[Web4lib] Does anyone need a federated OPAC search?

[Marcie Brandriff]

The thing that came to mind first was, just because you might be able to do a federated search of several systems at one doesn't mean you can place requests on items. If the library card barcodes are not in the system, you can't do anything except search. 
 
As a public librarian, I've searched neighboring library systems' opacs since pretty much everyone has an online catalog now. In a couple of places I worked we did have reciprocal agreements, meaning residents of one county could register to use the library in the next county, but items had to be checked out and back in at the location where they were borrowed from. There was no delivery system between counties.
 
Also, there is worldcat.org, that searches libraries closest to you and then radiates out across the country. Not every library system is included, however, so results may be misleading if the user doesn't know that. ILL librarians generally have access to OCLC and can do more detailed searches and actually place requests for their patrons.
 
That doesn't mean a federated search wouldn't be nice, but there are other issues besides simply looking up items.
 
Marcie Pierson Brandriff
Reference Librarian
Grafton Public Library
35 Grafton Common 
PO Box 387
Grafton, MA 01519
508-839-4649
508-839-7726 FAX
mbrandriff at cwmars.org
 
 

________________________________

From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org on behalf of Tim Spalding
Sent: Tue 3/23/2010 11:25 AM
To: web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Web4lib] Does anyone need a federated OPAC search?



Are there any libraries out there who could benefit from a search that
combined two or more OPACs onto one page of results?

I'm looking for people who want it, but aren't actually in the market
for a gazillion-dollar "federated search" solution. I'm thinking there
must be some libraries with reciprocal lending agreements with other
libraries, but no easy unified catalog. I'd particularly like to find
someone with a bunch of different catalogs from different vendors.

This would be free for the life of the test and, if we make a sellable
product, for at least a year after.

Tim

--
Check out my library at http://www.librarything.com/profile/timspalding


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