And when I got down near the bottom, I saw an image of a common library web catalog which displays the usual catalog elements: item details, available copies, and estimated wait to get it because it's so damn popular, and what are you doing asking for this anyway? Did Oprah just tell you to read it?
And that made me think about an ideal library catalog display. Since library catalogs are, at best, alienating to our patrons, and at worst, presenting completely unintelligible information, I started thinking that we should dump it all and just have pictures of kitties.
Patrons don't understand what our catalogs tell them, anyway. So the catalog is basically useless. So why not give in and just make the library catalog cute and cuddly.
Now, you may not interpret the meaning of what is presented in my new, super awesome library catalog, but trust me, each illustration has meaning.
NEW SUPER AWESOME LIBRARY CATalog
(scroll down, the damn table isn't displaying like it should)
| TITLE IS CURRENTLY: |  |
| TITLE IS CURRENTLY: |  |
| TITLE IS CURRENTLY: |  |
| TITLE IS CURRENTLY: |  |
Did you figure it out? The first book is available and ready to play. The second book is being transferred between branches. The third is on hold. And the fourth is totally FUBAR, checked out, damaged, missing, etc.
See? A beautiful interface, simply presented. Glad I could help.
(crap. I can't get this freakin table to display properly.... grrrr)
