It depends on your perspective. The contents, appearance, and
functionality of our public access catalogs are generally different
from those of our staff access catalogs. Being able to distinguish
between them in notes and conversation is necessary. I've found the
term OPAC useful for that; though it may not be the best term to use
with an audience which sees only the public access catalog.
I agree that "catalog" is still a viable word for the online listing
of the libraries' holdings and subscriptions. What I lack is a
collective term for the catalog plus all the other search tools that
appear in a typical library's online interface. Does "website"
suffice, or is there some better term for the particular kind of
online access tool set libraries offer?
Stephen
>Excerpt:
>Yes, it was "online", but why include "public access"
>in the name ...... Weren't all of our catalogs "public access"? (well, I
>will grant you that if you maintained an official card catalog, then THAT
>wasn't "public access").
>
> janet
>
>Janet Swan Hill, Professor
>Associate Director for Technical Services
>University of Colorado Libraries, CB184
>Boulder, CO 80309
>janet.hill_at_colorado.edu
> *****
>"The thing about democracy, beloveds is that it is not neat, orderly, or
>quiet. It requires a certain relish for confusion." Molly Ivins
****************************************************
Stephen Hearn
Authority Control Coord./Database Mgmt. Section Head
Technical Services Dept.
University of Minnesota
160 Wilson Library Voice: 612-625-2328
309 19th Avenue South Fax: 612-625-3428
Minneapolis, MN 55455 E-mail: s-hear_at_tc.umn.edu
Received on Tue Aug 21 2007 - 10:32:28 EDT