The usefulness of content enrichment in the ILS

Sometimes we are interested in a certain subject. We want to read about this subject but we can only read one book at a time. If our interest grows we can explore other sources but for the time being we are looking for the best book to satisfy our interest and our information need. Every subject has many different facets and different sources explore or concentrate on individual facets of a subject. If I was interested in the seven years war I could want to read about the Anglo French conflict in Europe, the North American front, the Austro Prussian front or the Russian contribution.

Content enrichment provides the person searching for the best book an opportunity to scan a table of contents or a summary so they can make a decision as to weather that particular source is the right one for them. If it covers or concentrates on the facets of a subject they are interested in then they may choose that book. There may be a dozen books in a library on Louis the fourteenth all entitled Louis the Fourteenth. What do we do, simply pick one and hope for the best? No, content enrichment helps us determine if it is the book for us. Another matter to consider is writing style. Time and again I have been enraptured or repulsed by a source, not because of the subject but because of the authors writing style. Content enrichment enables us to read excerpts, chapters which give us an idea of weather this is the book for us because we have an example of the writing style.