It seems to me that using Web 2.0 data and Extensible Cataloging are just what Torkington (and I) mean by “making the catalog better” and “and thinking.” We don’t need to try to jam new features awkwardly onto the existing OPAC, we need to make a better OPAC, and this is a good start.
And as an aside, why is it that phrases made into acronyms with words featuring “ex” as beginning characters of the first word always use X as the acronym letter for that word? Is it just cooler to shorten “extensible” (in XML and XC) to X than to E? (#OCD #GrammarNazi)
I believe your are dead on the money about Torkington approaches towards modifying OPCA. In the long run we still need to acknowledge that all current OPAC have to crucial flaws the limited vocabulary index of the user and a less than user friendly interface. With computer literacy a composite of exploratory learning users use what they know witch are search engines like Google and fail to produce results. The truth is simple a large portion of people still do not know how to perform a proper Google search let alone a catalog search. Is it true the system is broken or are there just a few parts that need to upgraded?