This week provided me with the opportunity to interview a librarian abut the OPAC software they are using. I chose to interview myself and it provided a great opportunity for me to actually sit down for a minute and think about the software I have. I didn't pick it, it was just sort of here when I started and all of the other schools..3 in total are on different systems. I have Alexandria software. It seems okay but then again my only other experience was with Millennium in the public library. Millennium did seem much easier for cataloging. You would just type in the ISBN then click on the record, assign a barcode and voila...it was ready for processing. Alexandria requires me to import records, which means I need to save them and then import them into the database. The other thing I really don't like about it is the search interface. It looks very elementary. I have tried changing it but you can't it is what it is. Plus there is the spelling thing...if you don't spell something correctly it says we don't have any results for that keyword..and never offers any suggestions. This really got me thinking...maybe I am not really that crazy about what I have. I decided to call the librarian at the middle school to see what she was using..last I knew she had some software that she hated because it was difficult to catalog and search. She shared that she was in the middle of converting to Koha, an open source software. Well, I knew which software I was going to use for a comparison for the project...I ended up interviewing her about Koha.
After trying Koha myself there are a few things I really like about it...It had a sort of amazon.com feel. You can create a cart, write reviews and assign stars to items. I also like the ability for patrons to assign their own tags to items. I think these features mimic the type of web 2.0 sites that our students are already using. They are used to being able to comment, share with others and organize thing the way they want to...Diigo, anyone?
Also seems like a great tool for teaching 21st Century skills...I also think that our students are much more comfortable with open source then we are. We have been reliant on tech support that comes with Windows and Microsoft office while our students rarely pay for software and find things to use for free n the internet. No wonder file converters have become such an integral part of our day... With a good IT department and collaboration between the departments Koha would be a good choice. If you are not as confident there are companies like LibLime that provide tech support as well as record conversion.
The comparison has opened my eyes to what some of the other options out there are. Also that it is a good idea to evaluate what you are using from time to time to see if there is anything that would work better for you and your students.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Cataloging Part 2
Cataloging continues this week...from the Caribbean. Luckily Catalog It is nice and light and flexible which makes it travel well...plus there is the added bonus of the funny looks and questions you get when you are reading "a guide to cataloging school library materials"
It was nice to read about all of the different tags and exactly what each is used for. I have to admit that with copy cataloging you really do get out of practice. I always know the common ones like 245 and 650 but I hardly ever see 511 or 590's. It has been nice to go back and refresh my memory.
I especially enjoyed the ext to the last chapter...and not just because it was next to the last chapter! but because it was about the future of cataloging. I always wonder what the future of cataloging will hold. With users assigning tags to their information do the library of congress headings still have meaning? or will we migrate away from formal organization systems like LOC and dewey and toward a more arbitrary and user defined system. I don't think that the formal organization will go away completely but I do see a mix of the two systems being used along side each other. Librarians will catalog the materials and users will have the opportunity to organize the things they use the way they would like and to share their tags and ratings with others.
The section on websites was informative although I have not decide yet if I will catalog websites in the library catalog or just online with the library's diigo site.
It was nice to read about all of the different tags and exactly what each is used for. I have to admit that with copy cataloging you really do get out of practice. I always know the common ones like 245 and 650 but I hardly ever see 511 or 590's. It has been nice to go back and refresh my memory.
I especially enjoyed the ext to the last chapter...and not just because it was next to the last chapter! but because it was about the future of cataloging. I always wonder what the future of cataloging will hold. With users assigning tags to their information do the library of congress headings still have meaning? or will we migrate away from formal organization systems like LOC and dewey and toward a more arbitrary and user defined system. I don't think that the formal organization will go away completely but I do see a mix of the two systems being used along side each other. Librarians will catalog the materials and users will have the opportunity to organize the things they use the way they would like and to share their tags and ratings with others.
The section on websites was informative although I have not decide yet if I will catalog websites in the library catalog or just online with the library's diigo site.
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