Next Generation OPACs Kat Hagedorn Scott Martin Jake Glenn July 12, 2007
Jan 14, 2016
Next Generation OPACs
Kat Hagedorn
Scott Martin
Jake Glenn
July 12, 2007
What is it?
• What do you think?
• In one “definition” *– Not a catalog– Not multiple databases– Utilizes 2.0 services– Built using “things” that are open– Built with the user in mind…always
Mostly, Eric Lease Morgan’s talk http://www.library.nd.edu/daiad/morgan/musings/ngc/
Outline
• Kat: faceted browsing
• Scott: social tagging
• Jake: open data
Faceted browse
• What is it?• AKA faceted classification• AKA hierarchical faceted categories
• “…allows the assignment of multiple classifications to an object, enabling the classifications to be ordered in multiple ways, rather than in a single, pre-determined, taxonomic order.” *
Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faceted_classification
Studies say…
• Facets help users because – “…simultaneously shows previews of
where to go next, and how to return to previous states in the exploration…”
– “…reduces mental work by promoting recognition over recall and suggesting logical but perhaps unexpected alternatives at every turn…”
“Clustering vs. Faceted Categories for Information Exploration”Marti A. Hearst
Catalogs using facets
• Easier to see than say…• NCSU Libraries (sorta) started it all• http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/catalog/• Also have worked to integrate catalog
with quick search on library gateway• http://diglib.org/forums/spring2007/
presentations/sierra.pdf
Catalogs using facets
• McMaster Library Catalogue
• http://libcat.mcmaster.ca/
Catalogs using facets
• Plymouth State University
• http://lamson.wpopac.net/library/
• (not using Endeca, actually built using open source tool WordPress)
Questions? Discussion?
Social tagging
• What is it?– Labelling items using un- or semi-
controlled vocabulary– Ability to view and search other people’s
tags as well as your own
Example: Flickr (http://www.flickr.com)
Tagging in a library: AADL
• http://www.aadl.org/catalog
• Items tagged by AADL patrons
• At present, clearly not representative of AADL holdings
Tagging tools: LibraryThing
• http://www.librarything.com• Flickr for your book collection: enter and tag
titles from your personal bookshelf, and search other users’ collections
• Over 15 million titles cataloged• Integration tools for library OPACs available
(example: http://www.librarything.com/demo_nypl.html)
Tagging tools: PennTags
• http://tags.library.upenn.edu/
• Similar to del.icio.us (tagging Web bookmarks; http://del.icio.us), but limited to UPenn community
• Allows tagging of library catalog items, some journal articles in addition to Web links
Questions? Discussion?
Open Data
“The OPAC Has Left The Building!”
- Christopher Harris (Infomancy)
What Is An OPAC, Anyway?
• Online - because electronic catalogs had previously been offline with terminal access only.
• Public Access - as opposed to private mainframes with usage accounting to track every second of access time.
• Catalog - a set of MARC records (machine-encoded document surrogates).
The Network Reconfigures The Library Systems Environment
Mashupability
“The coolest thing to do with your data will be thought of by
someone else.”
- Jo Walsh & Rufus Pollock (Open Knowledge Foundation)XTech 2007
Who’s Doing This?
• NCSU: CatalogWS
• AADL: PatREST
• Others?
CatalogWS
PatREST
Demo Time
Could We Do It Here?
Yes!
Questions? Discussion?
Don’t forget!
• Please fill out the session feedback form– https://lessons.ummu.umich.edu/2k/mlib20/
nextgenopacs– Available from the Lib2.0 Events page
• This presentation is also on the site• Do your 13 things!
– http://www.lib.umich.edu/lib20/13things.html
• Use the Project Blog to post ideas– http://mblog.lib.umich.edu/lib20projects/
OPAC Feedback
• The Aleph OPAC group wants your feedback! What features would you like to see in a next-generation Mirlyn catalog? Send your thoughts to: