set of web 'pages.'
> 
> - William Melody
> 
> 
> 
> William Melody
> Interlibrary Loan
> Northwestern University Library
> 1970 Campus Dr.
> Evanston, IL   60208-2323
> T. 847.491.3382
> w-melody at northwestern.edu
> www.bibliotheke.org
> 
> 
>