The Library Discovery Layer: Improvements Ahead

90 Years in the Library

Wikipedia picture

Whittaker Library catalogue today

Rather to our surprise, casual conversation revealed the fact that by 2018, three of the library staff will each have been here for thirty years.  Heavens!  We've amassed a wealth of expertise, and seen the library change from using a card catalogue (imagine!) through several online systems, to the present library catalogue. 

Material for your Learning and Teaching

We're looking forward to a new library management system later this year.  It's a system already in use at the University of the Arts London.  We can't wait!  Of course, ours will be branded and designed for RCS Whittaker Library, but the underlying structure will work like the University of the Arts London catalogue.

What's a Discovery Layer?

In technical terms, we're getting a discovery layer.  So what will change?  At the moment, you either check the catalogue or you check our e-resources pages.  By the summer, you'll be able to look for online material via the library catalogue, just like you look for physical, hard-copy books, music and audiovisual content.  (Look at the UAL catalogue - they have two buttons, one for library materials and the other for database content via Articles Plus.)  

The Right Stuff, whatever the Format

We hope this will revolutionise information searching at the Conservatoire, because you'll find the right stuff for your studies, regardless of whether it's digital or sitting on a shelf.

It's not so long since we were asked, 'Where do you keep your electronic resources?' (Well, they're online ... )  But when we get our new system, the answer will hopefully be, 'Just click here ... '