Search results

The purpose of this paper is to follow up on the 2009 publication “Building a virtual branch at Vancouver Public Library (VPL) using Web 2.0 tools” and to explore the work that VPL has been doing in the social media space over the past two years.

Following the launch of its new web site in 2008, Vancouver Public Library has continued to expand its online presence, both via its own web properties and in the social media space. At the core of the library's approach to web services is the desire to take the community development model online, and engage with communities in the spaces of their choosing.

The Web Team has been active in moving into the social media space, and was an early adopter of popular social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The social bookmarking site Delicious also became an integral part of the new web site, being used as a management tool for the library's extensive collection of recommended web links. Since 2008 the Web Team has piloted a variety of other Web 2.0 and social media tools, pushing the library's online presence into new spaces while continuing to build on the successes experienced by its established accounts.

Libraries are very conscious of the need to leverage social media tools to engage with patrons, but are also facing the challenge of managing these tools with reduced staff and funding. VPL's success in this space offers a model of how to use these tools effectively to engage patrons, develop community, and maximize resources in a time of constrained budgets.

The purpose of this paper is to elaborate the long tail of topical search queries, including the influence of current events, posed to a large, urban public library discovery system.

Search queries from the months of June, July, August and September 2014 (1,488,339 total queries) were collected from the Edmonton Public Library’s BiblioCommons database using Google Analytics and exported to Excel. The data were then analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency counts and textual analysis to explicate the long tail of search, (including the most popular searches) and to explore the relationship between topical search queries and current events.

The findings support the long tail theory, as the aggregate tail of topical search queries comprised the vast majority of the total searches and current events exert some influence on the nature and frequency of topical searches.

Data collection was limited to four months of the year; thus, comparisons across the year cannot be made. There are practical implications for public libraries in terms of marketing and collections, as well as for improving catalogue functionality, to support user search behaviour.

Not much research attention has been focused on the nature of topical search queries in public libraries compared to academic libraries and the Web. The findings contribute to developing insight into the divergent interests of intergenerational public library users and the topics of materials they are searching for.

This paper aims to investigate the quality of access to translated fiction published between 2007 and 2011 in six large Canadian public libraries, answering the question about what public libraries can do to help acquaint their readers with international translated fiction.

The article uses the method of bibliographic data analysis based on 2,100 catalog records.

As the results demonstrate, enhanced bibliographic catalog records deliver a wealth of information about translated fiction titles and facilitate meaningful subject access to their contents. At the same time, promotional activities related to translated fiction have room for improvement.

Despite the fact that the study focuses on public libraries, its findings will be of interest not only to public but also academic librarians, any librarian tasked with the selection and acquisition of translated fiction, reference and readers’ advisory librarians in any type of library, Library and Information Science students and anyone interested in access to translated fiction.

While many recent studies have turned their attention to enhanced catalog records and their role in access, discovery and collection promotion, there are no studies dealing with translated fiction specifically. The article also contributes to seeing an in-depth understanding of bibliographic records and cataloging as part and parcel of reference librarians’ knowledge and skill set, which improves retrieval practices and access provision.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and compare open source and proprietary discovery tools and find out how much discovery tools have achieved towards becoming the next generation catalog.

The paper summarizes characteristics of the next generation catalog into a check‐list of 12 features. This list was checked against each of seven open source and ten proprietary discovery tools to determine if those features were present or absent in those tools.

Discovery tools have many next generation catalog features, but only a few can be called real next generation catalogs. Federated searching and relevancy based on circulation statistics are the two areas that both open source and proprietary discovery tools are missing. Open source discovery tools seem to be bolder and more innovative than proprietary tools in embracing advanced features of the next generation catalog. Vendors of discovery tools may need to quicken their steps in catching up.

It is the first evaluation and comparison of open source and proprietary discovery tools on a large scale. It will provide information as to exactly where discovery tools stand in light of the much desired next generation catalog.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insight into the use of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 technologies so that librarians can combine open source software with user‐generated content to create a richer discovery experience for their users.

Following a description of the current state of integrated library systems (ILS) and the developments with Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 technologies, examples are given of library suppliers and libraries which are making use of these technologies.

Libraries are moving away from the traditional, vendor‐sourced library catalogue software in favour of open source software that can be tailored to meet the community's needs by the people who are most familiar with those needs: library staff. Open source products and some vendor products outside the traditional ILS market allow libraries to pool data created by users: tags, reviews, comments. This allows the smallest libraries to harvest richer data than those of their own communities.

The paper provides a “snapshot” of current developments in this fast‐moving area.

The purpose of this study is to show how the addition of a next‐generational overlay to an existing online catalog can lead to more‐refined searching by users. Users of classic online catalogs have always had the ability to refine their searches and define better the specific type of material they want. However, research in the last two decades has consistently shown that few users take advantage of this extra step. Now with the rise of discovery platforms like Encore and Aquabrowser, the limiting capabilities are automatically displayed to the user, and this study aims to demonstrate that this creates a significant change in search behaviors.

The library worked through months of its search logs for both the classic and online catalogs and compared data from the two platforms. Similar log data were obtained from other libraries to confirm that this was a universal trend.

The study shows that users are 15‐20 times more likely to refine their searches if they are searching in a discovery platform.

Librarians can base their bibliographic instruction sessions on a better understanding of the search behaviors likely in the two kinds of catalogs.