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Canadian Campus Newswire

Source: McMaster University
http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/story.cfm?id=4274

New software makes library's online catalogue more user-friendly

October 10, 2006

by Jane
Christmas
October 10, 2006

McMaster University will radically transform its online library catalogue,
becoming the first Canadian library to use a vibrant, revolutionary
software; the same interface used by such retailers as Home Depot and
Chapters/Indigo.

The announcement comes a day after the university unveiled its new Learning
Commons, yet another indication of the technological transformation occuring
in the university's libraries.

"In library circles we referred to previous updates to online catalogues as
akin to putting lipstick on a pig," said Jeffrey Trzeciak, chief librarian
at McMaster University. "This is a radical change. As we say in the library
world, 'we've gone from swine to divine.' You'll find a far more lively and
vibrant website than traditional library catalogues, and it's much easier
for students to navigate."

The changes, based on the Endeca Information Access Platform (IAP), eclipse
earlier approaches to online catalogues by adding capabilities students
expect from web browsing. They can now search results ranked by relevance,
and refine navigation by topic, author, genre, language, material type,
format, and availability.

Endeca, a private company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, mainly sells
its software to retailers, but Trzeciak worked directly with the company to
secure the rights for McMaster University.

In doing so, the university becomes the first Canadian research library to
use the software, and the second in North America after North Carolina State
University. Other Endeca clients include Bank of America, Boeing, Cox
Newspapers, The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Hyatt, IBM, John Deere,
The Library of Congress, and Nike.

With a long-standing reputation as Canada's "most innovative" university,
McMaster has pioneered a number of programs that have changed how professors
teach and students learn.

Students and other patrons will be able to interchangeably search and browse
the university's vast collection of materials and information in
unprecedented ways. The project is slated to start this month.

"As students turn increasingly to the Internet to find information, this
easy-to-use approach reinvigorates interest in library collections," says
Trzeciak. "Endeca's IAP transforms our virtual environment into a space
where students can inquire, discover and learn. It also shows McMaster's
commitment to being a leader in the library community as well as in higher
education."


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