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MicroLIAS is an extension of LIAS (Library Information Access System), the integrated mainframe‐based library system developed at the Pennsylvania State University Libraries. MicroLIAS is microcomputer software that emulates the mainframe LIAS online catalog by extending its indexing and searching power to the personal computer. On the micro, personalized databases can be created and maintained. The use of MicroLIAS reduces demand on the mainframe by supporting work and storing information for local applications or subsequent uploading to the mainframe.

Since they started to appear in the 1970s, online public access catalogs (OPACs) have developed in sophistication and increased greatly in number. Yet most experts on the subject agree that these OPACs are still clearly in their infancy. One of the areas that has been explored very little in either the literature or the marketplace is the development of microcomputer software packages designed specifically for searching and managing records from OPACs. Uploading and downloading, of course, have been around for some time but have been focused on library automation systems (e.g., derived records from OCLC) and online searching services (e.g., building personal reference files from DIALOG searches).

By formulating a vision that provides for a solid foundation for the virtual library, we can dramatically improve existing library services and create new ones with added value. The new library paradigm will be built on software and hardware information technology. Related requirements include distributed computing and networking; open architectures and standards; authentication, authorization, and encryption; and billing and royalty tracking. The “virtual library tool kit” will include reduced dependence on word indexing and keyword/Boolean retrieval; development and application of natural language processing; and effective tools for navigation of networks. Carnegie Mellon University offers some helpful examples of how information technology and information retrieval may be used to build the virtual library.

This article discusses downloading from OPACs in general and from the INNOPAC system in particular. It begins by setting out a brief philosophy of downloading, providing an introduction to OPAC downloading. It then discusses the practice of OPAC downloading with particular emphasis on tools for capturing and “postprocessing” downloaded flies. Technical and institutional constraints on downloading are addressed and an innovative program for overcoming some of these constraints is described in detail. The article concludes by considering various proposals for improving INNOPAC downloading capabilities.