WOW- lots of reading to do this week and lots to take in!
After reading about Library 2.0, Encore and Ebsochost 2.0, and listening to the "Library 2.0 Gang" with Talis, I definitely believe that this is a really exciting time for libraries, and more so for library users, with all the new technologies and products that are becoming available for them to use.
For this part of the "23 Things" project, I decided to do some searching on Encore. Having never used it before, I wanted to get more of a 'feel' about how it works and what it offers.
One such search I did was locating resources on "beauty therapy"... and I have to say that I was quite impressed with the type of results Encore provides. Apart from displaying information on the physical items held by VU, it also presents a number of features to refine or extend your search further. Of those, the 'tag cloud' was my favourite, as it offers a myriad of search terms (all Library of Congress subject heading based- minus the sub-divisions), that searchers may have never thought about using to aid the refining process.
I can see the image library proving to be a hit- especially with our students when it comes to doing the ever popular skin diseases assignment. They always need photos of the skin conditions they are investigating.
The "Did You Mean" feature is fantastic, especially if you have misspelt your initial search terms. By offering the correct spelling of your search terms, it saves you from having to re-enter it all over again. It is no doubt based on Google's principle of searching.
My only criticism towards Encore is that as a library user, I would like to see the full holdings records displayed (ie. location, call numbers and status) of each individual physical item held by the library when an initial search is performed. It would just make the interface look more like a library catalogue.
Still... I do like Encore, and hope it can be fully implemented soon.
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