step #21~ pop rocks and diet coke

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due to technical difficulties i have been forced to temporarily skip step #20 and move on to #21…the aquabrowser…what do i think? i like it! i like the cool interface. it has the potential to let patrons and in particular students make actual use of the OPAC and maybe just maybe even make it fun! it fits with the professional look of applications, social networks, gaming and the likes that students now view as the norm. heck even i view it as the norm and like the eye candy of the new browser. i like the idea of a social browser too where patrons have input into how they find things like with a tag cloud. maybe it will help people find what they are looking for. sure a tag cloud doesn’t replace standard search methods made possible by fastidious cataloguing but it can enhances it, since student brains definitely work differently then cataloguer brains. i like the idea of reviewing and ranking too. students can give a heads-up to there fellow students “like this was super great for my paper about nietzsche” or “don’t be fooled the title says this is about hair but really it’s about rabbits” but i think it would be great if this could be done by both users and librarian to provide a fuller picture of the book…in an academic setting i think this is important so that students don’t discard an important book based on a fellow students poor review or vice versa…in a public library i see this as less of an issue. and i like that you can make lists of books you like, were useful you wanna read, etc. super handy when you are working on your these and you realise you forgot to cite a book and have to find it again or when you want to tell you mom about this great book you read last month but can’t remember the title or whatever your scenario is…but all of the things that i have named as advantages do beg the questions…is it necessary to cater to the student with a new sexy OPAC or should we as the library continue to indoctrinate users and force them to follow our rules…and i think it is both. we should provide a stimulating interface with input potential while sticking to our core business of providing information and teaching students proper researching techniques to do so. one shouldn’t replace the other it should bring things to a new and better level like a glass of wine is said to enhance the flavour of your dinner…i have heard anyway. i personally prefer diet coke but that only really enhances the taste of like pop rocks… know what i mean? so maybe the OPAC is the diet coke and the aquabrowser is the pop rocks? okay i have seriously digressed. i’m moving on…does this country have pop rocks? okay i’m really moving on….step #22…