My friend David Jennings wrote an interesting piece for the ALT Newsletter about "Web 2.0-style" resource discovery in libraries. David's report summarises the discussion at a workshop ALT*organised last December for the JISC-funded TILE project. Excerpt:
“'You looked at The Complete Essays by Montaigne; you might also consider The Renaissance in Europe: A Reader edited by Whitlock.' Most of us are familiar with Amazon’s gently pushy way of suggesting further purchases. If you’re a music fan, you may have tried “scrobbling” each song you listen to into the massive Last.fm database of listener behaviour. In return for this gift of your data, you get to explore the habits of others who share some of your tastes, and you get a series of recommendations for other music you might enjoy.
If it works for retail and leisure, might this same approach also be applicable for libraries and learning?"
If it works for retail and leisure, might this same approach also be applicable for libraries and learning?"
The short answer seems to be "yes it very well might".
*I am employed part time by ALT.
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