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Jonathan Rochkind | 1 May 2008 20:04
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Uniform titles

Interesting essay from Thom Hickey on uniform titles, which echoes some
of the things some of us have been talking about about trying to use our
existing data for purposes it is not in fact suitable for, why some
changes are in fact needed.

http://outgoing.typepad.com/outgoing/2008/04/frbr-and-unifor.html

"AACR2 lists four uses for uniform titles, but the most common is to
group items that appear with multiple titles under a single heading.
Works such as /Don Quixote/ that are published in multiple languages and
under hundreds of different titles benefit from this.  Unfortunately,
when trying to group manifestations into works, uniform titles do not
always correspond to what anyone would consider a work."

[...]

This isn't our first abandonment of the 240 field.  WorldCat Identities
<http://worldcat.org/identities/>originally preferred the 240 to the 245
for the work display. Unfortunately relatively few people benefited from
seeing /Prestuplenie i nakazanie/ instead of /Crime and Punishment/, so
we switched to using the most common form of the 245 for display.

[...]

--
Jonathan Rochkind
Digital Services Software Engineer
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
410.516.8886
(Continue reading)

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Eric Lease Morgan | 2 May 2008 22:06
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google onebox, "next generation" library catalogs, and interpreting queries

I have been thinking about Google Onebox technology, "next
generation" library catalogs, and interpreting user queries.
Specifically, I think the techniques behind Google Onebox technology
could easily be implemented in "next generation" library catalogs.

Google Onebox [1, 2] is a technique for providing enhanced services
against a locally implemented Google Appliance. It is also
implemented against the Google index itself. Through the Onebox
technique, Google looks at the shapes of queries and passes them off
to other, outside search engines combining the results with typical
index results. Many queries have particular patterns. Many of these
are defined by Google itself. [3] I have begun creating a Onebox for
our local Google Appliance. Enter a couple of words. By default it
searches the local personnel (LDAP) directory, and if a match is
found it returns a name, email address, and telephone number. If
nothing is found, then no harm done.

Similar things could be done against library-related indexes. Does
the query look like an ISBN number? Do in ISBN number search. Does
the query fit a name in your authority list? Return an authority
record. Does the query look like a citation? Find the article. Is
there a comma between the first and second word, then consider
changing the query on the fly to an author search.

The power of this technique is two-fold. One, it does not necessitate
the inclusion of all your content in a single index, although that is
something I advocate. Two, the technique allows you to bring back
answers instead of pointers to answers. Instead of bringing you back
a HTML page that night contain the email address and telephone
number, it returns those things directly.
(Continue reading)

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Kraus, Hilary | 14 May 2008 23:41
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Integrating Google Book Search content into OPACs

Hello,

I chair the committee responsible for customizing the look and feel of
the I-Share OPAC (https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/uc), and there's a
lot of interest in our group and related committees for integrating the
Google Book Search content into our system. We're currently purchasing
similar content from Syndetics (book covers, TOCs, etc.), and our goal
would be to offer links to both sources from individual records.

As we determine how best to implement this feature for our users, we're
looking for examples of OPACs that have added buttons or links for the
Google content; if those OPACs also have links to content from
additional providers, so much the better.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
Hilary Kraus,
DePaul University Libraries
I-Share Users' Group OPAC Team
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Bill Kelm | 14 May 2008 23:47
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Re: Integrating Google Book Search content into OPACs

Hilary,

  We have implemented Google Books and Amazon in our catalog. Here is a
sample:

http://library.willamette.edu/search~S1/c?SEARCH=DF+229+.T5+J6#

Bill

Kraus, Hilary wrote:
> Hello,
>
> I chair the committee responsible for customizing the look and feel of
> the I-Share OPAC (https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/uc), and there's a
> lot of interest in our group and related committees for integrating the
> Google Book Search content into our system. We're currently purchasing
> similar content from Syndetics (book covers, TOCs, etc.), and our goal
> would be to offer links to both sources from individual records.
>
> As we determine how best to implement this feature for our users, we're
> looking for examples of OPACs that have added buttons or links for the
> Google content; if those OPACs also have links to content from
> additional providers, so much the better.
>
> Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Sincerely,
> Hilary Kraus,
> DePaul University Libraries
> I-Share Users' Group OPAC Team
(Continue reading)

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Cab Vinton | 14 May 2008 23:51
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Data integrity testing

Hi, All:

We're migrating to a new ILS (Koha) and a test database has just gone online.

I'm wondering if there's a standard set of routines that we should
apply to the database to check how smoothly our data migrated.

I've been doing a number of title, author, subject, ISBN, etc.
searches, for a variety of item formats, checking the appearance of
the Results & Item displays, etc. But I'm wondering what I might be
missing by using such a seat-of-the-pants process.

Grateful for any suggestions that would help me identify whatever
issues may be lurking.

With thanks,

Cab Vinton
Sanbornton Public Library
Sanbornton, NH
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Monika Bargmann | 14 May 2008 23:59
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Re: Integrating Google Book Search content into OPACs

Dear colleagues,

this is my first post to the ngc4lib list, so I will introduce myself
beforehand. I am from Austria, graduated in library and information
science in 2002 and, until February, worked in the library of the
University of Applied Sciences Burgenland. Since then, I work in the
Vienna City Library. I am currently concerned with putting various
catalogue enrichment ideas into practice.

