Animated subject maps for book collections

Abstract

Of our two primary textual formats, articles by far have received the most fiscal and technological support in recent decades. Meanwhile, our more traditional format, the book, seems in some ways to already be treated as a languishing symbol of the past. The development of OPACs and the abandonment of card catalogs in the 1980s and 1990s is the seminal evolution in print monograph access, but little else has changed. To help users locate books by call number and browse the collection by subject, animated subject maps were created. While the initial aim is a practical one, helping users to locate books and subjects, the subject maps also reveal the knowledge organization of the physical library, which it displays in a way that can be meaningful to faculty, students, and other community members. We can do more with current technologies to assist and enrich the experience of users searching and browsing for books. The subject map is presented as an example of how we can do more in this regard.