OPAC

OPAC:

An online public access catalog (often abbreviated as OPAC or simply library catalog) is an online database of materials held by a library or group of libraries. Users search a library catalog principally to locate books and other material available at a library.

OPAC Versus Card Catalogue
The library catalogue exists primarily to indicate the books available in a particular library.

,The objectives of the library catalogue                                                                                                                                                       first set out by cutter in 1967, were:

·         To enable a person to find a book about which one of the following is known

·         The author

·         The title

·         The subject

·         To show what the library has

·         By a given author

·         On a given subject

·         In a given kind of literature

·         To assist in the choice of a book

·         As to its edition

OPAC meets all these objectives.

Difference between OPAC and card catalogue

OPAC allows rapid retrieval and post-coordinated retrieval. Post-coordinated retrieval allows a user to define interactively search specifications that precisely describe the information being sought. Card catalogues support pre-coordinated retrieval through standardized headings (entry points) and a built-in cross-reference structure

OPAC and Library Automation

Libraries progressed in automation by automating the house keeping procedures, i.e, acquisition, circulation control serials control, etc. however, integrating (linking) these activities is much more beneficial.

OPAC VS Web OPAC

Difference between OPAC and Web OPAC

OPAC:

(LAN/internet) usage is limited, only the persons in LAN can use it.

Users have to follow the program of the particular OPAC software in that library.

Web OPAC:

The usage is global; a person can access it from anywhere.

Web OPAC, html files are used which hyperlink to the subject areas or disciplines.

·         Types of OPAC

·                     First generation OPACs

First generation OPACs have been derived from traditional catalogues or computerized circulation systems. They are also referred as phrase-indexed or pre-coordinated OPACs. The number of access keys is limited and they are similar to manual catalogues, i.e., author, title, class number and possibly subject headings.

·                     Second generation OPACs

Second generation OPACs have their origin from commercial bibliographic information retrieval systems of the 1970s, and accordingly have greater similarity to the search services provided by these systems.

Searching OPACs

Two fundamentally different search approaches can be found in OPACs –                                         Query    searching                                                    

Browsing Searching.

·                     Query Searching

Query searching is an appropriate, useful search option when the aim of the search is specific, i.e, user’s information need is fairly well defined and this request can be expressed in the language of the database.

·                     Browsing

In browsing, user’s information needs are not precisely defined. Browsing can take place in the set of bibliographic items itself or in the dictionary in the set of words or phrases which appear in the bibliographic item description.

Limitations of OPAC

Despite the increasing use of OPACs new-a-days, there are many limitations of OPACs. These are listed below:

·         Do not provide sufficient assistance in the translation of the query terms into the vocabulary used in the catalogue.

·         Do not provide online thesaurus aids useful for subject focusing/identifying terms that are broader or narrower than the topic of search.

·         Do not automatically assist the user by providing alternative formulation of the search statement when the initial approach fails.

·         Do not lead the searcher from successful free text search terms to the corresponding subject headings or class numbers assigned to a broader range of related materials.

·         Do not rank the retrieval sets in decreasing order of probable relevance to the user’s search criteria.

OPAC of    British  Library

About the library

The British Library is the National Library of the United Kingdom  and the largest library in the world by number of items cataloged . As a legal deposit library it receives a copy of every book published in the UK and Ireland. The collection includes 150 million items, in most known languages and includes manuscripts, maps, newspapers, magazines, prints, drawings, music scores and patents.

The British Library has many online catalogues, including more than 20 specialist catalogues.

Main Catalogue

Main catalogue contains records for over 56 million items, including c.13 million records for books, journals, newspapers, conferences, maps, scores etc.; 37 million journal articles; thousands of electronic journals, E books and hundreds of databases; Sound Archive items; Web Archive links and over 400 Research datasets.

Photographic catalogues

The Library has two catalogues solely comprising photographic items and two catalogues that contain some photographic material1,323 books and 15,274 photographs with titles and descriptions, and 320 digital images of original photographs.

Union catalogues

These external catalogues, include British Library items.
The British Library is not responsible for the content or availability of these sites.

·         Chinese printed books and serials

·         Japanese-language printed books and serials 

·         Catalogues of Asian material

Other printed catalogues

·         There is also a wealth of published material available, providing summaries, descriptions and indexes to manuscripts arranged chronologically, by language, or by subject matter. Many of these books are available on the open access shelves of the Manuscripts Reading Room, where assistance can also be sought from the Enquiry Team, the Superintendent or the Curatorial Advisor.

Manuscript catalogues

 you can search and view the details of the Library's archive and manuscript collections together in one catalogue for the first time. Information about the collections included on Search our Catalogue, Archives and Manuscripts is available.

Some of the items in the British Library's Archives and Manuscripts collections are available as Digitized.

OPAC of University of Punjab Lahore

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to determine the most preferred catalogue format – card catalogue or online public access catalogue (OPAC) for searching library material in Oriental languages, i.e. Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Hindi, Sanskrit, Sindhi and Pashto of the Central Library, University of the Punjab, Lahore.

Design/methodology/approach

A purposive sample of 100 respondents was chosen for this study. The questionnaire contained both close- and open-ended questions. SPSS (version 11.5) was used for quantitative analysis of data. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for reaching conclusions.

Findings

The study highlights the importance of both types of catalogue. Many of the findings of the study related to the card catalogue and OPAC are surprising when compared to their general perceptions. It is important to note that the users perceived the card catalogue as more effective for searching the library material in Oriental languages.

Originality/value

It is the first study of its type in Pakistan that explored the users’ perceptions and behavior of searching Oriental language material from the card catalogue and OPAC. The findings of the study are valuable for library management, not only at the Central Library of Punjab University but also for other libraries. These findings can help in making both card catalogue and OPAC more effective and user-centered. It will also assist them to improve weaknesses of both types of catalogues.

Implications of the study

– This study compares the users’ preferences for card catalogue and/or OPAC when searching Oriental language material. There are very few studies available on this subject and most of them are dated.

Advantages of OPAC

 OPAC has its advantages, namely:

·         Information retrieval can be performed quickly and precisely. Speed up information retrieval.

·         Searches can be done anywhere and not have to come to the library with the note is connected to the internet / online.

·         Save time and effort.

·         Users can know the existence and status of collection if collection is on loan or not.

·         Users get more opportunities in the tracing of library materials. OPAC has some advantages of the card catalog search including the interaction, help the user, user satisfaction, search capabilities, and display output, the availability and access.

·         . Users can access directly into the data center owned by the library.

·         . Reduce the costs and time required and must be removed by the user in finding information.

·         . Reduce the workload in the management of data bases that can improve the efficiency of labor. .. . Can serve the information needs of the community in broad range.

 . Enable users to manage data more effectively OPAC functions Catalog functions in general are as follows:

 1. Show where a book or other materials using the classification symbols of the numbers in the form of a call number (call number).

2. Lists all books and other materials with the alphabetical arrangement of author name, book title, or subject of the book is concerned, into a special place in the library to facilitate the search for the entries or information required by the user.

 3. Provide easy to find a book or other materials in the library with only knowing one from the list of the completeness of the book is concerned.

Disadvantages of OPAC

 From a variety of advantages, disadvantages OPAC also has opportunities are:

1. Not all library materials into computer data so that users have difficulty in performing searches.

2. Depending on the flow of electricity, when a power failure, the activities of library materials will be uninterrupted tracking.

 3. Lack of availability of computer terminals to search OPAC owned library