Describes a longitudinal study of four sets of OPAC (online public access catalog) transaction logs that examined the effects of screen changes in helping searchers improve their search behavior. Results show that while screen changes initially had a positive impact on search behavior, they were not always sustained over time. (Author/LRW)

Reviews pilot project at the University of Southern California to convert the traditional card catalog to a COM catalog. This involved identification of essential and nonessential catalog data elements and assessment of users' reaction toward the sudden change in form and content of the catalog. (CWM)

Discusses library use studies that examined library catalog search failures and demonstrates types of online catalog access that can reduce the failures caused by card catalog flaws or by user search errors by half. The use of single keyword, implied Boolean, or derived truncated key retrieval is suggested. (14 references) (LRW)

In 1981 and 1982, a group of 5 organizations conducted a coordinated study of public online catalog users and nonusers in 31 research, academic, community college, public, and governmental libraries with 17 different online catalogs. It was found that: (1) the most important user characteristic linked with success and satisfaction in using online…

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…

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…

In 1981 and 1982, the Research Libraries Group (RLG) and four other organizations participated in a coordinated study of public online catalog users and nonusers. Standard, self-administered questionnaires were used to gather data from 8,094 users and 3,981 nonusers in 31 research, academic, community college, public, and governmental libraries…

Describes a study conducted at the University of Illinois to test the effectiveness of subject access in the online bibliographic catalog. Relevance is examined and possible methods of improving subject access are described. Results suggest that significant improvements are not possible within the constraints of existing subject cataloging…

Describes the methodology and findings of a survey of 196 faculty members at an academic research library. Focusing on use of subject searches in card and online catalogs, the study compared use by faculty from the humanities and social sciences with use by faculty from the natural sciences and engineering. (Author/CLB)

Produced as part of a formal library review process, this publication reports the results of a 1981 survey of approximately 1000 undergraduates, postgraduates, and academic staff at the Australian National University (ANU) to determine their use of and satisfaction with facilities, materials, and services provided by ANU's library system. A high…

From January 1980 through December 1982 the Illinois Valley Library System (IVLS) and 33 of its participating libraries conducted an experimental project to test the costs and benefits of OCLC use in small and medium-sized libraries. This report, one of eight describing the results of the OCLC Experimental Project, examines interlibrary loan…

The purpose of this study was to find out to what extent K-12 fiction and nonfiction books about and for hearing impaired children and adolescents are included in the collections of the seven public libraries in Franklin County, Ohio. Two core bibliographies were compiled through content analysis of selective bibliographic sources. Via dial-up…

Discusses features of online library catalogs and their cost characteristics, including financial management and planning (hardware and software options, turnkey vendors); approaches to cost analysis (actual experiences, building blocks); baseline estimates for two average academic libraries; and vendor estimates. Forty-five references and a…

Research conducted at Fisher Library, University of Sydney, which measured user failure to locate known items in catalog or on shelves, yielded overall failure rate of 35.9 percent (26.2 percent at catalog; 46.1 percent at shelf). User errors caused two-thirds of failures at catalog and more than half at shelf. Fifteen references are provided.…

In 2001, WorldCat, the primary international bibliographic utility, contained 45 million records with over 750 million library location listings. These records span over 4,000 years of recorded knowledge in 377 languages. Under the auspices of an OCLC/ALISE (Online Computer Library Center/Association of Library and Information Science Educators)…