You’ve been hearing about it from months, and at last, it’s here. Encore, a second, more modern search interface option for searching our Central Catalog, is now live!
View it now: https://catalog.ohiolink.edu
Below you’ll find a brief FAQ with information to increase familiarity with Encore.
1. When did Encore become available for searching the Central Catalog?
Wednesday, December 19th.
2. How do I get there?
Encore is now live at https://catalog.ohiolink.edu. Patrons can use this site to request items via Encore immediately.
3. Is there more information about Encore’s features available?
Yes. From earlier this year, there is a recorded webinar for staff at OhioLINK member institutions: https://www.ohiolink.edu/content/encore_preview_webinars
The webinar includes more information on Encore’s features.
4. What exactly will happen now that Encore is live?
The biggest change that you will notice is that the links on the OhioLINK homepage (https://www.ohiolink.edu) will be updated to link to the Encore version of the Central Catalog.
That said, you can still access the Classic Catalog interface you currently use by clicking on Classic Catalog in the upper right corner.
Note that at any time, your library may decide to point the pass-through search from your local catalog to the Encore version of the Central Catalog, but this decision will remain a local one, based on what works best for your patrons.
5. After Encore becomes available, will the older version of the Central Catalog still be available as well?
YES. Encore is an alternative—not a replacement.
It provides an alternative version of the Central Catalog with newer features that your patrons are likely to find easier to use; it does not replace the version of Central that you currently use. OhioLINK will use the phrase “Classic Catalog” to refer to the current interface for the Central Catalog, and “Encore” will be the term used to refer to the new interface.
6. Which version should students use?
Both! The Classic and Encore interfaces are complementary versions of the Central Catalog – it’s not an either/or choice.
For some searches, Encore’s single search and facets will be more intuitive for students; for more targeted searches, including OCLC number searches, the Classic Catalog will be the better choice, as it will allow patrons to search more granularly.
The important thing to remember is that you will be able to access BOTH versions from the new Encore interface. Simply click on “Classic Catalog” in the upper right corner to access the classic search interface.
Questions? Contact Theda Schwing, manager of catalogs & technical implementation at OhioLINK, at tschwing@ohiolink.edu.
