Local touch and global reach: The next generation of network‐level information discovery and delivery services in a digital landscape

Purpose – Technology changes swiftly and the traditional library online public access catalog (OPAC) is in danger of becoming irrelevant as more users rely on network‐level search engines such as Google and Google Scholar to search for information resources. This paper seeks to explore the next‐generation discovery and delivery solutions that are designed to adapt to changing user expectations in the Web 2.0 environment. It aims to examine the current trends in which libraries are partnering with vendors to promote their value‐added services to library users, and are making their collections more visible in a global digital landscape.Design/methodology/approach – The paper begins with an overview of current library catalogs and then introduces some emerging products focusing on discovery and delivery that affect the value of libraries as they present their collections and provide services to a new generation of library users. Case studies are presented to illustrate trendy features of next‐generation cata...