Opening Hours and Library Pics

We've now integrated library information (address, opening hours) into various parts of CamLib

Opening hours are pretty important. When a user finds a book online, the next thing they want to know is usually "when can I get this book" - though in Cambridge they may also be asking "can I borrow this book" or even "can I use this library". All of this information is available in CamLib, but not in a particularly joined-up way.

The next challenge is not just to display this kind of information but to use it in the provision of relevant services - allowing users to filter searches to only bring back items in libraries they can use, or items in libraries they can use where they can borrow, or items in libraries which are open and which they can use.

We've also put some pictures of libraries up. Not all libraries have pics yet - we're adding them as they get sent in. The pics make the interface look nicer, but also have a practical purpose. The bigger sites in Cambridge have large numbers of buildings, often crowded together. A map reference only gets you into the general vicinity.

We asked libraries to include photos of the building as a whole and the entrance to the library so that when users are there or thereabouts they can use them to find the particular library they need.

Integrating our own service

We've talked a little about collaboration and integration of services between institutions - but sometimes the need for integration is closer to home. At the UL we have two sources of library data - our Voyager library management system, and a local database holding specific information about each library in Cambridge. This ranges from opening hours to location, staff details to system information. The two databases are linked by common identifiers so they can "talk to each other".

This local database is used to drive interfaces such as the Cambridge Libraries Directory and Libraries Map. It's also the foundation of a number of services we provide for Cambridge librarians - web based reporting from Voyager, course booking, record enrichment, staff management and stockchecking being just a few. Essentially, we have used development based around this local database to fill in the gaps where Voyager either has no slot for the information we want to store, or doesn't provide the service we need.

Widgets provide the perfect opportunity to start tying this data together more closely. We're already doing this to a certain extent in the CamLib mobile interface - Voyager knows which library a book is in, our local database knows where that library is, allowing us to link out to a map.

But there are all sorts of other possibilities - from simple ones like including library opening times in searches, to more complex functionality like "show me the nearest copy of this book", or "only show me books which are held in libraries which are open now". Another example of how bringing data together to get an idea of context allows you to provide relevant services for your users.