Making the catalogue a good place to be lipstick, cowbells and serendipity Dave Pattern, Library Systems Manager University of Huddersfield [email_address] http://slideshare.net/daveyp

Contents does your OPAC suck? OPAC survey findings experiences at Huddersfield other libraries OPAC 2.0 further OPAC survey findings Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

does your OPAC suck?

OPAC survey findings

experiences at Huddersfield

other libraries

OPAC 2.0

further OPAC survey findings

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Does Your OPAC “Suck”?

“More Cowbell” …huh? “ Used to express that something is deeply lacking oomph... to express that something is far from perfect, needs repair, fixing, rectifying.” ( everything2.com )

The OPAC as a Pig “After all, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still very much a pig.” (Roy Tennant discussing the OPAC, Library Journal , 2005) “Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” (attrib. Robert Heinlein, author)

“After all, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still very much a pig.” (Roy Tennant discussing the OPAC, Library Journal , 2005)

“Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig.” (attrib. Robert Heinlein, author)

Pig Ugly?

“ Kissy, Kissy?”

OPAC Survey (2007) On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is extremely unhappy and 10 is extremely happy), how happy are you with your OPAC? 5.1 

On a scale of 1 to 10 (where 1 is extremely unhappy and 10 is extremely happy), how happy are you with your OPAC?

5.1



OPAC Survey (2007) One criticism of OPACs is that they rarely have cutting edge features that our users expect from a modern web site. On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think your OPAC meets the needs and expectations of your users? 4.5

One criticism of OPACs is that they rarely have cutting edge features that our users expect from a modern web site.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think your OPAC meets the needs and expectations of your users?

4.5

OPAC Survey (2007) On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy do you think one of your average users finds your OPAC is to use? 4.6 On a scale of 1 to 10, how important do you think it is that an OPAC is easy & intuitive to use? 9.2

On a scale of 1 to 10, how easy do you think one of your average users finds your OPAC is to use?

4.6

On a scale of 1 to 10, how important do you think it is that an OPAC is easy & intuitive to use?

9.2

Experiences at Huddersfield definitely not OPAC 2.0 enhancements to the existing OPAC user suggestions from surveys “ 2.0” inspired features borrowing good ideas from other web sites new features launched with no/low publicity “ perpetual beta” required staff buy-in and a willingness to experiment and take risks

definitely not OPAC 2.0

enhancements to the existing OPAC

user suggestions from surveys

“ 2.0” inspired features

borrowing good ideas from other web sites

new features launched with no/low publicity

“ perpetual beta”

required staff buy-in and a willingness to experiment and take risks

Spell Checker we monitored keyword searches over a six month period and discovered approx 23% of searches gave zero results most OPACs present the user with a “dead end” page a good search engine should still give the user options on a failed search (“did you mean?”)

we monitored keyword searches over a six month period and discovered approx 23% of searches gave zero results

most OPACs present the user with a “dead end” page

a good search engine should still give the user options on a failed search (“did you mean?”)

Spell Checker

Keyword Suggestions failed keyword searches are cross referenced with www.answers.com to provide new search suggestions

failed keyword searches are cross referenced with www.answers.com to provide new search suggestions

Keyword Suggestions

Borrowing Suggestions we had details of over 2,000,000 CKOs spanning 10 years stored in the library management system and gathering virtual dust Web 2.0 – “ Data is the Next Intel Inside 1 ” historic circulation data can be mined 2 to uncover the hidden trends and links between potentially disparate library items

we had details of over 2,000,000 CKOs spanning 10 years stored in the library management system and gathering virtual dust

Web 2.0 – “ Data is the Next Intel Inside 1 ”

historic circulation data can be mined 2 to uncover the hidden trends and links between potentially disparate library items

Borrowing Suggestions

Ratings and Comments

Other Editions uses FRBR-y web services provided by OCLC and LibraryThing to locate other editions and related works within local holdings OCLC’s xISBN 1 LibraryThing’s thingISBN 2

uses FRBR-y web services provided by OCLC and LibraryThing to locate other editions and related works within local holdings

OCLC’s xISBN 1

LibraryThing’s thingISBN 2

Other Editions

Email Alerts

RSS feeds

“If you build it, will they come?”

Increase in Usage

Increase in Usage

Lipstick on the Pig “ We need to focus more energy on important, systemic changes rather than cosmetic ones. If your system is more difficult to search and less effective than Amazon.com, then you have work to do. After all, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still very much a pig.” (Roy Tennant, Library Journal , 2005)

“ We need to focus more energy on important, systemic changes rather than cosmetic ones. If your system is more difficult to search and less effective than Amazon.com, then you have work to do.

After all, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still very much a pig.” (Roy Tennant, Library Journal , 2005)

Problems ...Challenges! there was no formal process for discussing and agreeing new OPAC features so we organised a web/library 2.0 afternoon for staff some initial scepticism from staff would users think borrowing suggestions were formal recommendations from the library? aren’t borrowing suggestions just for selling books? how relevant will the suggestions be? would sudden changes confuse users?

there was no formal process for discussing and agreeing new OPAC features

so we organised a web/library 2.0 afternoon for staff

some initial scepticism from staff

would users think borrowing suggestions were formal recommendations from the library?

aren’t borrowing suggestions just for selling books?

how relevant will the suggestions be?

would sudden changes confuse users?

