Animated maps of the library stacks were integrated into the catalog interface at Pratt Institute and into the EBSCO Discovery Service interface at Illinois State University. The mapping feature was developed for optimal automation of the update process to enable a range of library personnel to update maps and call-number ranges. The development…

Academic libraries customize, support, and provide access to myriad information systems, each with complex graphical user interfaces. The number of possible information entry points on an academic library Web site is both daunting to the end-user and consistently challenging to library Web site designers. Faced with the challenges inherent in…

Describes a project at the University of Kent to build a thesaurus based on existing subject terms for a collection of cartoon drawings and then to convert the existing cataloging system to new thesaurus terms for an online catalog. A graphical thesaurus editor is described, and future work is discussed. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of online catalogs focuses on issues in interface design. Issues addressed include understanding the user base; common user access (CUA) with personal computers; common command language (CCL); hyperlinks; screen design issues; differences from card catalogs; indexes; graphic user interfaces (GUIs); color; online help; and remote users.…

Describes ArchiVISTA, an optical disk image retrieval system that provides access to cartoons and caricatures in the National Archives of Canada. Planning, evaluation, design and image capture, and retrieval are explained, as well as how the system developed from earlier efforts of bibliographic control and imaging technology. (10 references) (EAM)

Discussion of problems with retrieval of records in library online public access catalogs (OPACs) focuses on an ongoing research project at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) that has been trying to improve subject retrieval vocabulary control using natural and thesaural language and on the design of a good graphical user interface.…

Presents detailed guidelines based on the literature for screen layout and design of online catalogs, and discusses the potential advantages in terms of number of transactions per hour and user satisfaction. Further research questions are suggested and an extensive bibliography is provided. (CLB)

Eight authors discuss five questions related to user searching of online catalogs: What user needs can be met by online assistance? Should assistance be tailored to particular groups? Should there be more than one level of assistance? Do users learn through computer-assisted instruction? and Will increased system friendliness eliminate the need…

Describes PACE (Public Access Catalogue Extension), an alternative interface designed to enhance online catalogs by simulating images of books and library shelves to help users browse through the catalog. Results of a test in a college library against a text-based online public access catalog, including student attitudes, are described.…

Describes the latest modifications being made to OASIS, a front-end enhancement to the University of California's MELVYL online union catalog. Highlights include the X Windows interface; multiple database searching to act as an information network; Lisp implementation for flexible data representation; and OASIS commands and features to help…

This examination of the effectiveness of various methods of cuing users to their location in a videotex information system used five different versions of an electronic edition of a college catalog: "simple" (no cues), "headers" (textual cues), "color" (color cues), "icons" (graphic cues), and…

Describes a Macintosh user interface to the NOTIS (Northwestern Online Total Integrated System) online public access catalog (OPAC) developed at the University of Delaware. Adaptation of the HyperCard-based interface from Cornell University, MacPAC, is described; testing and marketing is discussed; and future developments are addressed. (six…

Describes the Book House, an interactive, multimedia online public access catalog (OPAC) developed in Denmark that uses icons, text, and animation. An alternative design model that addresses problems in OPACs is described; and database design, system navigation, use for fiction retrieval, and evaluation are discussed. (20 references) (MES)

Discusses the problem of access in managing image collections and describes a prototype system for the University of California Berkeley which would include the University Art Museum, Architectural Slide Library, Geography Department's Map Library and Lowie Museum of Anthropology photographs. The system combines an online public access catalog…

Describes a project at the Denver Public Library (Colorado) called "Kid's Catalog" that involved creating a child-oriented online catalog with a graphical user interface. The catalog's software is designed to search, make cognitive links, and present a list of materials. Research was conducted at the library and three elementary schools…