Displaying Clustered Search Results

“A big point in my NEASIS&T presentation Tuesday was how new technologies like XML and web services allow us to separate the tools that manage and store our data from the tools that display and manipulate it. This is, of course, part of the web 2.0 infrastructure, and an enabler of so many great hacks and mashups.

In this prototype, I’m using XML access to our catalog to fetch the top 150 results for a keyword search, aggregate the subject headings and authors, and display it all for the user. The data is live, so go get clicky on it. Also, try this version that displays the clusters in a more tag-like way. I’m not sure which view I like better, so I’m experimenting with both….

[update:] here’s a mockup of how this info might be displayed, along with some other ways I’d like to enhance the catalog.” [LibDev]

I can’t believe how quickly this guy throws together these proofs-of-concept. I’m officially nicknaming him the “hardest working man in the OPAC 2.0 business!” Plymouth State University better be treating him right.

You can see a second sample search at http://www.plymouth.edu/library/prototype/clusteredopac.php?srchtype=X&k=harry+potter. Make sure you click through to that mockup, too – I love all of the different tags he used on it. He wrote more about his NEASIST presentation here, and Lichen liveblogged what sounds like yet another fascinating NEASIST event here. And finally, as if all of this wasn’t enough, Casey did a cool mockup of Social Bookmarking for Higher Education. A little like CiteULike and Connotea, but with the clean interface of del.icio.us and the intriguing addition of a section for “your courses.”

On a personal note, I love how Flickr shows me a shared interest with Casey – he visited the Edward Gorey House! Gorey is one of my favorite authors and illustrators, so I’m jealous. Almost as jealous as I am of the Pepper Pad Casey got to play with!

(P.S. Find Exhibit A here.)