APPROACHES TO LIBRARY CATALOGUES

Reports on an investigation to compare the various forms of catalogue available in Liverpool City Libraries and Liverpool John Moores University Library. The information was gathered through interviews with 52 lecturers and students at Liverpoo John Moores University. The interview questions were concerned with the use of the library catalogues which were available; the effects of the online public aceess catalogue(OPAC) on searches; the effects of previous experience of an OPAC: and catalogue preference. Reveals that nearly all the library users interviewed had used the OPAC; that many of them had changed the way in which they searched for references; and that the majority preferred the OPAC and did not continue to use the microfichc catalogue.