Key features listed in their announcement:

• A mobile catalog for any library, up and running in minutes.
• Mobile web and apps for iPhone, Blackberry and Android.
• Cheaper than you’d guess.
• Search, place holds, and more.
• Showcase hours, branches, and events.
• No installation process.
• Works with 90% of current OPACs.
• Comes with an “accessible version” that provides a fully Section 508-compliant version of your existing catalog
• (via LibraryThing)

They’re looking for beta libraries now. This is one of those times that I really wish I was still working in a library and could be part of this. And as a patron, I’d really love it if my own local library got in on this. I’ve been trying to use my library catalog on my phone and it’s not a pretty experience!

I haven’t looked at editing gadgets since then, so I was excited to learn  that it’s much easier to make gadgets now. Sometime during the year, Google added a nifty gadget to help create gadgets. That sounds confusing, but it’s just another little iGoogle tool that helps you edit, preview and launch your own gadgets. This tutorial helped explain how to use it.

So, while looking at other library catalog search gadgets tonight, I wondered if I could ‘borrow’ code to make something slicker than my original clunky gadgets. I found Andrew Schulz from Pierce County (WA) Library System had a very elegant gadget for their Polaris catalog. A quick copy of the code and editing of the catalog URL and it was working for my local library. Woohoo!

Any recommendations on good models for other systems?