Thesis-1992-Husain.pdf (4.81 MB)
Subject access to OPACs: exploiting the capabilities of FileMaker Pro for designing a novel interface
thesis
posted on 2018-01-05, 09:32 authored by Shabahat HusainEver since the libraries came to being, subject access has had been
a problem. More often than not, subject searches result either in
no retrievals or too many records, discouraging users to proceed
further. Solutions to these problems were found in improving
search methods, indexing techniques, developing user
friendly novel interfaces and other methods. The present work
attempts to tackle the problems of subject access using an
experimental online catalogue by designing a graphic front end
user interface, wherein an enhanced indexing technique that is
traditional classification system coupled with improved search
method by providing end user thesaurus were
incorporated by using Macintosh compatible software package
called FileMaker Pro. The system provides subject access by
three methods i.e. Class Number Search (CNS), Subject Heading
Search (SHS) and Keyword Search (KWS) to cater to the needs of
two different levels of users i.e. naive or ordinary level and
another for the experienced or advanced level users. A cross
section of the searchers were invited to evaluate the interface. On
the basis of their reactions, certain recommendations were made
for the improvement of the system. In the process the capabilities
and limitations of FileMaker Pro were assessed and suggestions
were given for its further improvement. Certain points pertaining
to the further research on the subject were also recommended.
History
School
- Science
Department
- Information Science
Publisher
© Shabahat HusainPublisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 2.5 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.5) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/Publication date
1992Notes
A Master's Thesis. Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Master of Philosophy at Loughborough University.Language
- en