m-Cat - a view to the future?

Following on from my post about my mobile library catalogue the other week, I had comments that some screenshots may be nice. Now I warn you, it ain't pretty. Being a catalogue for a mobile device, my entire aim was to make it:
a) fit on a small screen
b) resize if they had a larger screen
c) use very little bandwidth (which ain't cheap in Australia for mobile devices)

Problems I am having are mostly resulting in 'set' code from our library management system. Code is spat out of the system that I cannot change (ie on the patron details page, I cannot change the default text that is generated).

1. Search window

2. Results window

3. Availability window

4. Customer details window

m-Cat - the mobile device catalogue

Although I have not posted for 2 months, I haven't actually been on holiday. No, I have been working so hard I haven't had time to post.

A few things have been going on which are very uninteresting to people outside Brimbank: new multi-function devices (which I got roped into organising), an sms/email notification system for our patron reservations/overdues, testing and installing of the RFID self-check system (still underway) and just general 'fix this' type stuff.

One of the projects I have been working on in my spare time (aka the 30 minutes before I go home when I am bored with the above work) is a mobile device catalogue. This catalogue would work on PDAs, mobile phones and the like. To download the entire site (including all pictures and the like) would be 22.8kb, it is as streamlined as possible.

I am hoping to get a test version of it up and running within the next week so that I can test it on as many mobile devices as possible (and see if it actually works, until I get access to our public web server, it is all currently theoretical).

I thought some of you may have been interested in hearing about that.

Amlib goes to OCLC and our catalogue comes underway

Hello all, today is a good day. Yesterday Amlib (our library management system) announced that they had been acquired by OCLC. Lucky Amlib! I'm a bit suprised actually, Amlib is quite a small LMS compared to, well, OCLC's company size. I know that they are interested in AmlibNet, the online version of Amlib. They're possibly interested in it because you can change everything about the interface. That would mean they could use the one piece of software and port it over to many different language groups. A Chinese language version of Amlib could easily be created by an enterprising customer (or, as OCLC have just purchased it, probably by an enterprising staff member).

Some other good news is that I am going on holiday for 2 weeks on Monday. Yay to time off work!

Some updates from work. I am still creating our library catalogue. I have posted some screen shots below to show you what it will look like. The 'New Books' box on the right comes direct from an rss feed and scrolls whilst you're looking at it. Results are grouped and I'm still working on neatening some things up on that page. Enjoy!

The catalogue search page

The results page

Slackers update

Hello to the few people left who check this.
Sorry I've been away from blogging for 2 months. I am a slack-arse.

Let us see, what has happened in the past few months?
1. http://www.brimbank.vic.gov.au/ got launched. We have met mostly positive feedback from the public. Staff have had mixed reactions, mostly to do with not being able to find things. The speed is an issue too, we have too many style-sheets and they all take AGES to load in IE (not so bad in Firefox for some reason).

2. I finally got rss feeds working from Amlib using very hack-ish methods. I edited a report file to be in rss format (which took ages I can tell you, stupid validators). I then ran the report to create a file called maltese.rss.txt (because Amlib wouldn't let me call it maltese.rss). I then upload the file to our server and alter the name of the file in the process.

Currently all of the above is happening manually. I am working on getting it all happening automatically. I can definately run the report and create the maltese.rss.txt file automatically. My only problems is in the auto-ftping (and that is to do with network restrictions more than anything else). I am planning to sweet-talk IT around tomorrow, so here's hoping.

3. I began creating the shell for the new Brimbank Libraries Catalogue. Oddly enough, it looks very similar to the website and uses the same style sheets (which of course means it initially takes ages to load). I've popped a screen display of it at http://www.tas666.com/library/brimbank_netopacs/MainMenu.htm . None of the links work really so don't bother with those. And things will look odd in certain parts as I adjust them. Feel free to comment on it if you hate it (or love it).

How's that for an update?!

LibraryThing for Libraries

Whilst doing statistics in Amlib (my Library's management system), I found some data corruption and decided to fix it. Deciding to update the 50,000 borrowers listed as belonging to Sunshine all at once was probably not my smartest ever idea. Due to this, I now have quite a bit of time to kill whilst the system does its thang.

I am lucky enough to be in charge of Amlib at Brimbank. I get to do exciting things like running reports, pulling out statistics and deciding whether or not we have the ability to do x, y or z. I also have the lovely task of fixing it when I screw it up (not if). Due to this, I went to an Amlib usergroup meeting last week at Cheltenham Library.

One of the items I was fascinated with was integrating LibraryThing data into our online catalogue. The demonstration by Kingston Library was VERY impressive. For quite a low cost, LibraryThing will show various 'user-created' items such as tags and links to similar items. This wasn't that impressive (Global Books in Print will do that). What was impressive is that it will only show similar books that are already held by the library. I honestly can't remember if it did this by searching the catalogue for the books (z39.50 protocol) or by uploading a list of the books each week. If it's a list of the books then I might have to get off my arse and get the LibrariesAustralia deletions working (don't ask, LibAust irritate me sometimes).

If you're interested in having a look, head to the Kingston Library Catalogue and perform a title search for the book jPod. If you click on the title of the book, you will be taken to the full catalogue record which SHOULD load the LibraryThing data. Unfortunately Kingston's catalogue is rather slow so it may take you a while to get there (and then, today, it wouldn't load the LibraryThing data). Impressive nonetheless.