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

62 The University of California Libraries
backgrounds are able to search the catalog easily and comfortably;
only on the part of older adults have they noted any reluctance to
use the system. 8
• At the University of Cincinnati, faculty members and students
have been using terminals originally designed for cataloging
by the library staff; because of space problems, some of these terminals
have been placed in a public area and the public simply began
using them. At first they operated the terminals with no instruction
at all, although now the library provides minimal assistance.
The library staff reports that some patrons are able to find items
using the terminals that they are unable to find using the card catalog.
Most persons spend only a few minutes at the terminals, but
some faculty members come in every week or so to search a list of
items. 9
• And at Case Western Reserve University, the same type of
terminals are being heavily used by patrons, who have a decided
preference for them as opposed to the card catalog. They are
"always in use" and popular. Instruction sheets are placed at the
terminals; "people pick them up, read them, and are searching five
minutes later. They rarely ask for help." 10
The On-Line Catalog at UC. In the system proposed for the
University of California, users will be able to search on the
terminals by author (in full form, or the last name only, if that
is all the user knows); by title, or by any significant word in the
title; by title of the series, if the work is part of a series;
8
From a conversation with Ruth Winik and Marjorie Griffin of the
library; see also Ruth Winik, "Reference Function With an On-Line
Catalog," Special Libraries, v. 63 (May/June 1972), pp. 217-221,
and Caryl McAllister and John M. Bell, "Human Factors in the Design
of an Interactive Library System," Journal of the American Society
for Information Science, v. 22 (March-April 1971), pp. 96-104.
9
From a conversation with Sue Tyner, University of Cincinnati.
10
From a conversation with Esther Greenberg, Case Western Reserve
University.