Sunday, March 13, 2005
MOLDI
If you're going to create yet another library acronym, you might as well have fun with it. So I am a fan of MOLDI, the Mid-Ohio Library Digital Initiative. Nine central Ohio libraries have joined together to share a catalog of digital titles (text and audio) from OverDrive.
What's the big deal? It's not like OverDrive ebook collections are new (off the top of my head, CLEVNET, Wright Memorial, Youngstown, Cuyahoga County, and SEO all use OverDrive). The difference here is that the MOLDI partners do not share a single integrated library system, but are divided between three different systems. In the old days (last month), I had to search every single catalog separately to see whether a title was available in the format I prefer. MOLDI is a sign that those tedious barriers are breaking down.
Now the big question: will the MP3 player I bought last year play the Charles de Lint title I just checked out?
What's the big deal? It's not like OverDrive ebook collections are new (off the top of my head, CLEVNET, Wright Memorial, Youngstown, Cuyahoga County, and SEO all use OverDrive). The difference here is that the MOLDI partners do not share a single integrated library system, but are divided between three different systems. In the old days (last month), I had to search every single catalog separately to see whether a title was available in the format I prefer. MOLDI is a sign that those tedious barriers are breaking down.
Now the big question: will the MP3 player I bought last year play the Charles de Lint title I just checked out?
