The University of California Libraries: A Plan for Development (1977)

XII. Summary 195
Identification and Location of Material (pages 57-78). The University
has determined that the "library holdings of all campuses should be
considered a single University collection," 2 but effective use of the
unified collection cannot be made unless users know what is in it, and
where the material is located. The plan therefore recommends the development
of an on-line, computerized union catalog, with terminals on all
campuses. This technique is already being employed successfully in other
libraries, and has numerous advantages over the traditional card catalog.
The advantages are discussed in full on pages 64 though 67, but among
them are the following:
• When developed, the on-line catalog is likely to be less expensive
to maintain than the card catalog.
• The information presented can be more current.
• The information presented can be more accurate, since changes
and corrections are more readily made.
• Searching for information is much faster, and can also be much
more efficient.
• Access to the catalog (through terminals) can be provided in
many more locations, including departmental offices.
• Access to other data bases, in addition to the union catalog,
can be provided through the same terminals.
Delivery and Use of Materials (pages 79-100). Once identified, the
material needed must be delivered to the user within the time needed for
it to be useful. At present, this is too frequently not the case. Days
and even weeks may be required to deliver materials from one campus to
another, and even on the campuses themselves it may take days to retrieve
material and get it to the intended user.
For each level in the system, the plan recommends a desired response
time, as follows:
Department and College: immediate.
Campus: one day.
Region: two days.
University and State: one week.
2
Report of the Library Policy Task Force, University of California
Library Policy to 1980-81,1974, p. 2.