The Right Tool for the Right Job
By Joseph Janes
American Libraries Columnist
Assistant Professor, Information School, University of Washington.
intlib@ischool.washington.edu
Column for December 2003
In one of my first "Internet Librarian" columns, I raved about the Google toolbar. I must admit I had a moment of trepidation about it. In general, I’m not a big downloader of applications; but this one sounded interesting, so I installed it and rebooted and there it was—that magic little box was now on my browser all the time. I tried a few searches, saw what it could do, and was sold. I don’t think I actually let out a little cry of joy and satisfaction, but I certainly felt that way.
I’ve been a dedicated fan and user ever since. Although I sometimes still go to the Google home page and don’t use all the features of the toolbar, it has become a regular part of my information-searching repertoire. And that happened very naturally, with no training or even nudging. It’s a simple but fiendishly clever idea that has bored its way into my skull.
So here we have an example of a tool that does a few jobs quite well, is easy to use and learn and understand, and can make a substantial difference in helping people find what they’re looking for on the free Web. It seems natural to ask, then, whether there’s a way to adapt that idea or something similar to the library context.
What would a "library toolbar" look like? It would offer searching capability, of course. Immediately, though, the question arises: Searching what? The catalog? Databases? The library’s website and collections of links to external web resources? All of these? And if so, segmented, or in one big search? Should it incorporate or build on a web-based toolbar like Google’s or the Yahoo Companion?
All valid questions, requiring more serious thought than I have room for here. Perhaps it makes the most sense to think of a library toolbar as providing an easy way into library resources, supported by more sophisticated tools once that entry is made.
Searching is one important part of "library work," but there are many others. Other functions worth considering include access to reference services (synchronously or asynchronously), simple reference tools, the ability to perform simple functions like placing holds or renewing items, and checking the user’s library record (with optional cookies to identify users). Perhaps users could click on a word or phrase and search it seamlessly in the catalog, reference tools, selected databases, or the Web.
There have been one or two efforts along this line: For example, I like the little snips of code that grab an ISBN from a web page (like Amazon), and search them in a library’s catalog (see www.snurl.com/w9j).
Such a toolbar would likely not be a one-size-fits-all proposition; perhaps templates based on the Ultrabar customizable technology would be a place to begin.
A library toolbar would represent a chance for people to be in the library wherever they are, allowing them to simultaneously be in the library and on the Web—with one foot in each, so to speak. As sometimes happens, this would be a situation without a clear and familiar counterpart; the closest analogue I can come up with is having a trusted researcher or service constantly there at the ready, waiting in the background to be called upon when the need arises, without interrupting the flow of the work at hand.
Keep it simple
It is this last aspect that I find particularly striking. Using the Google toolbar allows me to pause briefly, do a quick search to find something, and then go right back to my work. To use any of my libraries’ websites requires a great deal more time and effort to launch the site, get to the right resource, search it, and so on. Certainly, library systems and resources involve a far greater amount of complexity. Equally certainly, we can think of a way to provide a simpler, more expedient means for users to get into at least some of our basic services.
One thing about the Google toolbar creeps me out a little: It remembers previous searches. That’s handy at times (great for finding searching examples for teaching), and also scary—does anybody else feel that way? I’ve seen few stories discussing privacy concerns with Google, so maybe somebody at Google World Headquarters is having a good laugh at my expense . . . but that’s another story.
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