I have Lifehacker in my Reader list, but I rarely read it. Sometimes it has very interesting, useful posts, and sometimes it has posts on how to make clear vs. cloudy ice and clean your stove with ammonia. Whaa?
One of tonight's posts (along with the ice and ammonia) was on the benefits something I've been teaching a lot lately: WorldCat.org. Lifehacker refers to it as "a ginormous network of libraries, library content, and library services." OK, then.
I use WorldCat so heavily that it is easy to forget that it has only been live since August 6. 2006. I use it so heavily that I have nearly forgotten the older, clunky FirstSearch interface.
Lately, I am often teaching WorldCat over the CAT. I know that I should be emphasizing the local. I know that perhaps not all of the CAT's holdings are in WorldCat. I know. But I can't stay away from it--especially when there are grad students in the room. :)
I think this instructional change, favoring WorldCat over the CAT, is happening for a reason. When it comes to library research, a shallow pool as starting point no longer make sense. And when I say shallow pool, I mean something like the CAT, or even a subject-specialized database. Why would I start my search in something that only contains a little sliver of the resources available on a topic, when I could jump in deep (using WorldCat or Google Scholar) and more expansively see the ocean of available resources? (ok, maybe I'm taking the water metaphor too far).
And of course, perhaps WorldCat or Google Scholar will lead me back around to the more focused, more specific resources in the end. That almost always happens. But there is a definite advantage in using one of these more broadly-focused resources as a starting point.
When you think about where libraries will be in five years, do you think about things like UWashington's WorldCat Local? Do you find it conceivable that we'll be working almost solely from shared databases that consolidate content from different databases and libraries around the world? I sure do.
Until then, stop by one of my classes, and share in the WorldCat love.
Comments (2)
Wow, E...Wow! Let's get rid of Sirsi today!!! ;-)
Can I come to one of your classes? I'd love to see you teach this...
Posted by Anne B. | October 22, 2007 8:58 AM
Posted on October 22, 2007 08:58
I agree with you about Worldcat and searching a deeper pool over a shallower one. Question: Does the the same apply to something like federated search/Metalib? Personally, I still prefer to search in the native interface of the databases I use most frequently, even if it means doing multiple searches. Sometimes it seems to me like I'm missing out on something when I search via Metalib...perhaps it's psychological, but I like to see the all of the functionality that the native interfaces offer when I'm doing this kind of searching.
However, perhaps it comes down to the fact that WorldCat works very well. Federated search, while I like the idea, I don't think it's quite there yet.
Posted by EmilyR | October 24, 2007 8:57 AM
Posted on October 24, 2007 08:57