[13559] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Searching the electronic catalog
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Charles Hildreth)
Fri Oct 6 20:05:17 2000
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2000 09:26:06 -0400
From: Charles Hildreth <hildreth@LIU.EDU>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: hildreth@liu.edu
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> I need to find some information on the users' preferences regarding
> the search of electronic library catalogs. That is: what part of the
> users look for a specific author, book title, what part do keyword
> search and what part use subject headings. If you know about any
> research on this, I would be very grateful for the information.
>
> Thanks in advance.
> Best regards,
> Blazej Feret
> Main Library
> TU Lodz,
> Poland
Yes, there is a large body of research on online catalog (OPAC)
use and users. It began in the early 1980s and grew exponentially
well into the 1990s. In addition to the standard indexes and catalog
databases, a good place to start finding evidence, analysis, and
references to relevant publications is the Special Issue of the Journal
of the American Society for Information Science on Online Catalog
Research, edited by Chris Borgman and Micheline Beaulieu (July,
1996, vol. 47, no. 7). Another recent article is: "The Use and
Understanding of Keyword Searching in a University Online
Catalog." Charles R. Hildreth. Information Technology and
Libraries, Volume 16, Number 2 (June 1997), 52-62. (See also
Hildreth's Web page to find references and links to related
OPAC research: http://phoenix.liunet.edu/~hildreth). You will find
many excellent publications on electronic/online library catalogs
authored by Karin Drabenstott, Ray Larson, Christine Borgman,
Micheline Beaulieu, Stephen Walker, and Joseph Matthews
(just for starters!). Follow the citation trails that these authors
provide, as well as the Social Sciences Citation Index.
Good hunting!
Charles Hildreth
Palmer School
Long Island University
