Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Online Catalogs to Consider

Our selection committee, made up of staff from our libraries, has done some preliminary reviews of a few products on the market. We would like to get public feedback on these.

Please take a look at the sites below. Each is using a different product currently available. Please leave any comments - likes, dislikes, impressions, what features you would or wouldn't use, etc. - and make it obvious which product you're commenting about. Thank you!

Two good test searchs: bud not buddy (to see if you can find it or if the word NOT is eliminating the word buddy) and harry potter (since there are many formats and lots of added content).
  • Aquabrowser - at Old Colony Library Network
  • Bibliocommons - now live (7/22/08), public sites, and says it works with SirsiDynix.
  • Encore - Not the classic catalog link, but need to type in a search in the "Search Library Catalog" form.
  • Endeca - software behind stores like Walmart, at Phoenix Public Library
  • Koha Zoom Browser - Live at Athens County Public Libraries or demo at LibLime
  • Primo - at Vanderbilt University
  • Scriblio - based on wordpress
  • SirsiDynix Enterprise - works on top of iBistro. No public demo available yet, but seriously promising.
  • VuFind - developed by Villanova University
  • WorldcatLocal - not sure how this would work because the database, from OCLC, only has network level titles for our libraries, not the local library holdings.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite was the aquabrowser search! The word cloud feature was very cool!

SAILS Network said...

That's interesting. Like one of my colleagues said, "I have to take off my librarian hat and start thinking differently". This is probably the least favorite feature to me, but it could also be my age? - Laurie

Anonymous said...

I liked the Endeca version best. I thought it looked the cleanest and was the easiest to find the hold, check shelf buttons. I also like the side bars that allowed you to do another search based on your selection. Very crisp. Aquabrowser was o.k. but I did not like the word cloud action on the side, distracting and not as helpful as Endeca's side bar.