I've done some work this.


" What I don't know is whether there are any indexing / SQL / query techniques that could be used to browse forward and backword in an index like this."

Depending on what you want to do exactly, yes.  Look at 

Querying Ontologies in Relational Database Systems - ►hu-berlin.de [PDF] 
S Trissl, U Leser - LECTURE NOTES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE, 2005 - Springer

If you need more you're looking at CS literature concerning treatment of graphs, directed graphs, cyclical, transitive closure, etc.

This can all be done without to much difficulty but as Nate pointed out updating the data is a problem...I've not tackled that part but there is much literature on dynamic graphs and I'm assuming this could also be adequately solved.

> a decent UI is probably going to be a bigger job

Yes, that's the real issue.  Could call numbers be placed within a hierarchy?  Then display this in an outline view (Windows Explorer) that is also item searchable?  Seems to me there is structure in the call numbers that is hidden in current UIs.  I also think the actual "Call number" should disappear and replaced by a textual label describing what the numbers mean.  

Fun stuff to think about...

Charles-Antoine


-----Original Message-----
From: Code for Libraries [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Emily Lynema
Sent: September 17, 2008 11:46 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [CODE4LIB] creating call number browse

Hey all,

I would love to tackle the issue of creating a really cool call number 
browse tool that utilizes book covers, etc. However, I'd like to do this 
outside of my ILS/OPAC. What I don't know is whether there are any 
indexing / SQL / query techniques that could be used to browse forward 
and backword in an index like this.

Has anyone else worked on developing a tool like this outside of the 
OPAC? I guess I would be perfectly happy even if it was something I 
could build directly on top of the ILS database and its indexes (we use 
SirsiDynix Unicorn).

I wanted to throw a feeler out there before trying to dream up some wild 
scheme on my own.

-emily

P.S. The version of BiblioCommons released at Oakville Public Library 
has a sweet call number browse function accessible from the full record 
page. I would love to know know how that was accomplished.

http://opl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1413841_mars

-- 
Emily Lynema
Systems Librarian for Digital Projects
Information Technology, NCSU Libraries
919-513-8031
[log in to unmask]

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