An online public access catalog includes searchable electronic bibliographic data for all of the materials in a library's collection. Sometimes archival materials, artworks, or other physical artifacts are left out of the OPAC and can be found through finding aids or other databases on a library's website. OPACS evolved from a printed source, the library card catalog [1], which began being phased out in favor of the OPAC in the 1980s.
Online catalogs are usually searchable by a number of criteria. A simple search can consist of a search for one of the following: author, title, subject, publication date, etc. An advanced search can consist of a combination of these terms, for example author and publication date. Keyword browsing is also a feature of many OPACs.
Online catalogs are as important in art libraries as they are in libraries that are specialized or focused on other subjects. They provide access to materials when patrons, and possibly even staff, would not otherwise know where they were located. They are also integral to academic libraries where fine arts publications comprise a significant part of the collection. Below you will find listed a number of online catalogs to begin with when searching for materials on art and art history, as they include easy-to-use functions and produce valuable results.
ONLINE CATALOGS
1. National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum, London: http://catalogue.nal.vam.ac.uk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile=
- includes over 750,000 records, with access to over one million distinct items
- provides tabs for easy access to searches for periodicals, sales catalogues, and other material (archives & manuscripts)
- includes a page with links to all of the electronic resources offered by the library, with descriptions of what each resource provides
- includes keyword search as well as pre-loaded limiters by collection, department, or location
- provides advanced search functions including search by ISSN or ISBN, genre or publication format, and a number of browsing functions
- once search is made, provides images of covers where possible
- allows creation of an account and for materials to be saved to one's account
- allows for materials to be requested
- allows one to send results to any email address, even without creating an account; emailed results are accurate/not garbled text
- provides a help section for using the catalog [2]
- includes all media acquisitioned since 2000, plus 10,000 records retroactively added to the OPAC each year
- loads in German but can be translated into English in one's browser
- includes a list of items in the database accessible by subject
- includes a list of e-journals in the library accessible by subject
- automatically brings one to the advanced search page, which includes title, author, ISBN, but also person ABOUT, institution ABOUT, series, publisher, etc.
- includes limiters such as publication date, volume number, and new acquistions (within 1 wk to 4 mos)
- if an item was cataloged before March 2000 and cannot be found online, a contact phone number and email address are provided to ask if the work in question is held at the library
- includes a fairly detailed help section including the definition of each category/limiter [3]
http://endeavor.flo.org/vwebv/searchBasic?
- not its own OPAC, but included in the Fenway Libraries Online, an electronic consortium based on the geographic location in the city known as The Fenway. Includes the libraries of tertiary academic institutions.
- the entire FLO network can be searched, as books travel easily between the consortium libraries, or can be limited to the home institution of the user
- basic search includes title, author, subject heading, call number, etc.
- advanced search includes boolean function as well as limiters including year of publication, type of material, language of material, etc. (some of these appear very repetitive and are thus confusing terms)
- an account can be created to save searches and specific records
- offers some help, which is slightly confusing [4]
http://library.metmuseum.org/screens/opacmenu.html
- includes the records for the Asian Art Library, the Cloisters, the Islamic Art Library, and the Thomas J. Watson Library, amongst others
- can be searched without the inclusion of any auction catalogs
- basic search includes title, author, ISBN, subject, call number, etc.
- advanced search includes boolean search, limiters including library/collection, location (such as medieval art; textile conservation), language, publication date, publisher, material/document type, etc.
- includes search tips function with specific scope pages detailing the meanings of terms [5]
http://library.holycross.edu/search~S2
- includes the holdings of WAM's library as well as the libraries of the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester
- includes records for 53,000 books, online databases, auction catalogs, artist files, special materials, and art periodicals
- at the bottom of most pages, a short section offers tips for searching with boolean operators and wildcards
- offers limiters on which collection is to be searched (WAM library, WAM images, or a number of Holy Cross libraries)
- basic search by title, author, subject, call number
- advanced search is located in the right-hand toolbox, somewhat out of the way, and includes location, material type, year, and publisher
- includes functions for sorting the results by relevance, date, or title
- current search can be modified, which is done through the advanced search [6]
These five catalogs were fairly simple to use and brought back relevant results for a number of searches. The best catalogs are those with easy-to-understand help functions, and with clear and concise advanced limiters rather than ones that are redundant and thus confusing. A library that gives information about its OPAC's holdings - type of material, overall number of items - provides a sense of professionalism to the user as well as comfort that what is being searched for may well be held in the collection being consulted. Streamlined interfaces with toned-down colors are preferred by this user. Links to other parts of the website, such as other pages concerning the library or the museum, should be clearly demarcated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. University System of Georgia. "A Primer on Databases and Catalogs."
http://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit04/primer04_04.phtml Accessed 4 October 2015.
2. National Art Library. "National Art Library Catalogue."
http://catalogue.nal.vam.ac.uk/ipac20/ipac.jsp?profile= Accessed 4 October 2015.
3. Germanisches National Museum. "Library OPAC." http://webopac.gnm.de/aDISWeb/app?
service=direct/0/Home/$DirectLink&sp=Sserver-bib.gnm.de:5105 Accessed 4 October 2015.
4. Fenway Libraries Online. "Fenway Libraries Online." http://endeavor.flo.org/vwebv/searchBasic? Accessed 4 October 2015.
5. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "WATSONLINE: The Catalog of the Libraries of The
Metropolitan Museum of Art."http://library.metmuseum.org/screens/opacmenu.html Accessed
4 October 2015.
6. Holy Cross. "Millennium Web Catalog." http://library.holycross.edu/search~S2 Accessed 4
October 2015.
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