Monthly Archives: August 2009

How an online library catalog differs from Google

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Some librarians love to bash Google, as if it has no redeeming qualities for serious research. Others (well, probably not many librarians) claim that Google is so far superior to online library catalogs that the only way to save them is to make them as much like Google as possible. Well, I think Google is great, but it is not a library catalog and cannot find things that an online library catalog can. Google cannot find anything that is not online, including lots of library materials. Even Google Books has its problems. I will have something more to say about … Continue reading →

How do you find anything in a library catalog?

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The simple answer is that you can look by keyword, author, title, or subject. Just type your search terms in the appropriately labeled box and look at whatever results come up. Sounds like Google, only not quite. The more complicated answer is that a library catalog is a database with separate indexes for keyword, author, title, subject, and so on. Unlike the Web, they are structured in such a way that there is only one official way to express a name (personal or geographic), title, or subject. They are also structured in such a way that you do not have … Continue reading →