And my husband now enjoys vacuuming and takes the chore away from me when I try to do it. Score!

How do we get the users back? How do we get them as excited about their libraries as Dyson makes us about our vacuum cleaners and vacuuming? Dyson not only found out what users wanted and gave it to them but also gives it to them consistently, efficiently, thoroughly and in a modern looking package.

My kids (11&13) actually argue over who gets to vacuum.

Public Library perspective here too, Ryan – and our databases are underused despite marketing campaigns promoting them. Our customers find them too confusing and “one extra step too many” (that’s a quote) to get information. I believe the key for our users is to simplify so they can use one search to access all the available resources we have. It’s our job to strip away all barriers to retrieving information- including the barrier of multiple search interfaces and have, simply, one. Because if you approach delivery of services/resources from the public library user perspective, he/she could care less where the information is coming from – he/she just wants the info needed now.

As to your more library oriented observations: I think users give up on us fairly often. The question is, “How do we get them back?”

Nothing against Macs, but a new Mac plus a bunch of new Mac-compatible apps runs into real money!

As Meredith said, they’re getting better. But if you think that getting students familiar with Ovids, ProQuests, Cinahls and Gales, try that game with your average professional who just wants to find that old copy of Consumer Reports or to re-find that obituary for her grandfather that passed away 10 year ago somewhere among those little slots of time in among picking up kids at a daycare, workbreaks, lunches, commutes, and CSI. To this person, she ought to be able to search the “library” (ie. the website) for “Consumer Reports March 1996″and get the information. Say “ProQuest” and she’ll look at you like you have three-heads.

Then s(he) will see how hard it is and thank her lucky stars she found a librarian, but honestly — in this day and age, why shouldn’t this person be able to search “the library” and get the information s/he wants just like that. If it works for her/him, it works for me. Even worse because I know its possible to do this.

Paul, our Dyson canister looked about the same after doing the house. I just kept watching it fill with gunk in horror and amazement. It is a pretty impressive vacuum and it’s even gotten my husband excited about vacuuming. YAY!

Matthew, I agree that databases are meant to be searched individually, but there is no way for an academic library (not a subject academic library) to get everything through a single interface. It’s very possible when you’re in the health science world because MEDLINE, CINAHL and Ovid have just about everything. Federated search technology has also improved a great deal in the past couple of years. I don’t think it’s a perfect solution by any means, but it’s what our patrons are clamoring for.

The proxy server thing is probably a security thing. We have the same problem trying to get the hospitals we provide library services to to actually let their staff access the stuff they’re paying for! Security is important yes, but so is information.

But a federated search? Please no… god no… There’s no reason to get a federated search just to get a common interface. I work in a health sciences library (obvious from above, I guess) and all the important health related databases are available through the Ovid interface. Each database is different but through Ovid they look pretty much identical. I wish it was a good in other subjects but it’s pretty close. I would find one interface I like and pressure them to get the databases you want. But the important thing is that databases, almost without exception, should be searched one at a time. It’s a rare case when a federated search is useful and most users don’t seem to know what those rare cases are. The key is to show students that each database is different and it’s important to search them effectively not just quickly.

Sorry… bit of a rant there… LOL