[Web4lib] Library Announces Real "Library 2.0" Application

[Chris Alhambra]

I agree.  This has got to be an April fools gag.  Do away with MARC?  This
is almost as good as Google's Virgle offer to take you to Mars:
http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html

-Chris

2008/4/1 Smith, Gemma <Gemma.Smith at wichita.edu>:

> April Fools joke?
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Gemma Blackburn
> Library Systems Developer
> Wichita State University Libraries
> Phone: (316) 978-5104
> Fax: (316) 978-3048
> Skype: gemmablackburn79
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org [mailto:
> web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Stewart Baker
> Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 12:38 PM
> To: web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: [Web4lib] Library Announces Real "Library 2.0" Application
>
> Full story with screenshots is available at my blog:
> http://infomancy.net/tomes/blogs/index.php?blog=2&m=20080401
>
> *Library announces real "Library 2.0" application*
>
> In what is being universally billed as a surprise move, a large public
> library in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area has revealed what it
> calls "a real library 2.0 application". The library, which wishes to
> remain
> anonymous in order to avoid controversy, added the homebrew application to
> its website earlier this morning.
>
> The program is called YouCat, and allows any of the library's patrons―or
> indeed anyone at all―to add to, delete from, and perform other actions on
> the library's catalogue. An image link was added on to the home page of
> the
> library, inviting users to sign up for the new service and give it a try.
> A
> link was also added into the OPAC's main page, and a smaller link,
> captioned
> "CatIt!" was added into the OPAC record of each item.
>
> The library director, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, has a very
> positive outlook for the program. "Quite frankly," he said, "I think it's
> a
> great step. Libraries are finally starting to catch up to the rest of the
> internet in terms of interactivity. We can now meet patrons on their own
> ground, and that means better communication and better service."
>
> Not all the library staff was so positive, though. The cataloguing
> department members we spoke to were visibly upset. They mentioned the
> usual
> wiki problems of vandalism and amateurism, as well as the added problem of
> the specialised format of MARC records. "A 100, a 110, a 130, how is a
> patron going to know the difference?" one cataloguer griped. Pink slips
> were
> seen on many desks in the office, which only added to the dissatisfaction
> in
> the air.
>
> When we brought up these complaints to the director, though, he refused to
> give them any credibility. "Some people," he remarked, "just live to
> obstruct progress." When we asked about the layoffs, he cited the proposed
> California budget cuts and an increasing cost of living, which in turn
> means
> higher salaries. "YouCat will easily fill the shoes of those people who
> leave, and at a third of the cost," he insisted. "We're just so excited to
> be on the cutting edge of library 2.0."
>
> But will the service be as successful as hoped? Usage statistics from
> earlier this morning imply that it may be a flop. Of the 200 users who
> registered and logged in, only 10 made any changes to the MARC records. At
> least 60% of these changes were completely wrong, and had to be reverted
> by
> 'Mike', the sole remaining cataloguer, who was kept on to police the
> system
> and make sure that nobody vandalises the library's catalogue records.
>
> 'Mike' told us that he thought the system was performing about as he had
> expected. "There will always be some teething issues with a new service or
> software package," he said. "I think that the opaque quality of MARC
> records
> is causing a couple of problems, but patrons will grow used to the system
> as
> time goes on. We're also going to make the link to the LoC MARC site much
> more prominent, and someone in technical services is creating a simple
> 'how-to' guide." If the problem doesn't improve, 'Mike' told us that there
> is a real possibility MARC will be phased out in favour of a more
> "user-friendly" format.
>
> The library director felt the same way. "We feel sure," he said, "that
> patrons will become quite adept at the system in a short period of time.
> Wikipedia had plenty of problems when it started out, and look at it now!
> We
> have no doubt at all that YouCat will be just as popular, and become just
> as
> important a tool for libraries everywhere." A 'global' version of YouCat,
> billed as "kind of a hybrid between Wikipedia and WorldCat" is also in the
> works, and the library invites anybody who wants the one-library version
> of
> the software to contact them for pricing options.
>
> As with all such changes, only time will tell whether this latest foray
> into
> the world of "Library 2.0″ will succeed or fail.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Enjoy, and have a pleasant day.
>
> --
> Stewart Baker
> CSUDH Library
> Web Services/Reference Librarian
> Stewart.C.Baker at gmail.com
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