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The purpose of the paper is to examine the various features and components of web‐based online public access catalogues (OPACs) of IIT libraries in India with the help of a specially designed evaluation checklist.

The various features of the web‐based OPACs in six IIT libraries (IIT Delhi, IIT Bombay, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati, and IIT Roorkee) are evaluated. The evaluation approach taken was similar to that of Luong and Liew with minor modifications, comprising 122 dichotomous questions with 174 features and categorized as 11 broad categories.

The study explored different features of web‐based OPACs, of which page layout received the highest average scores with 93.33 percent, followed by the general features category with 90 percent. In contrast, session filters was the weakest category with only 40.47 percent. The results indicated that some web‐based OPACs reached the maximum scores for some categories. The results also indicated that VTLS‐based and LibSys‐based OPACs had the higher score on average (74.7 percent) and the iitKlas‐based OPAC of IITK received the lowest score of 44.2 percent. None were rated excellent. Only 50 percent of the web‐based OPACs studied achieved an above average ranking, of which Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IITM) had the highest total score (131), and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IITK) had the lowest total score (77). Almost all of the web OPACs studied lacked federated search, adjunct thesaurus help and spell check facilities, which seems to raise many questions regarding the facilities provided in the OPAC 2.0 environment of today and hence needs to be addressed as a priority in the subsequent generations of the web‐based OPACs and their development.

It is hoped that the libraries at the IITs will attend to the lacunae and soon develop fully functional web‐based OPACs with Web 2.0 and 3.0 technologies.

The findings of the study will not only guide study librarians and other newly established institutions but also ILMS vendors, so that they can overcome the limitations faced by users and improve their products as OPAC 2.0. This will also help the in‐house web‐based OPACs of IIT Kanpur and IIT Roorkee to compete with other reputed ILMS‐based OPACs.

This study has the aim of evaluating the compliance of bilingual Arabic scripts web‐based catalogues in the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC). It also seeks to highlight some of the challenges facing the exchange of bibliographic records and resource sharing among Arabic script online public access catalogues (OPACs).

Ten OPACs in the GCC countries accessible via the internet were surveyed. Modified guidelines of OPAC displays published in the literature were used for evaluating the Arabic script display in the surveyed web‐based OPACs. The study emphasizes the absence of a dominant model for the display of bibliographic data in the surveyed OPACs. There is inconsistency in label wording, access points provided in record default display, hyperlink to bibliographic elements, and data sequence. MARC format is not utilized in over two thirds of the surveyed catalogues, as well as the Z39.50 protocol. The study argues that the web‐based OPAC could play a landmark role in networking the catalogues of the GCC University libraries as a web‐based e‐union catalogue.

OPACs have broadened the capacity of the academic library in recording, indexing, archiving, and organising its growth‐oriented collections. The advent of the internet into the library setting has also provided OPACs with powerful searching and retrieval capabilities at a one‐stop portal. Meanwhile, great efforts are currently being done to design and operate an Arabic version of OPAC to be compatible with agreed‐upon MARC standards. This challenge sparked strong interest in evaluating the compliance of the bilingual (Arabic/English) web‐based OPAC operated particularly by some GCC University libraries.

Provides an evaluation of the compliance of bilingual Arabic scripts web‐based catalogues in the GCC.

This paper aims to analyse features and functions of indigenously developed web‐based catalogues of academic, special and national libraries of Pakistan.

The assessment of 16 OPACs is based on a 91‐item checklist developed with the help of previous studies conducted in other countries.

The paper finds that indigenous web OPACs are at an initial stage of development and only offer basic facilities to their users. They do not offer facilities many OPACs in advanced countries already offer. Their shortcomings include the absence of MARC format and Z39.50 protocol, which are indispensable for shared cataloguing. A very few catalogues can accommodate non‐Roman scripts like Urdu and other local languages.

The comparison of features and functions of web OPACs can be useful to understand the level of OPAC development in Pakistan. It can also be helpful for future improvements in this regard.

As technology changes, so do methods for delivering electronic information resources to library users. Describes Web‐based online public access catalogs (Web OPACS) and other Web‐based tools as gateway methods for providing access to library collections. Solutions for overcoming barriers to information, such as through the implementation of proxy servers and other authentication tools for remote users, are also addressed.