Solutions encourage suggestions from staff include users in decision making process encourage play and experimentation don’t be afraid to make mistakes! look widely for ideas “build crappy prototypes fast” monitor usage if usage is poor then remove it

encourage suggestions from staff

include users in decision making process

encourage play and experimentation

don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

look widely for ideas

“build crappy prototypes fast”

monitor usage

if usage is poor then remove it

Playing and experimenting

Searching for books by colour

Search visualisations

Search visualisations

CKO visualisations

New! Keyword cloud (prototype)

New! Keyword cloud (live OPAC)

Other Libraries Ann Arbor District Library North Carolina State University (Endeca) LibraryThing for Libraries Open Source OPACs

Ann Arbor District Library

North Carolina State University (Endeca)

LibraryThing for Libraries

Open Source OPACs

Ann Arbor District Library early adopter of “2.0” (John Blyberg) OPAC deeply embedded in Library portal virtual catalogue cards (with graffiti!) user tagging, ratings, and reviews borrowing suggestions RSS feeds http:// www.aadl.org /catalog/

early adopter of “2.0” (John Blyberg)

OPAC deeply embedded in Library portal

virtual catalogue cards (with graffiti!)

user tagging, ratings, and reviews

borrowing suggestions

RSS feeds

http:// www.aadl.org /catalog/

North Carolina State University facetted browsing http:// www.lib.ncsu.edu /catalog/ http:// endeca.com

facetted browsing

http:// www.lib.ncsu.edu /catalog/

http:// endeca.com

LibraryThing for Libraries integrates LibraryThing data into the OPAC tags borrowing suggestions other editions www.librarything.com/forlibraries /

integrates LibraryThing data into the OPAC

tags

borrowing suggestions

other editions

www.librarything.com/forlibraries /

Open Source OPACs Scriblio (formerly WPOpac) uses WordPress (blogging software) VuFind uses PHP & MySQL Lucene & Solr Project Backlight (Univ. of Virginia) FacBackOPAC Huddersfield ( blog post )

Scriblio (formerly WPOpac)

uses WordPress (blogging software)

VuFind

uses PHP & MySQL

Lucene & Solr

Project Backlight (Univ. of Virginia)

FacBackOPAC

Huddersfield ( blog post )

The Traditional Vendors Talis Platform “an environment for building next generation applications and services” Ex Libris Primo “one-stop solution for the discovery and delivery of local and remote resources” Innovative Interfaces Encore “goes beyond the online-catalog model to provide a better patron experience ”

Talis Platform

“an environment for building next generation applications and services”

Ex Libris Primo

“one-stop solution for the discovery and delivery of local and remote resources”

Innovative Interfaces Encore

“goes beyond the online-catalog model to provide a better patron experience ”

OPAC 2.0 “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” (Alan Kay, computer scientist and former Xerox PARC researcher) “The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.” (William Gibson, science fiction author and creator of the word “cyberspace”)

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”

(Alan Kay, computer scientist and former Xerox PARC researcher)

“The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.”

(William Gibson, science fiction author and creator of the word “cyberspace”)

OPAC 2.0 shopping list of features: spell checking (“did you mean?”) relevancy ranking, search refining, and facets manual recommendations (“best bets”) automated suggestions (based on both global and user-specific data) user participation (“read-write OPAC”) foster communities of interest

shopping list of features:

spell checking (“did you mean?”)

relevancy ranking, search refining, and facets

manual recommendations (“best bets”)

automated suggestions (based on both global and user-specific data)

user participation (“read-write OPAC”)

foster communities of interest

OPAC 2.0 shopping list of features: improve serendipity expose hidden links between items APIs and Web Services to expose data promote unintended uses user personalisation embed external data (e.g. Wikipedia, LibraryThing) RSS feeds and OpenSearch

shopping list of features:

improve serendipity

expose hidden links between items

APIs and Web Services to expose data

promote unintended uses

user personalisation

embed external data (e.g. Wikipedia, LibraryThing)

RSS feeds and OpenSearch

Quick OPAC Survey – Features Please rate how important you feel the following features are to your users in a modern OPAC. embedding the OPAC in external sites (e.g. portals) 8.7 “ did you mean” spelling suggestions 8.6 enriched content (book covers, ToCs, etc) 8.4 RSS feeds (e.g. new books, searches, etc) 7.8 facetted browsing (e.g. like NCSU Library) 7.4 “ people who borrowed this” suggestions 6.5 user tagging of items (i.e. folksonomy) 6.1 user added comments and reviews 6.0 personalised suggestions (e.g. like Amazon) 5.9 user added ratings for items 5.7

Please rate how important you feel the following features are to your users in a modern OPAC.

embedding the OPAC in external sites (e.g. portals) 8.7

“ did you mean” spelling suggestions 8.6

enriched content (book covers, ToCs, etc) 8.4

RSS feeds (e.g. new books, searches, etc) 7.8

facetted browsing (e.g. like NCSU Library) 7.4

“ people who borrowed this” suggestions 6.5

user tagging of items (i.e. folksonomy) 6.1

user added comments and reviews 6.0

personalised suggestions (e.g. like Amazon) 5.9

user added ratings for items 5.7

Implementation of Features

Features – Future Trends?

Importance (getting soon)

Technology Adoption Lifecycle

Technology Adoption - Now

Technology Adoption – Q1 08?

Importance – UK respondents

Thank you! http://www.daveyp.com/blog/