Experiments were designed and carried out in an attempt to identify some parameters relating to ease of manual searching in library catalogs. A comparison of the difficulty of searching the same file in card form and book form indicated that searching the book catalog generally requires more time. (4 references) (Author/NH)

The purpose of this study was to examine the inter-indexer consistency in the assignment of selected access points between OCLC and RLIN (Research Libraries Information Network). Both databases are used by many libraries as bibliographic sources for copy cataloging. Access points were compared for differences in wording, MARC coding, and…

Discusses the problems encountered by elementary school children in retrieving information from a library catalog, either the traditional card catalog or an OPAC (online public access catalog). An alternative system of classification using colors and symbols is described that was developed in the Common School (Amherst, Massachusetts). (Author/LRW)

This review deals with online catalog enhancements and developments over the past two to three years, including bibliographic standards; cataloging rules; MARC; bibliographic records; subject access, including keyword searching, Library of Congress Subject Headings, multiple vocabularies, and classification; refining searches; enriching…

Describes the Dewey Online Retrieval System (DORS), which was developed at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to experiment with classification-based search strategies in online catalogs. Classification structures in automated information retrieval are discussed; and specifications for a classification retrieval interface are…

Discusses subject searching problems in online library catalogs; explains advanced information retrieval (IR) techniques; and describes experiments conducted on a test collection database, CHESHIRE (California Hybrid Extended SMART for Hypertext and Information Retrieval Experimentation), which was created to evaluate IR techniques in online…

Discussion of precision in information retrieval highlights a prototype online catalog, ILSA (Improving Library Subject Access), developed at Indiana University of Pennsylvania that uses subject clusters and classification. Topics addressed include problems with keyword searching, controlled vocabulary, and thesauri; natural language mapping…

Presents abstracts of 15 special interest group (SIG) sessions. Topics include navigation and information utilization in the Internet, natural language processing, automatic indexing, image indexing, classification, users' models of database searching, online public access catalogs, education for information professions, information services,…

Discussion of subject access through classification number searching in online library catalogs highlights the present classification climate, increased potential for classification retrieval, effect of past and present practice on effectiveness of class number access, and proposals for action. Thirty-two sources are given. (EJS)

In this research project, subject terms from the Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Schedules and Relative Index were incorporated into an online catalog as searcher's tools for subject access, browsing, and display. Four features of the DDC were employed to help searchers browse for and match their own subject terms with the online catalog's…

Recommends an expansion of MARC codes for decimal class numbers to enhance automated subject retrieval. Five values for a second indicator and two new subfields are suggested for encoding hierarchical relationships among decimal class numbers. Additional subfields are suggested to enhance retrieval through analysis of synthesized numbers in…

Presents results of a study to determine a Superintendent of Documents (SuDocs) number search key to retrieve bibliographic records for United States Government documents from OCLC's On-Line Union Catalog. (CWM)

This paper focuses on cataloging and classification, which are the most time consuming of library operations, requiring highly trained staff and involving considerable expense, to provide an overview of the concepts and considerations for centralized cataloging and interlibrary loans. Centralized cataloging is defined as a cooperative arrangement…

Explores the potential usefulness of the Library of Congress Classification (LCC) system as a tool in online retrieval. Unique features of LCC are described and a theoretical analysis of its potentials and limitations in terms of subject browsing, enhanced vocabulary, and class number searching are presented. (CDD)

Review of the 1991 literature on subject access in online systems discusses users and subject searching; subject access in online catalogs, including improvement of the database, search processing, the user interface, and user understanding; subject cataloging and indexing; information retrieval; thesaurus and indexing approaches; classification;…