Libraries are moving into an era that incorporates improvements of a library's existing databases, embraces the research results of the information-seeking process, and makes fundamental improvements by adding new databases such as WordFocus. These new systems should convert the frustrated user of today's online public access catalog (OPAC) into…

Explored user perceptions of dependability and accuracy of Texas A&M library services through focus groups. Reports user difficulties in locating materials, inaccurate catalog and circulation records, inadequate signage, searching the online catalog, and late notification of interlibrary loan arrivals; and discusses the library's efforts to…

Describes an online library catalog that was developed for an Austrian scientific library that includes table of contents in addition to the standard bibliographic information in order to increase relevance for searchers. Discusses the technology involved, including OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and automatic indexing techniques; weighted…

Researchers studying subject searching distributed an online questionnaire to users who access the University of California's online public access catalog, MELVYL, from public access terminals in the libraries of the University of California at Santa Cruz. This article discusses the results of transaction log analysis, comparison of in-library and…

Describes an experiment conducted at the University of Illinois at Chicago that was designed to determine whether adding a substantial number of subject headings would raise circulation rates. The effects of added contents notes, keyword searching, browsing, and displays on the online catalog are examined, and further research is suggested. (27…

Describes a study that electronically monitored 11 public access terminals at the University of Colorado libraries to produce transaction logs that were used to gather statistics and analyze users' behavior when searching online catalogs. Implications for search instruction and systems design are suggested. (Contains 13 references.) (LRW)

Online public access catalogs from 67 libraries using NOTIS software were searched using Internet connections to determine the positional operators selected as the default keyword operator on each catalog. Results indicate the lack of a processing standard for keyword searches. Five tables provide information. (Author/AEF)

Discussion of information filters focuses on the results of the first phase of a user study of a filter and describes the background, experience, and computer usage habits of the subjects before they began using the filter. Topics include e-mail; listservs; and information searching tools, including library online public access catalogs.…

Discussion of user persistence in displaying postings from an online catalog focuses on a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago that compared results of an earlier study of user persistence with a recent study of users and their online catalog, LUIS. Results of questionnaires and transaction log analysis are reported. (LRW)

This overview of OhioLINK, a library automation project that links 17 academic libraries and the state library in Ohio, describes the planning, governance, mandates, and structure of the network. Implementation of OhioLINK at Miami University is discussed, including selection of a library automation system, representation on OhioLINK committees,…

Presents preliminary findings of a study that developed descriptions of the behaviors and underlying cognitive processes observed during information retrieval interactions. Data from talk-aloud protocols and postsearch interviews from users of online public access catalogs in academic libraries are examined. (20 references) (LRW)

Discusses bibliographic access to documents in nonroman scripts and the need for standards for the way different scripts are encoded for data processing. A microcomputer-based system that transliterates Cyrillic text to a romanized version and back to Cyrillic is proposed. (10 references) (MES)

Presents preliminary data that characterizes the relationship between what users say they are trying to accomplish when using an online public access catalog (OPAC) and their perceptions of what input to give the system. Human-machine interaction is discussed, and appropriate methods for evaluating information retrieval systems are considered. (18…

Describes a study that was conducted to determine whether the searching behavior of remote users of LIAS (Library Information Access System), Pennsylvania State University's online public access catalog (OPAC), differed from those using the OPAC within the library. Differences in search strategies and in user satisfaction are discussed. (eight…

Describes internal databases available at the Bulgarian Central Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CINTI) and discusses trends and possibilities for their use in other library and information centers in Bulgaria. The online catalog at CINTI's Central Scientific and Technical Library (CSTL) is described, and potential uses of…