OPAC Review

Catalog functions

• Inventory and control

• Locating known items

• Discovery tool

Catalog as Discovery Tool

• Criticisms• Amazon• Google• GoogleZon for libraries

– Aquabrowser– Library Thing– Scriblio (WPopac)– WorldCat Local– III Encore

Aquabrowser

• Black Gold Cooperative Library System (San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties)

• http://bgaqua.blackgold.org/

• Visual Search

• Faceted Browse

• Spell Check

Library Thing

• Recommendations

• Tags

• Ratings

• Find similar titles

• Los Gatos Public Library

• http://www.losgatosca.gov/index.asp?NID=42

Scriblio

• Comments

• RSS

• Plymouth State University (NH)

• http://www.plymouth.edu/library/read/223702

WorldCat Local

• Peninsula Library System

• http://plsinfo.worldcat.org/

• Google box

• Relevance Ranking

• Faceted Browse

• FRBR

III Encore

• Scottsdale Public Library (AZ)

• http://encore.scottsdaleaz.gov/iii/encore/app

• Google-like box

• Faceted Browse

• Tags

Searching

• Keyword searching – searching databases for words that appear anywhere in record or text

• Phrase searching – keywords in specific order

• Field searching – searching in specific indexes such as author, titles etc.

• Federated searching – searching across multiple databases with a single search

Federated Searching

• http://search3.webfeat.org/sfpladvsearch.html

Authentication

• Links from OPAC to licensed resources must allow remote users to authenticate– IP recognition – proxy server– Referring URL recognition

More Search Terminology

• Boolean operators – Logical connectors for keyword searching (AND, OR, NOT)

• Metadata – data that describes documents, used for online retrieval

Full-text Searching

• Does the OPAC allow full-text searching?

Resource Sharing

1. Check local library

2. Check other branches

3. Check consortium partners if there are any – consortial borrowing

4. Request ILL – interlibrary loan

5. Take advantage of universal borrowing at a nearby library

Local Library

• How do you check your local library?

• Use the OPAC

• CCSF

Other Branches

• How do you check other locations or branches at your library?

• Use the OPAC

• How do you get the desired material delivered to your branch?

• Hold/Request process

• CCSF

Consortial Borrowing

• How do you check consortial partner libraries?

• In a shared catalog environment such as PLS, use the OPAC and the Request/Hold function.

• Other systems require another level of searching. Try Link+ from SFPL, an example of Direct Consortial Borrowing

Interlibrary Loan

• How do you request an ILL?

• Some libraries allow online submissions, others require a paper form.

• http://sfpl.org/librarylocations/main/illbookstop.htm

• Some libraries use an ILS ILL module

• Some libraries allow unmediated requests

Universal Borrowing

• California has a system of universal borrowing.• Participating public libraries get reimbursed by

the State for lending to California residents who live in other jurisdictions.

• How do you find the nearest public library with an item you want?

• California Libraries Catalog – CalCat: union catalog for California

Other Terminology

• Ariel – software for document transmission, faster and clearer than a FAX without the phone call

• Consortium – an organization of separate libraries that share resourcesor develop joint purchasing agreements

• Document delivery – delivery of requested documents such as articles or book chapters

ILL Terms

• net lenders – large libraries tend to lend more than they borrow

• net borrowers – smaller libraries tend to borrow more than they lend

• Other factors– Depth of collections– ILL policies

ILL Services

• OCLC – largest in the US– WorldCat - CalCat

Mediation

• Unmediated – saves staff time and delivers self-service for patrons. Parameters can be set to automatically reject specific classes of requests.

• Mediated – allows more human control; requires more staff time. Requires patron to work through staff.

Class Web Page

• http://fog.ccsf.edu/~acosta/56.htm