Kataloganreicherung / user-created content - oder: Wieso funktioniert mein OPAC nicht wie Amazon?

Abstract

The advent of "Web 2.0" signaled a shift in Internet usability which focuses primarily on the users and their needs. This also means a challenge for libraries. One area where change is essential is the area of the library catalogue or OPAC, the heart and soul of a library. Designers of OPACs have to face the fact that far more people are searching the internet than are using library catalogs and that the library's approach to user service and user interface is not competing successfully against services like Amazon or Google. If libraries want to avoid further marginalization, they need to analyse their concepts. The aim of this thesis is to describe the problems of traditional library online catalogues at universities and how the OPAC can become a more relevant and user centered system. First, a review of current literature is undertaken in order to investigate the issue of the "next generation catalog" and to discuss several solutions like catalog enrichment, Functional Requirements of Bibliographic Records and the integration of Web 2.0 applications. Then some exemplary OPACs which implemented Web 2.0 applications are presented. Furthermore qualitative interviews are conducted with librarians who are in charge of an OPAC 2.0. The interviews aim at analysing the state-of-the-art of these OPAC 2.0 projects. The main outcome of this thesis is that "the" OPAC 2.0 does not exist and that each library has specific requirements concerning an online-catalog. The findings suggest that libraries need to evaluate the environment they are dealing with accurately, especially target groups. Due to the fact that there are many attributes for catalog 2.0, decision-makers in libraries should carefully consider which tools and applications are necessary and reasonable.