Worldcat Local: A Solution that Changes Everything.

Angi Faiks and Johan Oberg

Macalester College:

Small, private, liberal arts college St. Paul, MN 2,000 undergraduate students

~90 countries represented III Millennium 8-school shared catalog

Choosing WorldCat Local

What appealed to us:

Research library experience Simple search Smooth transition from find to get Easy implementation Searching the world, not just our stuff

What we wanted: A ‘catalog’ solution offering a better experience,

ASAP!

WCL Website Integration

WCL Website Integration

WCL Website Integration

Redesigned Website – Further Integration

Comparison, Search Box Placement

How were our choices received?

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a fill in the blank

On-going conceptual change No easy definition of the new system The word “catalog” rarely used

Why does it not easily lend itself to a name? Includes a wide range of materials Does not contain all possible resources

Feedback

Users report satisfaction Initially looked for old catalog Searches in old catalog dropped dramatically and

quickly

Easy to teach:

“Students like the Google-likse search, and getting good, ranked results. Students initially did not want to try it, but once I showed them, they were hooked on WorldCat Local. I'm hooked on WorldCat Local.”

Feedback from faculty

Positive reactions from faculty:

“It’s amazing what students are able to access.” “Love that students are searching WorldCat

automatically and I don’t have to force them. This is so much better.”

“Wow. This is terrific! Makes my job much easier--and gives me faster access to more knowledge, and an easier way to distribute it to students. Thanks.”

Impact on Use

WCL and ILL

WCL and Circulation Increase

Future New possibilities Web-scale Mobile access Open development and the API More digital content

Lessons Google and Amazon is the mental

model Be bold – put new service front and

center Searching what *we* own is an

outdated notion Take a few risks…