Remote users of an online public access catalogue (OPAC): problems and support
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb045239 |
| Published date | 01 April 1993 |
| Pages | 241-243 |
| Date | 01 April 1993 |
| Author | Marthie de Kock |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
Article
Remote users of
an
online
public access catalogue
(OPAC): problems and
support
Marthie de Kock
Vista
University,
Pretoria,
South Africa
Abstract: Networks allow different users from outside the
library remote access to library catalogues. These remote
users may face problems that differ from the OPAC users' in
the library. They may not be comfortable with the computer
technology and may not be familiar with the OPAC of the
library. Libraries should offer different support services
than they would provide to on-site
users.
Libraries should
be responsive to the needs of remote users. These users need
technical advice as well as special instruction aids and
guides to lead them to the information they want to retrieve.
1.
Introduction
With the development of library automation and library net-
working, more and more library users are given the opportu-
nity to search the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC)
from outside the walls of the library
itself.
This facility, which
is obtained by logging into a local area network or wide area
network, is called 'remote access'.
In The New Scientist Holderness (1992) puts the question:
'Who needs libraries now that the world's information is
accessible through computer networks?'
According to him, anyone with a computer and a modem
link can already consult the catalogues of
75
British univer-
sity libraries and those of American and European institutions
without leaving their offices.
However, the library has adapted to the changing technol-
ogy. Instead of disappearing with the emergence of electronic
information, it has become an important node or device in the
user's information network. Campus-wide networks are pro-
viding an important opportunity for libraries to reach out to
users beyond the confinement of the library walls (Bellamy
1991).
The ideal situation for the library would be to offer these
users remote access to all the information systems within the
environment of the library by means of
a
user interface and a
common command language. The user can then access the
following:
• Online catalogue with its
— library holdings
— other bibliographic utilities
— library hours;
• Multiple databases
— in-house library databases
— remote databases of other libraries / institutions
— online overseas reference databases;
— electronic document / data delivery;
• National corporate databases like the South African
Bibliographic Network (SABINET);
• CDROM reference databases;
• Interlibrary loans;
• Electronic mail for leaving messages or requests;
• Images, etc.
In enabling users remote access to all these facilities, the
library is faced with new problems and
queries.
Library staff
need
to
have new skills and sufficient experience
to
supply the
remote user with technical support
as
well
as help
in
his
online
search problems.
This paper
will
concentrate on the most common problems
a remote user experiences in accessing the library's OPAC
and the support which the library and staff can render in mak-
ing remote access as easy as possible.
2.
Remote access to online catalogues
It was not until the mid to late 1980s that South African librar-
ies began to provide public access to their online catalogues.
The OPAC was predominantly developed and installed
as
part
of the library's integrated computer software package. Once
the first catalogues were installed, the rapid growth in instal-
lation illustrated the advantages stemming from providing
distributed access to a central resource within the library.
Networks and network technologies have become more
prevalent in a growing number of libraries over the past few
years.
These libraries form part of a larger structure, namely
the local area network of an institution or campus-wide net-
work. Most network installations provide as
a
key part of their
structure,
a
means to link departments within the institution to
the library (Akeroyd 1991) or a means to link branch or site
libraries.
The Electronic Library, Vol.
11,
No. 4/5, August/October 1993 241
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