Online Cataloging

As more libraries continue to automate various parts of their technical processing operations, the issues pertaining to the selection and use of systems specific to those operations are crucial. At a broader level, there is general consensus about what a cataloguing, acquisitions, serials control, or circulation systems should do as far as function is concerned. The development of online public-access catalogues (OPACs) has not reached a comparable stage of maturity. Online catalogues can be looked at from several perspectives. Many issues pertain to their design and use in libraries, ranging from the number of terminals required to service a given number of users, to the ergonomics of terminal placement, to the types and amount of information to be included in a catalog, as well as its arrangement on a screen display. Online catalogs; Traditional catalogy; OPAC research; OPAC and user interaction; DDC classification, LCC classification; Okapi research projects; Access to periodical literature; Performance and usage data etc., are the major themes discussed in this book.