An online catalog was introduced at Georgia State University in September 1985. Prior to its introduction, a study was conducted at Pullen Library to prepare for bibliographic instruction for catalog use. In the summer of 1985, 50 patrons were observed and interviewed as they used the library's card and/or computer output microfiche (COM)…

Discusses the traditional alphabetical arrangement of library card catalogs and suggests this order should be reconsidered in online catalogs. Online searching in library catalogs is described; the ordering of records in online catalogs is examined; and filtering is considered as a method to order retrieved sets of bibliographic records. (Contains…

This report describes a computer-monitoring study of users of the Ohio State University Libraries' online catalog, an established and heavily used information retrieval system. Designed for end users, online library catalogs require little or no formal training, and often replace an existing manual system. Data were gathered unobtrusively by…

Describes how to help high school students use online college library catalogs. A workbook incorporating the following information was developed: technological information; geographic information; scope of database and levels of records; moving around screens; locational skills; title, name, and subject searching; creating bibliographies; and…

Describes a study that compared subject index headings for theological terminology used by the Catholic Subject Headings and the Library of Congress Subject Headings. The discussion covers issues related to the possible conversion to Library of Congress cataloging by Catholic university libraries. (three references) (CLB)

Reviews the characteristics of the Cheshire II system that is being used to implement full-text and fielded searching of bibliographic information for the University of California Berkeley Digital Library Initiative. Examines its performance when applied to a collection of large full-text documents in the TREC Interactive Retrieval Track and its…

This report describes efforts by three academic libraries to develop a model instructional program for online catalog users that could be adopted in other academic libraries. A key component of the research included the exploration and development of a methodology for utilizing online transaction logs to evaluate user performance. The four project…

With grants from the Council on Library Resources (CLR) and the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), New York University (NYU) Libraries conducted a study to assess user reactions to their online catalog, Bobcat (Bobst Library Computerized Catalog). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of NYU's catalog, to describe users' attitudes toward…

Discussion of user persistence in displaying postings from an online catalog focuses on a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago that compared results of an earlier study of user persistence with a recent study of users and their online catalog, LUIS. Results of questionnaires and transaction log analysis are reported. (LRW)

New York University (NYU) Libraries received a 1-year grant from the Association of Research Libraries to study users' responses to its recently installed Geac online catalog, Bobcat (Bobst Library Computerized Catalog). The survey instrument, developed for Council on Library Resources (CLR)-funded national study of responses to public access…

Librarians at the University of Pacific (Stockton, California) designed a replication of an earlier transaction log study. Researchers found it difficult to compare the year-to-year data, primarily due to a continually changing technological environment. Findings did reveal a rise in student use of online periodical databases which subsequently…

Describes the InfoTrac SearchBank based on experiences at the University of Nevada, Reno, libraries where the service is available through the online catalog. Highlights include remote access through the Internet; indexing and abstracting; full-text access to 460 journal titles; a powerful search engine; and business-oriented databases.…

Reviews the online public access catalog (OPAC) literature from 1980 through 1989 to assist librarians in their efforts to examine this growing body of literature. The 35 articles reviewed address the value of OPAC instruction, teaching methods, staffing needs, faculty education, and serving remote users. (Author/CLB)

Discussion of academic library online catalog users' queries highlights a new approach to displaying retrieved subject headings in subject searching, the exact-display approach, that was designed to encourage users to browse bibliographic information. Demonstrates an implementation of the exact-display approach in an experimental online catalog.…

Describes the implementation of a new set of indexes in the NOTIS/LUIS system that provide author, title, and subject access to bibliographic and authority records in the NOTIS/MARC format. The discussion covers index record structure and content, the design philosophy and process, and functions supported by the system. (Author/CLB)