Academic, government, and corporate librarians organize and leverage internal resources and content through institutional repositories and library catalogs. Getting more value and usage from the content they license is a key goal. However, the ever-growing amount of content and shifting user demands for new materials or features has made the…

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present an overview of the two open source (OS) integrated library systems (ILS)--Koha and ABCD (ISIS family), to compare their "next-generation library catalog" functionalities, and to give comparison of other important features available through ILS modules. Design/methodology/approach: Two open source…

In April 2007, the University of Washington Libraries debuted WorldCat Local (WCL), a localized version of the WorldCat database that interoperates with a library's integrated library system and fulfillment services to provide a single-search interface for a library's physical and electronic content. This brief will describe how WCL incorporates a…

At the end of 2007, SirsiDynix introduced the first version of Symphony, its new flagship Integrated Library System (ILS). This article begins with a look at the evolution of Symphony, user reactions to Symphony, and Symphony's design and functionality. The authors, along with a team of librarians from various functional areas, have completed…

Over the last few years, there has been a wealth of materials written and presented on next-generation library catalogs. These next-generation interfaces strive to turn "standard" integrated library systems (ILSs) into more nimble and robust search platforms that offer more user-friendly 2.0 enhancements for users. Rather than abandoning…

Discusses the history of American and British experiences with library automation and contrasts them with recent developments in central and eastern Europe. Highlights include efficiency of internal operations, including cataloging data; access to internal and external library resources, including online catalogs and document delivery; and…

Discussion of users' persistence in scanning displays of postings on computer-driven information systems focuses on a study of the Library Computer System (LCS) in Illinois, an online library system that provides access to an academic library collection. The use of transaction log analysis is described and results are analyzed. (12 references)…

Proposes an approach to the analysis of cataloging rules, in particular, rules for bibliographic description, in terms of orientedness, a concept employed to explore directiveness or inclination of a characteristic toward a given objective or function. Assesses the validity and usefulness of the proposed approach and reviews its problems and…

Traditional library web products, whether online public access catalogs, library databases, or even library web sites, have long been rigidly controlled and difficult to use. Patrons regularly prefer Google's simple interface. Now social bookmarking and tagging tools help librarians bridge the gap between the library's need to offer authoritative,…

Presents results of experiments conducted on four versions of the Science Library Catalog (SLC), a Dewey decimal-based hierarchical browsing system implemented in HyperCard without a keyboard. The SLC approach helps children overcome problems with typing, spelling, vocabulary, and Boolean logic. (70 references) (AEF)

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…

Discusses the need to reassess the objectives of online public access catalogs and how those objectives might be met before costly investments are made in electronic versions of "other data" for online catalogs. Several objectives are outlined and their feasibility in the modern telecommunications environment is examined. (two references) (CLB)

This study developed an analytical approach to detecting groups with homogenous usage patterns in a Web-based information system. Principal component analysis was used for data reduction, cluster analysis for categorizing usage into groups. The methodology was demonstrated and tested using two independent samples of user sessions from the…

The Dublin Core (DC) metadata standard is emerging as one of the leading initiatives in digitization programs; as libraries, museums, archives and others begin to digitize their physical materials it will be imperative that internationally recognized standards be used. Key elements behind the development of DC, and the 15 fields of DC are…

The Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) system has become a primary subject retrieval tool in an environment that is very different from that for which it was designed and developed. This book is a comprehensive guide to the principles and application of LCSH that reflects changes and developments in the field. The text is divided into…