#4 Open Library

"One web page for every book ever published. It's a lofty, but achievable, goal."
This is mission of OpenLibrary.org, a website aiming to be the largest, free, global online book catalog and library. The project was started by 21 year old Aaron Swartz, in partnership with the non-profit Internet Archive and the Open Content Alliance. Swartz says the goal of Open Library is "to get metadata about every book to explain why a book is interesting and then provide as many ways of getting it as possible" (American Libraries, 2008, p. 27). Digitized copies of public domain books are available to read in an attractive ebook interface linked right from the record. If a digital copy is not available, Open Library provides links to purchase the book from an online bookseller or borrow a copy from a library.

Open Library is a catalog for the people, by the people. It is a public wiki, so all content and information is updatable and editable by users. In addition to providing traditional library catalog information and ways to get a book, the website also aims to provide user-generated reviews, references, and discussions. Though Swartz downplays any competitive nature, Open Library is bound to give OCLC a run for their money. The catalog will likely have great influence over the next generation of OPACs, which are often criticized for not being user-friendly. Open Library surpasses OCLCs current capabilities by blending metadata, content, and Web 2.0; blurring the distinction between content and text (Coombs, 2008).

Rather than considering Open Library a threat, many librarians view it as a "friendly challenge" to the library world and its current catalogs and services offered (Coombs, 2008, p.28). Open Library definitely doesn't want to cause any hard feelings. In fact, they welcome and encourage libraries to become active development partners and users. Not only does Open Library hope that libraries will help contribute to the collection, they also hope librarians will provide valuable feedback on the website's interface and functionality. Indeed, many libraries are already participating by providing content and feedback.

I checked Open Library by doing a search for "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Several records came up and I clicked on one that had full text available. I was greeted by a page that showed a cover of this particular edition of the book, and a MaRC like record including Subject Headings and an LC call number. "Edit" buttons and a line saying "Add it!" invited me to add a not-yet-included description of the book or table of contents. A "Borrow" from "Your Local Library" option linked me to WorldCat's entry for the book. Of course, for this version of the book I had the option to read the book online. The embeddable ebook reader was fun and easy to use, complete with graphics that make the pages look like they're actually turning. My one complaint is that the Zoom function was only available by 25% increments, and for this particular copy, I needed something in between.

Overall, I commend what Open Library is doing. Libraries need a push to make their catalogs more user friendly and perhaps this will do the trick by providing a good example of what's possible and what people want. In the future, Open Library has ambitious plans to integrate with Wikipedia and possibly even LibraryThing, so I can only see this project getting better and better.


References

Backed by internet archive, entrepreneur takes on OCLC.(2008). American Libraries, 39(4), 27-27.

Coombs, K. (2008). Opening up to open library. Library Journal (1976), , 28.