Honours 4th Year Assignment on OPAC vs Automated Catalogue

 Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC): 

An online public access catalogue (often abbreviated as OPAC or simply library catalogue) is an online database of materials held by a library or a group of libraries. Early in 1960s there was existence of OPAC. The first large-scale OPAC were developed at Ohio State University in 1975 and the Dallas Public Library in 1978. 

Automated catalogue: 

An automated catalogue is customized catalogue of a library’s collection. Mainly it is of an automated library’s catalogue, or perhaps digital library’s. It is customized by using computer software. Library automation started growing with the influence of computer technologies since 1960s. the very first integratd library system was considered to be the “turnkey system on microcomputers” now it is some software that are used in ILS like ‘KOHA, Evergreen etc’. 

 

OPAC vs. automated catalogue: 

These two are closely related to each other but also have some dissimilarities. The differences between these two topic are given in a table below: 

 

OPAC	Automated Catalogue
It is computerized database collection of a/any library	It is a computerized database of a digital/automated library’s collection
It is subsequently developed since 1970s and early 1980s.	It has developed 1990s and 2000s.
It is a computer based catalogue service open for all.	It is acomputer based service open for a specific group of people of that organization that is automated.
It can be accessed through internet in a library	It can be accessed through computer terminals of a library
Users can use Boolean operator or keyword in search.	Users can’t use any of them.
OPAC can be assessed by author, title, subject and keyword.	This can be assessed by author, title or subject only.
In the OPAC, user can limit the search result as journal, book, article etc.	Users can’t limit the search.
Document could be found without knowing about it.	Subject field should be known to find the document.
The search exercises are time-consuming, cumbersome and slow	Search excersises is time-reducing and easy.
OPAC has a lot of advantage in terms of content,structure, searching capabilities and user satisfaction.	Automation of library improves library services and increase productivity, efficiency and accuracy.
OPAC is another for of ILS.	Automated catalogue is needed in OPAC.
It clarifies eventually and timely acess to information	It also clarifies the same
Hyperlink search is supported in Windows based OPAC.	Full-text search is supported in this.
Visual representation attracts user to us it.	There is no such attractive visualization.
It introduces new means of information retrieval e.g. CD-ROM, online database.	It introduces in-house information retrieval of a document.
Encourage co-operaive collection development and resource sharing.	Encourage developing to a greater extent to modernize the organization
It encourages lifelong learning experience.	It encourage patrons or users of the organization to use the items using a system
It provides detailes satatus e.g. availability, number of copies and location	It only shows bibliographic information of a book
It needed higher knowledge of expertise.	It is embodiment of high degree of expert knowledge.

 

OPAC and automated catalogue are two sides of one coin. They have more similarities than differences.