Federated searching and library catalogs

There has been quite an interesting discussion on Web4Lib these past few days on the topic of the role or place of the library catalog vis-a-vis federated searching. I have some strong views about this but have enjoyed the thoughtful perspectives of several others. Check this out at Web4Lib’s archive and look for the “Federated Searching and the OPAC” thread. It’s well worth reading — and NOT because of any contribution I’ve made to the discussion.