When it's actually a reference librarian using it for reference/research tasks, I think it can be a legitimate use case -- so long as you remember that it is representative of only a certain type of "expert" searcher (not neccesarily even every searcher requiring sophisticated or complex features, just a certain type with certain tasks), which represents a minority of searchers, and don't over-emphasize it's importance beyond it's actual representativeness -- don't sacrifice the needs of the majority of users for a minority. 

When the tasks are related to cataloging and assigning headings -- absolutely and completely agree with Bill, this is not an appropriate use case for a public interface, I agree. 

So, Bill, you're still not certain yourself exactly what purposes browse is used for by actual non-librarian searchers, if anything?

Jonathan
________________________________________
From: Code for Libraries [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Bill Dueber [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 8:28 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [CODE4LIB] A call for your OPAC (or other system) statistics! (Browse interfaces)

On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 7:10 PM, Bryan Baldus
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I can't speak for other users (particularly the generic patron user type), but as a
>cataloger/librarian user,

...and THERE IT IS, ladies and gentlemen.

I've started trying to keep a list of IP addresses I *know* are staff
and separate out the statistics. The OPAC isn't for the librarians;
the ILS client is. If the client sucks so badly that librarians need
the OPAC "to do our job" (as I was told several times during our roll
out of vufind), then the solution is to fix the client, or
(alternately) build up a workaround for staff. NOT to overload the
OPAC.  If librarians need specialized tools, let's just build them
without some sort of pretense that they're anything but the tiniest
blip on the bell curve of patrons.

And, BTW, just because you (and you know who you are!) do 8 hours of
reference desk work a week doesn't mean you have a hell of a lot more
insight. The patrons that self-select to actually speak to a librarian
sitting *in the library* are a freakshow themselves, statistically
speaking.

[Not meaning to imply that Bryan doesn't know the difference between
himself and a normal patron; his post makes it clear that he does. I
just took the opportunity to rant.]

I'm not saying that patrons don't use browse much (that's what I'm
trying to determine). But, to borrow from the 2009 code4lib
conference, every time a librarian's work habits inform the design of
a public-facing application, God kills a kitten.

  -Bill-

--
Bill Dueber
Library Systems Programmer
University of Michigan Library