In short, it would finally let library finding tools work sanely for people from any location. It doesn’t address off-campus uses, but it doesn’t make things any worse, either — just proxy like you’re already doing. (OpenID could solve this very elegantly… if libraries decide to jump and be early adopters here. That’ll totally happen, too.)

LibraryFind is a combination multi-search tool and harvester — they think multi-search is inherently a flawed approach (hint: they’re right) and that harvesting is ultimately going to be a better solution.

But multi-search is what we have right now… and man, even in an early stage, it kicks Metalib squarely in the testicles. It provides hits from the catalog as well as article databases (why doesn’t everyone do this?). It caches results, which makes it fast while also hugely pleasing database vendors. It’s really very excellent.

Back to harvesting now — OSU is looking to harvest stuff. Lots of stuff. Unless I mis-heard, they’ve got 200,000 items now… and they’re investigating what it’ll take to scale up to two trillion items.

To reach that kind of scale, you need some very serious investment in infrastructure — something not everyone is gonna want to do. If they, say, implemented the Magic Resolving URLs, this tool would kick ass for everyone.

“Radical Militant Librarian – Defending Access, Defending Privacy, Defending Freedom.”

The buttons will cost $2.00, unless bought in bulk (at which time the cost goes down). What a radical bargain! And in the colors of France!

ALA claims that the slogan on the button is a response to FBI complaints about politically “radical, militant librarians” who raised their voices over the PATRIOT Act.

My anticipation is that many of our least radical, and certainly least militant librarians will happily, jauntily purchase a button and sport it at work the following week. The kitsch value of this button is irresistible (”Must… buy… buttoon… must… have one for my blazer.”) I also anticipate that many of our most militant library spokespeople will not be wearing this button at ALA this summer.

From the OED:

Militant: 3. a. Combative; aggressively persistent; strongly espousing a cause; entrenched, adamant.

Radical: 3. e. Characterized by independence of, or departure from, what is usual or traditional; progressive, unorthodox, or revolutionary (in outlook, conception, design, etc.).

That this button is a fundraiser is a granted point. But the slogan strikes me as blind, purchasable flagwaving that can (and will) be worn by librarians who will hardly deserve the label. “Revolutionary”? “Aggressively persistent”? How many of us can claim such a thing? The trumpet is hardly loud enough to be heard over the wall, much less bring it down.

Maybe this button should be given by ALA to the deserving few.

My own button would realistically read: “Clean, Showered Librarian: Defending Thai Food, Defending Lost, Defending Wisconsin Cheese.”