Coordinator/Presenter: John Wenzler<jwenzler@sfsu.edu> , Electronic Resources Coordinator, San Francisco State University
WebPAC and Web 2.0 handout
WebPAC and Web 2.0 Slides
What can we do with the webpac is it relevant in a web 2.0 world
John Wenzler
Slides will be available online.
The OPACs we have know for the past 20 years or so are basically digitized versions of the card catalog.
See Charles Min’s presentation from last year’s IUG. We have a lot more choice now as we move into web 2.0.
See the paradox of choice for a good read.
The fact that we have more control over the OPAC also will bring more conflict among staff making the decisions in the library.
The OPAC sucks meme
The OPAC sucks video show up on you tube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJD-safYEb0
David Walker’s OPAC Sucks Demo
Specific Complaits – Part I
Lack of context when browsing: hard to see where you are n the index
In the card catalog you had a physical sense of where you where in the structure of the whole catalog.
Less access to experts (i.e Librarians)
With the card catalog you usually had help, i.e, the librarian, there to help. With OPAC you may or may not have that available.
Deceptively non-intimidating user interface
The card catalog users would not feel stupid if they did not know how to use it right off. The OPAC they might, as it looks like the web.
Part II
The OPAC has baggage unlike things like Google and Amazon that were born digital. These are things the OPACs are having a hard time implementing when born digital sources do not.
Relevance Ranking ineffective
Too many complex search options
Poorly integrated with library’s digital resources and with Internet in general
No suggestions or recommendations
Lacks user-generated content such as reviews and ratings
What can we do about it?
Outsource redesign (WebPAC refresher) III can do your OPAC redesign for you.
Hide the WebPAC (behind a “discovery layer”)
Create a digital native version of the OPAC
Enhance the WebPAC
Examples:
Worldcat Local: WebPAC in the Back Office
See wikinomics how mass collaboration changes everything.
For a good read.
Scriblio: An Open-source “wrapper” for WebPAC
Bib records and website all together. Full integration with the campus website. See Plymouth State University
Colrpac: Potential Open-Source Option
At Miami University Libraries
AquaBrowser: Hip Kim for WebPac See King County Library System
Encore: WebPAC as Cyrano de Bergerac
There is a more intimate relationship with this one in terms of access to the native OPAC data then with the others where you have to export the data and keep it in sync.
WebPAC for Data – not for display
Enhancements Overview – to the existing OPAC
• Innovative Interfaces Enhancements
• Third party enhancements
• Home Made Enhancements
III Enhancements InnReach
Lets you see other libraries holdings
III WebBridge/Pathfinder Pro
WebBridge for the OPAC is Pathfinder Pro
This lets your users see outside the library and see other online resources available to them
Pathfinder lets you send any opac data to other sources
Bob Duncan set up WebBridge to send users from PS call numbers to indexes and abs. related to this call number. COOL!! TK points to science databses, etc.
ERM from III
BGSU showing a database tab in the OPAC
Loading all your ejournals into the OPAC also
Metadata Builder
Builds metadata format Dublin core for example
And Media Management to store images.
III Enhancements that help
Spell checking
Patron reviews
Reading history/preferred searches
RSS catalog Feeds
RSS Patron Feeds
Third Party enhancements
LibraryThing
Using AJAX to get suggestions and Tags from LibraryThing
Syndetics
Book jackets
Libex
Plugin for the web browser to add the catalog to it.
Also puts an icon in amazon of books your library owns
Works with Google books too.
Google Books
Integrates book previews into your catalog
Home Made Enhancements: JavaScripts
You need to know JAVA to work with Innovative data because you do not have full access to the server.
Popup JavaScript windows for help
Send bib to text message on cell phones
IM chat window from webopac using a widget
Sending “no entries found” results to WebBridge
Aurora public library using javascript to give facets
See Cambridge libraries and galleries to see some innovations
