August 6, 2009 (Charlotte, NC) – Finding what you’re looking for at the library has just gotten easier. No, the shelves haven’t changed. Instead, the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County (PLCMC) is offering customers a better way to search for items with a new and improved catalog interface.

The new catalog, powered by Aquabrowser, debuts to the public on August 10, 2009, and aims to address customer requests for an easier-to-use catalog with more personalized features.

One of the new personalized features of the catalog is a tool called “My Discoveries”, which lets users rate items, write reviews, create lists and apply subject tags to items. This content can be kept private or shown to other users.

“Like most library customers, I enjoy keeping track of the items I’ve read and plan to read,” says Library Director Charles Brown, “’My Discoveries’ is a great way to create and save a list of items one might want to check out later. Plus, being able to rate books and share reviews makes using the library’s catalog even more interactive and enjoyable for book lovers like me.”

So what’s on the Library Director’s list of books? “I’m currently reading ‘Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal and Divorce’ by Hallie Rubenhold. I’m also looking forward to reading Pat Conroy’s highly-touted ‘South of Broad’ and completing ‘The Emperor of Ocean Park,’ Stephen L. Carter’s beautifully written but somewhat overlong first work of fiction.”

The new catalog has many other benefits, including a text-only version for customers with low vision, and a Spanish-language version.

But the biggest enhancement is in how users can find things.

“Improved searching with more relevant results was a key factor in the decision to launch the new catalog interface,” says Frank Blair, the Library’s Director of Research, Innovation and Strategy. “It’s important that customers find the information they need when they use the library’s catalog. The enhanced catalog lets you not only find results that match what you’ve typed in, but it will also present relevant alternatives, and easily refine a search.”

The catalog can be accessed online at www.plcmc.org or from within libraries. Customers will still have the option to use the old catalog interface by clicking the “Classic Catalog” link at the top of the page.

To see some of the new features in action, a series of short, guided tour videos are available on the catalog page. Library staff are also available to help customers use the new catalog either by phone by calling their local branch or in person. The library also invites customers to share their thoughts about the new catalog on their Community Forum blog at http://plcmcforum.wordpress.com.