The Reinvention of the FDLP: A Paradigm Shift from Product Provider to Service Provider.

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to determine the most preferred catalogue format – card catalogue or online public access catalogue (OPAC) for searching library material in Oriental languages, i.e. Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Sindhi and Pashto of the Central Library, University of the Punjab, Lahore. It also explores the users’ searching behaviour for finding the library material in Oriental languages. Design/methodology/approach – A purposive sample of 100 respondents was chosen for this study. The questionnaire contained both close- and open-ended questions. SPSS (version 11.5) was used for quantitative analysis of data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for reaching conclusions. The qualitative data analysis software “X-Sight” was used for analysing the qualitative data. Findings – The study highlights the importance of both types of catalogue. Many of the findings of the study related to the card catalogue and OPAC are surprising when compared to their general...

What do users prefer, card catalogue or OPAC?

Summary As technology races forward, public library OPACs have established a barrier to access. Computer literacy is required of the patron to access the collection through the OPAC. This barrier may be addressed with more active service. Rather than the librarian at the reference desk waiting to be asked, go to the patron. But will the patron accept? This study looks at who did accept and how often. Patrons heading towards the OPAC were greeted by an individual and offered assistance. Conducted at the Guilderland Public Library, a suburb of Albany, NY, in the fall of 1996, this study compares the responses of these patrons grouped by sex and approximate age. In 20 hours over five consecutive days, 189 patrons were recorded. Additionally the study touches upon other factors such as sex, race, dress, and more effective wording for the approach and offer.

Offering assistance at the OPACs

Since the closing of the Sterling C. Evans Library author/title card catalog on March 6, 1989, librarians have observed a number of patrons who continued to use that catalog, even though NOTIS, the Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC), offered more comprehensive and current access to library holdings. To determine the reasons for this use, the authors prepared a one-page questionnaire, focusing on the users' preference for an inadequate card catalog in an environment which offers a superior OPAC. Card catalog patrons were then surveyed in order to gather data and build a user profile. Survey results were tabulated and analyzed, revealing the underlying reasons for users' preference for the card or online catalog. Conclusions will provide direction for improvements in users' access to online catalogs.

OPAC or Card Catalog

Texas A&M University loaded retrospective GPO records in December 1989 and continues to add current records on a monthly basis. By the fall of 1990, it was realized that the move from catalog cards and shelflist check-in to an online system required an improved means of database management. Marcive supplied the Sterling C. Evans Library with monthly GPO tapes and a customized printout of the monthly records. Procedures were then developed to (1) check the records against items received, (2) address problems such as missing documents and missing records, (3) resolve inconsistencies in records and holdings as they are found. Results indicate that this is a successful and cost effective method of collection and database management.

MA Barbara B. Alexander Msls

Papers

OPAC or Card Catalog

Maintaining the GPO Tapes