The Web 2.0 challenge to the OPAC

The presentation I really wish I had attended at the ALA midwinter: Designing an OPAC for Web 2.0 by Casey Bisson of Plymouth State university. (Presentation in Flash)
This is the best summing up of both the challenges and opportunities the OPAC faces in the Web 2.0 world I have seen so far. My first reaction was really just WOW! This guy has really thought this through and then he goes on to show us that he can walk where he talk. I especially liked the way he shows how relevant information can be integrated into the search result page, and of course permalinks, trackback and comments. The way of Bisson is a good example of how Library 2.0 can contribute to both the development of libraries and a wonderful addition to the social web. The example shows how useful a catalog can be, and also how libraries must open up their reservoirs of content and led others use and mix the information we have created to their own needs and ends.

This is really to good to be true. I’m about to talk about the same topic on friday when I get to say my thing at the “Knowledge Organization Days” at the Oslo College dept. of Library and Information Studies. The topic is Should the library catalog meet the Google-challenge and if so, how? Since I’m probably the poorest cataloger in Norway there has to be another reason they asked me, and I think writing about Library 2.0 has something to do with it. Anyway, mr. Bissons presentation has made it easy for me to focus on what can be done and some of the questions that needs to be asked if we are to continue to make our main tool, the catalog, a relevant feature of the library in the future.
It’s about people, not technology

Found this thanks to Panlibus.

Filed under: Library 2.0, OPAC, Web 2.0