Concerning the integration of Google Book Search into an OPAC: in the
library catalogue of my former employer you will find an individually
adapted link to Google Book Search on a full title view page. The OPAC
can be found at http://opac.fh-burgenland.at/.

Monika Bargmann

Vienna City Library
Print Collection
Rathaus, A-1082 Vienna
http://www.wienbibliothek.at/
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Kyle Banerjee | 15 May 2008 00:08
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Re: Data integrity testing

> I'm wondering if there's a standard set of routines that we should
> apply to the database to check how smoothly our data migrated.
>
> I've been doing a number of title, author, subject, ISBN, etc.
> searches, for a variety of item formats, checking the appearance of
> the Results & Item displays, etc. But I'm wondering what I might be
> missing by using such a seat-of-the-pants process.

Generally speaking, it's best to identify a bunch of records with
different properties (e.g. serials with a zillion items attached,
something with electronic holdings, stuff in foreign character sets,
summary holdings statements, etc). Also, migrate a test record with
every field you can think of to see if it indexes properly. I don't
know how complex your data was before, but it's a good idea to ask
staff what they're concerned will not make it -- when you do a
migration, "creative" (i.e. nonstandard) use of data points will bite
you in the butt. Don't forget to make sure the right call numbers are
displaying. Most libraries retain all kinds of call numbers that they
don't use, so if you index the wrong one, you've got some serious
problems...

Typically, migrating bib data is a pretty straightforward process and
unless you've misconfigured something, you're probably OK. However,
serials and acq data are far more complex so you'll have to look at
that closely. I've never seen checkin data get migrated smoothly
before, but it's probably happened somewhere. I hope you didn't try to
migrate live circ data since that rarely works out well.

Be aware that fields associated with bib, item, patron, and order
information will not be the same in the old system as the new one.
(Continue reading)

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Karen Tschanz | 15 May 2008 01:15

Re: Integrating Google Book Search content into OPACs

Hi, Hilary:

This topic also interests us. We'd like to request that suggestions be posted to the list. Thanks! kst

Karen S. Tschanz,  M.L.S., M.B.A., M.S.O.D.
Asst. Prof./Chair, Content Management
Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D., Library, AB-241
Medical College of Georgia
1451 Laney-Walker Boulevard
Augusta, GA 30912
Phone: (706) 721-9912
Fax: (706) 721-6006
E-mail: ktschanz <at> mail.mcg.edu

>>> "Kraus, Hilary" <HKRAUS <at> DEPAUL.EDU> 05/14/2008 5:41 PM >>>
Hello,

I chair the committee responsible for customizing the look and feel of
the I-Share OPAC (https://i-share.carli.illinois.edu/uc), and there's a
lot of interest in our group and related committees for integrating the
Google Book Search content into our system. We're currently purchasing
similar content from Syndetics (book covers, TOCs, etc.), and our goal
would be to offer links to both sources from individual records.

As we determine how best to implement this feature for our users, we're
looking for examples of OPACs that have added buttons or links for the
Google content; if those OPACs also have links to content from
additional providers, so much the better.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
(Continue reading)

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Bill Jordan | 15 May 2008 01:21

Re: Integrating Google Book Search content into OPACs

Hilary,

On Wed, 14 May 2008 at 16:41, Kraus, Hilary wrote:
> As we determine how best to implement this feature for our users, we're
> looking for examples of OPACs that have added buttons or links for the
> Google content; if those OPACs also have links to content from
> additional providers, so much the better.

worldcat.org does that now with links to google books and to amazon.  see
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/777896&referer=brief_results for an example.

worldcat local has a slightly different presentation (and we don't have
the amazon links turned on) -- see
http://uwashington.worldcat.org/oclc/777896&referer=brief_results

worldcat local inherits this functionality from the worldcat.org platform.
we didn't have to do anything -- when it was implemented for
worldcat.org, it showed up for our worldcat local instance as well.

--Bill

****************************************************************
William Jordan
Associate Dean
University of Washington Libraries
Resource Acquisition and Description/
Information Technology Services
Box 352900, Seattle, WA 98195-2900
Voice: (206) 685-1625   Fax: (206) 543-5457
****************************************************************
(Continue reading)

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Mike Rylander | 15 May 2008 02:03
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Re: Integrating Google Book Search content into OPACs

On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 5:41 PM, Kraus, Hilary <HKRAUS <at> depaul.edu> wrote:
[snip]
> As we determine how best to implement this feature for our users, we're
> looking for examples of OPACs that have added buttons or links for the
> Google content; if those OPACs also have links to content from
> additional providers, so much the better.

The next major release of Evergreen will have integrated GBS browse
available by default.  You can see it in action here.*  The cover art
there is provided by Syndetics, but as you can see, there are "Browse
in Google Book Search" links available for those titles that Google
has available.

Because Amazon recently changed (or perhaps clarified is the right
term) their stance on the use of Amazon images in library catalogs, we
will also be developing a replacement added content plug-in that uses
GBS for cover art, as well as any other added content we can pull in.

* http://dev.gapines.org/opac/en-US/skin/default/xml/rresult.xml?rt=keyword&tp=keyword&t=shakespeare&f=at

--
Mike Rylander
 | VP, Research and Design
 | Equinox Software, Inc. / The Evergreen Experts
 | phone: 1-877-OPEN-ILS (673-6457)
 | email: miker <at> esilibrary.com
 | web: http://www.esilibrary.com
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Gmane