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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Recurso educativo Open Access |
| Language: | en |
| Published: |
2011
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ960049 |
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Table of Contents:
- Moving Forward: The Next-Gen Catalog and the New Discovery Tools Weare, William H., Jr. Toms, Sue Breeding, Marshall School Libraries Online Catalogs Library Services Online Systems Database Management Systems Library Automation Library Development Usability Computer Interfaces Computer System Design Online Searching Navigation (Information Systems) Do students prefer to use Google instead of the library catalog? Ever wondered why? Google is easier to use and delivers plenty of "good enough" resources to meet their needs. The current generation of online catalogs has two main problems. First, the look and feel of the interface doesn't reflect the conventions adhered to elsewhere on the web, and the functionality may fall short of current expectations. Second, the online catalog doesn't index the complete array of library collections, so students have to use other tools to access other types of material, such as magazine and journal articles. This article explores two emerging solutions--next-gen catalogs and discovery products. A next-gen catalog provides an intuitive interface designed in accordance with current web standards. It incorporates features such as visually rich displays, virtual shelf browsing, a spell-check function, auto-completion options, and search-term suggestions, as well as social features that encourage patron participation, such as tagging, ranking, and reviews. The discovery products are a new type of software--an interface that layers on top of the library management system (LMS). It provides the capability to simultaneously search for material in the library's local collection, articles in subscription databases, and digital collections managed locally. However, these new products have not been developed primarily for school libraries.