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Library Management System Evaluation Committee

9. Reference/OPAC - Next Generation Public Interface

Fred Muratori, Zsuzsa Koltay, Jill Powell, Lynn Brown, Susan Markowitz

9.1 Public Interface

• The public interface should allow a "single-point of entry" to the Library online environment, supporting graphics and multimedia, hypertext links to both internal and external resources (including digitized full-text, electronic archival collections, Internet sites, metadata catalog, Library catalog, external search engines, etc.), and forms for patron/Library transactions (e.g., ILL, reference queries).
• Adherence to Z39.50 standards to allow access to both remote and external files of all kinds, including simultaneous searching and results-sorting of multiple databases chosen by the user.
• The interface should allow windowing to accommodate simultaneous sessions or use of two or more resources at the same time (e.g., cross-searching in both Library catalog and a periodical database without needing to exit one resource in order to use the other), as well as "cut and paste" functions.
• Navigation prompts should be clear in both presentation and function.
• The public interface should also be available in a "text-only" form to accommodate users who are accessing Library resources in environments which do not yet support graphics, hyperlinks, and other non-text-based features.
• The public interface should be platform-neutral.
• Ability to change databases or navigate among them without having to end "back out" of the system and re-enter.
• Ability to preselect groups of databases for simultaneous searching.
• Ability to create and customize error messages with full screen editor.
• Ability to create and customize global Library news screen.

9.2 Records and Indexes

• Fully indexable and searchable records.
• Local control of record indexing (i.e., which fields are indexed as title, author, subject, etc.) as well as the ability to locally designate physical or conceptual characteristics such as format, genre (e.g., reference sources, electronic journals, music scores) within records in such a way to facilitate searches on these characteristics.
• Support of hyperlinks within record displays (e.g., for subject headings, authors, URLs).

9.3 Search Formulation Capabilities

• Support of "novice" and "advanced" searching, with the latter providing more sophisticated on-screen search options (e.g., keyword proximity, limits by year/format, etc.)
• Support of standard search keys such as author, title, subject heading, local call number, standard number (e.g., isbn), publisher name, as well as keyword (free-text) searching.
• Support of Boolean operators between free-text terms or groups of terms and standard search keys.
• Support of proximity operators between terms.
• Support of search limits such as Library location and sub-location, year, record format, document format (e.g., numeric, bibliographic, full-text, graphic, spatial data).
• Support of truncation -- left, right, and internal, with ability to specify character limits beyond the root term (e.g., "limit?1" retrieves terms up to and including one character beyond the root).
• Retention of prior search queries and ability to combine results of prior searches (e.g., "s2 and s4"), along with the ability to repeat them in different databases or across a set of preselected databases.
• Enough command line space (256 characters) for complex Boolean searches without requiring that patrons enter a system command to get an extra command line.
• Ability to search databases using native search engines (e.g., using SPIRS in Silver Platter files).
• "Fuzzy" matching of search queries (e.g., "scralet letter" also retrieves "scarlet letter").

9.4 System Output

• Screen Display
  1. Local control of record displays, including record mapping and field labels.
  2. Display of non-Roman characters, diacritics (i.e., support of UNICODE standard).
  3. Rational display of preliminary results (guide or index screens, containing brief bibliographical data or subject heading/sub-heading listing), which can be customized by users to short chronologically by author, or by title.
  4. Flexibility to encompass varying record structures.
  5. Source tagged record format (e.g, MARC, SGML) display on demand.
  6. Ability to customize record format (e.g., full record, selected fields) for display.

• Off-screen Output
  1. Ability to print -- locally or remotely --selected records or a range of records in one command string (i.e., without having to display each record on-screen or cut/paste into an edit window screen-by-screen).
  2. Ability to download search results.
  3. Ability to e-mail search results.
  4. Ability to mark records for downloading, printing, e-mailing.
  5. User-definable sorting of search results (e.g., by title, date, author) for printing, downloading, e-mailing.
  6. Ability to process search results/retrieved documents with widely-used statistical (e.g., Excel), database (e.g., d-Base), or bibliographic (e.g., EndNote) software .

9.5 Online User Assistance

• Context-sensitive help.
• Clearly presented navigation prompts for moving to next/previous screen, next/previous record, record display to preliminary results, etc.

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3/30/97 fmm

rev. 7/24/97 dih