Hong Kong University Libraries has launched its new online catalogue, Dragon 2.0.
Looks alright, but I was a bit peeved that the about page suggested that you should go back to the staple Dragon search interface if you wanted to do a sophistaced keyword search on a topic. My little thorn. I still have to work on learning how to combine the right keywords with the right boolean operators. At least figure out why those queries of mine aren’t yielding any results. (Not that I need a longer bibliography right now. But it would still be good to know.)
With its one search box interface, Dragon 2.0 is good for “performing quick and broad searches.” I really think this is a better place to discover a few relevant titles when you’re at the start of a research project. Two key features help you refine your results. You can narrow down the results through facets such as format and language, and a tag cloud which gives you a visual representation of keywords in the result set.
With Dragon 2.0 you can also search a bunch of databases from a single platform through Research Pro. This is available only to HKU students. More on this as I discover more. Seems like a more elegant interface than the clunky Electronic Resources portal currently still on offer. Definitely check this out in the course of your research.
Upcoming features to Dragon 2.0 include the ability to tag, rate and review items you find.
