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Web OPAC interfaces: an overview

B. Ramesh Babu (B. Ramesh Babu is a Reader at the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Madras, Chennai, India. E‐mail: Beeraka_r@yahoo.co.uk)
Ann O’Brien (Ann O’Brien is a Lecturer at the Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. E‐mail: a.o‐brien@lboro.ac.uk)

The Electronic Library

ISSN: 0264-0473

Article publication date: 1 October 2000

5380

Abstract

Web‐based online public access catalogues (OPACs) began to appear in the late 1990s and many libraries are currently considering implementation. As catalogues, they demonstrate advances on traditional OPACs, especially in terms of remote access by users and their potential to integrate many document types and sources via a single interface. This paper considers some of the features and functions of Web OPAC interfaces. As yet, very little evaluation of systems and users has taken place and until more such literature appears, a general approach to products available is considered to be of value. Six popular Web OPAC interfaces in use in UK academic libraries (Talis, INNOPAC, WebCat, Voyager, GeoWeb and ALEPH) have been examined with an overview of the functions offered via those interfaces. A checklist has been developed as an indicator of the important features and functions offered.

Keywords

Citation

Ramesh Babu, B. and O’Brien, A. (2000), "Web OPAC interfaces: an overview", The Electronic Library, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 316-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/02640470010354572

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited

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