As we enter the final stage of labor for the new search engine, I have to re-test with the same search terms we’ve been using since we started this evaluation. I feel faint nausea every time I flip open the list of queries.
Sure enough, a couple things didn’t work right after the latest tweak, so all this iterative testing is well worth it. But I’m feeling a little like Jack in The Shining… maniacally retyping the same things over and over.
But on the bright side of bibliodrama, a couple of blogs have noted that Google Book Search finally includes library locator information in its results. As someone who has been buzzing about this issue for a long time, I’d like to take the lioness’ share of credit for this change–the idea that Google fears me and curries my favor is extremely appealing–but I’ll settle for being one more small, persistent gnat on Google’s huge, hairy bottom. Or maybe it all happened in spite of me. Nevertheless, it happened!
Lorcan Dempsey comments, “We can expect to see [this service] change where it makes sense based on user behaviors.” Note that he didn’t say when it makes sense FOR users; the Google approach can be distilled into By The People, For Google. The Google giveth, and if it interferes with their bottom line, the Google can taketh away.
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