> Bernhard Eversberg wrote: > > > > We might first have to say why library catalogs are still a better > > solution to many problems of searching, before we begin advocating their > > improvement via RDA and FRBR.
Another consideration that we should not overlook is that catalogs serve not only the public, but they are also our inventory tools. Librarians must manage the collection efficiently, and we need the tools to do that. Although immediate access to the full text may--and will--solve several problems, for the sake of efficiency, certain information should be brought out somehow, such as, librarians shouldn't have to go digging through the item to find out the date of publication, printing, etc. They shouldn't have to go through the entire scan to see the number of pages, and so on. I have also noticed that my students (and almost everyone I have discussed this with, including "information specialists" and even some younger librarians!) do not really understand the difference between text searches and concept searches. Of course, this is in the section of "standardized headings" and "authorized forms," but I believe this is the sort of discussion that is too vague for many to fasten onto, and they especially cannot appreciate its importance. When you point it out in conversation, they can begin to appreciate the problem, but it is still very obscure to them. So, I have found that concrete examples help a lot. Although there are sections in almost every information literacy workshop on "evaluation of sources" there is relatively little that I have seen about "evaluation of search results," which is just as important. (It is mentioned in ACRL's "Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education" at: http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/standards.pdf, Standard 2, 4. p. 10). The workshops I have seen have mostly downgraded this part (which I can't find fault with, since there is a lot of information to cover and something has to be given short shrift). Showing the differences between these searches takes some time, and understanding why takes time to digest. Some good, solid examples of where a more coherent result is found in a library catalog vs. full-text retrieval may be a good idea. Jim Weinheimer
