OPAC critique (LibraryThing ideas, cont.)

This is a closing summary of a three-part commentary on OPACs by Karen Schneider, from the ALA TechSource blog (don't worry, it's not too geeky!):

http://www.techsource.ala.org/blog/2006/05/how-opacs-suck-part-3-the-big-picture.html

After last week's discussion (LibraryThing, May 15, + comments), this seems to be of enough interest to initiate a new post. Schneider's comments resonate, but I feel that her conclusion, which advocates "atomizing" or "dis-integrating" the catalog, a bit drastic, as do the major utilities (OCLC and RLG), who have invested years in R&D which would incorporate existing MARC conventions. Schneider envisions a really big mashup, which is no doubt the future, but there has to be a more graceful way to get there.