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

[Jim Campbell]

Brigham Young
http://www.lib.byu.edu
is a nice example of a Web site that is both a representational homepage for
the library and a tool for finding information - click on the "Search by"
links.
 
- Jim Campbell
 
Digital Access Coordinator and
Librarian for German
University of Virginia Library
Voice: 434-924-4985
E-Mail: Campbell at Virginia.Edu

 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib at webjunction.org 
> [mailto:web4lib at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Randy Norwood
> Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 3:17 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: [WEB4LIB] Library web presence (was Re: Re: In 
> defense of stupid
> 
> 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
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
>