A presentation given to students at the University of Denver Library and Information Science.

1. NextGen Catalogs: An Overview of Current Products and Use Nina McHaleSeptember 27 2010 University of Denver, Morgridge College of Education

2. Our Agenda What is a “NextGen” Catalog? Definition and Features The Big Three: A Look at Current Products and Vendors Product Selection: Things to Consider when Choosing a Next Gen Catalog Librarian Perceptions of NextGen Catalogs Integration into the Library’s Web Site and Existing Electronic Resources WorldCat@Auraria: Demo of WorldCat Local at the Auraria Library

3. NextGen Catalogs… ..are “discovery layer” services that draw content from silos (i.e., catalogs, databases, repositories) and display it for end users …attempt to bridge the hyperstructured world of library standards and data and end user expectations …are able to support a “single-search” box, but do not/cannot search everything

4. Features Faceted display: formats, authors, years, topics, locations, languages, collections Tag/word clouds Concept maps (AquaBrowser and Encore) Book jacket images “Social” (i.e., user-added) features: tagging resources, creating lists, user reviews Interconnectivity with other resources

5. Questions Are NextGen catalogsreplacements for traditional/classic catalogs? What’s the difference between federated searching and NextGen catalogs? What’s the difference between NextGen catalogs and Web Scale Discovery? How is a NextGen catalog like a cupcake? I’m a programmer, can’t I make my own?

6. The Big Three AquaBrowser Created by Medialab, licensed by Serials Solutions www.serialssolutions.com/aquabrowser-features WorldCat Local OCLC www.oclc.org/worldcatlocal/features/default.htm Encore Innovative Interfaces, Inc. encoreforlibraries.com

7. AquaBrowser: Discover Denver Public Library

8. WorldCat@Auraria

9. Encore: Jefferson County Public Library

10. Product Selection Process Identify a group to guide the selection process Conduct an scan of existing products, then narrow the field to 3-5 major contenders Read reviews of products (Charleston Advisor, librarian blogs, customer testimonials, etc.) Research current clients for the products (press releases, www.librarytechnology.org) Invite vendors to pitch their products Share demos with library staff and customers

11. Product Selection Tips “Features Matrix” or “Go With Your Gut”? Evaluate products for web accessibility (Section 508/WCAG) Evaluate the performance, specifically search speed, of products Always evaluate products in the context of what works best in your environment Make your process as inclusive as possible

12. Librarian Perspectives Reference and instruction librarians and other advanced searchers (i.e., faculty) typically do not like NextGen catalogs Perception is that it is a “dumbing down” of research process, which conflicts with pedagogical nature of their roles Metasearch products do NOT search “everything,” so it’s too much “satisficing” Indexing of native interfaces is still better than indexing by metasearch tools

13. Integrating a NextGen Product During setup, vendor takes care of much of the initial configuration of a hosted instance Most, however, do not directly provide advice or support for fully integrating it into the Library’s web page and existing electronic resources As with any changes to a library site, design decisions should be informed by evidence

14. WorldCatLocal@Auraria

15. “Start My Research”

16. Demo: “All” Search Results Screen

17. Top of Book Record

18. Bottom of Book Record

19. Top of Article Record

20. Middle of Article Record

21. Bottom of Article Record

22. Questions? Comments? Nina McHale nina.mchale@ucdenver.edu Facebook & Twitter: ninermac