Although our assignment is to find and review OPAC's, I decided to begin this review with a discovery I made while searching for interesting or innovative library catalogue interfaces. I stumbled across a blog (much like ours only much more interactive) dedicated to discussing library specific web applications. The site is called Library Web Chic and is described in the header as
"Resources for librarians who are interested in the application of web design and technologies in libraries."Search capabilities for the sight are divided into several sections including recent posts, categories, pages (including sections for about, home, contact me, articles and presentations, and upcoming presentation), as well as a meta section offering links to other blog interfaces. There is also an unrestricted search function.
What is interesting to me about this site is that it is dedicated to and utilized by librarians and information professionals, those responsible for a long history of ontologies, controlled vocabularies, and strict cataloging protocols yet this discussion forum is filled with strategies for incorporating folksonomic search capabilities and increased user and staff interactivity. Indeed, the site itself is a testament to this new library 2.0 approach to information organization and dissemination.
One of the discussions, Calling all libraries with blogs for internal communication, is concerned with identifying OPAC's that have innovative inter-communication strategies. Many of the participants in this blog seemed excited to share the innovations in their own library OPAC's an from this discussion, I followed a user suggested link and found ESC Lille Library, the library homepage for the Lille and Paris School of Management.
The first item of note about this site is that, although it looks more like a social networking website, it is in fact the Library's OPAC. The most prominent search field on the interface, instead of search catalogue tab is an open-search function. Additionally, the site homepage is teaming with RSS feed functions (there are four on the homepage alone) and interactivity is suggested not only by the graphics but through actual functionality such as several active blog interfaces concerned with library and campus communication.
The site really seems to understand and address how its users use the online catalogue. Rather than tedious and difficult to navigate, with rigid search protocols and parameters, the site is helpful and suggestive, offering on the homepage the top 5 databases of the library and an online resources quick-link.
Another really innovative function of this OPAC is a tag-cloud that appears after entering a search query. The tags in the cloud suggest alternate paths to locating the resource sought in a visually pleasing and user-friendly taxonomy.
Although Lille is a somewhat specialized school and I don't know if this OPAC interface system is available or possible for a much larger and more varied catalogue, the innovation shown by this institution should be an inspiration for American colleges and universities of the possibilities of library 2.0.
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