Analyzes four descriptive cataloging orthodoxies of the past (corporate authorship, uniform personal headings, the main entry, and the dominance of the card catalog) and contends that each has been overthrown. The influence of the MARC format on descriptive cataloging is examined and the need for the application of utilitarian principles is…

Describes a study that examined the feasibility of using machine links in an online catalog based on the presence of an OCLC control number, International Standard Serial Number (ISSN), or Library of Congress control number (LCCN) to link successive-entry serial bibliographic records that result from serial title changes. (Contains nine…

Discusses MARC records and describes a HyperCard script that translates MARC records from a communications format into an easy-to-read tagged format. An appendix lists a script from a HyperCard program called "The MARC Reader," and it is suggested that it could represent the beginning of an automated catalog. (two references) (LRW)

Considers the value of information contained within a library's online public access catalog. Assesses the value of MARC records; authority records; indexes; location and status information; and value for an individual. (LRW)

Purpose: The paper seeks to provide a comparative analysis of the functionality of five web-based OPACs available in Indian academic libraries. Design/methodology/approach: Same-topic searches were carried out by three researchers on the web-based OPACs of Libsys, VTLS's iPortal, NewGenLib, Troodon, and Alice for Windows, implemented in five…

To bring the library catalog and other online resources right into users' workspace quickly and easily without needing much more than a short XML file, the author, a reference and Web services librarian at Williams College, learned to build and use OpenSearch plug-ins. OpenSearch is a set of simple technologies and standards that allows the…

A union list of pre-1801 books in British libraries has long been needed, but its compilation has always fallen outside the capacities of existing manual systems. This report discusses an experimental project to devise, test, and evaluate techniques for the compilation of such a union catalog. To scale down the proposed catalog for the experiment,…

Discusses current trends in catalog formats and describes the computer output microform catalog planned by the University of British Columbia Library. (PF)

Considers some of the major technical and organizational issues involved in virtual-catalog production, contrasting them with the traditional union catalog approach exemplified by COPAC, an online public-access catalog composed of academic libraries in the United Kingdom. Suggest a method of integrating these two models of the union catalog.…

Describes the development of a Web-based union catalog for the New England Law Library Consortium (NELLCO) called DOM (Dom's Online Catalogs). Discusses early use of CD-ROMs; problems with using MARC records; search strategies; code samples; response time; and cost effectiveness. (LRW)

Given the downturn in Information Systems (IS) program enrollments, IS departments housed within schools of business are justifiably concerned about attracting more students into their programs. While some reasons for the downturn may be beyond the control of the academic community, it has been argued that IS programs are suffering, in part,…

It is easy to lament the shortcomings of traditional online public access catalogs (OPACs) in the Google Age. Users cannot, for example, usually input a snippet of a long-forgotten pop song's chorus into an online library catalog and almost instantly retrieve a relevant result along with hundreds of other options. On the other hand, should OPACs…

This study explored the feasibility of scanning the OCLC Online Union Catalog (OLUC) to create subject heading validation files. Concluded that automatically generated subject heading files were practical and that such files could be used to verify subject heading strings constructed by catalogers, update subject headings in catalog maintenance,…

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ARMY STUDY DOCUMENTATION AND INFORMATION RETRIEVAL SYSTEM (ASDIRS) ARE TO PROVIDE A CENTRAL LIBRARY OF ARMY STUDIES READILY ACCESSIBLE IN THE PENTAGON. AT THE PRESENT TIME, A BIBLIOGRAPHIC QUARTERLY CATALOG OF ARMY STUDIES AND A PERMUTED DESCRIPTOR/TITLE INDEX ARE PROVIDED. THE CATALOG OF ARMY STUDIES IS PRODUCED USING AN IBM…

Directions in the use of forms used by libraries to facilitate the interlibrary lending of newspapers, theses, books, and periodicals comprise the main body of this report. Numerous reproduced forms and worksheets illustrate these clerical aspects of loan procedures. A Library of Congress listing of union catalogs, library and publishers'…