OPAC
From LIS 460 Summer 2007
OPACs, or Online Public Access Catalogs, took the place of card catalogs in libraries and networks of libraries as early as the 1980s. Gradually libraries made the switch from the card catalog system to the computer based catalog. In the 1990s the rapidly increasing use of the Internet allowed librarians to put their OPACs online. This shift allowed a user to access his library's Web-based catalog from his home computer as well as from the library's computers. It also provided access to several library catalogs at once, as long as all the libraries belonged to the same network. These Internet OPACs, also known as IPACs, are part of an integrated library system (ILS). An ILS is a planning system libraries implement to maintain their holdings and transactions.
Contents |
Searchability
Traditional catalogs allowed users to search by Title, Subject, or Author. OPACs allowed for more access points, such as keywords, dates, call or class numbers, publishers, or material type (book, audio, serial). Web-based OPACs perform searches rapidly and accurately, doing most of the work for the user.
Making OPACs More Pleasing to the User (and the eye)
Recently OPACs have begun to incorporate more graphically elaborate interfaces. Gone are the days when the search result screen resembled a 3x5 from the card catalog. Designers are making these changes in hopes of appealing to more users and encouraging the use of the OPAC, and therefore the library. There is more flexibility in the design for the main interface, with drop-down menus, pop-ups, and graphic icons with floating text. These "visual OPACs" are more aesthetically pleasing, with color schemes, styles and graphics. All about appeal, new OPAC design schemes display as much about the search result as possible. These results might display a book cover, annotation, sound clip, illustration, or even a link to the article. Tactics such as these are meant to simplify the search process and entice the user to make the trip to the library (or to just use what the library is offering right on the screen). Visual OPACs are the library's way to advertise the benefits of their particular institution.
Target Audiences
Each library should consider its target audience when creating or updating its OPAC. Students are more impressed by bright, shiny graphics and fancy operations, but must also be able to navigate without confusion. The ability to switch from text to graphic is one way to accommodate a diverse population of users. Children, ESL speakers, and people with special needs benefit from simple graphics and clear navigation. All OPACs should cover the basic needs of library users and still present enough appeal to encourage frequent use of and credibility for the media center.
The Ideal OPAC
In order to best serve educators and students, a school OPAC should have:
-Equal parts graphics and text, with an option to switch between the two modes
-Graphics that support the text and aid with understanding (especially for younger students)
-Built in thesauri and controlled vocabulary lists for help with subject searches
-Recommended reading lists supplied by the media specialist, teachers, and perhaps students (for both classwork and for pleasure reading)
-Link to live reference, or message system for the SLMS so she can respond to queries
-Calendar of school events
-Link to state standards to help with teachers' curriculum
-Connection to full text articles when available
-Archivable results pages
-Easy-to-read information for each item in the search result
-Bright and basic, but not overwhelming or distracting colors
-Clear search boxes, with limited but precise access points (title, keyword, author, etc.) For younger students, sometimes too many access points is overwhelming
Sources
Brisco, Shonda. "Visual OPACs." Library Media Connection (Nov.-Dec. 2006): 56-57.
For information on vendors:
Article about top vendors in school libraries. At bottom of article is a list of vendors and their websites School Library Journal and San Jose State University Survey