The main aim of this paper is to assess Dhaka University students' perceptions of ease‐of‐use and their satisfaction with University Library's online public access catalogue (DUL OPAC).

A survey questionnaire was developed and used to collect data on students' demographics, online catalogue use and their perceptions of ease‐of‐use and satisfaction with OPAC. In order to analyze the influence of students' demographic and individual characteristics on their perceptions and satisfaction, Mann‐Whitney and Kruskal‐Wallis tests were carried out.

The results showed that students are overwhelmingly satisfied with the DUL OPAC. Although there are some differences in students' perceptions of and satisfaction with the university OPAC, a formal task‐based usability testing and adopting a user‐centered design can ensure the usability of the OPAC in the future. The paper suggested some heuristic guidelines for designing interfaces for online catalogues.

This is the first time an effort has been made to assess students' perceptions of and satisfaction with a library OPAC in Bangladesh. The authors feel this study may encourage more such research on usability evaluation of OPACs in Bangladesh and beyond.

This paper aims to study the open source integrated library management systems, i.e. Koha and NewGenLib, to inform librarians about what considerations to make when choosing an open source integrated library management system (ILMS) for their library.

The paper provides a detailed comparative analysis of both types of software, i.e. Koha (3.2.4) and NewGenLib (3.0), which are undertaken in the study. The methodology used for the study is “Evaluation method” which is followed with the help of structured evaluation checklist prepared after the thorough study of reference tools, reference statistical data available and related literature. Both types of software are evaluated and compared qualitatively and quantitatively.

Both types of software are web‐enabled and support library automation. Koha has more specific characteristics of open source ILMS. Koha needs to upgrade, modify and improve its features. Koha requires very little hardware and is easy to install. Koha has advanced database features. NewGenLib has better functionality of modules than Koha. More formats and standards are supported by Koha. Digital library functionality of NewGenLib is more specific in terms of technology, data structure and programming. Also NewGenLib provides more user help and support whereas Koha provides more user‐friendly downloads and a documentation facility. NewGenLib has more enhanced features which are significant for ILMS while selecting software for automation.

The comparative analysis of the open source ILMS done in the study will help librarians in making necessary considerations while choosing an open source software for the library.

The paper presents a detailed evaluative study carried out using a comprehensive checklist designed for the study.

The paper seeks to provide a comparative analysis of the functionality of five web‐based OPACs available in Indian academic libraries.

Same‐topic searches were carried out by three researchers on the web‐based OPACs of Libsys, VTLS's iPortal, NewGenLib, Troodon, and Alice for Windows, implemented in five academic libraries in India. Their functionality was compared using criteria selected from the literature on OPAC searching.

The web‐based OPACs investigated offered a range of facilities for searching by author, title, control number and by keywords. Federated searching across several e‐collections was limited.

This paper should be a useful source of information to librarians who are planning to introduce web‐based OPACs and also for software vendors who wish to improve the functionality of their products.

The Internet has rapidly become one of the most powerful global sources of a wide range of information presenting many possibilities for librarians and information providers to seek information relating to their day‐to‐day activities, from buying books and serials to teaching information literacy skills. This paper delineates how libraries can benefit from the use of Internet resources to enhance the quality of their various services, at the same time saving both money and time. Some strategies for identifying valuable and relevant online resources are presented; and a number of most useful Internet tools and resources that are of great interest to librarians and information workers are discussed.

Who knows what scholarly gems lie behind the iron doors of research library stacks in what used to be called “East” Germany? Today anyone with a network connection and a Web browser can know at least some of the answers, thanks to a major automation effort.

An e‐mail survey of seven Arabian Gulf university libraries was conducted in order to ascertain which types of Web‐based services they offer to users. The study specifically looked at the provision of access to Web‐based services such as catalogues, search engines, forms, etc. through the respective library Web sites. Findings showed that almost all libraries are offering Web‐based services to users in one way or the other. This paper also discusses ways to improve and reinforce provision of such Web‐based services, including effective methods of creating awareness and delivering the orientation and training necessary to create a positive environment for change. Finally, the results of the study may be helpful especially to librarians of the Arabian Gulf libraries in enhancing or developing quality web‐based services.