A library needs citation style guidance and live ILS search for Claude. Which matching fits?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Citation style is a Skill; searching the ILS is MCP—that's guidance versus live system access. You don't want Claude running live catalog queries through a Skill, and you don't want static style rules locked inside an MCP tool either.
Full Explanation
Libraries should match abstractions to job type: Skills for citation style guidance—procedural, reusable instructions for MLA, APA, or local research guides—and MCP for ILS search APIs that perform live catalog queries with structured results. That pairing keeps style rules portable across reference desks and student portals while catalog search stays authoritative and current. Using MCP only for citation style and Skills only for live ILS search APIs reverses the mapping—networking static style text and trying to embed live search inside guidance packages that cannot call APIs. Serving citation style and ILS search together through MCP tools misuses MCP for static style guidance instead of reserving it for live catalog queries, and it leaves citation rules without the reusable Skill format that works across desks and portals. Bundling citation style and ILS search handling inside Skills workflows tries to run live catalog queries inside guidance packages that cannot call APIs, so searches against holdings, availability, or bib records stay stale or impossible. Exam caveat: a citation Skill may instruct how to call the ILS MCP tool and how to format returned fields, but the Skill itself is not the search interface and should not contain secrets for the ILS. Operational check: apply the citation Skill to format a bibliography from known metadata, run an ILS search via MCP for a known title, confirm the catalog is not pasted into the prompt, verify swapping the abstractions breaks either guidance reuse or live search, and ensure MCP credentials stay off the Skill document.