Comments on: OCLC Meets Facebook

OCLC Meets Facebook

Rykey — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:59:03 -0800

Citations on the fly. WorldCat previously, the world's online largest catalog of library holdings, got its own Facebook page in early 2008. That was pretty cool, but now WorldCat has upped the ante again by introducing another Facebook app called CiteMe. Using CiteMe, Facebook users can look up any item in WorldCat (there's over 1 billion of 'em) and get its properly-formatted citation (choose from APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, or Turabian styles) instantly. For more than a few citations, you can still build a bibliography of any size in your favorite style, directly on the WorldCat site.

By: Clandestine Outlawry

Clandestine Outlawry — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:07:23 -0800

This is nice, sure, but what is the purpose of having a citation builder in facebook? Is there some social networking aspect to WorldCat that I don't understand?

By: Riverine

Riverine — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:28:58 -0800

OMG, my undergrads are going to swarm this.

By: cashman

cashman — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:37:14 -0800

I love worldcat. I'm done with facebook though. But worldcat can go in so many good directions. I'll personally jump for joy when they make it so that you can see where to get a book online in your area. Right now it'll say "internet resource" and half the time it's random. A link to the table of contents online or some nonsense. Also, I wish there was a place that listed databases and which libraries had access to them. Of course I realize I'm getting ridiculous here, but still. But yeah, I'd kind of go insane if it wasn't for worldcat.

By: DU

DU — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:03:58 -0800

...I'd kind of go insane if it wasn't for worldcat. I thought it would be my savior as well, but it hasn't actually worked out for me. I must live out in the boonii, because all the hits are for technical colleges or places miles and miles away¹ and of course all them require student IDs or similar. ¹Just tried again and the nearest copy of a particular book I want (which isn't a bestseller but is from 2005 and of non-zero interest to the general public) is 1100 miles away. I doubt that can be right.

By: QIbHom

QIbHom — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:04:26 -0800

This would be cooler if WorldCat's holdings were anywhere near accurate. None of the libraries I work in do deletions, and some public library co-operatives are in there as a single entity.

By: DU

DU — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:09:20 -0800

Even more damning: I just looked for a book that I know is in my own library, less than 2 miles from my house. WorldCat says the nearest copy is 30 miles away in a library I've never heard of. Which, now that I've consulted Google Maps, is in a town that's 40 miles away. Somehow. You'll have to do a little better than that if you want me to regain my sanity.

By: 517

517 — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:12:47 -0800

I can't even think of how many hours worldcat's citation thing has saved me. Just remeber to add the page numbers after the citation, depending on the format.

By: cashman

cashman — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:36:33 -0800

Du & others - there are multiple listings for some titles. I know - it's not perfect, ugh. If you do the search a different way you'll probably find that the library you know has the book has cataloged it differently. It's probably there (in worldcat) though, I'm betting. The thing is still pretty freakin cool. Don't make me call Big J in here on yall.

By: OverlappingElvis

OverlappingElvis — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:53:20 -0800

Finally, a Facebook app that's actually useful. I could have used this about 2 months ago when I was doing my finals, though. Easybib is great, but clunky. Yeah, I know I could just do citations by hand. It's not going to happen.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:16:39 -0800

Next, Myspace will allow you to do spreadsheets and Metafilter will add an image conversion utility.

By: Rykey

Rykey — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:20:10 -0800

Is there some social networking aspect to WorldCat that I don't understand? No, there's just a huge social networking aspect to a lot of youngsters' lives. I think this is sort of a move by the Library to be more visible in places people already go online, as opposed to waiting for Facebook users to find WorldCat. I was kinda puzzled by the WC-FB connection too, but I welcome stuff like this. However clunkily and misguidedly at times, as a profession we are (or should be) trying to remain relevant.

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:51:26 -0800

There is no reason that OCLC needs all of my Facebook information (which they get if you sign up for it) to provide this function.

By: mkb

mkb — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:02:23 -0800

grouse: It's impossible to add ANY Facbeook application without agreeing to provide that information.

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 04:05:35 -0800

I understand that mkb. But it's something that is wholly unnecessary for the functions they are providing. They could have provided this service via a traditional web site, with zero loss of function. It wouldn't be all "Web 2.0" but then again, this isn't either.

By: lampoil

lampoil — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:22:19 -0800

When I was in college I used redlightgreen to do this. At least, I think I did. I can't remember that well. But now redlightgreen redirects to WorldCat.

By: robocop is bleeding

robocop is bleeding — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:35:13 -0800

Yerg. So much for my hope of blocking facebook from a subset of library laptops because of its lack of academic use. During the height of finals season when everyone and a brother wants a laptop, we have people that check them out just to browse their facebooks as they read some required reading. Meanwhile, I have a host of people that need to write papers or access databases waiting. Kids these days! Back in my day, we had PINE and we liked it, dammit!

By: aldus_manutius

aldus_manutius — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:48:44 -0800

redlightgreen was always a beta ...so yes, it went away. This is still pretty cool and I am delighted to see it.

By: Rykey

Rykey — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:28:06 -0800

They could have provided this service via a traditional web site, with zero loss of function. I think you're missing the point. This service is, in fact, available via WorldCat's "traditional" website, i.e., where kids are most certainly not spending hours every day. Facebook, meanwhile...

By: grouse

grouse — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:34:05 -0800

That's like saying that this service is available in the library, i.e., where kids are most certainly not spending hours every day. The Internet, meanwhile...

By: Rykey

Rykey — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:45:35 -0800

That's like saying that this service is available in the library, i.e., where kids are most certainly not spending hours every day. The Internet, meanwhile... Exactly... just not in the way you mean.

By: jb

jb — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:59:27 -0800

Yeah, this is pretty cool. Too bad it's about the only reason for me to use facebook. I think I will just keep memorising styles. That's more fun.

By: jb

jb — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:02:23 -0800

Kids these days! Back in my day, we had PINE and we liked it, dammit! PINE! Oh, how I miss you! You were so much faster to search than any web-based system I've used. And I felt so cool for knowing your (not very) archane codes. Please come back, please save me from my uni's horrible library website where the default search is not the catelogue but the website itself, which is kind of useless. and bring telnet internet mail with you.

By: celerystick

celerystick — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:09:48 -0800

Hey OCLC! you've got your peanut butter in my chocolate.