Edmonton Public Library’s new catalogue

Enhance.

I am the worst library patron of all time. I go through phases where I don’t go to the library for months, and then suddenly, I wake up with a burning desire to learn CSS, botany and the complete history of the tugboat, all at once. And just like that, I turn into the jerk who takes out 30 items at a time, keeping them all for weeks longer than I should, even though they’re on hold for other people.

So when I heard that the EPL (Edmonton Public Library) was revamping their catalogue, there was a moment where I dared to dream that some glitch in the matrix would cause whatever fines I had accrued (and despite my best intentions, there are ALWAYS fines accrued) to somehow magically be swept away.

Enhance.

But as you see here, no dice. There’s a better chance of us returning to the old card and stamp days than that happening. Now I’ll stop being a cheapskate and just pay the $3.50.

But I digress. I e-mailed Tina Thomas, media relations person for Edmonton Public Libraries, for some more information about the new catalogue.

The website, which has been developed in association with Ontario company BiblioCommons – who’ve also help pimp out the Oakville and Ottawa Public Library systems – is supposed to launch sometime this week to the general public. But, as all you twitter-folk already know, EPL has been tweeting the URL for people to try out, pre-launch.

The new catalogue will have “improved search capabilities,” according to Tina, who adds that it should also help users find whatever they’re looking for with a lot more ease. There’s also some new social networking elements, so users can comment, review and link to library materials.

“As a community-centered organization, we recognize that our customers have great input and opinions on our materials that they want to share,” Tina said in an e-mail. “They also want to access opinions and recommendations from users who share common interests. A social networking inspired catalogue helps achieve this.”

In the interest of science (SCIENCE!) I’ve been test-driving the catalogue myself, and in my opinion, it’s pretty sweet. The FAQ is very clear, and I found the whole site to be very intuitive. I also found it surprising, yet brilliant that you can follow people who like the same kind of stuff as you and see what they recommend..