The Use of Institutional Repositories: The Ohio State University Experience

In this paper the author compares the use of digital materials that have been deposited in The Ohio State University (OSU) Knowledge Bank (KB). Comparisons are made for content considered in scope of the university archives and those considered out of scope, for materials originating from different campus sources, and for different types of content. Results show that both mediated and unmediated content is used and therefore justifies the preservation costs for unmediated content. Results also show articles and undergraduate theses are most frequently used type of materials leading to the conclusion that it is important to collect content from all levels of the educational process

Subject Searching in Online Catalogs: Metaknowledge Used by Experienced Searchers

This paper begins to identify and characterize the knowledge used by experienced librarians while searching for subject information in online catalogs. Ten experienced librarians performed the same set of six subject searches in an online catalog. Investigated was the knowledge used to solve retrieval problems. This knowledge represents expertise in the use of the catalog. Data were collected through the use of think-aloud protocols, transaction logs, and structured interviews. Knowledge was defined as knowledge of objects (factual knowledge), knowledge of events (experiential knowledge), knowledge of performance (process knowledge), and metaknowledge. Metaknowledge is the sense of whole derived from the integration of factual, process, and experiential knowledge about the search and the conditions under which it is performed. The focus of this paper is on metaknowledge. For evidence of metaknowledge the data were examined for explanations that participants gave for their actions and observations, and for ways that participants evaluated their own progress during the process of searching. Reasons and explanations given by searchers were related to all phases of the library information retrieval process from the user's receipt of material to policies for collection development, and not just events directly related to the performance of a particular search task

Effects of Series Authority Control for Acquisitions

This study examines the effect of eliminating series authority control on the receipt of unintended duplicates, specifically in the context of approval plans. Random samples were drawn from two large plans at the Ohio State University Libraries (OSUL). Data were gathered from the approval plan vendors’ records, bibliographic records, Library of Congress series authority records (for items with series), and the physical items of OSUL-owned titles in each series. Data were also gathered from approval plan vendors regarding their reliance on national-level authority work for purposes of identifying items with series. The data from records were used to determine the degree of variance among multiple sources of series information. The results show that 5,838 series items received by OSUL through these two approval plans in FY1993/94 would not be under series control if national-level efforts of control were not in place. Approximately 1200 of these have series statements that do not match with one or more series statements found on items already in the collection

Use of the LCSH System: Realities

This study examines the question of whether academic libraries keep up with changes in the Library of Congress subject heading system. An analysis of the handling of 15 subject headings in 50 academic library catalogs available online through the Internet found that libraries are not consistently maintaining subject authority control, or making syndetic references and scope notes in their catalogs. The data are discussed from the perspectives of the libraries' performance, performance on the headings overall, performance on references, performance on the type of change made to the headings, and performance within three widely used online catalog systems. The implications of the findings are discussed in relationship to recent expressions of dissatisfaction with the effectiveness of subject cataloging