Everyone is (rightly) talking about Peter Rukavina's homegrown RSS feeds for what he has checked out from his library (and new DVDs). I am overjoyed to see this, but saddened to see that once again users are having to route around library services because we're not providing the service ourselves (Your Honor, the prosecution submits LibraryLookup into evidence as Exhibit A).

I was going to leave the following comment on Aaron's post, but I was getting so agitated that I decided it made more sense to post it on my own site.

Rant: It's true libraries have limited resources, but they already have a vendor for their catalog, and that vendor should be the one leading the way.  Libraries must begin demanding these types of services from the vendors. It's crazy to see users writing code to compensate for a lack of services from library OPACs. Granted RSS has come on relatively quickly, but companies like Innovative and Sirsi need the equivalent of Google Labs in order to react faster to these types of disruptive technologies. If a user can write code to produce an RSS feed from the catalog, certainly the vendor can do even more on the backend.

This is a MAJOR wake-up call for integrated library system vendors, and libraries must force them to follow-through on this. I realize vendors don't have unlimited resources, but they could do a hell of a better job of listening to their customers and tracking trends. I've been trying to talk to Innovative about RSS feeds for MORE THAN 2 YEARS and they have never once contacted me in response to my comments, suggestions, or feedback. I talked about this at length with the ProQuest reps at the Texas Library Association conference, and I never heard back from them, either. In fact, it's embarassing to note that I've talked to several different vendors at various conferences and NONE of them have ever followed up with a response. That's pathetic, and I'm calling them on the carpet about it. From now on, when I go to a conference, I'm going to post the name of every vendor I talk to about RSS and we'll see if any of them have so much as the courtesy to follow up with me afterwards. I don't expect the floor reps to really get what I'm saying, but the promise of "I'll take this back to the home office" no longer holds any water for me without some type of follow-through.

Robert Scoble says, "If you're in PR now and not watching what several hundred of your best customers are saying about you you're at a severe disadvantage." I would expand that quote beyond just PR because there's enough going on in the online world of pagerank, trackback, social networking, and permanently-cached word-of-mouth to warrant tracking your brand no matter what industry/field you are in. Compared to most sectors, the library blogosphere is large, incestuous, and not afraid to speak its mind. It still amazes me to think that companeis devoted to library services don't pay attention to it.

Here's hoping they start. Soon.