Users’ Perspectives of Next Generation Library Catalogs

1. Users’ Perspectives of Next Generation Library Catalogs Kevin Ho Catherine Kwok June 25, 2008HKUST Library

2. Outline • Part I • Perceptions of Library & OPAC • How Bad Is OPAC? • What is a Next Generation Catalog? • Demo on a commercial NGC • Part II • Demo on HKUST Scriblio • What Do We Think? • Other Desirable Features • Q & A HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

3. For many years …… • The Library Catalog: • Is the primary means of locating library’s collections. • Display the holdings of the library. • Over the last decades, the catalog’s functions have • evolved a lot. Now, catalogs also act as an access • mechanism to resources beyond the library. HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

4. Perceptions of Library & OPAC • In 2005, OCLC conducted a study and found: • 89% of college students uses search engine. Only 1 % use library website to begin information search. • Use the library less and more time spent on Internet. • Search engines fit users’ lifestyle better than physical or • online libraries. • 90% of study respondents are with search engines. • Search satisfaction has a strong correlation with the • quality & quantity of information returned in search • process. HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

5. How Bad Is OPAC?

6. The OPAC Sucks Recorded by: the anAACRonisms the OPAC sucks, that's all i gotta say i'm getting bad results. don't act like it's my fault the OPAC sucks, a sad calamitylike it's stuck in 8 million b.c. the OPAC sucks so bad that it's a crime what does it want from me?i'm stumbling blindly the OPAC sucks, people are confusedit runs amok, committing its abuse the OPAC sucks, that's all i gotta say ... (Lyrics and music: Brian Smith) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJD-safYEb0) you’re outta luck if you can’t spell “Hemingway” the title that I seek is buried very deep the law is broken “save the reader’s time” years and years and years ago, computers replaced cards how come find what I want is still so goddamn hard?

7. So What’re the Problems? • Made for librarians, not patrons. • Best for “known-item” searching , not topic searching. • No relevance ranking. • Most catalog search results are simply ranked last-in/first-out. • No cutting edge features (e.g. Blog, Wikis & RSS feeds) • Too much text and Boolean-based • More… HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

8. What is a Next Generation Catalog?

9. Characteristics of NGCs • A Next Generation Catalog (NGC) should: • Provide simple search interface • Relevance ranking • Drill down through a large result list • Include Web 2.0 functionalities • Eye-catching & Feature-rich environment HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

10. Examples of Next Generation Catalogs • Aquabrowser – University of Chicago • Encore – Michigan State, Kentucky University • Endeca – NCSU, McMaster University, Phoenix Public Library • Evergreen – University of Prince Edward Island. [open source] • ExLibris Primo – Université du Québec • Koha – Northeast Kansas Library [open source] • OCLC Worldcat Local – University of Washington • Polaris Library System – Dallas Public Library • Scriblio – HKUST, Plymouth State University [open source] HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

11. Demo on Phoenix Public Library Catalog

12. Web 2.0 Library OCLC Next Generation Catalog E-books Hong Kong University of Science & Technology Workshop Innovative Electronic Resources Encore Search WebBridge Collections System Collection Highlights HKALL My Library Catalog Account ISBN Author Description & Reviews e-Journals OCLC Worldcat Ranking Scriblio CJK HKUST E-Theses Course Reserve Alumni Special Collections RSS Feeds Feedback Cataloguing Ask a Librarian Information Resources Microfilm Wi-Fi Acquisition Tag Clouds Google Bibliographic Records Marc Blogging Experimental Static vs Dynamic Access Services Keyword Faceted Browsing Subject Headings Institutional Repository DSS Boolean & Truncation Access Points Guides to Resources Collections e-Resources Periodicals Reference Call Number Beta Unicode Users’ Perspective HKUST Library June 2008 Customization

13. Demo on HKUST Scriblio http://catalog.ust.hk

14. Main Scriblio Features • Search • Google-like search box • Support Unicode • Search all record contents • Results • Clustering of results into facets • Relevance ranking • 25 records per page, customizable • Maximum retrieval of 1,000 records HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

15. Main Scriblio Features • A Record is made up of both static + dynamic content: • Static (pre-loaded) Bib info, Amazon book cover & descriptions, tags, • related items • Dynamic (real-time) • Holdings, library links, Google Books+Preview HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

16. Static vs Dynamic Content HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

17. Web 2.0 Features • Users comments & RSS feeds • Tag clouds: mouse over for no. of hits • Search suggestion • Did you mean? vs No entries found • More like this  Related items • Forward search: WB, HKALL, Worldcat, Google Scholar • Link to Amazon summary, book covers & Google Books HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

18. What Do We Think?

19. This is So Cool • Simple, intuitive • Google-like search box • No more Boolean, no more search forms • Visually more attractive, large-font tag clouds • Discover by serendipity, just click here & there • Some Web 2.0 integration • Permalinks of comments, full records HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

20. Other Desirable Features

21. Search • Optional advanced search: author, title, call • number for finding known items • Search suggestions sometimes fail • Federated search with subscription resources • Narrow search vs Expand search HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

22. Known Item Search Comes up 24th HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

23. McMasterUniversity Michigan State University HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

24. … Display • Allows some degree of customization, show/hide • Options for sorting results: relevance, title, date, • circulation frequency • More visual cues • Fat vs slim brief records • Better navigation aids: next, previous, back HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

25. Phoenix Public Library HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

26. Fat vs Slim HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

27. … Facets & Search Bar • Add language as browsable facets • Link to Reserve mode • Add Scriblio link on browser’s instant search bar HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

28. … More Enriched Content • Link to review sites for feature films HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

29. … More Personalized Functions • Record searches, folders, user tagging, sharing • [ Mystuff in Ask.com, Worldcat, LibraryThing ] • One login to perform all personalized functions • RSS feeders and social bookmarking HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

30. HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

31. HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

32. HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

33. Visit Our DEL.CIO.US Bookmarks http://del.icio.us/ust_ngc Blogs, articles, presentations HKUST Library – Scriblio Workshop 2008

34. Thank You Q & A