[Web4lib] Stockholm: Great Library website

[Sebastian Hammer]

Ian Ibbotson wrote:

>It might also be worth dropping a line to Seb or Adam at index data
>(www.indexdata.dk). A few years ago I think they were involved in a
>really cool kids opac project that merged a chat room and an opac.. It
>resulted in a really neato flash client that the kids loved.
>  
>
Hi Ian!     :-)

I totally don't know if this  ageing and not always stable demonstrator
of the client will take the load of a large user influx, but for what
it's worth, and if anyone's interested, it's at
http://test.indexdata.com/yakpac/ (requires Flash; won't work with
firewalls that restrict outgoing traffic to nonstandard ports). The demo
is set to hit the LoC catalog, but it isn't well tuned to the nature of
those record, so results don't always look as pretty as they should.

In a nutshell, it's probably the world's only Z39.50 client with a wink
in its eye. It can be adapted to work with any server, and can use NCIP
to interface with a circ system. It was developed both as the kid's
interface to a web indexing project, and as the children's OPAC for an
ILS on the Danish market, in which role it is still in active
development and in production in several public libraries.

The chat function was developed in response to analysis that indicated
that kids were more likely to consult with peer groups to find
information than they were to use a catalog, so we sought different ways
to integrate communication and relationships into the catalog
environment (this was before Web 2.0, mind you all). So we included a
chat environment, that would also show what other users were searching
at the moment, and would highlight interesting search terms in the chat
window (doesn't work optimally in the demonstrator), plus an ability to
maintain your own private or public, named book shelves, and to write
reviews of books or websites.

I believe it was a pretty successful, early project that made good use
of Flash's XML support and mechanisms for integrating with advanced
server-side logic. Flash, once you get past the flash, is a remarkably
powerful graphical client/server development environment -- in many ways
more pleasant to work with and more mature-feeling than Ajax.

All the best,

--Sebastian

>Ian.
>
>On Wed, 2007-02-21 at 15:22 -0500, Tim Spalding wrote:
>  
>
>>Anders et al.,
>>
>>Since we have at least one actual Scandinavian on board, I have a
>>question. Does anyone know anything about the state of libraries and
>>library catalogs in Denmark?
>>
>>I'm going to a conference in Aarhus on March 6
>>(http://www.aakb.dk/sw104454.asp), and doing a talk on "making your
>>OPAC fun." (Richard Wallis is doing one too, on mashups.)
>>Unfortunately, I know zilch about Denmark and libraries. I think I'm
>>the designated ignorant American, but it would be nice to have some
>>context.
>>
>>Can I assume that Danish librarians will be up on the Swedish scene
>>and will know about the Stockholm Public Library catalog? The
>>languages are largely mutually intelligible, right?
>>
>>Tim
>>
>>On 2/21/07, Anders Ericson <anders.ericson at norskbibliotekforening.no> wrote:
>>    
>>
>>>Just some minor comments on parts of Scott's last message, as long he
>>>invites to it:
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Clicking on Skönlitteratur (first category, upper left, roughly 'fine
>>>>literature') brings up this page,
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>The direct translation of 'Skönlitteratur' is 'fine literature', as Scott
>>>says, but in real life it is simply Fiction! Novels, drama, poetry; the
>>>whole package
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>Under the first entry is Läs böcker du inte får läsa ('Read books you
>>>>may not have read' or 'have not read' or 'may not have gotten to read')
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>Neither, I'm sorry to say. But: 'Read books you're not allowed/supposed to
>>>read'--- He refers to and copies the ALA list of banned books... it's not
>>>Swedish at all!
>>>
>>>The rest is all fine, Scott!
>>>
>>>Best wishes,
>>>Anders Ericson
>>>
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>>>http://lists.webjunction.org/web4lib/
>>>
>>>      
>>>
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>>    
>>
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>  
>

-- 
Sebastian Hammer, Index Data
quinn at indexdata.com   www.indexdata.com
Ph: (603) 209-6853 Fax: (866) 383-4485