Adding Functionality to the Web OPAC

Schemes to Add Functionality to the Web OPAC is a posting by Disruptive Library Technology Jester (a.k.a. Peter Murray of OhioLINK) in which he lays out a basic categorization of ways in which libraries can get their OPACs to do more.

This list is interesting in many ways, not the least of which is that on first read this seems to be a very good foundation for examining the options available to libraries.  So much depends on the current state of your library’s OPAC (which integrated library system (ILS) you have, how it is hosted, who has the authority to make changes, and your library’s human/technical resources), but this gives a starting point to see just what a library can do with the available resources.

Over the years I keep revisiting a desire to revamp OPACs that are sorely in need of improvement.  When I worked for a Voyager library, I set up this and this (each developed by someone else, but that I configured to work for my library).  I haven’t found anything like these for my current situation, but Scriblio sounds like a possible option.  The faceted searching alone would make it worthwhile.  I may get creative over the next couple of months…

found via Librarian.net

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