Online Public Access Catalogue Usage at Panjab University Library

Abstract

This paper examines Online Public Access Catalogue usage by the students and faculty of Panjab University Library, Chandigarh. OPAC, an information retrieval system, has revolutionised access to bibliographic information through search capabilities such as keyword searching, Boolean searching, truncation, proximity searching, and item identity number searching. A questionnaire-based survey on use of OPAC was conducted forA.C. Joshi Library on various categories of users such as faculty members, research scholars and postgraduate students, covering different disciplines such as basic sciences, applied sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The paper discusses various aspects of OPAC such as frequency of use, purpose, ease of use, satisfaction level, etc. An attempt is also made to explore the reasons for the least used search options of OPAC. The results of the study reveal that a significant number of users search information regarding the library material through OPAC despite encountering problems. Lack of basic skills among users was found to be the major reason for not utilising full features of OPAC. It is suggested that University library should organise quality instruction programmes to improve knowledge and skills of the users.

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