Rob O’Connell Talks “Beyond the Bento”

Libraries users may have noticed the clean, tidy, user-friendly interface when viewing results using the online Discover search. In web development, this interface format is called a “bento-box” and Rob O’Connell, the Libraries’ Director of Discovery and Access, brought the Libraries’ search function into existence. The results page neatly displays a variety of item types, which is impressive when you consider that Discover searches millions of resources in the Five College Library Catalog, journal article databases, and local primary-source collections all at once. The search tool is invaluable considering that it connects users to resources that can’t be found through a Google search.

A new Information Today article outlines O’Connell’s thought process behind the new interface: “Wouldn’t it be great if users could customize their bento box instead of the librarians deciding what was important for them?” Written in PHP and JavaScript (jQuery), the Libraries’ search function was built to be dynamic and user-focused.

You can read the full article, “Beyond the Bento: A New Discovery Experience at Smith College” here.

O’Connell oversees the Acquisitions, Cataloging, Electronic Resources, Preparation and Stacks, Interlibrary Loan, and Circulation departments within the Smith College Libraries. He also manages the overall operation of the libraries website discovery layer and the online public access catalog (OPAC).

Contact

Rob O’Connell
roconnell@smith.edu