Amazon for Technical Services Librarians: Making Order of the Jungle

Abstract

Academic libraries face growing pressure to provide minimal cataloging, while corporate bibliographic databases provide increasingly extensive bibliographic information. Amazon imports metadata from publishers, users, and authors, creating a virtual community space surrounding every record. An examination of Amazon's discovery layer interface and search structure reveals that their data is not organized or indexed in a way that is conducive to research, but is designed to improve sales. Catalogers' understanding of search mechanisms, organization, and data quality, when paired with Amazon's use of shared and enhanced metadata, could make a powerful next-generation library catalog without compromising libraries' core mission of service. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.