Toledo uses bright colors and graphics to differentiate between its regular OPAC and the one geared toward children, as many public libraries do. I was surprised by the lack of buttons with graphics that are found on most interfaces designed for kids. In fact, while the catalog is appealing at first glance, it lacks oomph and kid appeal. I find the fonts too small and difficult to read for any age level and would have expected more attention to be paid to the usability for the wide age range usually targeted for such specialized OPACs. There are no fun and useful links to popular databases or reference sites, no book lists or links to the main children’s page. In fact, going “Home” takes you back to the main Toledo Public Library page rather than to the Kids Place, an internal library page where you can find all the Homework Help and Events information you would expect to be featured anywhere kids might browse.
It is surprising that the Toledo kids’ main catalog page consists only of a search bar. Such minimalist interfaces are great for, say, Google, but one expects a bit more prompting from a catalog designed around the needs of younger users.
A useful concession to the audience’s tendency to misspell is the availability of suggested spellings found in a word cloud once a query is entered. I looked for E.L Konigsburg, author of such beloved children’s classics as From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler and The View from Saturday. Hers is a difficult last name to spell and various creative misspellings prompted the suggestion of the correct formation.
Suggested spellings in a similar format are available on the library’s enhanced OPAC for all users, but it is more streamlined, that is, there are fewer false positives producing results, in the children’s version.
A word cloud can also be generated according to a search term’s word associations or suggested interests. I did a search for “orphans” to see what would emerge:
Some of the suggested terms seem immediately useful: one can find books about orphans that are also mysteries or that also concern friendship. “Baudelaire” comes up as well, an allusion to the popular Lemony Snicket series.
The rightmost part of the screen allows for refinement by format (book, audio, etc.), author, subject, series, and language. This is all very useful information that could be arranged more attractively for the intended audience.
In short, the AquaBrowser OPAC, as exemplified in the Toledo children’s catalog, has potential but needs refinement. Stronger graphical elements, easier legibility and navigability and an integration of the catalog with other library offerings would be a step in the right direction.
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