[Web4lib] google & library catalogs

[Jim Campbell]

I can't answer Karen's question about use of Open WorldCat to get to
libraries, but, as Ina suggested,  there is another alternative and I do
know something about whether that is used.. We have our Open URL resolver
(Sirsi's licensed version of 1cate) turned on in Google Scholar and
elsewhere, and it is set to turn any link identified as a book into a search
of our opac.  I can't easily break out just the Google Scholar book
searches, but overall book links account for ca. 1.4% of all our resolver
uses - 455 of 33.400 uses in 10 days this month.
 
1.4% might suggest little interest in getting to the library catalog from
other types of service, but when you consider the preponderance of articles
over books in most of our indexing and abstracting services, 45 links a day
doesn't sound too bad.
 
We do participate in Open WorldCat and it's a great service, but I'd guess
that our users are more likely to click on a link that mentions this
university specifically rather than a generic library link.
 
   - Jim Campbell
 
   Digital Access Librarian | Librarian for German
   E-Mail: Campbell at Virginia.Edu | Voice: 434-924-4985
 
   Digital Access Services, University of Virginia Library
   http://www.lib.virginia.edu/digital/das/