This is absolutely right, and this is the thinking behind much of what
Lorcan Dempsey has been advocating for quite some time.
We, i.e. libraries, including of course [public libraries,. Must take
the library to the people, and not expect the user or potential user, to
go via 'our' web access. It must be there and in the face of who ever
happens to be using another source such as those mentioned.
Unfortunately the thinking behind Blueprint and the Potts ILL ideas are
so yesterday and hold hat.
As we can so frequently observe things, society, people have moved on
and expect to be able to roam the web, the world etc at their own time
and place. To survive we must engage with current attitudes and
practices and make the public library part of the world the population
is roaming about in. We cannot afford to be on coat tails. A more
National approach would make such sense, and lots of good examples are
there both for catalogue access and order and delivery of books, but the
pieces need a strategic joining up.
I don't want to read about any more visions which are not based upon a
clear strategy, making the most of the best that is out there and
building new paradigms in a short time scale and not over years, when
during that elapsed time everyone else has moved on. As Lynne Bindley
said in her address to Umbrella, 'Just do It'., she said "the technology
and conditions are there to be taken advantage of and it is better to
make a decision to do something than wait for nothing to happen"!! So
MLA and the sector as a whole 'Just do it', but NOW, and new!
f
f
-----Original Message-----
From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ken Chad
Sent: 18 July 2007 17:35
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Amazon as primary catalogue
I think Michael is on exactly the right lines--library holdings should
be able to be plugged into a variety of 'bibliographic'
resources--Amazon, Abebooks (probably a better backstock of out of print
material than almost any public library) Google etc. Openlibrary.org is
another example -still in prototype but with big ambitions. Another
point raised by the availability of these services that no libraries
should be *paying* for a bibliographic catalologue. After all now they
are free! (complete with reviews, bookjackets, suggestions etc). What
the library needs from a vendor is not a local OPAC but rather a service
to get their holdings added to a variety (not justy one) of the existing
free 'catalogues' (so the Amazon 'plug-in'
that Michael mentions is a start).
But they key (and what *is* worth paying for) is an easy to use
*library* fulfilment mechanism that lets a member of the public request
and borrow the book. I'd like to go onto Amazon or Abe or
Openlibrary.org etc and either key in my credit card to buy the book
(new or secondhand) or alongside that have something just as simple to
borrow it (for free? home delivery?). The Openlibray.org site gives an
example of this. I guess that means some form of *national * library
entitlement card/or id. And here, in my view the only sensible national
aggregation is a *UK* one.
I've just done an article for CILIP Gazette along these lines.....(to be
published 27 July). I know the national fulfilment bit raises a lot of
political and admin issues but surely from a *user's* perspective it's
what we ought to be doing. Maybe doing it for the whole of the UK is too
much in one go. (the Irish have manged it but of course Ireland is
smaller). Maybe some libraries could work together to get the technology
and processes worked out--maybe try out some alternatives in different
regions or whatever. Seems to me libraries are doing a lot of great
cooperative work (including cross sector stuff) but it's time to raise
the game.
Ken
Ken Chad Consulting. www.kenchadconsulting.com
>From: "Stead, Michael" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: "Stead, Michael" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Amazon as primary catalogue
>Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:17:38 +0100
>
>There's a free Firefox plugin on the Talis website that inserts library
>holdings into Amazon:
>
>http://www.talis.com/tdn/greasemonkey/amazon-libraries
>
>It's been available for a year or so. You can insert holdings from a
>large selection of UK libraries into Amazon, or you can make your own
>subset. You get a little box at the side of the screen, with links to
>holdings at the library/ies of your choice. It's all quite seamless
>and completely painless.
>
>It's probably safe to assume that most of us don't have Firefox at
>work, but this is a step in the right direction imho... Save the time
>of the user and all that. If someone is already looking for books on
>Amazon, we can effectively take our stock *to* them, rather than hoping
>they come to us afterwards. Provided that they've installed the
>plugin, obviously.
>
>The Amazon interface has many advantages over pretty much any OPAC I've
>seen, and I'm a confirmed OPAC nerd. I'm not sure about the older
>books problem - with the increasing prevalence of Marketplace sellers
>and their secondhand stock, I think it's becoming less of an issue.
>
>All opinions are my own, etc.
>
>Michael.
>
>*************************************
>Michael Stead
>e-Resources Librarian
>Bolton, Trafford and Wigan Libraries
>T 01204 338761
>E [log in to unmask]
>Winner: Young Librarians of the Future
>http://www.lovelibraries.co.uk/librarians.php
>
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: lis-pub-libs: UK Public Libraries
>[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Loz Pycock
>Sent: 15 July 2007 21:53
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [LIS-PUB-LIBS] Amazon as primary catalogue
>
>Gareth Osler wrote:
> > I listened to an audio mp3 download of the following:
> >
> > "A Library WOT and SWOT" University of Washington Information
> > School,
>Dean
> > Emeritus and Professor: Mike Eisenberg
> > http://www.ifla.org/VII/s46/conf/SeattleProgram.htm (scroll down
> > page
>to
> > final day's 'Keynote address')
> >
> > Eisenberg talked about software that enabled someone to find a book
>using
> > the Amazon catalogue and then see if their local library had a copy.
> > Eisenberg suggested that we drop the traditional online library
>catalogue
> > and let people use Amazon instead.
> >
> >
> > Gareth Osler
> > Livepool
> >
> >
>But what about when people are looking for older books that aren't on
>something like Amazon (which is also the main complaint against Tim
>Coates and his 'library? That's a funny way to spell 'bookshop''
>attitude)? I'd rather encourage something like 'Whats in London's
>Libraries' as people's first port of call for searching for a title and
>then seeing which libraries have it.
>
>--
>- --
>Loz
>
>"'I'm sorry sir, if I don't probe your anus, the terrorists win.'"
>- Noah Schachtman on BoingBoingBoing 11.
>"I felt as if I was in a cage." - Paris Hilton on being in prison,
>26/06/07
>
>
>
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