OPAC review: Oxford Libraries Information System

This week, I want to take a look at an OPAC for a library system that encompasses libraries who operate under a closed-stacks policy: the Oxford Libraries Information System (OLIS) of Oxford University. We’ve spent a great deal of time in this class discussing the issue of “browsability,” and I was curious to explore the degree to which a research library with restricted collections succeeds at – or, conversely, is interested in - offering a big-picture glimpse of its holdings.

Compared to many North American library OPACs, OLIS is an unwieldy system to learn to use. For example, the default main page for UT’s OPAC presents new users with what might be marketed as a sure-fire search tool: the keyword search. By contrast, the main page of OLIS presents users with two versions of the catalogue: a web version and a telnet version, which requires Terminal or another text-based programme to use. Each version is accompanied by three “how to…” guides that outline basic searching, accessing one’s personal record, and Boolean searching.

A list of the functional differences between the web and telnet versions is also available, as is a “General Information” list of hyperlinks that serve to explain procedures such as submitting stack requests. Additionally, the OLIS main page presents a disclaimer about the online catalogue: only about fifty percent of Oxford’s ten million holdings are included. The organization of the catalogue’s access points and the caveats it presents suggest two fundamental operational assumptions on the Oxford library system’s part: that the majority of its users are engaged in on-site research at the university (indeed, one must be present at the Bodleian to recite the oath – scroll down to “The library today” - required to obtain a reader’s card), and that users are to some extent aware of the other finding aids required to locate materials such as theses and older manuscripts.

Upon entering the web version of the catalogue, one is presented with additional search options: the OLIS and the Bodleian pre-1920 catalogues can be searched separately and together. Once a database is selected, a search limiter can be chosen from a drop-down list that, interestingly, does not include a keyword search. A title search for “Byron” will yield an alphabetical list of titles that allows for sufficient browsability and navigation to more refined options. Once a title is selected, a user can mark a record for future use, and can display a location list showing every copy of the book in the Oxford system. Call numbers and availability are displayed, and a MARC display is also available. In this way, OLIS provides all the same essential functions that most North American university catalogues provide, even as it assumes a willingness on the part of the researcher to self-educate on the form and function of the catalogue.