Next-generation catalogues can be viewed as the latest manifestation
of a tendency in library catalogue history to strive for centralization
of access to collections—a single portal for the discovery of library
resources. Due to an increasing volume of published materials and
the explosion of online information resources during the Internet
age, the library does not currently provide centralized access to its
various information silos, nor does it provide a user-friendly search
and retrieval experience for users whose expectations are shaped
by Google and other major commercial Web sites. Searching across
library resources is a complicated task, bearing high-attention “transaction
costs” for the user, which discourage the use of library resources.
Libraries need access systems that minimize complexity, easing
discovery and delivery of resources for user populations. Here, the
authors review past efforts of centralization of access, consider the
potential of next-generation catalogues in the context of this historical
tendency toward centralization of access, and describe what goals
underlie that centralization.published or submitted for publicatio