roy tennant california digital library roy tennant california digital library libraries through the...

Roy TennantCalifornia Digital LibraryRoy TennantCalifornia Digital Library

Libraries Through the Looking-Glass

Libraries Through the Looking-Glass

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, but you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

“But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, but you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.”

My Perspective

• Academic public service • No sacred cows• Optimism tinged with reality• Humor helps

EpisodesEpisodes

What Most Users WantDoing More, and BetterThe Next Bib ThingMetasearchingWhatever Can We Do?

What Most Users WantDoing More, and BetterThe Next Bib ThingMetasearchingWhatever Can We Do?

To find what they wantTo find as much or as little as they needTo experience as little pain as possibleTo not have their time wastedTo have the option to control their experience and make informed decisionsTo be effectively advised and assisted

To find what they wantTo find as much or as little as they needTo experience as little pain as possibleTo not have their time wastedTo have the option to control their experience and make informed decisionsTo be effectively advised and assisted

What Most Users Want*What Most Users Want*

* And what we should be able to give to them

Doing More, and Better

Doing More, and Better

““Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

““I've had nothing yet,”' Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can't I've had nothing yet,”' Alice replied in an offended tone, “so I can't

take more.’”take more.’”

““You mean you can't take less,” said the Hatter: “it's very easy to take You mean you can't take less,” said the Hatter: “it's very easy to take

more than nothing.”more than nothing.”

User Hostile InterfacesUser Hostile Interfaces

3 = first edition;2 = second edition

The Multiple Record Problem

FRBR to the RescueFRBR to the RescueFRBR: Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records, from IFLAA recasting of bibliographic description into levels:

Work Expression (eg., translations)Manifestation (e.g., editions)Item (e.g., copies)

Provides a method to merge related records into a more reasonable screen displayOCLC, RLG, and others are experimenting with it

FRBR: Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records, from IFLAA recasting of bibliographic description into levels:

Work Expression (eg., translations)Manifestation (e.g., editions)Item (e.g., copies)

Provides a method to merge related records into a more reasonable screen displayOCLC, RLG, and others are experimenting with it

Going Beyond the Card Catalog

Going Beyond the Card Catalog

The Next Bib

Thing

The Next Bib

Thing

“Curioser and curioser!” cried Alice.

The MarcRecord

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

"Beware the MarcRecord, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that

catch!Beware the AACR2, and shunThe frumious Vendor!

He took his vorpal sword in hand:Long time the metadata foe he

sought--So rested by the bookdrop,And stood awhile in thought.

The MarcRecord

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

"Beware the MarcRecord, my son!The jaws that bite, the claws that

catch!Beware the AACR2, and shunThe frumious Vendor!

He took his vorpal sword in hand:Long time the metadata foe he

sought--So rested by the bookdrop,And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in cataloger thought he stood,

The MarcRecord, with eyes of flame,Came whiffling through the tulgey

wood,And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

"And has thou slain the MarcRecord?Come to my arm, my beamish boy!O frabjous day! On METS! On MODS!He chortled in his joy.

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

And, as in cataloger thought he stood,

The MarcRecord, with eyes of flame,Came whiffling through the tulgey

wood,And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through

The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back.

"And has thou slain the MarcRecord?Come to my arm, my beamish boy!O frabjous day! On METS! On MODS!He chortled in his joy.

'Twas internet, and the slithy tovesDid google and yahoo in the wabe:All mimsy were the catalogers,and the library directors outgrabe.

* With profuse and abject apologies to Lewis Carroll

Taking a Step Back…Taking a Step Back…

Without preconceptions, what do we really need?We need more than a format, and rules for using that formatWe need an infrastructure that will enable us to do many things we haven’t even imagined yet (see latest issue of Library Hi Tech)

Without preconceptions, what do we really need?We need more than a format, and rules for using that formatWe need an infrastructure that will enable us to do many things we haven’t even imagined yet (see latest issue of Library Hi Tech)

MetasearchingMetasearching

“Let's fight till six, and then have dinner,” said Tweedledum.“Very well,” the other said, rather sadly: “and she can watch us--only

you'd better not come very close,” he added: “I generally hit every thing I can see--when I get really excited.”

“And I hit everything within reach,” cried Tweedledum, “whether I can see it or not!”

“Let's fight till six, and then have dinner,” said Tweedledum.“Very well,” the other said, rather sadly: “and she can watch us--only

you'd better not come very close,” he added: “I generally hit every thing I can see--when I get really excited.”

“And I hit everything within reach,” cried Tweedledum, “whether I can see it or not!”

The ProblemThe Problem

Most users do not care where the information they need comes from, or who provides it…nor should they have to

But our systems presently require them to know how to:

Find the appropriate choicesSelect one or moreUse the unique search options for each

How can we create systems that minimize what the user needs to know to get what they want?

Most users do not care where the information they need comes from, or who provides it…nor should they have to

But our systems presently require them to know how to:

Find the appropriate choicesSelect one or moreUse the unique search options for each

How can we create systems that minimize what the user needs to know to get what they want?

The Promise of MetasearchingThe Promise of Metasearching

The “Holy Grail” of resource discovery: simple to use one-stop shoppingThe simplification of a formerly complex activity (put the complexity in the back end, not the front)Allows the user to focus on evaluating results, not figuring out where to search

The “Holy Grail” of resource discovery: simple to use one-stop shoppingThe simplification of a formerly complex activity (put the complexity in the back end, not the front)Allows the user to focus on evaluating results, not figuring out where to search

Metasearching TodayMetasearching Today

One-stop shoppingBroad subject categories with many databases eachMany false hitsPoor or non-existent ranking

One-stop shoppingBroad subject categories with many databases eachMany false hitsPoor or non-existent ranking

Metasearching TomorrowMetasearching Tomorrow

Tailored portals for specific user needs or topic areasTargets created by libraries for specific purposes (e.g., focused crawling of web sites, harvesting of repositories)Useful results ranking and/or clusteringDynamic selection of sources based on user query

Tailored portals for specific user needs or topic areasTargets created by libraries for specific purposes (e.g., focused crawling of web sites, harvesting of repositories)Useful results ranking and/or clusteringDynamic selection of sources based on user query

Whatever Can We Do?Whatever Can We Do?

“Now here, you see, it takes all the running

you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

“Now here, you see, it takes all the running

you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

Whatever Can We Do?: Directors

Whatever Can We Do?: Directors

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” A. LincolnRead out of our profession (e.g., Business 2.0, Fast Company, etc.)Hire for personality traits (e.g., love of learning) rather than specific skills or experienceHelp staff to constantly retoolUse standing committees for communication and decision-making, and project teams for actual work

“The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present.” A. LincolnRead out of our profession (e.g., Business 2.0, Fast Company, etc.)Hire for personality traits (e.g., love of learning) rather than specific skills or experienceHelp staff to constantly retoolUse standing committees for communication and decision-making, and project teams for actual work

Whatever Can We Do?: Staff

Whatever Can We Do?: Staff

Take responsibility for our own learningLearn as we breatheStrive for flexibility; thrive on uncertaintyMake strategic learning decisionsShare ideas; use wireframes and prototypesRead in and out of the professionNever move at the speed of the organization!

Take responsibility for our own learningLearn as we breatheStrive for flexibility; thrive on uncertaintyMake strategic learning decisionsShare ideas; use wireframes and prototypesRead in and out of the professionNever move at the speed of the organization!

Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.

Alice had begun to think that very few things indeed were really impossible.