Describes a study that collected statistics on the occurrence of terms used in searching an online catalog and investigated the correlation of the selection of terms with their occurrence in indexing. The discussion of the results includes implications for indexing theories. (19 references) (CLB)

Describes a survey that examined ways in which users interacted with the authority control of online catalogs developed commercially and locally. The two types of system are compared in terms of displayed messages related to authority control and system capabilities to aid users in understanding the relationships between headings. (CLB)

Reviews methods to improve online catalogs for subject searching and describes the design of an expert system front-end to improve subject access in online public access catalogs that focuses on search strategies. Implementation of a prototype system at the National University of Singapore is described, and reformulation strategies are discussed.…

Discusses problems in OPAC (online public access catalog) searching, describes the value and styles of pathfinders that are used as subject guides, and illustrates how to include them in a NOTIS system. Future possibilities are considered, and examples of NOTIS screen displays for pathfinders are appended. (Author/LRW)

Discusses topics related to use of search trees to enhance subject searching in online catalogs: subject searching in existing systems; search trees defined; highlights of a study of subject queries; normalized subject headings; the exact approach to subject searching; one-word queries; multiword queries; queries failing to produce retrievals; and…

Discusses the difference in subject access in OPACs (online public access catalogs) between subject searching (authority, alphabetic, or controlled vocabulary) versus keyword searching (uncontrolled, free text, natural language vocabulary). Compares a query on the term "garbage" in two online catalogs and discusses results. (Author/LRW)

Describes online catalog research being conducted in Europe in the areas of interaction and interface design, subject access, functional improvement through the application of information retrieval techniques, and library networks. Three operational online catalogs, not available outside Europe, are discussed. (30 references) (CLB)

Discusses expectations that weaknesses within the system of Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) will be bypassed by other subject access routes available on online catalogs, and compares the performance of LCSH to title field subject access. Observed patterns of LCSH functions are discussed and conclusions about search strategy are…

Identifies and discusses themes and resources related to American academic fiction, novels whose main characters are professors, college students, and those associated with academia, and includes bibliographies on American academic fiction. Sidebars present the best academic fiction for 1980-1994, online catalog search strategies to access…

Describes results of a study of transaction logs from three university libraries' online catalogs that analyzed subject queries to determine the extent to which they matched subject headings in the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). Computer and manual analyses are described, and user satisfaction with LCSH matches is considered. (14…

Although articles in series generally embrace a central theme, they may not share a common index term; retrieval by medical subject heading often produces an incomplete set. Since subject retrieval is problematic, it would be helpful if articles in a series could be retrieved by series title. Five quality-assessed general medical journals…

This study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of keyword searching in an online catalog to traditional subject searching in one special collection of vocational rehabilitation materials. Subject area specialists assessed the contents of books using their terminology, and compared the results to MARC records. It was found that slightly…

This report responds to the need for North American libraries to provide computer support for multiple subject lists or controlled vocabularies as they automate separate catalogs using specialized thesauri for certain subject areas, materials, and audiences in addition to their main library catalogs. The focus of the report is the integration of…

Describes a study at the City University (London) that was conducted to evaluate the impact of an online catalog on subject searching behavior. Methods of using the catalog and browsing at the shelves are examined, and results are compared with an earlier study of subject searching with a manual PRECIS index. (25 references) (LRW)

Reviews the problems of users of online public access catalogs and argues that it is necessary to think of all searching problems as systems problems rather than user failures, and to concentrate research in the area of systems enhancements. A list of improved tools needed for subject searching in online catalogs is identified. (CLB)