Akron-Summit County Public Library is introducing new search technology that will make finding what the Library has to offer easier and more engaging than ever before. The new web-based search engine will reveal content such as downloadable media, suggestions of recently added or popular items, tags or reviews added by library users, and pathways to relevant Web sites and library databases. Library customers can access all this from a single, "Google-like" search box. The new catalog will be available in mid-May on library workstations and remotely on the Library's Web site at http://www.akronlibrary.org/
Library computer users can also expect a more user-friendly front-end to the public computers which will allow them to function more like a users' home computer. Library locations will remain open during the migration to the new system. The ability to place holds on Library books and other items will be unavailable from April 28 through May 13 and the Library catalog via the Web site will be unavailable from Sunday, May 11 at 5 p.m. through Tuesday, May 13. Library locations will be open for service, but there will be no public computer access Monday, May 12 and Tuesday, May 13 during the conversion.
The new system is similar in look and feel to current popular Web sites and will continue to be a popular destination for the community's information needs. Whether searching on a subject or a specific book or CD, users will be more likely to be able to find what they are looking for more easily than ever before. Your search will show items that are clearly listed by relevance and can be effortlessly expanded or refined according to publication date, branch or library, language, or subject as presented in a Tag Cloud. The Tag Cloud, which is found on Web sites such as the Flickr photo-sharing service, helps users by presenting a grouping of words related to their searches that they can click on to launch new queries. Additionally, you may choose to keep a history of what you have checked out from the Library.
According to library director David Jennings, "The new catalog provides highly sophisticated search results presented in a very simple way. We believe this is a significant improvement that the public will find very useful."
