The Library System Catalog - ThrallThrall is the only library in the RCLS system and one of the few...
Transcript of The Library System Catalog - ThrallThrall is the only library in the RCLS system and one of the few...
The Library System
Catalog
Innovations,
Enhancements,
Extended Access
by
Robert J. Tiess
&
Mary Susan Flannery Climes
Middletown Thrall Library
Reference Services
Presented
June 14, 2012
Some Facts...
Patrons want to search and browse.
Patrons want both simple and advanced
searching and browsing capabilities.
Patrons appreciate having the ability to discover
and delve deeper into themes, topics, and authors.
Thrall is the only library in the RCLS system
and one of the few in the world
offering patrons such easy and extensive ways
to explore the vast contents
of an entire library system within a few clicks.
These innovations, enhancements, and efforts to ease
and extend access to the system's holdings
were created entirely in-house by us.
All of these developments are directly inspired
by our day-to-day interactions with patrons
- their requests, their opinions, their wishes,.
Beginning with our home page
www.thrall.org
Patrons have the ability to access the catalog through:
a “Library Catalog” link (center column)
a search box (upper right)
monthly featured title lists (right column)
a “Recent Titles” link (right column)
clicking one of the featured book cover images.
This is our own “entrance page”
to the library system catalog:
Here patrons can...
Quickly view select new titles (upper right)
Click on “New Titles” to visually browse titles.
Browse by genre, topic, titles by month, fiction,
nonfiction, and more.
Log into their library account or switch to another
catalog topic.
Patrons can also use our exclusive
Suggestion box
to find possible matches
for titles or authors – simultaneously.
Matches appear instantly
the moment a patron types something.
Patrons can click on any match (title or author)
to instantly search the catalog.
Each month
Mary provides a list of forthcoming titles.
These go into our Booklover's Blog,
where patrons can instantly click a title
or author to search the catalog instantly.
These titles also enter our main catalog entrance page,
our monthly Future Title Watch publication,
and are broadcast via our Impart! resource
discovery network service, where other RCLS libraries
can create catalog links to new fiction / nonfiction titles.
Future Title Watch is our “one-stop-shopping”
guide to the latest fiction and nonfiction titles.
We create and publish these monthly.
Patrons can also download and print
FTW issues from our website:
www.thrall.org/future
Mary also provides ISBNs, which we use
to generate, via software we created,
links to book cover images
for our visual book browser:
Patrons can switch between
this visual browsing mode
and a text-only view.
Library Account
Access
Since eBooks became available,
we provided a dual login page
so patrons could go to one place to access
either their regular library account in the catalog
or their eBook account (“eAccount”):
www.thrall.org/myact
Discovery
For years we have developed – and continue to advance –
ways patrons can more directly and easily
explore our library's various collections and resources
as well as all other materials throughout RCLS.
Our new “Library Catalog Topics” menu
www.thrall.org/catalogs
enables patrons to quickly traverse
the full spectrum of library catalog topics...
Patrons can instantly explore
bestsellers and award-winning books...
www.thrall.org/best
Literature and Poetry...
www.thrall.org/literature
www.thrall.org/poetry
Children's and Young Adults Items (along with award-winning
children's and young adult titles and authors).
eBooks
www.thrall.org/ebooks
Government Information
Local, State, and Federal
Documents (current, past, and historic),
reports, and other publications
(print, CD, electronic/online)
www.thrall.org/gov
Language Materials
Browse materials in other languages,
bilingual materials,
and language learning resources
with the ability to browse by age
(adult or children's materials)
Local History & Genealogy
Resources
Browse by topic, town / county / state
or explore
popular local history books by title
www.thrall.org/lh
Videos
www.thrall.org/videos
Search by title/keyword and limit to adult or children's videos
Browse new videos (ours or all RCLS) – in one click
Explore new videos by genre and title – in one click
Find movie summaries, reviews, and parental advisories instantly
Browse films by names of actor/actress or movie characters, or by
directors / filmmakers , movie genres.
Locate books major films were based upon or novelizations.
And every other major topic in the catalog...
literally from A to Z.
www.thrall.org/subjects
Our Online Information Guides include Web resources and convenient guides
to related topics in the library catalog.
www.thrall.org/guides
www.thrall.org/readyref
Some examples...
Music
www.thrall.org/music
Education
www.thrall.org/education
Health & Wellness
www.thrall.org/health
Religion & Spirituality
www.thrall.org/spirituality
Law
www.thrall.org/law
Business, Personal Finance
& Investments
www.thrall.org/invest
Art... Philosophy... Science...
www.thrall.org/readyref
Elsewhere... everywhere...
Enhanced access to the catalog also extends to our blogs
where we include links to titles, authors, or subjects
so patrons can locate related library materials
just by clicking on a link...
www.thrall.org/blogs
Beyond Thrall
Members of other libraries
can also enjoy
the extended access we provide
to library system resources through
the catalog topic menus in our
Ready Reference Center
www.thrall.org/readyref
which enables you to browse by subject
and limit the search results
to any single RCLS library.
Our work continues...